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Sample records for ms strong correlation

  1. Correlations between MRI and Information Processing Speed in MS: A Meta-Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. M. Rao

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives. To examine relationships between conventional MRI measures and the paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT and symbol digit modalities test (SDMT. Methods. A systematic literature review was conducted. Included studies had ≥30 multiple sclerosis (MS patients, administered the SDMT or PASAT, and measured T2LV or brain atrophy. Meta-analysis of MRI/information processing speed (IPS correlations, analysis of MRI/IPS significance tests to account for reporting bias, and binomial testing to detect trends when comparing correlation strengths of SDMT versus PASAT and T2LV versus atrophy were conducted. Results. The 39 studies identified frequently reported only significant correlations, suggesting reporting bias. Direct meta-analysis was only feasible for correlations between SDMT and T2LV (r=-0.45, P<0.001 and atrophy in patients with mixed-MS subtypes (r=-0.54, P<0.001. Familywise Holm-Bonferroni testing found that selective reporting was not the source of at least half of significant results reported. Binomial tests (P=0.006 favored SDMT over PASAT in strength of MRI correlations. Conclusions. A moderate-to-strong correlation exists between impaired IPS and MRI in mixed MS populations. Correlations with MRI were stronger for SDMT than for PASAT. Neither heterogeneity among populations nor reporting bias appeared to be responsible for these findings.

  2. Time correlation between mononucleosis and initial symptoms of MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endriz, John; Ho, Peggy P.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: To determine the average age of MS onset vs the age at which Epstein-Barr infection has previously occurred and stratify this analysis by sex and the blood level of Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) antibody. Methods: Using infectious mononucleosis (IM) as a temporal marker in data from the Swedish epidemiologic investigation of MS, 259 adult IM/MS cases were identified and then augmented to account for “missing” childhood data so that the average age of MS onset could be determined for cases binned by age of IM (as stratified by sex and EBNA1 titer level). Results: Mean age of IM vs mean age of MS reveals a positive time correlation for all IM ages (from ∼5 to ∼30 years), with IM-to-MS delay decreasing with increased age. When bifurcated by sex or EBNA1 blood titer levels, males and high-titer subpopulations show even stronger positive time correlation, while females and low-titer populations show negative time correlation in early childhood (long IM/MS delay). The correlation becomes positive in females beyond puberty. Conclusions: IM/MS time correlation implies causality if IM is time random. Alternative confounding models seem implausible, in light of constraints imposed by time-invariant delay observed here. Childhood infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in females and/or those genetically prone to low EBNA1 blood titers will develop MS slowly. Males and/or high EBNA1-prone develop MS more rapidly following IM infection at all ages. For all, postpubescent EBV infection is critical for the initiation and rapid development of MS. PMID:28271078

  3. PREFACE: Strongly correlated electron systems Strongly correlated electron systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, Siddharth S.; Littlewood, P. B.

    2012-07-01

    This special section is dedicated to the Strongly Correlated Electron Systems Conference (SCES) 2011, which was held from 29 August-3 September 2011, in Cambridge, UK. SCES'2011 is dedicated to 100 years of superconductivity and covers a range of topics in the area of strongly correlated systems. The correlated electronic and magnetic materials featured include f-electron based heavy fermion intermetallics and d-electron based transition metal compounds. The selected papers derived from invited presentations seek to deepen our understanding of the rich physical phenomena that arise from correlation effects. The focus is on quantum phase transitions, non-Fermi liquid phenomena, quantum magnetism, unconventional superconductivity and metal-insulator transitions. Both experimental and theoretical work is presented. Based on fundamental advances in the understanding of electronic materials, much of 20th century materials physics was driven by miniaturisation and integration in the electronics industry to the current generation of nanometre scale devices. The achievements of this industry have brought unprecedented advances to society and well-being, and no doubt there is much further to go—note that this progress is founded on investments and studies in the fundamentals of condensed matter physics from more than 50 years ago. Nevertheless, the defining challenges for the 21st century will lie in the discovery in science, and deployment through engineering, of technologies that can deliver the scale needed to have an impact on the sustainability agenda. Thus the big developments in nanotechnology may lie not in the pursuit of yet smaller transistors, but in the design of new structures that can revolutionise the performance of solar cells, batteries, fuel cells, light-weight structural materials, refrigeration, water purification, etc. The science presented in the papers of this special section also highlights the underlying interest in energy-dense materials, which

  4. Site-specific glycoprofiling of N-linked glycopeptides using MALDI-TOF MS: strong correlation between signal strength and glycoform quantities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thaysen-Andersen, Morten; Mysling, Simon; Højrup, Peter

    2009-01-01

    Site-specific glycoprofiling of N-linked glycopeptides using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is an emerging technique, but its quantitative accuracy lacks documentation. Thus, a systematic study of widely different glycopeptides was perf......Site-specific glycoprofiling of N-linked glycopeptides using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is an emerging technique, but its quantitative accuracy lacks documentation. Thus, a systematic study of widely different glycopeptides...... was performed to determine the relationship between the relative abundances of the individual glycoforms and the MALDI-TOF MS signal strength. Glycopeptides derived from glycoproteins containing neutral glycans (ribonuclease B, IgG, and ovalbumin) were initially profiled and yielded excellent and reproducible...... quantitation (correlation coefficient r = 0.9958, n = 5) when evaluated against a normal phase HPLC 2-AB glycan profile. Similarly, precise quantitation was observed for various forms of N-glycans (free, permethylated, and fluorescence-labeled) using MS. In addition, three different sialoglycopeptides from...

  5. Strongly correlating liquids and their isomorphs

    OpenAIRE

    Pedersen, Ulf R.; Gnan, Nicoletta; Bailey, Nicholas P.; Schröder, Thomas B.; Dyre, Jeppe C.

    2010-01-01

    This paper summarizes the properties of strongly correlating liquids, i.e., liquids with strong correlations between virial and potential energy equilibrium fluctuations at constant volume. We proceed to focus on the experimental predictions for strongly correlating glass-forming liquids. These predictions include i) density scaling, ii) isochronal superposition, iii) that there is a single function from which all frequency-dependent viscoelastic response functions may be calculated, iv) that...

  6. Theoretical studies of strongly correlated fermions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Logan, D [Institut Max von Laue - Paul Langevin (ILL), 38 - Grenoble (France)

    1997-04-01

    Strongly correlated fermions are investigated. An understanding of strongly correlated fermions underpins a diverse range of phenomena such as metal-insulator transitions, high-temperature superconductivity, magnetic impurity problems and the properties of heavy-fermion systems, in all of which local moments play an important role. (author).

  7. EDITORIAL: Strongly correlated electron systems Strongly correlated electron systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ronning, Filip; Batista, Cristian

    2011-03-01

    Strongly correlated electrons is an exciting and diverse field in condensed matter physics. This special issue aims to capture some of that excitement and recent developments in the field. Given that this issue was inspired by the 2010 International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems (SCES 2010), we briefly give some history in order to place this issue in context. The 2010 International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a reunion of sorts from the 1989 International Conference on the Physics of Highly Correlated Electron Systems that also convened in Santa Fe. SCES 2010—co-chaired by John Sarrao and Joe Thompson—followed the tradition of earlier conferences, in this century, hosted by Buzios (2008), Houston (2007), Vienna (2005), Karlsruhe (2004), Krakow (2002) and Ann Arbor (2001). Every three years since 1997, SCES has joined the International Conference on Magnetism (ICM), held in Recife (2000), Rome (2003), Kyoto (2006) and Karlsruhe (2009). Like its predecessors, SCES 2010 topics included strongly correlated f- and d-electron systems, heavy-fermion behaviors, quantum-phase transitions, non-Fermi liquid phenomena, unconventional superconductivity, and emergent states that arise from electronic correlations. Recent developments from studies of quantum magnetism and cold atoms complemented the traditional subjects and were included in SCES 2010. 2010 celebrated the 400th anniversary of Santa Fe as well as the birth of astronomy. So what's the connection to SCES? The Dutch invention of the first practical telescope and its use by Galileo in 1610 and subsequent years overturned dogma that the sun revolved about the earth. This revolutionary, and at the time heretical, conclusion required innovative combinations of new instrumentation, observation and mathematics. These same combinations are just as important 400 years later and are the foundation of scientific discoveries that were discussed

  8. Electronic Structure of Strongly Correlated Materials

    CERN Document Server

    Anisimov, Vladimir

    2010-01-01

    Electronic structure and physical properties of strongly correlated materials containing elements with partially filled 3d, 4d, 4f and 5f electronic shells is analyzed by Dynamical Mean-Field Theory (DMFT). DMFT is the most universal and effective tool used for the theoretical investigation of electronic states with strong correlation effects. In the present book the basics of the method are given and its application to various material classes is shown. The book is aimed at a broad readership: theoretical physicists and experimentalists studying strongly correlated systems. It also serves as a handbook for students and all those who want to be acquainted with fast developing filed of condensed matter physics.

  9. Wavelet Correlation Coefficient of 'strongly correlated' financial time series

    OpenAIRE

    Razdan, Ashok

    2003-01-01

    In this paper we use wavelet concepts to show that correlation coefficient between two financial data's is not constant but varies with scale from high correlation value to strongly anti-correlation value This studies is important because correlation coefficient is used to quantify degree of independence between two variables. In econophysics correlation coefficient forms important input to evolve hierarchial tree and minimum spanning tree of financial data.

  10. Quantum Transport in Strongly Correlated Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bohr, Dan

    2007-01-01

    the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method. We present two DMRG setups for calculating the linear conductance of strongly correlated nanostructures in the infinitesimal source-drain voltage regime. The first setup describes the leads by modified real-space tight-binding chains, whereas the second....... Thus both coherence and correlation effects are important in this model, and the methods applied should be able to handle both these effects rigorously. We present the DMRG setup for this model and benchmark against existing Greens function results for the model. Then we present initial DMRG results...... screening plays a much less significant role than in bulk systems due to the reduced size of the objects, therefore making it necessary to consider the importance of correlations between electrons. The work presented in this thesis deals with quantum transport through strongly correlated systems using...

  11. Deficits in memory and visuospatial learning correlate with regional hippocampal atrophy in MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longoni, Giulia; Rocca, Maria A; Pagani, Elisabetta; Riccitelli, Gianna C; Colombo, Bruno; Rodegher, Mariaemma; Falini, Andrea; Comi, Giancarlo; Filippi, Massimo

    2015-01-01

    The hippocampus has a critical role in episodic memory and visuospatial learning and consolidation. We assessed the patterns of whole and regional hippocampal atrophy in a large group of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and their correlations with neuropsychological impairment. From 103 MS patients and 28 healthy controls (HC), brain dual-echo and high-resolution 3D T1-weighted images were acquired using a 3.0-Tesla scanner. All patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment of hippocampal-related cognitive functions, including Paired Associate Word Learning, Short Story, delayed recall of Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure and Paced Auditory Serial Attention tests. The hippocampi were manually segmented and volumes derived. Regional atrophy distribution was assessed using a radial mapping analysis. Correlations between hippocampal atrophy and clinical, neuropsychological and MRI metrics were also evaluated. Hippocampal volume was reduced in MS patients vs HC (p right and hippocampus). In MS patients, radial atrophy affected CA1 subfield and subiculum of posterior hippocampus, bilaterally. The dentate hilus (DG:H) of the right hippocampal head was also affected. Regional hippocampal atrophy correlated with brain T2 and T1 lesion volumes, while no correlation was found with disability. Damage to the CA1 and subiculum was significantly correlated to the performances at hippocampal-targeted neuropsychological tests. These results show that hippocampal subregions have a different vulnerability to MS-related damage, with a relative sparing of the head of the left hippocampus. The assessment of regional hippocampal atrophy may help explain deficits of specific cognitive functions in MS patients, including memory and visuospatial abilities.

  12. Strongly Correlated Systems Theoretical Methods

    CERN Document Server

    Avella, Adolfo

    2012-01-01

    The volume presents, for the very first time, an exhaustive collection of those modern theoretical methods specifically tailored for the analysis of Strongly Correlated Systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and materials science, belong to this class of systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognized main contributors. The exposition has a clear pedagogical cut and fully reports on the most relevant case study where the specific technique showed to be very successful in describing and enlightening the puzzling physics of a particular strongly correlated system. The book is intended for advanced graduate students and post-docs in the field as textbook and/or main reference, but also for other researchers in the field who appreciates consulting a single, but comprehensive, source or wishes to get acquainted, in a as painless as po...

  13. Strongly correlated systems numerical methods

    CERN Document Server

    Mancini, Ferdinando

    2013-01-01

    This volume presents, for the very first time, an exhaustive collection of those modern numerical methods specifically tailored for the analysis of Strongly Correlated Systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and material science, belong to this class of systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognized main contributors. The exposition has a clear pedagogical cut and fully reports on the most relevant case study where the specific technique showed to be very successful in describing and enlightening the puzzling physics of a particular strongly correlated system. The book is intended for advanced graduate students and post-docs in the field as textbook and/or main reference, but also for other researchers in the field who appreciate consulting a single, but comprehensive, source or wishes to get acquainted, in a as painless as possi...

  14. Strongly correlated systems experimental techniques

    CERN Document Server

    Mancini, Ferdinando

    2015-01-01

    The continuous evolution and development of experimental techniques is at the basis of any fundamental achievement in modern physics. Strongly correlated systems (SCS), more than any other, need to be investigated through the greatest variety of experimental techniques in order to unveil and crosscheck the numerous and puzzling anomalous behaviors characterizing them. The study of SCS fostered the improvement of many old experimental techniques, but also the advent of many new ones just invented in order to analyze the complex behaviors of these systems. Many novel materials, with functional properties emerging from macroscopic quantum behaviors at the frontier of modern research in physics, chemistry and materials science, belong to this class of systems. The volume presents a representative collection of the modern experimental techniques specifically tailored for the analysis of strongly correlated systems. Any technique is presented in great detail by its own inventor or by one of the world-wide recognize...

  15. Universal behavior of strongly correlated Fermi systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaginyan, Vasilii R [B.P. Konstantinov St. Petersburg Institute of Nuclear Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gatchina, Leningrad region, Rusian Federation (Russian Federation); Amusia, M Ya [A.F. Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Popov, Konstantin G [Komi Scientific Center, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Syktyvkar (Russian Federation)

    2007-06-30

    This review discusses the construction of a theory and the analysis of phenomena occurring in strongly correlated Fermi systems such as high-T{sub c} superconductors, heavy-fermion metals, and quasi-two-dimensional Fermi systems. It is shown that the basic properties and the universal behavior of strongly correlated Fermi systems can be described in the framework of the Fermi-condensate quantum phase transition and the well-known Landau paradigm of quasiparticles and the order parameter. The concept of fermion condensation may be fruitful in studying neutron stars, finite Fermi systems, ultra-cold gases in traps, and quark plasma. (reviews of topical problems)

  16. Universal behavior of strongly correlated Fermi systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaginyan, Vasilii R; Amusia, M Ya; Popov, Konstantin G

    2007-01-01

    This review discusses the construction of a theory and the analysis of phenomena occurring in strongly correlated Fermi systems such as high-T c superconductors, heavy-fermion metals, and quasi-two-dimensional Fermi systems. It is shown that the basic properties and the universal behavior of strongly correlated Fermi systems can be described in the framework of the Fermi-condensate quantum phase transition and the well-known Landau paradigm of quasiparticles and the order parameter. The concept of fermion condensation may be fruitful in studying neutron stars, finite Fermi systems, ultra-cold gases in traps, and quark plasma. (reviews of topical problems)

  17. Construction of exchange-correlation functionals through interpolation between the non-interacting and the strong-correlation limit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Yongxi; Ernzerhof, Matthias; Bahmann, Hilke

    2015-01-01

    Drawing on the adiabatic connection of density functional theory, exchange-correlation functionals of Kohn-Sham density functional theory are constructed which interpolate between the extreme limits of the electron-electron interaction strength. The first limit is the non-interacting one, where there is only exchange. The second limit is the strong correlated one, characterized as the minimum of the electron-electron repulsion energy. The exchange-correlation energy in the strong-correlation limit is approximated through a model for the exchange-correlation hole that is referred to as nonlocal-radius model [L. O. Wagner and P. Gori-Giorgi, Phys. Rev. A 90, 052512 (2014)]. Using the non-interacting and strong-correlated extremes, various interpolation schemes are presented that yield new approximations to the adiabatic connection and thus to the exchange-correlation energy. Some of them rely on empiricism while others do not. Several of the proposed approximations yield the exact exchange-correlation energy for one-electron systems where local and semi-local approximations often fail badly. Other proposed approximations generalize existing global hybrids by using a fraction of the exchange-correlation energy in the strong-correlation limit to replace an equal fraction of the semi-local approximation to the exchange-correlation energy in the strong-correlation limit. The performance of the proposed approximations is evaluated for molecular atomization energies, total atomic energies, and ionization potentials

  18. Strong correlations in few-fermion systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergschneider, Andrea

    2017-07-26

    In this thesis, I report on the deterministic preparation and the observation of strongly correlated few-fermion systems in single and double-well potentials. In a first experiment, we studied a system of one impurity interacting with a number of majority atoms which we prepared in a single potential well in the one-dimensional limit. With increasing number of majority particles, we observed a decrease in the quasi-particle residue which is in agreement with expectations from the Anderson orthogonality catastrophe. In a second experiment, we prepared two fermions in a double-well potential which represents the fundamental building block of the Fermi-Hubbard model. By increasing the repulsion between the two fermions, we observed the crossover into the antiferromagnetic Mott-insulator regime. Furthermore, I describe a new imaging technique, which allows spin-resolved single-atom detection both in in-situ and in time-of-flight. We use this technique to investigate the emergence of momentum correlations of two repulsive fermions in the ground state of the double well. With the methods developed in this thesis, we have established a framework for quantum simulation of strongly correlated many-body systems in tunable potentials.

  19. Pair correlation of particles in strongly nonideal systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaulina, O. S.

    2012-01-01

    A new semiempirical model is proposed for describing the spatial correlation between interacting particles in nonideal systems. The developed model describes the main features in the behavior of the pair correlation function for crystalline structures and can also be used for qualitative and quantitative description of the spatial correlation of particles in strongly nonideal liquid systems. The proposed model is compared with the results of simulation of the pair correlation function.

  20. Joint statistics of strongly correlated neurons via dimensionality reduction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deniz, Taşkın; Rotter, Stefan

    2017-01-01

    The relative timing of action potentials in neurons recorded from local cortical networks often shows a non-trivial dependence, which is then quantified by cross-correlation functions. Theoretical models emphasize that such spike train correlations are an inevitable consequence of two neurons being part of the same network and sharing some synaptic input. For non-linear neuron models, however, explicit correlation functions are difficult to compute analytically, and perturbative methods work only for weak shared input. In order to treat strong correlations, we suggest here an alternative non-perturbative method. Specifically, we study the case of two leaky integrate-and-fire neurons with strong shared input. Correlation functions derived from simulated spike trains fit our theoretical predictions very accurately. Using our method, we computed the non-linear correlation transfer as well as correlation functions that are asymmetric due to inhomogeneous intrinsic parameters or unequal input. (paper)

  1. Transport phenomena in strongly correlated Fermi liquids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kontani, Hiroshi

    2013-01-01

    Comprehensive overview. Written by an expert of this topic. Provides the reader with current developments in the field. In conventional metals, various transport coefficients are scaled according to the quasiparticle relaxation time, τ, which implies that the relaxation time approximation (RTA) holds well. However, such a simple scaling does not hold in many strongly correlated electron systems, reflecting their unique electronic states. The most famous example would be cuprate high-Tc superconductors (HTSCs), where almost all the transport coefficients exhibit a significant deviation from the RTA results. To better understand the origin of this discrepancy, we develop a method for calculating various transport coefficients beyond the RTA by employing field theoretical techniques. Near the magnetic quantum critical point, the current vertex correction (CVC), which describes the electron-electron scattering beyond the relaxation time approximation, gives rise to various anomalous transport phenomena. We explain anomalous transport phenomena in cuprate HTSCs and other metals near their magnetic or orbital quantum critical point using a uniform approach. We also discuss spin related transport phenomena in strongly correlated systems. In many d- and f-electron systems, the spin current induced by the spin Hall effect is considerably greater because of the orbital degrees of freedom. This fact attracts much attention due to its potential application in spintronics. We discuss various novel charge, spin and heat transport phenomena in strongly correlated metals.

  2. Strong correlation effects on surfaces of topological insulators via holography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Yunseok; Song, Geunho; Sin, Sang-Jin

    2017-07-01

    We investigate the effects of strong correlation on the surface state of a topological insulator (TI). We argue that electrons in the regime of crossover from weak antilocalization to weak localization are strongly correlated, and calculate the magnetotransport coefficients of TIs using the gauge-gravity principle. Then, we examine the magnetoconductivity (MC) formula and find excellent agreement with the data of chrome-doped Bi2Te3 in the crossover regime. We also find that the cusplike peak in MC at low doping is absent, which is natural since quasiparticles disappear due to the strong correlation.

  3. Towards TDDFT for Strongly Correlated Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shree Ram Acharya

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available We present some details of our recently-proposed Time-Dependent Density-Functional Theory (TDDFT for strongly-correlated materials in which the exchange-correlation (XC kernel is derived from the charge susceptibility obtained using Dynamical Mean-Field Theory (the TDDFT + DMFT approach. We proceed with deriving the expression for the XC kernel for the one-band Hubbard model by solving DMFT equations via two approaches, the Hirsch–Fye Quantum Monte Carlo (HF-QMC and an approximate low-cost perturbation theory approach, and demonstrate that the latter gives results that are comparable to the exact HF-QMC solution. Furthermore, through a variety of applications, we propose a simple analytical formula for the XC kernel. Additionally, we use the exact and approximate kernels to examine the nonhomogeneous ultrafast response of two systems: a one-band Hubbard model and a Mott insulator YTiO3. We show that the frequency dependence of the kernel, i.e., memory effects, is important for dynamics at the femtosecond timescale. We also conclude that strong correlations lead to the presence of beats in the time-dependent electric conductivity in YTiO3, a feature that could be tested experimentally and that could help validate the few approximations used in our formulation. We conclude by proposing an algorithm for the generalization of the theory to non-linear response.

  4. Mismeasurement and the resonance of strong confounders: correlated errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall, J R; Hastrup, J L; Ross, J S

    1999-07-01

    Confounding in epidemiology, and the limits of standard methods of control for an imperfectly measured confounder, have been understood for some time. However, most treatments of this problem are based on the assumption that errors of measurement in confounding and confounded variables are independent. This paper considers the situation in which a strong risk factor (confounder) and an inconsequential but suspected risk factor (confounded) are each measured with errors that are correlated; the situation appears especially likely to occur in the field of nutritional epidemiology. Error correlation appears to add little to measurement error as a source of bias in estimating the impact of a strong risk factor: it can add to, diminish, or reverse the bias induced by measurement error in estimating the impact of the inconsequential risk factor. Correlation of measurement errors can add to the difficulty involved in evaluating structures in which confounding and measurement error are present. In its presence, observed correlations among risk factors can be greater than, less than, or even opposite to the true correlations. Interpretation of multivariate epidemiologic structures in which confounding is likely requires evaluation of measurement error structures, including correlations among measurement errors.

  5. Optical spectral weight anomalies and strong correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toschi, A.; Capone, M.; Ortolani, M.; Calvani, P.; Lupi, S.; Castellani, C.

    2007-01-01

    The anomalous behavior observed in the optical spectral weight (W) of the cuprates provides valuable information about the physics of these compounds. Both the doping and the temperature dependences of W are hardly explained through conventional estimates based on the f-sum rule. By computing the optical conductivity of the doped Hubbard model with the Dynamical Mean Field Theory, we point out that the strong correlation plays a key role in determining the basic features of the observed anomalies: the proximity to a Mott insulating phase accounts simultaneously for the strong temperature dependence of W and for its zero temperature value

  6. Phase transition transistors based on strongly-correlated materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakano, Masaki

    2013-03-01

    The field-effect transistor (FET) provides electrical switching functions through linear control of the number of charges at a channel surface by external voltage. Controlling electronic phases of condensed matters in a FET geometry has long been a central issue of physical science. In particular, FET based on a strongly correlated material, namely ``Mott transistor,'' has attracted considerable interest, because it potentially provides gigantic and diverse electronic responses due to a strong interplay between charge, spin, orbital and lattice. We have investigated electric-field effects on such materials aiming at novel physical phenomena and electronic functions originating from strong correlation effects. Here we demonstrate electrical switching of bulk state of matter over the first-order metal-insulator transition. We fabricated FETs based on VO2 with use of a recently developed electric-double-layer transistor technique, and found that the electrostatically induced carriers at a channel surface drive all preexisting localized carriers of 1022 cm-3 even inside a bulk to motion, leading to bulk carrier delocalization beyond the electrostatic screening length. This non-local switching of bulk phases is achieved with just around 1 V, and moreover, a novel non-volatile memory like character emerges in a voltage-sweep measurement. These observations are apparently distinct from those of conventional FETs based on band insulators, capturing the essential feature of collective interactions in strongly correlated materials. This work was done in collaboration with K. Shibuya, D. Okuyama, T. Hatano, S. Ono, M. Kawasaki, Y. Iwasa, and Y. Tokura. This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSAP) through its ``Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST Program).''

  7. Nonperturbative stochastic dynamics driven by strongly correlated colored noise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jing, Jun; Li, Rui; You, J. Q.; Yu, Ting

    2015-02-01

    We propose a quantum model consisting of two remote qubits interacting with two correlated colored noises and establish an exact stochastic Schrödinger equation for this open quantum system. It is shown that the quantum dynamics of the qubit system is profoundly modulated by the mutual correlation between baths and the bath memory capability through dissipation and fluctuation. We report a physical effect on generating inner correlation and entanglement of two distant qubits arising from the strong bath-bath correlation.

  8. Quantitation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in dried blood spots by 2D LC-MS/MS without derivatization and correlation with serum in adult and pediatric studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Berit P; Saraf, Rajneeta; Ma, Jing; Berry, Sarah; Grant, Cameron C; Camargo, Carlos A; Sies, Christiaan W

    2018-06-01

    Demand for measurement of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) is growing and dried blood spot (DBS) sampling is attractive as samples are easier to collect, transport and store. A 2D LC-MS/MS assay without derivatization was developed. DBS punches (3.2 mm) were ultrasonicated with d 6 -25OHD 3 in 70% methanol followed by hexane extraction, dry-down and reconstitution. The assay was validated and applied to two studies comparing whole blood adult DBS with serum samples (n = 40) and neonatal whole blood DBS with cord serum samples (n = 80). The assay was validated in whole blood DBS over the range 13-106 nmol/L 25OHD 3 and 11-91 nmol/L 25OHD 2 with a limit of detection of 3 nmol/L. Intra- and inter-day imprecision was <13% CV and bias <12%. The assay had high recovery and minimal matrix effects. Triplicate DBS study samples had a mean CV of ≤13% for 25OHD 3. No 25OHD 2 was detected. DBS calculated serum 25OHD 3 concentrations correlated strongly with serum concentrations in the adult DBS/serum study (r = 0.94) and moderately in the neonatal DBS/cord serum study (r = 0.69). Direct quantitation of 25OHD in DBS by 2D LC-MS/MS without derivatization was found to be an alternative to serum quantitation applicable to clinical research studies on adult DBS samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Thrombin generation correlates with disease duration in multiple sclerosis (MS): Novel insights into the MS-associated prothrombotic state.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parsons, Martin Em; O'Connell, Karen; Allen, Seamus; Egan, Karl; Szklanna, Paulina B; McGuigan, Christopher; Ní Áinle, Fionnuala; Maguire, Patricia B

    2017-01-01

    Thrombin is well recognised for its role in the coagulation cascade but it also plays a role in inflammation, with enhanced thrombin generation observed in several inflammatory disorders. Although patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a higher incidence of thrombotic disease, thrombin generation has not been studied to date. The aim of this study was to characterise calibrated automated thrombography parameters in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and primary progressive MS (PPMS) in comparison to healthy controls (HCs). Calibrated automated thrombography was performed on platelet poor plasma from 15 patients with RRMS, 15 with PPMS and 19 HCs. We found that patients with RRMS generate thrombin at a significantly faster rate than the less inflammatory subtype, PPMS or HCs. In addition, the speed of thrombin generation was significantly correlated with time from clinical diagnosis in both subtypes. However, in RRMS the rate of thrombin generation was increased with increased time from clinical diagnosis, while in PPMS the rate of thrombin generation decreased with increased time from clinical diagnosis. These data likely reflect the differential active proinflammatory states in each MS subtype and provide novel mechanistic insights into the clinically relevant prothrombotic state observed in these patients.

  10. Interplay between strong correlation and adsorption distances: Co on Cu(001)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahlke, Marc Philipp; Karolak, Michael; Herrmann, Carmen

    2018-01-01

    Adsorbed transition metal atoms can have partially filled d or f shells due to strong on-site Coulomb interaction. Capturing all effects originating from electron correlation in such strongly correlated systems is a challenge for electronic structure methods. It requires a sufficiently accurate description of the atomistic structure (in particular bond distances and angles), which is usually obtained from first-principles Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT), which due to the approximate nature of the exchange-correlation functional may provide an unreliable description of strongly correlated systems. To elucidate the consequences of this popular procedure, we apply a combination of DFT with the Anderson impurity model (AIM), as well as DFT + U for a calculation of the potential energy surface along the Co/Cu(001) adsorption coordinate, and compare the results with those obtained from DFT. The adsorption minimum is shifted towards larger distances by applying DFT+AIM, or the much cheaper DFT +U method, compared to the corresponding spin-polarized DFT results, by a magnitude comparable to variations between different approximate exchange-correlation functionals (0.08 to 0.12 Å). This shift originates from an increasing correlation energy at larger adsorption distances, which can be traced back to the Co 3 dx y and 3 dz2 orbitals being more correlated as the adsorption distance is increased. We can show that such considerations are important, as they may strongly affect electronic properties such as the Kondo temperature.

  11. Towards a large deviation theory for strongly correlated systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruiz, Guiomar; Tsallis, Constantino

    2012-01-01

    A large-deviation connection of statistical mechanics is provided by N independent binary variables, the (N→∞) limit yielding Gaussian distributions. The probability of n≠N/2 out of N throws is governed by e −Nr , r related to the entropy. Large deviations for a strong correlated model characterized by indices (Q,γ) are studied, the (N→∞) limit yielding Q-Gaussians (Q→1 recovers a Gaussian). Its large deviations are governed by e q −Nr q (∝1/N 1/(q−1) , q>1), q=(Q−1)/(γ[3−Q])+1. This illustration opens the door towards a large-deviation foundation of nonextensive statistical mechanics. -- Highlights: ► We introduce the formalism of relative entropy for a single random binary variable and its q-generalization. ► We study a model of N strongly correlated binary random variables and their large-deviation probabilities. ► Large-deviation probability of strongly correlated model exhibits a q-exponential decay whose argument is proportional to N, as extensivity requires. ► Our results point to a q-generalized large deviation theory and suggest a large-deviation foundation of nonextensive statistical mechanics.

  12. Observations of strong ion-ion correlations in dense plasmas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, T.; Fletcher, L.; Pak, A.; Chapman, D. A.; Falcone, R. W.; Fortmann, C.; Galtier, E.; Gericke, D. O.; Gregori, G.; Hastings, J.; Landen, O. L.; Le Pape, S.; Lee, H. J.; Nagler, B.; Neumayer, P.; Turnbull, D.; Vorberger, J.; White, T. G.; Wünsch, K.; Zastrau, U.; Glenzer, S. H.; Döppner, T.

    2014-05-01

    Using simultaneous spectrally, angularly, and temporally resolved x-ray scattering, we measure the pronounced ion-ion correlation peak in a strongly coupled plasma. Laser-driven shock-compressed aluminum at ~3× solid density is probed with high-energy photons at 17.9 keV created by molybdenum He-α emission in a laser-driven plasma source. The measured elastic scattering feature shows a well-pronounced correlation peak at a wave vector of k=4k=4Å-1. The magnitude of this correlation peak cannot be described by standard plasma theories employing a linear screened Coulomb potential. Advanced models, including a strong short-range repulsion due to the inner structure of the aluminum ions are however in good agreement with the scattering data. These studies have demonstrated a new highly accurate diagnostic technique to directly measure the state of compression and the ion-ion correlations. We have since applied this new method in single-shot wave-number resolved S(k) measurements to characterize the physical properties of dense plasmas.

  13. Earnings and Financial Compensation from Social Security Systems Correlate Strongly with Disability for Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavaliunas, Andrius; Wiberg, Michael; Tinghög, Petter; Glaser, Anna; Gyllensten, Hanna; Alexanderson, Kristina; Hillert, Jan

    2015-01-01

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients earn lower incomes and receive higher benefits. However, there is limited knowledge of how this is correlated with their disability. To elucidate sources and levels of income among MS patients with different disability, assessed with the Expanded Disability Status Scale. A total of 7929 MS patients aged 21-64 years and living in Sweden in 2010 were identified for this cross-sectional study. Descriptive statistics, logistic and truncated linear regression models were used to estimate differences between MS patients regarding earnings, disability pension, sickness absence, disability allowance, unemployment compensation, and social assistance. The average level of earnings was ten times lower and the average level of health- related benefits was four times higher when comparing MS patients with severe and mild disability. MS patients with severe disability had on average SEK 166,931 less annual income from earnings and SEK 54,534 more income from benefits compared to those with mild disability. The combined average income for MS patients was 35% lower when comparing patients in the same groups. The adjusted risk ratio for having earnings among MS patients with severe disability compared to the patients with mild disability was 0.33 (95% CI 0.29-0.39), while the risk ratio for having benefits was 1.93 (95% CI 1.90-1.94). Disease progression affects the financial situation of MS patients considerably. Correlations between higher disability and patient income were observed, suggesting that earnings and benefits could be used as measures of MS progression and proxies of disability.

  14. Strong Correlation in Kohn-Sham Density Functional Theory

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Malet, F.; Gori Giorgi, P.

    2012-01-01

    We use the exact strong-interaction limit of the Hohenberg-Kohn energy density functional to approximate the exchange-correlation energy of the restricted Kohn-Sham scheme. Our approximation corresponds to a highly nonlocal density functional whose functional derivative can be easily constructed,

  15. Strongly-correlated ultracold atoms in optical lattices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dao, Tung-Lam

    2008-01-01

    This thesis is concerned with the theoretical study of strongly correlated quantum states of ultra-cold fermionic atoms trapped in optical lattices. This field has grown considerably in recent years, following the experimental progress made in cooling and controlling atomic gases, which has led to the observation of the first Bose-Einstein condensation (in 1995). The trapping of these gases in optical lattices has opened a new field of research at the interface between atomic physics and condensed matter physics. The observation of the transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator for bosonic atoms paved the way for the study of strongly correlated phases and quantum phase transitions in these systems. Very recently, the investigation of the Mott insulator state of fermionic atoms provides additional motivation to conduct such theoretical studies. This thesis can be divided broadly into two types of work: - On the one hand, we have proposed a new type of spectroscopy to measure single-particle correlators and associated physical observables in these strongly correlated states. - On the other hand, we have studied the ground state of the fermionic Hubbard model under different conditions (mass imbalance, population imbalance) by using analytical techniques and numerical simulations. In a collaboration with J. Dalibard and C. Salomon (LKB at the ENS Paris) and I. Carusotto (Trento, Italy), we have proposed and studied a novel spectroscopic method for the measurement and characterization of single particle excitations (in particular, the low energy excitations, namely the quasiparticles) in systems of cold fermionic atoms, with energy and momentum resolution. This type of spectroscopy is an analogue of angular-resolved photoemission in solid state physics (ARPES). We have shown, via simple models, that this method of measurement can characterize quasiparticles not only in the 'conventional' phases such as the weakly interacting gas in the lattice or in Fermi

  16. The far-infrared–radio correlation in MS0451-03

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Randriamampandry, SM

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available .1093/mnras/stu2411 The far-infrared–radio correlation in MS0451-03 S. M. Randriamampandry,1,2‹ S. M. Crawford,1 C. M. Cress,2,3 K. M. Hess,4 M. Vaccari,2 E. M. Wilcots,5 M. A. Bershady5 and G. D. Wirth6 1South African Astronomical Observatory, PO Box 9... 2009) in galaxy clusters. Despite studies looking at the multiwavelength properties of galaxies in distant C© 2014 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society by guest on D ecem ber 17, 2014 http...

  17. Communication: A Jastrow factor coupled cluster theory for weak and strong electron correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neuscamman, Eric

    2013-01-01

    We present a Jastrow-factor-inspired variant of coupled cluster theory that accurately describes both weak and strong electron correlation. Compatibility with quantum Monte Carlo allows for variational energy evaluations and an antisymmetric geminal power reference, two features not present in traditional coupled cluster that facilitate a nearly exact description of the strong electron correlations in minimal-basis N 2 bond breaking. In double-ζ treatments of the HF and H 2 O bond dissociations, where both weak and strong correlations are important, this polynomial cost method proves more accurate than either traditional coupled cluster or complete active space perturbation theory. These preliminary successes suggest a deep connection between the ways in which cluster operators and Jastrow factors encode correlation

  18. Strongly correlated perovskite fuel cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, You; Guan, Xiaofei; Zhou, Hua; Ramadoss, Koushik; Adam, Suhare; Liu, Huajun; Lee, Sungsik; Shi, Jian; Tsuchiya, Masaru; Fong, Dillon D.; Ramanathan, Shriram

    2016-06-01

    Fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy with high efficiencies and environmental benefits, as compared with traditional heat engines. Yttria-stabilized zirconia is perhaps the material with the most potential as an electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), owing to its stability and near-unity ionic transference number. Although there exist materials with superior ionic conductivity, they are often limited by their ability to suppress electronic leakage when exposed to the reducing environment at the fuel interface. Such electronic leakage reduces fuel cell power output and the associated chemo-mechanical stresses can also lead to catastrophic fracture of electrolyte membranes. Here we depart from traditional electrolyte design that relies on cation substitution to sustain ionic conduction. Instead, we use a perovskite nickelate as an electrolyte with high initial ionic and electronic conductivity. Since many such oxides are also correlated electron systems, we can suppress the electronic conduction through a filling-controlled Mott transition induced by spontaneous hydrogen incorporation. Using such a nickelate as the electrolyte in free-standing membrane geometry, we demonstrate a low-temperature micro-fabricated SOFC with high performance. The ionic conductivity of the nickelate perovskite is comparable to the best-performing solid electrolytes in the same temperature range, with a very low activation energy. The results present a design strategy for high-performance materials exhibiting emergent properties arising from strong electron correlations.

  19. Noise Spectroscopy in Strongly Correlated Oxides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsaqqa, Ali M.

    Strongly correlated materials are an interesting class of materials, thanks to the novel electronic and magnetic phenomena they exhibit as a result of the interplay of various degrees of freedom. This gives rise to an array of potential applications, from Mott-FET to magnetic storage. Many experimental probes have been used to study phase transitions in strongly correlated oxides. Among these, resistance noise spectroscopy, together with conventional transport measurements, provides a unique viewpoint to understand the microscopic dynamics near the phase transitions in these oxides. In this thesis, utilizing noise spectroscopy and transport measurements, four different strongly correlated materials were studied: (1) neodymium nickel oxide (NdNiO 3) ultrathin films, (2) vanadium dioxide (VO2) microribbons, (3) copper vanadium bronze (CuxV2O 5) microribbons and (4) niobium triselenide (NbSe3) microribbons. Ultra thin films of rare-earth nickelates exhibit several temperature-driven phase transitions. In this thesis, we studied the metal-insulator and Neel transitions in a series of NdNiO3 films with different lattice mismatches. Upon colling down, the metal-insulator phase transition is accompanied by a structural (orthorohombic to monoclinic) and magnetic (paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic) transitions as well, making the problem more interesting and complex at the same time. The noise is of the 1/f type and is Gaussian in the high temperature phase, however deviations are seen in the low temperature phases. Below the metal-insulator transition, noise magnitude increases by orders of magnitude: a sign of inhomogeneous electrical conduction as result of phase separation. This is further assured by the non-Gaussian noise signature. At very low temperatures (T switches between Gaussian and non-Gaussian over several hours, possibly arising from dynamically competing ground states. VO2 is one of the most widely studied strongly correlated oxides and is important from the

  20. Determination of material emission signatures by PTR-MS and their correlations with odor assessments by human subjects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    K H, Han; J S, Zhang; Wargocki, Pawel

    2010-01-01

    by human subjects. VOC emissions from each material were measured in a 50-l small-scale chamber. Chamber air was sampled by PTR-MS to determine emission signatures. Sorbent tube sampling and TD-GC/MS analysis were also performed to identify the major VOCs emitted and to compare the resulting data...... VOC odor indices was used to represent the emission level measured by PTR-MS.......The objectives of this study were to determine volatile organic compound (VOC) emission signatures of nine typical building materials by using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) and to explore the correlation between the PTR-MS measurements and the measurements of acceptability...

  1. Theoretical development and first-principles analysis of strongly correlated systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Chen [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2016-12-17

    A variety of quantum many-body methods have been developed for studying the strongly correlated electron systems. We have also proposed a computationally efficient and accurate approach, named the correlation matrix renormalization (CMR) method, to address the challenges. The initial implementation of the CMR method is designed for molecules which have theoretical advantages, including small size of system, manifest mechanism and strongly correlation effect such as bond breaking process. The theoretic development and benchmark tests of the CMR method are included in this thesis. Meanwhile, ground state total energy is the most important property of electronic calculations. We also investigated an alternative approach to calculate the total energy, and extended this method for magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of ferromagnetic materials. In addition, another theoretical tool, dynamical mean- field theory (DMFT) on top of the DFT , has also been used in electronic structure calculations for an Iridium oxide to study the phase transition, which results from an interplay of the d electrons' internal degrees of freedom.

  2. Eigenvalue distributions of correlated multichannel transfer matrices in strongly scattering systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sprik, R.; Tourin, A.; de Rosny, J.; Fink, M.

    2008-01-01

    We experimentally study the effects of correlations in the propagation of ultrasonic waves in water from a multielement source to a multielement detector through a strongly scattering system of randomly placed vertical rods. Due to the strong scattering, the wave transport in the sample is in the

  3. Residual correlation in two-proton interferometry from Λ-proton strong interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Fuqiang

    1999-01-01

    We investigate the residual effect of Λp strong interactions in pp correlations with one proton from Λ decays. It is found that the residual correlation is about 10% of the Λp correlation strength, and has a broad distribution centered around q≅40 MeV/c. The residual correlation cannot explain the observed structure on the tail of the recently measured pp correlation function in central Pb+Pb collisions by NA49 at the Super Proton Synchrotron. (c) 1999 The American Physical Society

  4. Exact ground-state correlation functions of one-dimenisonal strongly correlated electron models with resonating-valence-bond ground state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamanaka, Masanori; Honjo, Shinsuke; Kohmoto, Mahito

    1996-01-01

    We investigate one-dimensional strongly correlated electron models which have the resonating-valence-bond state as the exact ground state. The correlation functions are evaluated exactly using the transfer matrix method for the geometric representations of the valence-bond states. In this method, we only treat matrices with small dimensions. This enables us to give analytical results. It is shown that the correlation functions decay exponentially with distance. The result suggests that there is a finite excitation gap, and that the ground state is insulating. Since the corresponding noninteracting systems may be insulating or metallic, we can say that the gap originates from strong correlation. The persistent currents of the present models are also investigated and found to be exactly vanishing

  5. Machine Learning Phases of Strongly Correlated Fermions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelvin Ch’ng

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Machine learning offers an unprecedented perspective for the problem of classifying phases in condensed matter physics. We employ neural-network machine learning techniques to distinguish finite-temperature phases of the strongly correlated fermions on cubic lattices. We show that a three-dimensional convolutional network trained on auxiliary field configurations produced by quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the Hubbard model can correctly predict the magnetic phase diagram of the model at the average density of one (half filling. We then use the network, trained at half filling, to explore the trend in the transition temperature as the system is doped away from half filling. This transfer learning approach predicts that the instability to the magnetic phase extends to at least 5% doping in this region. Our results pave the way for other machine learning applications in correlated quantum many-body systems.

  6. Phase diagram of strongly correlated Fermi systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zverev, M.V.; Khodel', V.A.; Baldo, M.

    2000-01-01

    Phase transitions in uniform Fermi systems with repulsive forces between the particles caused by restructuring of quasiparticle filling n(p) are analyzed. It is found that in terms of variables, i.e. density ρ, nondimensional binding constant η, phase diagram of a strongly correlated Fermi system for rather a wide class of interactions reminds of a puff-pastry pie. Its upper part is filled with fermion condensate, the lower one - with normal Fermi-liquid. They are separated by a narrow interlayer - the Lifshits phase, characterized by the Fermi multibound surface [ru

  7. Strong anticipation and long-range cross-correlation: Application of detrended cross-correlation analysis to human behavioral data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delignières, Didier; Marmelat, Vivien

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we analyze empirical data, accounting for coordination processes between complex systems (bimanual coordination, interpersonal coordination, and synchronization with a fractal metronome), by using a recently proposed method: detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA). This work is motivated by the strong anticipation hypothesis, which supposes that coordination between complex systems is not achieved on the basis of local adaptations (i.e., correction, predictions), but results from a more global matching of complexity properties. Indeed, recent experiments have evidenced a very close correlation between the scaling properties of the series produced by two coordinated systems, despite a quite weak local synchronization. We hypothesized that strong anticipation should result in the presence of long-range cross-correlations between the series produced by the two systems. Results allow a detailed analysis of the effects of coordination on the fluctuations of the series produced by the two systems. In the long term, series tend to present similar scaling properties, with clear evidence of long-range cross-correlation. Short-term results strongly depend on the nature of the task. Simulation studies allow disentangling the respective effects of noise and short-term coupling processes on DCCA results, and suggest that the matching of long-term fluctuations could be the result of short-term coupling processes.

  8. Correlation of geographic distributions of haptoglobin alleles with prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) - a narrative literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamm, Vladimir V; Geist, Arielle M; Harauz, George

    2017-02-01

    We have proposed that the myelin damage observed in multiple sclerosis (MS) may be partly mediated through the long-term release and degradation of extracellular hemoglobin (Hb) and the products of its oxidative degradation [Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 71, 1789-1798, 2014]. The protein haptoglobin (Hpt) binds extracellular Hb as a first line of defense, and can serve as a vascular antioxidant. Humans have two different Hpt alleles: Hpt1 and Hpt2, giving either homozygous Hpt1-1 or Hpt2-2 phenotypes, or a heterozygous Hpt1-2 phenotype. We questioned whether those geographic regions with higher frequency of the Hpt2 allele (conversely, lower frequency of Hpt1 allele) would correlate with an increased incidence of MS, because different Hpt phenotypes will have variable anti-oxidative potentials in protecting myelin from damage inflicted by extracellular Hb and its degradation products. To test this hypothesis, we undertook a systematic analysis of the literature on reported geographic distributions of Hpt alleles to compare them with data reported in the World Health Organization Atlas of worldwide MS prevalence. We found the frequency of the Hpt1 allele to be low in European and North American countries with a high prevalence of MS, consistent with our hypothesis. However, this correlation was not observed in China and India, countries with the lowest Hpt1 frequencies, yet low reported prevalence of MS. Nevertheless, this work shows the need for continued refinement of geographic patterns of MS prevalence, including data on ethnic or racial origin, and for new clinical studies to probe the observed correlation and evaluate Hpt phenotype as a predictor of disease variability and progression, severity, and/or comorbidity with cardiovascular disorders.

  9. Atomic physics of strongly correlated systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, C.D.

    1986-01-01

    This abstract summarizes the progress made in the last year and the future plans of our research in the study of strongly correlated atomic systems. In atomic structure and atomic spectroscopy we are investigating the classification and supermultiplet structure of doubly excited states. We are also beginning the systematic study of triply excited states. In ion-atom collisions, we are exploring an AO-MO matching method for treating multi-electron collision systems to extract detailed information such as subshell cross sections, alignment and orientation parameters, etc. We are also beginning ab initio calculations on the angular distributions for electron transfer processes in low-energy (about 10-100eV/amu) ion-atom collisions in a full quantum mechanical treatment of the motion of heavy particles

  10. Selected results on strong and coulomb-induced correlations from the STAR experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sumbera, M.

    2007-01-01

    Using recent high-statistics STAR data from Au + Au and Cu + Cu collisions at full RHIC energy I discuss strong and Coulomb-induced final state interaction effects on identical (pi-pi) and non-identical (pi-XI) particle correlations. Analysis of pi-XI correlations reveals the strong and Coulomb-induced FSI effects, allowing for the first time to estimate spatial extension of pi and XI sources and the average shift between them. Source imaging techniques provide clean separation of details of the source function and are applied to the one-dimensional relative momentum correlation function of identical pions. For low momentum pions, and/or non-central collisions, a large departure from a single-Gaussian shape is observed. (author)

  11. Strongly correlated electrons on two coupled chains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weihong, Z.; Oitmaa, J.; Hamer, C.J.

    2000-01-01

    Full text: The discovery of materials containing S = 1/2 ions which form a 2-leg ladder structure has led to much current research on ladder systems. Pure spin ladders show an unexpected difference between odd-legged ladders (including the single chain) which are gapless with long-range correlations and even-legged ladders which have a spin gap and short range correlations. Even more interesting behaviour occurs when these systems are doped, creating a system of strongly correlated mobile holes, as in the cuprate superconductors. The simplest models in this context are the Hubbard model and the t-J model. Considerable work has been reported on both of these models, using both numerical calculations and approximate analytic theories. We have used series expansion methods to study both of these systems. Our results, in some cases, confirm those of other approaches. In other cases we are able to probe regions of the phase diagram inaccessible to other methods, or to obtain results of increased precision. In this paper we focus on:- 1. The energy and dispersion relation of 1-hole states. 2.The existence of a 2-hole bound state and its energy and dispersion. 3. Spin and charge gaps and the question of phase separation

  12. Robust mesoscopic superposition of strongly correlated ultracold atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hallwood, David W.; Ernst, Thomas; Brand, Joachim

    2010-01-01

    We propose a scheme to create coherent superpositions of annular flow of strongly interacting bosonic atoms in a one-dimensional ring trap. The nonrotating ground state is coupled to a vortex state with mesoscopic angular momentum by means of a narrow potential barrier and an applied phase that originates from either rotation or a synthetic magnetic field. We show that superposition states in the Tonks-Girardeau regime are robust against single-particle loss due to the effects of strong correlations. The coupling between the mesoscopically distinct states scales much more favorably with particle number than in schemes relying on weak interactions, thus making particle numbers of hundreds or thousands feasible. Coherent oscillations induced by time variation of parameters may serve as a 'smoking gun' signature for detecting superposition states.

  13. Exact time-dependent exchange-correlation potentials for strong-field electron dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lein, Manfred; Kuemmel, Stephan

    2005-01-01

    By solving the time-dependent Schroedinger equation and inverting the time-dependent Kohn-Sham scheme we obtain the exact time-dependent exchange-correlation potential of density-functional theory for the strong-field dynamics of a correlated system. We demonstrate that essential features of the exact exchange-correlation potential can be related to derivative discontinuities in stationary density-functional theory. Incorporating the discontinuity in a time-dependent density-functional calculation greatly improves the description of the ionization process

  14. Reduced larval feeding rate is a strong evolutionary correlate of ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Home; Journals; Journal of Genetics; Volume 85; Issue 3. Reduced larval feeding rate is a strong evolutionary correlate of rapid development in Drosophila melanogaster. M. Rajamani N. Raghavendra ... Keywords. life-history evolution; development time; larval feeding rate; competition; tradeoffs; Drosophila melanogaster.

  15. Universal linear-temperature resistivity: possible quantum diffusion transport in strongly correlated superconductors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Tao; Liu, Yinshang; Xiao, Hong; Mu, Gang; Yang, Yi-Feng

    2017-08-25

    The strongly correlated electron fluids in high temperature cuprate superconductors demonstrate an anomalous linear temperature (T) dependent resistivity behavior, which persists to a wide temperature range without exhibiting saturation. As cooling down, those electron fluids lose the resistivity and condense into the superfluid. However, the origin of the linear-T resistivity behavior and its relationship to the strongly correlated superconductivity remain a mystery. Here we report a universal relation [Formula: see text], which bridges the slope of the linear-T-dependent resistivity (dρ/dT) to the London penetration depth λ L at zero temperature among cuprate superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ and heavy fermion superconductors CeCoIn 5 , where μ 0 is vacuum permeability, k B is the Boltzmann constant and ħ is the reduced Planck constant. We extend this scaling relation to different systems and found that it holds for other cuprate, pnictide and heavy fermion superconductors as well, regardless of the significant differences in the strength of electronic correlations, transport directions, and doping levels. Our analysis suggests that the scaling relation in strongly correlated superconductors could be described as a hydrodynamic diffusive transport, with the diffusion coefficient (D) approaching the quantum limit D ~ ħ/m*, where m* is the quasi-particle effective mass.

  16. Disorder and pseudogap in strongly correlated systems: Phase diagram in the DMFT + Σ approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuleeva, N. A.; Kuchinskii, E. Z.

    2013-01-01

    The influence of disorder and pseudogap fluctuations on the Mott insulator-metal transition in strongly correlated systems has been studied in the framework of the generalized dynamic mean field theory (DMFT + Σ approach). Using the results of investigations of the density of states (DOS) and optical conductivity, a phase diagram (disorder-Hubbard interaction-temperature) is constructed for the paramagnetic Anderson-Hubbard model, which allows both the effects of strong electron correlations and the influence of strong disorder to be considered. Strong correlations are described using the DMFT, while a strong disorder is described using a generalized self-consistent theory of localization. The DOS and optical conductivity of the paramagnetic Hubbard model have been studied in a pseudogap state caused by antiferromagnetic spin (or charge) short-range order fluctuations with a finite correlation length, which have been modeled by a static Gaussian random field. The effect of a pseudogap on the Mott insulator-metal transition has been studied. It is established that, in both cases, the static Gaussian random field (related to the disorder or pseudogap fluctuations) leads to suppression of the Mott transition, broadening of the coexistence region of the insulator and metal phases, and an increase in the critical temperature at which the coexistence region disappears

  17. Describing a Strongly Correlated Model System with Density Functional Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Jing; Proynov, Emil; Yu, Jianguo; Pachter, Ruth

    2017-07-06

    The linear chain of hydrogen atoms, a basic prototype for the transition from a metal to Mott insulator, is studied with a recent density functional theory model functional for nondynamic and strong correlation. The computed cohesive energy curve for the transition agrees well with accurate literature results. The variation of the electronic structure in this transition is characterized with a density functional descriptor that yields the atomic population of effectively localized electrons. These new methods are also applied to the study of the Peierls dimerization of the stretched even-spaced Mott insulator to a chain of H 2 molecules, a different insulator. The transitions among the two insulating states and the metallic state of the hydrogen chain system are depicted in a semiquantitative phase diagram. Overall, we demonstrate the capability of studying strongly correlated materials with a mean-field model at the fundamental level, in contrast to the general pessimistic view on such a feasibility.

  18. Fast electronic structure methods for strongly correlated molecular systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Head-Gordon, Martin; Beran, Gregory J O; Sodt, Alex; Jung, Yousung

    2005-01-01

    A short review is given of newly developed fast electronic structure methods that are designed to treat molecular systems with strong electron correlations, such as diradicaloid molecules, for which standard electronic structure methods such as density functional theory are inadequate. These new local correlation methods are based on coupled cluster theory within a perfect pairing active space, containing either a linear or quadratic number of pair correlation amplitudes, to yield the perfect pairing (PP) and imperfect pairing (IP) models. This reduces the scaling of the coupled cluster iterations to no worse than cubic, relative to the sixth power dependence of the usual (untruncated) coupled cluster doubles model. A second order perturbation correction, PP(2), to treat the neglected (weaker) correlations is formulated for the PP model. To ensure minimal prefactors, in addition to favorable size-scaling, highly efficient implementations of PP, IP and PP(2) have been completed, using auxiliary basis expansions. This yields speedups of almost an order of magnitude over the best alternatives using 4-center 2-electron integrals. A short discussion of the scope of accessible chemical applications is given

  19. Quantum correlations responsible for remote state creation: strong and weak control parameters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doronin, S. I.; Zenchuk, A. I.

    2017-03-01

    We study the quantum correlations between the two remote qubits (sender and receiver) connected by the transmission line (homogeneous spin-1/2 chain) depending on the parameters of the sender's and receiver's initial states (control parameters). We consider two different measures of quantum correlations: the entanglement (a traditional measure) and the informational correlation (based on the parameter exchange between the sender and receiver). We find the domain in the control parameter space yielding (i) zero entanglement between the sender and receiver during the whole evolution period and (ii) non-vanishing informational correlation between the sender and receiver, thus showing that the informational correlation is responsible for the remote state creation. Among the control parameters, there are the strong parameters (which strongly effect the values of studied measures) and the weak ones (whose effect is negligible), therewith the eigenvalues of the initial state are given a privileged role. We also show that the problem of small entanglement (concurrence) in quantum information processing is similar (in certain sense) to the problem of small determinants in linear algebra. A particular model of 40-node spin-1/2 communication line is presented.

  20. Communication: Thermodynamics of condensed matter with strong pressure-energy correlations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ingebrigtsen, Trond; Bøhling, Lasse; Schrøder, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    We show that for any liquid or solid with strong correlation between its NVT virial and potential-energy equilibrium fluctuations, the temperature is a product of a function of excess entropy per particle and a function of density, T = f(s)h(ρ). This implies that (1) the system's isomorphs (curve...

  1. Magnetic properties of metallic impurities with strongly correlated electrons

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Janiš, Václav; Ringel, Matouš

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 115, č. 1 (2009), s. 30-35 ISSN 0587-4246 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA202/07/0644 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : And erson impurity * strong electron correlations * spin-polarized solution * three-channel parquet equations * magnetic field Subject RIV: BE - Theoretical Physics Impact factor: 0.433, year: 2009 http://przyrbwn.icm.edu.pl/APP/ABSTR/115/a115-1-5.html

  2. Three-qutrit correlations violate local realism more strongly than those of three qubits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaszlikowski, Dagomir; Gosal, Darwin; Ling, E.J.; Oh, C.H.; Kwek, L.C.; Zukowski, Marek

    2002-01-01

    We present numerical data showing that three-qutrit correlations for a pure state, which is not maximally entangled, violate local realism more strongly than three-qubit correlations. The strength of violation is measured by the minimal amount of noise that must be admixed to the system so that the noisy correlations have a local and realistic model

  3. International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems 2017 (SCES2017)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-05-01

    The 2017 International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems, SCES 2017, took place at the Clarion Congress Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic from July 17 to 21, 2017. The meeting was held under the auspices of the Department of Condensed Matter Physics of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Charles University.

  4. Surface correlation effects in two-band strongly correlated slabs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esfahani, D Nasr; Covaci, L; Peeters, F M

    2014-02-19

    Using an extension of the Gutzwiller approximation for an inhomogeneous system, we study the two-band Hubbard model with unequal band widths for a slab geometry. The aim is to investigate the mutual effect of individual bands on the spatial distribution of quasi-particle weight and charge density, especially near the surface of the slab. The main effect of the difference in band width is the presence of two different length scales corresponding to the quasi-particle profile of each band. This is enhanced in the vicinity of the critical interaction of the narrow band where an orbitally selective Mott transition occurs and a surface dead layer forms for the narrow band. For the doped case, two different regimes of charge transfer between the surface and the bulk of the slab are revealed. The charge transfer from surface/center to center/surface depends on both the doping level and the average relative charge accumulated in each band. Such effects could also be of importance when describing the accumulation of charges at the interface between structures made of multi-band strongly correlated materials.

  5. Algorithmic implementation of particle-particle ladder diagram approximation to study strongly-correlated metals and semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prayogi, A.; Majidi, M. A.

    2017-07-01

    In condensed-matter physics, strongly-correlated systems refer to materials that exhibit variety of fascinating properties and ordered phases, depending on temperature, doping, and other factors. Such unique properties most notably arise due to strong electron-electron interactions, and in some cases due to interactions involving other quasiparticles as well. Electronic correlation effects are non-trivial that one may need a sufficiently accurate approximation technique with quite heavy computation, such as Quantum Monte-Carlo, in order to capture particular material properties arising from such effects. Meanwhile, less accurate techniques may come with lower numerical cost, but the ability to capture particular properties may highly depend on the choice of approximation. Among the many-body techniques derivable from Feynman diagrams, we aim to formulate algorithmic implementation of the Ladder Diagram approximation to capture the effects of electron-electron interactions. We wish to investigate how these correlation effects influence the temperature-dependent properties of strongly-correlated metals and semiconductors. As we are interested to study the temperature-dependent properties of the system, the Ladder diagram method needs to be applied in Matsubara frequency domain to obtain the self-consistent self-energy. However, at the end we would also need to compute the dynamical properties like density of states (DOS) and optical conductivity that are defined in the real frequency domain. For this purpose, we need to perform the analytic continuation procedure. At the end of this study, we will test the technique by observing the occurrence of metal-insulator transition in strongly-correlated metals, and renormalization of the band gap in strongly-correlated semiconductors.

  6. Bound states in strongly correlated magnetic and electronic systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trebst, S.

    2002-02-01

    A novel strong coupling expansion method to calculate two-particle spectra of quantum lattice models is developed. The technique can be used to study bosonic and fermionic models and in principle it can be applied to systems in any dimension. A number of strongly correlated magnetic and electronic systems are examined including the two-leg spin-half Heisenberg ladder, the dimerized Heisenberg chain with a frustrating next-nearest neighbor interaction, coupled Heisenberg ladders, and the one-dimensional Kondo lattice model. In the various models distinct bound states are found below the two-particle continuum. Quantitative calculations of the dispersion, coherence length and binding energy of these bound states are used to describe spectroscopic experiments on (Ca,La) 14 Cu 24 O 41 and NaV 2 O 5 . (orig.)

  7. Quantum simulation of strongly correlated condensed matter systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofstetter, W.; Qin, T.

    2018-04-01

    We review recent experimental and theoretical progress in realizing and simulating many-body phases of ultracold atoms in optical lattices, which gives access to analog quantum simulations of fundamental model Hamiltonians for strongly correlated condensed matter systems, such as the Hubbard model. After a general introduction to quantum gases in optical lattices, their preparation and cooling, and measurement techniques for relevant observables, we focus on several examples, where quantum simulations of this type have been performed successfully during the past years: Mott-insulator states, itinerant quantum magnetism, disorder-induced localization and its interplay with interactions, and topological quantum states in synthetic gauge fields.

  8. Examination of correlation between histidine and nickel absorption by Morus L., Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Populus nigra L. using HPLC-MS and ICP-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozen, Sukran Akkus; Yaman, Mehmet

    2016-08-02

    In this study, HPLC-MS and ICP-MS methods were used for the determination of histidine and nickel in Morus L., Robinia pseudoacacia L., and Populus nigra L. leaves taken from industrial areas including Gaziantep and Bursa cities. In the determination of histidine by HPLC-MS, all of the system parameters such as flow rate of mobile phase, fragmentor potential, injection volume and column temperature were optimized and found to be 0.2 mL min(-1), 70 V, 15 µL, and 20°C, respectively. Under the optimum conditions, histidine was extracted from plant sample by distilled water at 90°C for 30 min. Concentrations of histidine as mg kg(-1) were found to be between 2-9 for Morus L., 6-13 for Robinia pseudoacacia L., and 2-10 for Populus nigra L. Concentrations of nickel were in the ranges of 5-10 mg kg(-1) for Morus L., 3-10 mg kg(-1) for Robinia pseudoacacia L., and 0.6-4 mg kg(-1) for Populus nigra L. A significant linear correlation (r = 0.78) between histidine and Ni was observed for Populus nigra L., whereas insignificant linear correlation for Robinia pseudoacacia L. (r = 0.22) were seen. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) were found to be 0.025 mg Ni L(-1) and 0.075 mg Ni L(-1), respectively.

  9. Strong phase correlations of solitons of nonlinear Schroedinger equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Litvak, A.G.; Mironov, V.A.; Protogenov, A.P.

    1994-06-01

    We discuss the possibility to suppress the collapse in the nonlinear 2+1 D Schroedinger equation by using the gauge theory of strong phase correlations. It is shown that invariance relative to q-deformed Hopf algebra with deformation parameter q being the fourth root of unity makes the values of the Chern-Simons term coefficient, k=2, and of the coupling constant, g=1/2, fixed; no collapsing solutions are present at those values. (author). 21 refs

  10. Peculiarities of the momentum distribution functions of strongly correlated charged fermions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larkin, A. S.; Filinov, V. S.; Fortov, V. E.

    2018-01-01

    New numerical version of the Wigner approach to quantum thermodynamics of strongly coupled systems of particles has been developed for extreme conditions, when analytical approximations based on different kinds of perturbation theories cannot be applied. An explicit analytical expression of the Wigner function has been obtained in linear and harmonic approximations. Fermi statistical effects are accounted for by effective pair pseudopotential depending on coordinates, momenta and degeneracy parameter of particles and taking into account Pauli blocking of fermions. A new quantum Monte-Carlo method for calculations of average values of arbitrary quantum operators has been developed. Calculations of the momentum distribution functions and the pair correlation functions of degenerate ideal Fermi gas have been carried out for testing the developed approach. Comparison of the obtained momentum distribution functions of strongly correlated Coulomb systems with the Maxwell-Boltzmann and the Fermi distributions shows the significant influence of interparticle interaction both at small momenta and in high energy quantum ‘tails’.

  11. Strong correlation effects in theoretical STM studies of magnetic adatoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dang, Hung T.; dos Santos Dias, Manuel; Liebsch, Ansgar; Lounis, Samir

    2016-03-01

    We present a theoretical study for the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) spectra of surface-supported magnetic nanostructures, incorporating strong correlation effects. As concrete examples, we study Co and Mn adatoms on the Cu(111) surface, which are expected to represent the opposite limits of Kondo physics and local moment behavior, using a combination of density functional theory and both quantum Monte Carlo and exact diagonalization impurity solvers. We examine in detail the effects of temperature T , correlation strength U , and impurity d electron occupancy Nd on the local density of states. We also study the effective coherence energy scale, i.e., the Kondo temperature TK, which can be extracted from the STM spectra. Theoretical STM spectra are computed as a function of STM tip position relative to each adatom. Because of the multiorbital nature of the adatoms, the STM spectra are shown to consist of a complicated superposition of orbital contributions, with different orbital symmetries, self-energies, and Kondo temperatures. For a Mn adatom, which is close to half-filling, the STM spectra are featureless near the Fermi level. On the other hand, the quasiparticle peak for a Co adatom gives rise to strongly position-dependent Fano line shapes.

  12. First-principles study of strong correlation effects in pyrochlore iridates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shinaoka, Hiroshi [Department of Physics, Saitama University (Japan); Hoshino, Shintaro [Department of Basic Science, The University of Tokyo (Japan); Troyer, Matthias [Theoretische Physik, ETH Zuerich (Switzerland); Werner, Philipp [Department of Physics, University of Fribourg (Switzerland)

    2016-07-01

    The pyrochlore iridates A{sub 2}Ir{sub 2}O{sub 7} (A=Pr, Nd, Y, etc.) are an ideal system to study fascinating phenomena induced by strong electron correlations and spin-orbit coupling. In this talk, we study strong correlation effects in the prototype compound Y{sub 2}Ir{sub 2}O{sub 7} using the local density approximation and dynamical mean-field theory (LDA+DMFT). We map out the phase diagram in the space of temperature, onsite Coulomb repulsion U, and filling. Consistent with experiments, we find that an all-in/all-out ordered insulating phase is stable for realistic values of U. We reveal the importance of the hybridization between j{sub eff} = 1/2 and j{sub eff} = 3/2 states under the Coulomb interaction and trigonal crystal field. We demonstrate a substantial band narrowing in the paramagnetic metallic phase and non-Fermi liquid behavior in the electron/hole doped system originating from long-lived quasi-spin moments induced by nearly flat bands. We further compare our results with recent experimental results of Eu{sub 2}Ir{sub 2}O{sub 7} under hydrostatic pressure.

  13. Small Fermi surfaces and strong correlation effects in Dirac materials with holography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Yunseok; Song, Geunho; Park, Chanyong; Sin, Sang-Jin

    2017-10-01

    Recent discovery of transport anomaly in graphene demonstrated that a system known to be weakly interacting may become strongly correlated if system parameter (s) can be tuned such that fermi surface is sufficiently small. We study the strong correlation effects in the transport coefficients of Dirac materials doped with magnetic impurity under the magnetic field using holographic method. The experimental data of magneto-conductivity are well fit by our theory, however, not much data are available for other transports of Dirac material in such regime. Therefore, our results on heat transport, thermo-electric power and Nernst coefficients are left as predictions of holographic theory for generic Dirac materials in the vicinity of charge neutral point with possible surface gap. We give detailed look over each magneto-transport observable and 3Dplots to guide future experiments.

  14. Transport phenomena in strongly correlated Fermi liquids

    CERN Document Server

    Kontani, Hiroshi

    2013-01-01

    In conventional metals, various transport coefficients are scaled according to the quasiparticle relaxation time, \\tau, which implies that the relaxation time approximation (RTA) holds well. However, such a simple scaling does not hold in many strongly correlated electron systems, reflecting their unique electronic states. The most famous example would be cuprate high-Tc superconductors (HTSCs), where almost all the transport coefficients exhibit a significant deviation from the RTA results. To better understand the origin of this discrepancy, we develop a method for calculating various transport coefficients beyond the RTA by employing field theoretical techniques. Near the magnetic quantum critical point, the current vertex correction (CVC), which describes the electron-electron scattering beyond the relaxation time approximation, gives rise to various anomalous transport phenomena. We explain anomalous transport phenomena in cuprate HTSCs and other metals near their magnetic or orbital quantum critical poi...

  15. Strongly Correlated Electron Systems: An Operatorial Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Ciolo, Andrea; Avella, Adolfo

    2018-05-01

    We discuss the operatorial approach to the study of strongly correlated electron systems and show how the exact solution of target models on small clusters chosen ad-hoc (minimal models) can suggest very efficient bulk approximations. We use the Hubbard model as case study (target model) and we analyze and discuss the crucial role of spin fluctuations in its 2-site realization (minimal model). Accordingly, we devise a novel three-pole approximation for the 2D case, including in the basic field an operator describing the dressing of the electronic one by the nearest-neighbor spin-fluctuations. Such a solution is in very good agreement with the exact one in the minimal model (2-site case) and performs very well once compared to advanced (semi-)numerical methods in the 2D case, being by far less computational-resource demanding.

  16. Strongly correlated electron systems and neutron scattering. Magnetism, superconductivity, structural phase transition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Katano, Susumu [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    1998-03-01

    Neutron scattering experiments in our group on strongly correlated electron systems are reviewed Metal-insulator transitions caused by structural phase transitions in (La{sub 1-x}Sr{sub x}) MnO{sub 3}, a novel magnetic transition in the CeP compound, correlations between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in UPd{sub 2}Al{sub 3} and so forth are discussed. Here, in this note, the phase transition of Mn-oxides was mainly described. (author)

  17. Doubly excited helium. From strong correlation to chaos

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Yuhai

    2006-03-01

    In the present dissertation, the double excitation states of helium including the autoionization decay of these states were studied experimentally and theoretically in a broad energy region, which includes the transition from strong correlation below the low single ionization thresholds (SIT) to the region of quantum chaos at energies very close to the double-ionization threshold. Two kind of experiments were performed, namely total-ion-yield measurements with the aim to observe total cross sections (TCS) and electron time-of-flight (TOF) measurements to obtain partial cross sections (PCS) as well as angular distribution parameters (ADP). Both types of measurements were performed at the third generation synchrotron radiation facility BESSY II in Berlin. The TCSs were recorded up to the SIT I 15 , and they were found to be in in excellent agreement with state-of-the-art complex-rotation calculations performed recently by D. Delande. These experimental and theoretical data on the TCSs were analyzed in order to study quantum chaos in doubly excited helium, and interesting signatures of quantum chaos were found. The TOF technique allowed to measure PCSs and ADPs in the energy regions from I 5 to I 9 and I 7 , respectively. These experimental data provide a critical assessment of theoretical models that can be used to explore the dynamics of strong correlation as well as quantum chaos in helium. In the theoretical part of this dissertation, the n- and l-specific PCSs and ADPs below I 4 were calculated employing the R-matrix method. The present theoretical results agree well with a recent experimental study of l-specific PCSs below I 4 by J.R. Harries et al. An analysis of patterns in the PCSs and ADPs on the basis of the present experimental and theoretical l-specific data allowed to improve the present understanding of autoionization decay dynamics in this two-electron atom. (orig.)

  18. Mott Transition In Strongly Correlated Materials: Many-Body Methods And Realistic Materials Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Tsung-Han

    Strongly correlated materials are a class of materials that cannot be properly described by the Density Functional Theory (DFT), which is a single-particle approximation to the original many-body electronic Hamiltonian. These systems contain d or f orbital electrons, i.e., transition metals, actinides, and lanthanides compounds, for which the electron-electron interaction (correlation) effects are too strong to be described by the single-particle approximation of DFT. Therefore, complementary many-body methods have been developed, at the model Hamiltonians level, to describe these strong correlation effects. Dynamical Mean Field Theory (DMFT) and Rotationally Invariant Slave-Boson (RISB) approaches are two successful methods that can capture the correlation effects for a broad interaction strength. However, these many-body methods, as applied to model Hamiltonians, treat the electronic structure of realistic materials in a phenomenological fashion, which only allow to describe their properties qualitatively. Consequently, the combination of DFT and many body methods, e.g., Local Density Approximation augmented by RISB and DMFT (LDA+RISB and LDA+DMFT), have been recently proposed to combine the advantages of both methods into a quantitative tool to analyze strongly correlated systems. In this dissertation, we studied the possible improvements of these approaches, and tested their accuracy on realistic materials. This dissertation is separated into two parts. In the first part, we studied the extension of DMFT and RISB in three directions. First, we extended DMFT framework to investigate the behavior of the domain wall structure in metal-Mott insulator coexistence regime by studying the unstable solution describing the domain wall. We found that this solution, differing qualitatively from both the metallic and the insulating solutions, displays an insulating-like behavior in resistivity while carrying a weak metallic character in its electronic structure. Second, we

  19. Correlation potential of a test ion near a strongly charged plate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Bing-Sui; Xing, Xiangjun

    2014-03-01

    We analytically calculate the correlation potential of a test ion near a strongly charged plate inside a dilute m:-n electrolyte. We do this by calculating the electrostatic Green's function in the presence of a nonlinear background potential, the latter having been obtained using the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann theory. We consider the general case where the dielectric constants of the plate and the electrolyte are distinct. The following generic results emerge from our analyses: (1) If the distance to the plate Δz is much larger than a Gouy-Chapman length, the plate surface will behave effectively as an infinitely charged surface, and the dielectric constant of the plate effectively plays no role. (2) If Δz is larger than a Gouy-Chapman length but shorter than a Debye length, the correlation potential can be interpreted in terms of an image charge that is three times larger than the source charge. This behavior is independent of the valences of the ions. (3) The Green's function vanishes inside the plate if the surface charge density is infinitely large; hence the electrostatic potential is constant there. In this respect, a strongly charged plate behaves like a conductor plate. (4) If Δz is smaller than a Gouy-Chapman length, the correlation potential is dominated by the conventional image charge due to the dielectric discontinuity at the interface. (5) If Δz is larger than a Debye length, the leading order behavior of the correlation potential will depend on the valences of the ions in the electrolyte. Furthermore, inside an asymmetric electrolyte, the correlation potential is singly screened, i.e., it undergoes exponential decay with a decay width equal to the Debye length.

  20. The Role of screening in the strongly correlated 2D systems

    CERN Document Server

    Hwang, E H

    2003-01-01

    We investigate recently observed experiments in the strongly correlated 2D systems (r sub s >> 1) (low-density 2D plasmons, metallic behaviour of 2D systems and frictional drag resistivity between two 2D hole layers). We compare them with our theoretical results calculated within a conventional Fermi liquid theory with RPA screening.

  1. Strong correlations and the search for high-Tc superconductivity in chromium pnictides and chalcogenides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pizarro, J. M.; Calderón, M. J.; Liu, J.; Muñoz, M. C.; Bascones, E.

    2017-02-01

    Undoped iron superconductors accommodate n =6 electrons in five d orbitals. Experimental and theoretical evidence shows that the strength of correlations increases with hole doping, as the electronic filling approaches half filling with n =5 electrons. This evidence delineates a scenario in which the parent compound of iron superconductors is the half-filled system, in analogy to cuprate superconductors. In cuprates the superconductivity can be induced upon electron or hole doping. In this work we propose to search for high-Tc superconductivity and strong correlations in chromium pnictides and chalcogenides with n slave-spin and multiorbital random-phase-approximation calculations we analyze the strength of the correlations and the superconducting and magnetic instabilities in these systems with the main focus on LaCrAsO. We find that electron-doped LaCrAsO is a strongly correlated system with competing magnetic interactions, with (π ,π ) antiferromagnetism and nodal d -wave pairing being the most plausible magnetic and superconducting instabilities, respectively.

  2. Correlation between mass-spectrometer measurements and thin film characteristics using dcMS and HiPIMS discharges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferrec, A.; Keraudy, J.; Jacq, S.; Jouan, P.Y.; Djouadi, M.A.; Schuster, F.

    2014-01-01

    In this work, chromium thin films were deposited using dcMS and HiPIMS technologies. To compare these technologies, we analyzed the ion flux and the Cr coating microstructure in the same plasma conditions. Ion flux was measured with a mass spectrometer in time-averaged for both discharge and time-resolved for HiPIMS discharge. Time-averaged measurements provided important information. First, the low energetic part of the ion energy distribution function (IEDF) was similar in dcMS and HiPIMS and second the high energetic component was more prominent in the HiPIMS discharge. Time-resolved measurements showed that the high energetic part of the ion flux reached the mass spectrometer faster than the lowest part. It is only after the pulse end that most of the thermalized ions arrived and then cooled the flux. The correlation of these results with microstructure analysis shows that energetic particles induced a higher film density and a smoother surface in HiPIMS compared to dcMS discharge. (authors)

  3. Strongly correlated Fermi-Bose mixtures in disordered optical lattices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez-Palencia, L; Ahufinger, V; Kantian, A; Zakrzewski, J; Sanpera, A; Lewenstein, M

    2006-01-01

    We investigate theoretically the low-temperature physics of a two-component ultracold mixture of bosons and fermions in disordered optical lattices. We focus on the strongly correlated regime. We show that, under specific conditions, composite fermions, made of one fermion plus one bosonic hole, form. The composite picture is used to derive an effective Hamiltonian whose parameters can be controlled via the boson-boson and the boson-fermion interactions, the tunnelling terms and the inhomogeneities. We finally investigate the quantum phase diagram of the composite fermions and show that it corresponds to the formation of Fermi glasses, spin glasses and quantum percolation regimes

  4. Strongly correlated Fermi-Bose mixtures in disordered optical lattices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanchez-Palencia, L [Laboratoire Charles Fabry de l' Institut d' Optique, CNRS and Universite Paris-Sud XI, Bat 503, Centre scientifique, F-91403 Orsay Cedex (France); Ahufinger, V [ICREA and Grup d' optica, Departament de FIsica, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Belaterra (Barcelona) (Spain); Kantian, A [Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Universitaet Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck (Austria); Zakrzewski, J [Instytut Fizyki imienia Mariana Smoluchowskiego i Centrum Badan Ukladow Zlozonych imienia Marka Kaca, Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, ulica Reymonta 4, PL-30-059 Krakow (Poland); Sanpera, A [ICREA and Grup de FIsica Teorica, Departament de FIsica, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Belaterra (Barcelona) (Spain); Lewenstein, M [ICREA and ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Parc Mediterrani de la TecnologIa, E-08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona) (Spain); Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Universitaet Hannover, D-30167 Hannover (Germany)

    2006-05-28

    We investigate theoretically the low-temperature physics of a two-component ultracold mixture of bosons and fermions in disordered optical lattices. We focus on the strongly correlated regime. We show that, under specific conditions, composite fermions, made of one fermion plus one bosonic hole, form. The composite picture is used to derive an effective Hamiltonian whose parameters can be controlled via the boson-boson and the boson-fermion interactions, the tunnelling terms and the inhomogeneities. We finally investigate the quantum phase diagram of the composite fermions and show that it corresponds to the formation of Fermi glasses, spin glasses and quantum percolation regimes.

  5. Correlations between solid tides and worldwide earthquakes MS ≥ 7.0 since 1900

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Q. H. Xu

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Most studies on the correlations between earthquakes and solid tides mainly concluded the syzygies (i.e. new or full moons of each lunar cycle have more earthquakes than other days in the month. We show a correlation between the aftershock sequence of the ML = 6.3 Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquake and the diurnal solid tide. Ms ≥ 7 earthquakes worldwide since 1900 are more likely to occur during the 0°, 90°, 180° or 270° phases (i.e. earthquake-prone phases of the semidiurnal solid earth tidal curve (M2. Thus, the semidiurnal solid tides triggers earthquakes. However, the long-term triggering effect of the lunar periodicity is uncertain. This proposal is helpful in defining possible origin times of aftershocks several days after a mainshock and can be used for warning of subsequent larger shocks.

  6. Phase structure of strongly correlated Fermi gases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roscher, Dietrich

    2015-01-01

    Strongly correlated fermionic many-body systems are ubiquitous in nature. Their theoretical description poses challenging problems which are further complicated when imbalances in, e.g., the particle numbers of the involved species or their masses are introduced. In this thesis, a number of different approaches is developed and applied in order to obtain predictions for physical observables of such systems that mutually support and confirm each other. In a first step, analytically well-founded mean-field analyses are carried through. One- and three-dimensional ultracold Fermi gases with spin and mass imbalance as well as Gross-Neveu and NJL-type relativistic models at finite baryon chemical potential are investigated with respect to their analytic properties in general and the occurrence of spontaneous breaking of translational invariance in particular. Based on these studies, further methods are devised or adapted allowing for investigations also beyond the mean-field approximation. Lattice Monte Carlo simulations with imaginary imbalance parameters are employed to surmount the infamous sign problem and compute the equation of state of the respective unitary Fermi gases. Moreover, in-medium two-body analyses are used to confirm and explain the characteristics of inhomogeneously ordered phases. Finally, functional RG methods are applied to the unitary Fermi gas with spin and mass imbalance. Besides quantitatively competitive predictions for critical temperatures for the superfluid state, strong hints on the stability of inhomogeneous phases with respect to order parameter fluctuations in the regime of large mass imbalance are obtained. Combining the findings from these different theoretical studies suggests the possibility to find such phases in experiments presently in preparation.

  7. Subgap Two-Photon States in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Evidence for Strong Electron Correlations

    OpenAIRE

    Aryanpour, K.; Roberts, A.; Sandhu, A.; Rathore, R.; Shukla, A.; Mazumdar, S.

    2013-01-01

    Strong electron correlation effects in the photophysics of quasi-one-dimensional $\\pi$-conjugated organic systems such as polyenes, polyacetylenes, polydiacetylenes, etc., have been extensively studied. Far less is known on correlation effects in two-dimensional $\\pi$-conjugated systems. Here we present theoretical and experimental evidence for moderate repulsive electron-electron interactions in a number of finite polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules with $D_{6h}$ symmetry. We show that...

  8. Doubly excited helium. From strong correlation to chaos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Yuhai

    2006-03-15

    In the present dissertation, the double excitation states of helium including the autoionization decay of these states were studied experimentally and theoretically in a broad energy region, which includes the transition from strong correlation below the low single ionization thresholds (SIT) to the region of quantum chaos at energies very close to the double-ionization threshold. Two kind of experiments were performed, namely total-ion-yield measurements with the aim to observe total cross sections (TCS) and electron time-of-flight (TOF) measurements to obtain partial cross sections (PCS) as well as angular distribution parameters (ADP). Both types of measurements were performed at the third generation synchrotron radiation facility BESSY II in Berlin. The TCSs were recorded up to the SIT I{sub 15}, and they were found to be in in excellent agreement with state-of-the-art complex-rotation calculations performed recently by D. Delande. These experimental and theoretical data on the TCSs were analyzed in order to study quantum chaos in doubly excited helium, and interesting signatures of quantum chaos were found. The TOF technique allowed to measure PCSs and ADPs in the energy regions from I{sub 5} to I{sub 9} and I{sub 7}, respectively. These experimental data provide a critical assessment of theoretical models that can be used to explore the dynamics of strong correlation as well as quantum chaos in helium. In the theoretical part of this dissertation, the n- and l-specific PCSs and ADPs below I{sub 4} were calculated employing the R-matrix method. The present theoretical results agree well with a recent experimental study of l-specific PCSs below I{sub 4} by J.R. Harries et al. An analysis of patterns in the PCSs and ADPs on the basis of the present experimental and theoretical l-specific data allowed to improve the present understanding of autoionization decay dynamics in this two-electron atom. (orig.)

  9. Strongly correlated quantum fluids: ultracold quantum gases, quantum chromodynamic plasmas and holographic duality

    OpenAIRE

    Adams, Allan; Carr, Lincoln D.; Schafer, Thomas; Steinberg, Peter; Thomas, John E.

    2012-01-01

    Strongly correlated quantum fluids are phases of matter that are intrinsically quantum mechanical, and that do not have a simple description in terms of weakly interacting quasi-particles. Two systems that have recently attracted a great deal of interest are the quark-gluon plasma, a plasma of strongly interacting quarks and gluons produced in relativistic heavy ion collisions, and ultracold atomic Fermi gases, very dilute clouds of atomic gases confined in optical or magnetic traps. These sy...

  10. Strongly correlated quantum transport out-of-equilibrium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutt, Prasenjit

    The revolutionary advances in nanotechnology and nanofabrication have facilitated the precise control and manipulation of mesoscopic systems where quantum effects are pronounced. Quantum devices with tunable gates have made it possible to access regimes far beyond the purview of linear response theory. In particular, the influence of strong voltage and thermal biases has led to the observation of novel phenomena where the non-equilibrium characteristics of the system are of paramount importance. We study transport through quantum-impurity systems in the regime of strong correlations and determine the effects of large temperature and potential gradients on its many-body physics. In Part I of this thesis we focus on the steady-state dynamics of the system, a commonly encountered experimental scenario. For a system consisting of several leads composed of non-interacting electrons, each individually coupled to a quantum impurity with interactions and maintained at different chemical potentials, we reformulate the system in terms of an effective-equilibrium density matrix. This density matrix has a simple Boltzmann-like form in terms of the system's Lippmann-Schwinger (scattering) operators. We elaborate the conditions for this description to be valid based on the microscopic Hamiltonian of the system. We then prove the equivalence of physical observables computed using this formulation with corresponding expressions in the Schwinger-Keldysh approach and provide a dictionary between Green's functions in either scheme. An imaginary-time functional integral framework to compute finite temperature Green's functions is proposed and used to develop a novel perturbative expansion in the interaction strength which is exact in all other system parameters. We use these tools to study the fate of the Abrikosov-Suhl regime on the Kondo-correlated quantum dot due to the effects of bias and external magnetic fields. Next, we expand the domain of this formalism to additionally

  11. Anomalous Behavior of Electronic Heat Capacity of Strongly Correlated Iron Monosilicide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Povzner, A. A.; Volkov, A. G.; Nogovitsyna, T. A.

    2018-04-01

    The paper deals with the electronic heat capacity of iron monosilicide FeSi subjected to semiconductor-metal thermal transition during which the formation of its spintronic properties is observed. The proposed model which considers pd-hybridization of strongly correlated d-electrons with non-correlated p-electrons, demonstrates a connection of their contribution to heat capacity in the insulator phase with paramagnon effects and fluctuations of occupation numbers for p- and d-states. In a slitless state, the temperature curve of heat capacity is characterized by a maximum appeared due to normalization of the electron density of states using fluctuating exchange fields. At higher temperatures, a linear growth in heat capacity occurs due to paramagnon effects. The correlation between the model parameters and the first-principles calculation provides the electron contribution to heat capacity, which is obtained from the experimental results on phonon heat capacity. Anharmonicity of phonons is connected merely with the thermal expansion of the crystal lattice.

  12. UPLC-MS/MS analysis for antioxidant components of Lycii Fructus based on spectrum-effect relationship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xian-Fei; Chen, Juan; Yang, Jun-Li; Shi, Yan-Ping

    2018-04-01

    Lycii Fructus is widely cultivated in the Northwest China. It is well-known for its antiaging effect in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), but the effective components are not clear. In this work, the ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to study the antioxidant components of Lycii Fructus through analyzing the spectrum-effect relationship, and the positive correlation components with antioxidant activity were partially identified. The extractums of Lycii Fructus were adsorbed with macroporous resin, and then eluted with water and 30%, 60%, 90% ethanol in turn. The extract fraction eluted with 60% ethanol was determined as the best, and was taken for subsequent experiments. With the above separation method, UPLC fingerprints of thirty batches of Lycii Fructus (from different areas) were obtained, and thirty common peaks were selected through similarity analysis (SA). Combined with the data of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) assays, the spectrum-effect relationship was studied. The results showed that the main peaks with antioxidant activity were P14, P26, P8, and P21 for DPPH, and P26, P14, P21, and P19 for ABTS. Using the UPLC-MS/MS data, peaks P14, P19, P21, and P30 were respectively identified as chlorogenic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin, and then the results were confirmed through comparison with the standards and other references. Finally, their strong antioxidant activities were validated experimentally. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. The allosteric switching mechanism in bacteriophage MS2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perkett, Matthew R.; Mirijanian, Dina T.; Hagan, Michael F., E-mail: hagan@brandeis.edu [Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02474 (United States)

    2016-07-21

    We use all-atom simulations to elucidate the mechanisms underlying conformational switching and allostery within the coat protein of the bacteriophage MS2. Assembly of most icosahedral virus capsids requires that the capsid protein adopts different conformations at precise locations within the capsid. It has been shown that a 19 nucleotide stem loop (TR) from the MS2 genome acts as an allosteric effector, guiding conformational switching of the coat protein during capsid assembly. Since the principal conformational changes occur far from the TR binding site, it is important to understand the molecular mechanism underlying this allosteric communication. To this end, we use all-atom simulations with explicit water combined with a path sampling technique to sample the MS2 coat protein conformational transition, in the presence and absence of TR-binding. The calculations find that TR binding strongly alters the transition free energy profile, leading to a switch in the favored conformation. We discuss changes in molecular interactions responsible for this shift. We then identify networks of amino acids with correlated motions to reveal the mechanism by which effects of TR binding span the protein. We find that TR binding strongly affects residues located at the 5-fold and quasi-sixfold interfaces in the assembled capsid, suggesting a mechanism by which the TR binding could direct formation of the native capsid geometry. The analysis predicts amino acids whose substitution by mutagenesis could alter populations of the conformational substates or their transition rates.

  14. Many-body Tunneling and Nonequilibrium Dynamics of Doublons in Strongly Correlated Quantum Dots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, WenJie; Wang, YuanDong; Wei, JianHua; Zhu, ZhenGang; Yan, YiJing

    2017-05-30

    Quantum tunneling dominates coherent transport at low temperatures in many systems of great interest. In this work we report a many-body tunneling (MBT), by nonperturbatively solving the Anderson multi-impurity model, and identify it a fundamental tunneling process on top of the well-acknowledged sequential tunneling and cotunneling. We show that the MBT involves the dynamics of doublons in strongly correlated systems. Proportional to the numbers of dynamical doublons, the MBT can dominate the off-resonant transport in the strongly correlated regime. A T 3/2 -dependence of the MBT current on temperature is uncovered and can be identified as a fingerprint of the MBT in experiments. We also prove that the MBT can support the coherent long-range tunneling of doublons, which is well consistent with recent experiments on ultracold atoms. As a fundamental physical process, the MBT is expected to play important roles in general quantum systems.

  15. Quantum group random walks in strongly correlated 2+1 D spin systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Protogenov, A.P.; Rostovtsev, Yu.V.; Verbus, V.A.

    1994-06-01

    We consider the temporal evolution of strong correlated degrees of freedom in 2+1 D spin systems using the Wilson operator eigenvalues as variables. It is shown that the quantum-group diffusion equation at deformation parameter q being the k-th root of unity has the polynomial solution of degree k. (author). 20 refs, 1 tab

  16. On strong-coupling correlation functions of circular Wilson loops and local operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alday, Luis F; Tseytlin, Arkady A

    2011-01-01

    Motivated by the problem of understanding 3-point correlation functions of gauge-invariant operators in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory we consider correlators involving Wilson loops and a 'light' operator with fixed quantum numbers. At leading order in the strong-coupling expansion such correlators are given by the 'light' vertex operator evaluated on a semiclassical string world surface ending on the corresponding loops at the boundary of AdS 5 x S 5 . We study in detail the example of a correlator of two concentric circular Wilson loops and a dilaton vertex operator. The resulting expression is given by an integral of combinations of elliptic functions and can be computed analytically in some special limits. We also consider a generalization of the minimal surface ending on two circles to the case of non-zero angular momentum J in S 5 and discuss a special limit when one of the Wilson loops is effectively replaced by a 'heavy' operator with charge J. (paper)

  17. Microscopic theory of photon-correlation spectroscopy in strong-coupling semiconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schneebeli, Lukas

    2009-11-27

    would be a great contribution in the growing field of quantum optics in semiconductors. The efforts in QD systems are again driven by the atomic systems which not only have shown the vacuum Rabi splitting, but also the second rung, e.g. via direct spectroscopy and via photon-correlation measurements. In this thesis, it is shown that spectrally resolved photon-statistics measurements of the resonance fluorescence from realistic semiconductor quantum-dot systems allow for high contrast identification of the two-photon strong-coupling states. Using a microscopic theory, the second-rung resonance of Jaynes-Cummings ladder is analyzed and optimum excitation conditions are determined. The computed photon-statistics spectrum displays gigantic, experimentally robust resonances at the energetic positions of the second-rung emission. The resonance fluorescence equations are derived and solved for strong-coupling semiconductor quantum-dot systems using a fully quantized multimode theory and a cluster-expansion approach. A reduced model is developed to explain the origin of auto- and cross-correlation resonances in the two-photon emission spectrum of the fluorescent light. These resonances are traced back to the two-photon strong-coupling states of Jaynes-Cummings ladder. The accuracy of the reduced model is verified via numerical solution of the resonance fluorescence equations. The analysis reveals the direct relation between the squeezed-light emission and the strong-coupling states in optically excited semiconductor systems. (orig.)

  18. Baryon femtoscopy considering residual correlations as a tool to extract strong interaction potentials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Szymański Maciej

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this article, the analysis of baryon-antibaryon femtoscopic correlations is presented. In particular, it is shown that taking into account residual correlations is crucial for the description of pΛ¯$\\bar \\Lambda $ and p̄Λ correlation functions measured by the STAR experiment in Au–Au collisions at the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √sNN = 200 GeV. This approach enables to obtain pΛ¯$\\bar \\Lambda $ (p̄Λ source size consistent with the sizes extracted from correlations in pΛ (p̄Λ¯$\\bar \\Lambda $ and lighter pair systems as well as with model predictions. Moreover, with this analysis it is possible to derive the unknown parameters of the strong interaction potential for baryon-antibaryon pairs under several assumptions.

  19. pDeep: Predicting MS/MS Spectra of Peptides with Deep Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Xie-Xuan; Zeng, Wen-Feng; Chi, Hao; Luo, Chunjie; Liu, Chao; Zhan, Jianfeng; He, Si-Min; Zhang, Zhifei

    2017-12-05

    In tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based proteomics, search engines rely on comparison between an experimental MS/MS spectrum and the theoretical spectra of the candidate peptides. Hence, accurate prediction of the theoretical spectra of peptides appears to be particularly important. Here, we present pDeep, a deep neural network-based model for the spectrum prediction of peptides. Using the bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM), pDeep can predict higher-energy collisional dissociation, electron-transfer dissociation, and electron-transfer and higher-energy collision dissociation MS/MS spectra of peptides with >0.9 median Pearson correlation coefficients. Further, we showed that intermediate layer of the neural network could reveal physicochemical properties of amino acids, for example the similarities of fragmentation behaviors between amino acids. We also showed the potential of pDeep to distinguish extremely similar peptides (peptides that contain isobaric amino acids, for example, GG = N, AG = Q, or even I = L), which were very difficult to distinguish using traditional search engines.

  20. Strongly correlated states of a small cold-atom cloud from geometric gauge fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Julia-Diaz, B.; Dagnino, D.; Barberan, N.; Guenter, K. J.; Dalibard, J.; Grass, T.; Lewenstein, M.

    2011-01-01

    Using exact diagonalization for a small system of cold bosonic atoms, we analyze the emergence of strongly correlated states in the presence of an artificial magnetic field. This gauge field is generated by a laser beam that couples two internal atomic states, and it is related to Berry's geometrical phase that emerges when an atom follows adiabatically one of the two eigenstates of the atom-laser coupling. Our approach allows us to go beyond the adiabatic approximation, and to characterize the generalized Laughlin wave functions that appear in the strong magnetic-field limit.

  1. Strongly correlated states of a small cold-atom cloud from geometric gauge fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Julia-Diaz, B. [Dept. ECM, Facultat de Fisica, U. Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Parc Mediterrani de la Tecnologia, E-08860 Barcelona (Spain); Dagnino, D.; Barberan, N. [Dept. ECM, Facultat de Fisica, U. Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona (Spain); Guenter, K. J.; Dalibard, J. [Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, CNRS, UPMC, Ecole Normale Superieure, 24 rue Lhomond, F-75005 Paris (France); Grass, T. [ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Parc Mediterrani de la Tecnologia, E-08860 Barcelona (Spain); Lewenstein, M. [ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Parc Mediterrani de la Tecnologia, E-08860 Barcelona (Spain); ICREA-Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats, E-08010 Barcelona (Spain)

    2011-11-15

    Using exact diagonalization for a small system of cold bosonic atoms, we analyze the emergence of strongly correlated states in the presence of an artificial magnetic field. This gauge field is generated by a laser beam that couples two internal atomic states, and it is related to Berry's geometrical phase that emerges when an atom follows adiabatically one of the two eigenstates of the atom-laser coupling. Our approach allows us to go beyond the adiabatic approximation, and to characterize the generalized Laughlin wave functions that appear in the strong magnetic-field limit.

  2. Strongly correlated photons generated by coupling a three- or four-level system to a waveguide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Huaixiu; Gauthier, Daniel J.; Baranger, Harold U.

    2012-04-01

    We study the generation of strongly correlated photons by coupling an atom to photonic quantum fields in a one-dimensional waveguide. Specifically, we consider a three-level or four-level system for the atom. Photon-photon bound states emerge as a manifestation of the strong photon-photon correlation mediated by the atom. Effective repulsive or attractive interaction between photons can be produced, causing either suppressed multiphoton transmission (photon blockade) or enhanced multiphoton transmission (photon-induced tunneling). As a result, nonclassical light sources can be generated on demand by sending coherent states into the proposed system. We calculate the second-order correlation function of the transmitted field and observe bunching and antibunching caused by the bound states. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the proposed system can produce photon pairs with a high degree of spectral entanglement, which have a large capacity for carrying information and are important for large-alphabet quantum communication.

  3. The Geomagnetic Field and Correlations with Multiple Sclerosis: A Possible Etiology of Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wade, Brett

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex autoimmune disease that results in a demyelinating process of the central nervous system. It is the most common, progressive, neurological disease affecting young adults, and there is no cure. A curious feature of MS is its distinct global prevalence with high rates of occurrence between 40 and 60 degrees latitude. While genetics may partially explain this phenomenon, studies have shown that the influence of genetics is modest. Many non-genetic variables, such as viruses, vitamin D, smoking, diet, hormones, etc., have been shown to be related to the expression of MS but none of these variables have been determined to be necessarily strong enough to exclude other factors. The geomagnetic field, which is a non-uniform, three dimensional entity which protects all living things from ionizing radiation, is suggested in this research to be related to global MS prevalence. This study hypothesized that either the total field, the vertical field, or the horizontal field strength of the geomagnetic field will be correlated with MS. Using secondary sources of prevalence studies (N=131) and geomagnetic data, the results supported all three hypotheses with the strongest correlation being an inverse relationship between the horizontal field and MS (r = -.607). The explanation for the inverse relationship being most strongly correlated with MS prevalence is explained by the fact that the horizontal aspect of the geomagnetic field has a protective effect from incoming cosmic radiation. Chronic exposure to high levels of background radiation can have deleterious health effects. This research suggests that living in areas of a weak horizontal field increases a person's exposure to ionizing radiation and therefore increases the risk for developing MS. While it was not the intention of this research, it became clear that an explanation which explained the results of this research and also attempted to unify the mechanisms of all non

  4. Parent heparin and daughter LMW heparin correlation analysis using LC-MS and NMR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Xinyue, E-mail: liux22@rpi.edu [National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Glycobiology, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250100 (China); Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180 (United States); St Ange, Kalib, E-mail: stangk2@rpi.edu [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180 (United States); Wang, Xiaohua, E-mail: wangx35@rpi.edu [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180 (United States); School of Computer and Information, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei (China); Lin, Lei, E-mail: Linl5@rpi.edu [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180 (United States); Zhang, Fuming, E-mail: zhangf2@rpi.edu [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180 (United States); and others

    2017-04-08

    Heparin is a structurally complex, polysaccharide anticoagulant derived from livestock, primarily porcine intestinal tissues. Low molecular weight (LMW) heparins are derived through the controlled partial depolymerization of heparin. Increased manufacturing and regulatory concerns have provided the motivation for the development of more sophisticated analytical methods for determining both their structure and pedigree. A strategy, for the comprehensive comparison of parent heparins and their LMW heparin daughters, is described that relies on the analysis of monosaccharide composition, disaccharide composition, and oligosaccharide composition. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry is rapid, robust, and amenable to automated processing and interpretation of both top-down and bottom-up analyses. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy provides complementary top-down information on the chirality of the uronic acid residues and glucosamine substitution. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the normalized abundance of oligosaccharides, calculated in the bottom-up analysis, to show parent and daughter correlation in oligosaccharide composition. Using these approaches, six pairs of parent heparins and their daughter generic enoxaparins from two different manufacturers were comprehensively analyzed. Enoxaparin is the most widely used LMW heparin and is prepared through controlled chemical β-eliminative cleavage of porcine intestinal heparin. Lovenox{sup ®}, the innovator version of enoxaparin marketed in the US, was analyzed as a reference for the daughter LMW heparins. The results, show similarities between LMW heparins from two different manufacturers with Lovenox{sup ®}, excellent lot-to-lot consistency of products from each manufacturer, and detects a correlation between each parent heparin and daughter LMW heparin. - Highlights: • Low molecular weight heparins prepared from different heparin parents were analyzed. • An integrated analytical

  5. Parent heparin and daughter LMW heparin correlation analysis using LC-MS and NMR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Xinyue; St Ange, Kalib; Wang, Xiaohua; Lin, Lei; Zhang, Fuming

    2017-01-01

    Heparin is a structurally complex, polysaccharide anticoagulant derived from livestock, primarily porcine intestinal tissues. Low molecular weight (LMW) heparins are derived through the controlled partial depolymerization of heparin. Increased manufacturing and regulatory concerns have provided the motivation for the development of more sophisticated analytical methods for determining both their structure and pedigree. A strategy, for the comprehensive comparison of parent heparins and their LMW heparin daughters, is described that relies on the analysis of monosaccharide composition, disaccharide composition, and oligosaccharide composition. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry is rapid, robust, and amenable to automated processing and interpretation of both top-down and bottom-up analyses. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy provides complementary top-down information on the chirality of the uronic acid residues and glucosamine substitution. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the normalized abundance of oligosaccharides, calculated in the bottom-up analysis, to show parent and daughter correlation in oligosaccharide composition. Using these approaches, six pairs of parent heparins and their daughter generic enoxaparins from two different manufacturers were comprehensively analyzed. Enoxaparin is the most widely used LMW heparin and is prepared through controlled chemical β-eliminative cleavage of porcine intestinal heparin. Lovenox"®, the innovator version of enoxaparin marketed in the US, was analyzed as a reference for the daughter LMW heparins. The results, show similarities between LMW heparins from two different manufacturers with Lovenox"®, excellent lot-to-lot consistency of products from each manufacturer, and detects a correlation between each parent heparin and daughter LMW heparin. - Highlights: • Low molecular weight heparins prepared from different heparin parents were analyzed. • An integrated analytical approach relied

  6. Stabilizing strongly correlated photon fluids with non-Markovian reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebreuilly, José; Biella, Alberto; Storme, Florent; Rossini, Davide; Fazio, Rosario; Ciuti, Cristiano; Carusotto, Iacopo

    2017-09-01

    We introduce a frequency-dependent incoherent pump scheme with a square-shaped spectrum as a way to study strongly correlated photons in arrays of coupled nonlinear resonators. This scheme can be implemented via a reservoir of population-inverted two-level emitters with a broad distribution of transition frequencies. Our proposal is predicted to stabilize a nonequilibrium steady state sharing important features with a zero-temperature equilibrium state with a tunable chemical potential. We confirm the efficiency of our proposal for the Bose-Hubbard model by computing numerically the steady state for finite system sizes: first, we predict the occurrence of a sequence of incompressible Mott-insulator-like states with arbitrary integer densities presenting strong robustness against tunneling and losses. Secondly, for stronger tunneling amplitudes or noninteger densities, the system enters a coherent regime analogous to the superfluid state. In addition to an overall agreement with the zero-temperature equilibrium state, exotic nonequilibrium processes leading to a finite entropy generation are pointed out in specific regions of parameter space. The equilibrium ground state is shown to be recovered by adding frequency-dependent losses. The promise of this improved scheme in view of quantum simulation of the zero-temperature many-body physics is highlighted.

  7. Correlates of sexual function in male and female patients with multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lew-Starowicz, Michal; Rola, Rafal

    2014-09-01

    Many factors have been suggested to contribute to sexual dysfunction (SD) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, but the research on their impact on sexual functioning (SF) and sexual quality of life (SQoL) remains scant. The aim of this study was to investigate correlates of SF and SQoL in MS patients, as well as possible gender differences. 204 MS patients were interviewed, completed the questionnaires, and underwent neurological assessment. Primary outcome measures included the International Index of Erectile Function, the Female Sexual Function Questionnaire, the Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Expanded Disability Status Scale. The course and duration of the disease did not predict patients' SF. Negative correlations were found for brainstem symptoms with orgasmic function and overall satisfaction in men and between cognitive functioning and the partner domain in women. Interestingly, brainstem symptoms correlated positively with the arousal domain in women. More than half (52.1%) of patients fulfilled Beck Depression Inventory criteria for depression, and these patients showed more SD than nondepressive individuals. The strongest negative correlations with depressive symptoms were found for desire, erectile function, and overall satisfaction with sexual life in men and for orgasm and sexual enjoyment in women. Deterioration in particular domains of SF was clearly related with diminished SQoL. The main gender difference was a strong influence of decreased desire on SQoL in women and no such correlation in men. Negative assessment of the relationship with partner significantly affected all domains of SF and SQoL in MS women and the desire domain in MS men. Several correlates of SF in MS patients were found. The role of brainstem symptoms needs further investigation. Clinicians should pay close attention to depressive symptoms and relationship factors in MS patients who suffer from SD. © 2014 International Society for

  8. What affects your MS? Responses to an anonymous, Internet-based epidemiological survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simmons, Rex D; Ponsonby, Anne-Louise; van der Mei, Ingrid A F; Sheridan, Peter

    2004-04-01

    Evolving information technology has raised the possibility of new methods of data collection in multiple sclerosis (MS) research. An anonymous, self-report, Internet-based survey was developed, which asked people with MS their opinion on how various extrinsic factors affected their condition. From September 2001 to July 2002, a total of 2529 people completed the questionnaire. The demographic and clinical profiles of the anonymous respondents indicated that most were likely to have MS. Common factors reported as beneficial were cannabis, cold baths, meditation and dietary factors. Common adverse factors reported were high stress, exposure to high temperatures and viral infections. There was an increasing report of high temperatures as being adverse with increasing respondent age (test for trend, P < 0.001). The adverse report of high temperatures correlated significantly with the report of strong sunlight apparently making MS worse (r = 0.35, P < 0.0001). In Australia, high temperatures were more likely to be reported as adverse in warmer, lower latitude regions. The association between strong sunlight as adverse and age or region did not persist after adjustment for high temperatures. Thus, this apparent adverse factor appeared to relate to solar heat, not solar light. People with MS may risk vitamin D deficiency because of sun avoidance due to heat-related fatigue or intolerance. This is of clinical significance not only for bone health but because vitamin D may have beneficial immunomodulatory properties. The present study provides new information from people with MS on factors that may influence symptoms or clinical course. This information will now be used in the design of formal epidemiological cohort studies.

  9. SymptoMScreen: A Tool for Rapid Assessment of Symptom Severity in MS Across Multiple Domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, R; Kalina, J; Ford, R; Pandey, K; Kister, I

    2017-01-01

    The objective of this study was to describe SymptoMScreen, an in-house developed tool for rapid assessment of MS symptom severity in routine clinical practice, and to validate SymptoMScreen against Performance Scales (PS). MS patients typically experience symptoms in many neurologic domains. A tool that would enable MS patients to efficiently relay their symptom severity across multiple domains to the healthcare providers could lead to improved symptom management. We developed "SymptoMScreen," a battery of 7-point Likert scales for 12 distinct domains commonly affected by MS: mobility, dexterity, body pain, sensation, bladder function, fatigue, vision, dizziness, cognition, depression, and anxiety. We administered SymptoMScreen and PS scales to consecutive MS patients at a specialty MS Care Center. We assessed the criterion and construct validity of SymptoMScreen by calculating Spearmen rank correlations between the SymptoMScreen composite score and PS composite score, and between SymptoMScreen subscale and the respective PS subscale scores, where applicable. A total of 410 patients with MS (age 46.6 ± 12.9 years; 74% female; mean disease duration 12.2 ± 8.7 years) completed the SymptoMScreen and PSs during their clinic visit. Composite SymptoMScreen score correlated strongly with combined PS score (r = 0.88, p MS. It has excellent criterion and construct validity. SymptoMScreen is patient and clinician friendly, takes approximately one minute to complete, and can help better document, understand, and manage patients' symptoms in routine clinical practice. SymptoMScreen is freely available to clinicians and researchers.

  10. Non perturbative aspects of strongly correlated electron systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Controzzi, D.

    2000-01-01

    In this thesis we report some selected works on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems. A common ingredient of these works is the use of non-perturbative techniques available in low dimensions. In the first part we use the Bethe Ansatz to study some properties of two families of integrable models introduced by Fateev. We calculate the Thermodynamics of the models and show how they can be interpreted as effective Landau-Ginzburg theories for coupled two-dimensional superconductors interacting with an insulating substrate. This allows us to study exactly the dependence of the critical temperature on the thickness of the insulating layer, and on the interaction between the order parameters of two different superconducting planes. In the second part of the thesis we study the optical conductivity of the sine-Gordon model using the Form Factor method and Conformal Perturbation Theory. This allows us to develop, for the first time, a complete theory of the optical conductivity of one-dimensional Mott insulators, in the Quantum Field Theory limit. (author)

  11. HPLC-MS and GC-MS analyses combined with orthogonal partial least squares to identify cytotoxic constituents from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Jianlan; Zhang, Huan; Li, Zidan; Zhang, Xiaohang; Su, Xin; Li, Yan; Qiao, Bin; Yuan, Yingjin

    2013-08-01

    We investigated the fingerprints of 48 batches of turmeric total extracts (TTE) by HPLC-MS-MS and GC-MS analyses and 43 characteristic peaks (22 constituents from HPLC-MS-MS; 21 from GC-MS) were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. An MTT {3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)- 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide} assay was implemented to measure the cytotoxicity of the TTE against HeLa cells. Then we utilized orthogonal partial least squares analysis, which correlated the chemical composition of the TTE to its cytotoxic activity, to identify potential cytotoxic constituents from turmeric. The result showed that 19 constituents contributed significantly to the cytotoxicity. The obtained result was verified by canonical correlation analysis. Comparison with previous reports also indicated some interaction between the curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids in turmeric.

  12. PREFACE: International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems (SCES 2011)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Littlewood, P. B.; Lonzarich, G. G.; Saxena, S. S.; Sutherland, M. L.; Sebastian, S. E.; Artacho, E.; Grosche, F. M.; Hadzibabic, Z.

    2012-11-01

    The Strongly Correlated Electron Systems Conference (SCES) 2011, was held from 29 August-3 September 2011, in Cambridge, UK. SCES'2011 was dedicated to 100 years of superconductivity and covered a range of topics in the area of strongly correlated systems. The correlated electronic and magnetic materials featured include f-electron based heavy fermion intermetallics and d-electron based transition metal compounds. The meeting welcomed to Cambridge 657 participants from 23 countries, who presented 127 talks (including 16 plenary, 57 invited, and 54 contributed) and 736 posters in 40 sessions over five full days of meetings. This proceedings volume contains papers reporting on the science presented at the meeting. This work deepens our understanding of the rich physical phenomena that arise from correlation effects. Strongly correlated systems are known for their remarkable array of emergent phenomena: the traditional subjects of superconductivity, magnetism and metal-insulator transitions have been joined by non-Fermi liquid phenomena, topologically protected quantum states, atomic and photonic gases, and quantum phase transitions. These are some of the most challenging and interesting phenomena in science. As well as the science driver, there is underlying interest in energy-dense materials, which make use of 'small' electrons packed to the highest possible density. These are by definition 'strongly correlated'. For example: good photovoltaics must be efficient optical absorbers, which means that photons will generate tightly bound electron-hole pairs (excitons) that must then be ionised at a heterointerface and transported to contacts; efficient solid state refrigeration depends on substantial entropy changes in a unit cell, with large local electrical or magnetic moments; efficient lighting is in a real sense the inverse of photovoltaics; the limit of an efficient battery is a supercapacitor employing mixed valent ions; fuel cells and solar to fuel conversion

  13. Energy deposition of heavy ions in the regime of strong beam-plasma correlations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gericke, D O; Schlanges, M

    2003-03-01

    The energy loss of highly charged ions in dense plasmas is investigated. The applied model includes strong beam-plasma correlation via a quantum T-matrix treatment of the cross sections. Dynamic screening effects are modeled by using a Debye-like potential with a velocity dependent screening length that guarantees the known low and high beam velocity limits. It is shown that this phenomenological model is in good agreement with simulation data up to very high beam-plasma coupling. An analysis of the stopping process shows considerably longer ranges and a less localized energy deposition if strong coupling is treated properly.

  14. Full-gap superconductivity with strong electron correlations in the β-pyrochlore KOs2O6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kasahara, Y.; Shimono, Y.; Kato, T.; Hashimoto, K.; Shibauchi, T.; Matsuda, Y.; Yonezawa, S.; Muraoka, Y.; Yamaura, J.; Nagao, Y.; Hiroi, Z.

    2008-01-01

    To elucidate the superconducting gap structure and the influence of rattling motion on quasiparticle dynamics in the superconducting state of KOs 2 O 6 , the thermal conductivity and microwave surface impedance were measured at low temperatures. The magnetic field dependence of thermal conductivity and temperature dependence of penetration depth demonstrate full-gap superconductivity in KOs 2 O 6 . The quasiparticle scattering time is strongly enhanced in the superconducting state, indicating a strong electron inelastic scattering in the normal state. These results highlight that KOs 2 O 6 is unique among superconductors with strong electron correlations

  15. High energy x-ray scattering studies of strongly correlated oxides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatton, Peter D; Wilkins, S B; Spencer, P D; Zimmermann, M v; D'Almeida, T

    2003-01-01

    Many transition metal oxides display strongly correlated charge, spin, or orbital ordering resulting in varied phenomena such as colossal magnetoresistance, high temperature superconductivity, metal-insulator transitions etc. X-ray scattering is one of the principle techniques for probing the structural response to such effects. In this paper, we discuss and review the use of synchrotron radiation high energy x-rays (50-200 keV) for the study of transition metal oxides such as nickelates (La 2-x Sr x NiO 4 ) and manganites (La 2-2x Sr 1+2x Mn 2 O 7 ). High energy x-rays have sufficient penetration to allow us to study large flux-grown single crystals. The huge increase in sample scattering volume means that extremely weak peaks can be observed. This allows us to study very weak charge ordering. Measurements of the intensity, width and position of the charge ordering satellites as a function of temperature provide us with quantitative measures of the charge amplitude, inverse correlation length and wavevector of the charge ordering

  16. Exact results relating spin-orbit interactions in two-dimensional strongly correlated systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kucska, Nóra; Gulácsi, Zsolt

    2018-06-01

    A 2D square, two-bands, strongly correlated and non-integrable system is analysed exactly in the presence of many-body spin-orbit interactions via the method of Positive Semidefinite Operators. The deduced exact ground states in the high concentration limit are strongly entangled, and given by the spin-orbit coupling are ferromagnetic and present an enhanced carrier mobility, which substantially differs for different spin projections. The described state emerges in a restricted parameter space region, which however is clearly accessible experimentally. The exact solutions are provided via the solution of a matching system of equations containing 74 coupled, non-linear and complex algebraic equations. In our knowledge, other exact results for 2D interacting systems with spin-orbit interactions are not present in the literature.

  17. Numerical path integral solution to strong Coulomb correlation in one dimensional Hooke's atom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruokosenmäki, Ilkka; Gholizade, Hossein; Kylänpää, Ilkka; Rantala, Tapio T.

    2017-01-01

    We present a new approach based on real time domain Feynman path integrals (RTPI) for electronic structure calculations and quantum dynamics, which includes correlations between particles exactly but within the numerical accuracy. We demonstrate that incoherent propagation by keeping the wave function real is a novel method for finding and simulation of the ground state, similar to Diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) method, but introducing new useful tools lacking in DMC. We use 1D Hooke's atom, a two-electron system with very strong correlation, as our test case, which we solve with incoherent RTPI (iRTPI) and compare against DMC. This system provides an excellent test case due to exact solutions for some confinements and because in 1D the Coulomb singularity is stronger than in two or three dimensional space. The use of Monte Carlo grid is shown to be efficient for which we determine useful numerical parameters. Furthermore, we discuss another novel approach achieved by combining the strengths of iRTPI and DMC. We also show usefulness of the perturbation theory for analytical approximates in case of strong confinements.

  18. Observation of the two-electron cusp in atomic collisions. Evidence for strong electron-electron correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarkadi, L.; Orban, A.

    2007-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. In this report we present experimental data for a process when two electrons with velocity vectors equal to that of the projectile are emitted from collisions. By observing the two electron cusp the study of the threshold phenomenon for two-electron break-up is possible. It is a particularly interesting question whether the outgoing charged projectile can attract the two repulsing electrons so strongly that the two-electron cusp is formed. If it is so, a further question arises: Are the two electrons correlated in the final state as it is predicted by the Wannier theory? The experiments have been done at the 1 MeV VdG accelerator of ATOMKI using our TOF spectrometer. The first measurements clearly showed the formation of the two-electron cusp and signature of the electron correlation in 200 keV He 0 +He collisions. These promising results motivated us to carry out the experiment at 100 keV beam energy where the coincidence count rate is still reasonable but the energy resolution is better. For an acceptable data acquisition time we improved our data acquisition and data processing system for triple coincidence measurements. In Fig. 1a we present our measured relative fourfold differential cross section (FDCS) that shows strong electron correlation. For a comparison, in Fig. 1b we displayed the contour plot for uncorrelated electron pair emission. These latter data were synthesized artificially, generating the energies of the electron pairs from two independent double coincidence experiments. In both figures the distributions are characterized by two ridges. In Fig. 1b the ridges are perpendicular straight lines (E 1 = E 2 .13.6 eV). As a result of the correlation, the ridges in Fig. 1a are distorted in such a way that they have a joint straight-line section following the line E 1 + E 2 = 27.2 eV. This means that the electron pairs in the vicinity of the cusp maximum are emitted with a center of- mass velocity equal to that of

  19. Detecting pM concentrations of prostaglandins in cell culture supernatants by capillary SCX-LC-MS/MS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dahl, Sandra Rinne; Kleiveland, Charlotte Ramstad; Kassem, Moustapha

    2008-01-01

    A highly sensitive, improved online strong cation exchange (SCX)--RP capillary liquid chromatographic (cLC) method with IT mass spectrometric (IT-MS/MS) detection for the simultaneous determination of prostaglandin (PG)A(1), PGD(2), PGE(1), PGE(2), PGF(2alpha), 8-iso-(8i)PGF(2alpha), 6-keto-(6k...

  20. Why does the martensitic transformation temperature strongly depend on composition?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren, X.; Otsuka, K.

    2000-01-01

    The reason for the strong composition and heat-treatment dependence of the martensitic transformation temperature was investigated by a simple Landau-type model. Assuming the anharmonic and coupling coefficients are insensitive to composition, we obtained an important result martensitic transformation occurs at a critical elastic constant c' and a critical TA 2 phonon energy ω η 2 , which are independent of alloy composition. This result gained support from a large body of experimental data of Cu-based alloys. Since c' and phonon energy are strongly dependent on composition, the constancy of c' at Ms demands that the (transformation) temperature must exhibit an opposite effect to compensate the composition effect. Therefore, the lower the c', the higher the Ms is. Because the temperature dependence of c' is weak (due to the 1 st order nature of the transformation), the big c' change by a slight composition change must be compensated by a large change in temperature. Thus Ms has strong composition dependence. The effect of quench is to increase point defects, being equivalent to a composition change, thus has a strong effect on Ms. From the present study, we can conclude that the strong composition dependence of Ms is mainly a harmonic effect. (orig.)

  1. Homocysteine is the confounding factor of metabolic syndrome-confirmed by siMS score.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srećković, Branko; Soldatovic, Ivan; Colak, Emina; Mrdovic, Igor; Sumarac-Dumanovic, Mirjana; Janeski, Hristina; Janeski, Nenad; Gacic, Jasna; Dimitrijevic-Sreckovic, Vesna

    2018-04-06

    Abdominal adiposity has a central role in developing insulin resistance (IR) by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. Patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) have higher values of homocysteine. Hyperhomocysteinemia correlates with IR, increasing the oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes endothelial dysfunction, hypertension and atherosclerosis. The objective of the study was to examine the correlation of homocysteine with siMS score and siMS risk score and with other MS co-founding factors. The study included 69 obese individuals (age over 30, body mass index [BMI] >25 kg/m2), classified into two groups: I-with MS (33 patients); II-without MS (36 patients). Measurements included: anthropometric parameters, lipids, glucose regulation parameters and inflammation parameters. IR was determined by homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). ATP III classification was applied for diagnosing MS. SiMS score was used as continuous measure of metabolic syndrome. A significant difference between groups was found for C-reactive protein (CRP) (psiMS risk score showed a positive correlation with homocysteine (p=0.023), while siMS score correlated positively with fibrinogen (p=0.013), CRP and acidum uricum (p=0.000) and homocysteine (p=0.08). Homocysteine correlated positively with ApoB (p=0.036), HbA1c (p=0.047), HOMA-IR (p=0.008) and negatively with ApoE (p=0.042). Correlation of siMS score with homocysteine, fibrinogen, CRP and acidum uricum indicates that they are co-founding factors of MS. siMS risk score correlation with homocysteine indicates that hyperhomocysteinemia increases with age. Hyperhomocysteinemia is linked with genetic factors and family nutritional scheme, increasing the risk for atherosclerosis.

  2. siMS Score: Simple Method for Quantifying Metabolic Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soldatovic, Ivan; Vukovic, Rade; Culafic, Djordje; Gajic, Milan; Dimitrijevic-Sreckovic, Vesna

    2016-01-01

    To evaluate siMS score and siMS risk score, novel continuous metabolic syndrome scores as methods for quantification of metabolic status and risk. Developed siMS score was calculated using formula: siMS score = 2*Waist/Height + Gly/5.6 + Tg/1.7 + TAsystolic/130-HDL/1.02 or 1.28 (for male or female subjects, respectively). siMS risk score was calculated using formula: siMS risk score = siMS score * age/45 or 50 (for male or female subjects, respectively) * family history of cardio/cerebro-vascular events (event = 1.2, no event = 1). A sample of 528 obese and non-obese participants was used to validate siMS score and siMS risk score. Scores calculated as sum of z-scores (each component of metabolic syndrome regressed with age and gender) and sum of scores derived from principal component analysis (PCA) were used for evaluation of siMS score. Variants were made by replacing glucose with HOMA in calculations. Framingham score was used for evaluation of siMS risk score. Correlation between siMS score with sum of z-scores and weighted sum of factors of PCA was high (r = 0.866 and r = 0.822, respectively). Correlation between siMS risk score and log transformed Framingham score was medium to high for age groups 18+,30+ and 35+ (0.835, 0.707 and 0.667, respectively). siMS score and siMS risk score showed high correlation with more complex scores. Demonstrated accuracy together with superior simplicity and the ability to evaluate and follow-up individual patients makes siMS and siMS risk scores very convenient for use in clinical practice and research as well.

  3. Sensitivity of GC-EI/MS, GC-EI/MS/MS, LC-ESI/MS/MS, LC-Ag(+) CIS/MS/MS, and GC-ESI/MS/MS for analysis of anabolic steroids in doping control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cha, Eunju; Kim, Sohee; Kim, Ho Jun; Lee, Kang Mi; Kim, Ki Hun; Kwon, Oh-Seung; Lee, Jaeick

    2015-01-01

    This study compared the sensitivity of various separation and ionization methods, including gas chromatography with an electron ionization source (GC-EI), liquid chromatography with an electrospray ionization source (LC-ESI), and liquid chromatography with a silver ion coordination ion spray source (LC-Ag(+) CIS), coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS) for steroid analysis. Chromatographic conditions, mass spectrometric transitions, and ion source parameters were optimized. The majority of steroids in GC-EI/MS/MS and LC-Ag(+) CIS/MS/MS analysis showed higher sensitivities than those obtained with other analytical methods. The limits of detection (LODs) of 65 steroids by GC-EI/MS/MS, 68 steroids by LC-Ag(+) CIS/MS/MS, 56 steroids by GC-EI/MS, 54 steroids by LC-ESI/MS/MS, and 27 steroids by GC-ESI/MS/MS were below cut-off value of 2.0 ng/mL. LODs of steroids that formed protonated ions in LC-ESI/MS/MS analysis were all lower than the cut-off value. Several steroids such as unconjugated C3-hydroxyl with C17-hydroxyl structure showed higher sensitivities in GC-EI/MS/MS analysis relative to those obtained using the LC-based methods. The steroids containing 4, 9, 11-triene structures showed relatively poor sensitivities in GC-EI/MS and GC-ESI/MS/MS analysis. The results of this study provide information that may be useful for selecting suitable analytical methods for confirmatory analysis of steroids. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. Monoacylglycerol Analysis Using MS/MSALL Quadruple Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fei Gao

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Monoacylglycerols (MAGs are structural and bioactive metabolites critical for biological function. Development of facile tools for measuring MAG are essential to understand its role in different diseases and various pathways. A data-independent acquisition method, MS/MSALL, using electrospray ionization (ESI coupled quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (MS, was utilized for the structural identification and quantitative analysis of individual MAG molecular species. Compared with other acylglycerols, diacylglycerols (DAG and triacylglycerols (TAG, MAG characteristically presented as a dominant protonated ion, [M + H]+, and under low collision energy as fatty acid-like fragments due to the neutral loss of the glycerol head group. At low concentrations (<10 pmol/µL, where lipid-lipid interactions are rare, there was a strong linear correlation between ion abundance and MAG concentration. Moreover, using the MS/MSALL method the major MAG species from human plasma and mouse brown and white adipose tissues were quantified in less than 6 min. Collectively, these results demonstrate that MS/MSALL analysis of MAG is an enabling strategy for the direct identification and quantitative analysis of low level MAG species from biological samples with high throughput and sensitivity.

  5. Oscillating molecular dipoles require strongly correlated electronic and nuclear motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Bo Y; Shin, Seokmin; Palacios, Alicia; Martín, Fernando; Sola, Ignacio R

    2015-01-01

    To create an oscillating electric dipole in an homonuclear diatomic cation without an oscillating driver one needs (i) to break the symmetry of the system and (ii) to sustain highly correlated electronic and nuclear motion. Based on numerical simulations in H 2 + we present results for two schemes. In the first one (i) is achieved by creating a superposition of symmetric and antisymmetric electronic states freely evolving, while (ii) fails. In a second scheme, by preparing the system in a dressed state of a strong static field, both conditions hold. We then analyze the robustness of this scheme with respect to features of the nuclear wave function and its intrinsic sources of decoherence. (tutorial)

  6. Superconductivity, Antiferromagnetism, and Kinetic Correlation in Strongly Correlated Electron Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takashi Yanagisawa

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the ground state of two-dimensional Hubbard model on the basis of the variational Monte Carlo method. We use wave functions that include kinetic correlation and doublon-holon correlation beyond the Gutzwiller ansatz. It is still not clear whether the Hubbard model accounts for high-temperature superconductivity. The antiferromagnetic correlation plays a key role in the study of pairing mechanism because the superconductive phase exists usually close to the antiferromagnetic phase. We investigate the stability of the antiferromagnetic state when holes are doped as a function of the Coulomb repulsion U. We show that the antiferromagnetic correlation is suppressed as U is increased exceeding the bandwidth. High-temperature superconductivity is possible in this region with enhanced antiferromagnetic spin fluctuation and pairing interaction.

  7. Effects of strong and electromagnetic correlations on neutrino interactions in dense matter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reddy, S.; Prakash, M.; Lattimer, J.M.; Reddy, S.; Pons, J.A.

    1999-01-01

    An extensive study of the effects of correlations on both charged and neutral current weak interaction rates in dense matter is performed. Both strong and electromagnetic correlations are considered. The propagation of particle-hole interactions in the medium plays an important role in determining the neutrino mean free paths. The effects due to Pauli blocking and density, spin, and isospin correlations in the medium significantly reduce the neutrino cross sections. As a result of the lack of experimental information at high density, these correlations are necessarily model dependent. For example, spin correlations in nonrelativistic models are found to lead to larger suppressions of neutrino cross sections compared to those of relativistic models. This is due to the tendency of the nonrelativistic models to develop spin instabilities. Notwithstanding the above caveats, and the differences between nonrelativistic and relativistic approaches such as the spin- and isospin-dependent interactions and the nucleon effective masses, suppressions of order 2 - 3, relative to the case in which correlations are ignored, are obtained. Neutrino interactions in dense matter are especially important for supernova and early neutron star evolution calculations. The effects of correlations for protoneutron star evolution are calculated. Large effects on the internal thermodynamic properties of protoneutron stars, such as the temperature, are found. These translate into significant early enhancements in the emitted neutrino energies and fluxes, especially after a few seconds. At late times, beyond about 10 s, the emitted neutrino fluxes decrease more rapidly compared to simulations without the effects of correlations, due to the more rapid onset of neutrino transparency in the protoneutron star. copyright 1999 The American Physical Society

  8. Survey of diagnostic and treatment practices for multiple sclerosis (MS) in Europe. Part 2: Progressive MS, paediatric MS, pregnancy and general management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández, O; Delvecchio, M; Edan, G; Fredrikson, S; Giovannoni, G; Hartung, H-P; Havrdova, E; Kappos, L; Pozzilli, C; Soerensen, P S; Tackenberg, B; Vermersch, P; Comi, G

    2018-05-01

    The European Charcot Foundation supported the development of a set of surveys to understand current practice patterns for the diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Europe. Part 2 of the report summarizes survey results related to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), primary progressive MS (PPMS), pregnancy, paediatric MS and overall patient management. A steering committee of MS neurologists developed case- and practice-based questions for two sequential surveys distributed to MS neurologists throughout Europe. Respondents generally favoured changing rather than stopping disease-modifying treatment (DMT) in patients transitioning from relapsing-remitting MS to SPMS, particularly with active disease. Respondents would not initiate DMT in patients with typical PPMS symptoms, although the presence of ≥1 spinal cord or brain gadolinium-enhancing lesion might affect that decision. For patients considering pregnancy, respondents were equally divided on whether to stop treatment before or after conception. Respondents strongly favoured starting DMT in paediatric MS with active disease; recommended treatments included interferon, glatiramer acetate and, in John Cunningham virus negative patients, natalizumab. Additional results regarding practice-based questions and management are summarized. Results of part 2 of the survey of diagnostic and treatment practices for MS in Europe largely mirror results for part 1, with neurologists in general agreement about the treatment and management of SPMS, PPMS, pregnancy and paediatric MS as well as the general management of MS. However, there are also many areas of disagreement, indicating the need for evidence-based recommendations and/or guidelines. © 2018 EAN.

  9. An automated Pearson's correlation change classification (APC3) approach for GC/MS metabonomic data using total ion chromatograms (TICs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prakash, Bhaskaran David; Esuvaranathan, Kesavan; Ho, Paul C; Pasikanti, Kishore Kumar; Chan, Eric Chun Yong; Yap, Chun Wei

    2013-05-21

    A fully automated and computationally efficient Pearson's correlation change classification (APC3) approach is proposed and shown to have overall comparable performance with both an average accuracy and an average AUC of 0.89 ± 0.08 but is 3.9 to 7 times faster, easier to use and have low outlier susceptibility in contrast to other dimensional reduction and classification combinations using only the total ion chromatogram (TIC) intensities of GC/MS data. The use of only the TIC permits the possible application of APC3 to other metabonomic data such as LC/MS TICs or NMR spectra. A RapidMiner implementation is available for download at http://padel.nus.edu.sg/software/padelapc3.

  10. Focus on strongly correlated quantum fluids: from ultracold quantum gases to QCD plasmas Focus on strongly correlated quantum fluids: from ultracold quantum gases to QCD plasmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Allan; Carr, Lincoln D.; Schaefer, Thomas; Steinberg, Peter; Thomas, John E.

    2013-04-01

    interdisciplinary appeal and include new studies of high temperature superfluidity, viscosity, spin-transport, spin-imbalanced mixtures, and three-component gases, this last having a close parallel to color superconductivity. Another system important for the field of strongly-interacting quantum fluids was revealed by analysis of data from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Despite naive expectations based on asymptotic freedom that the deconfinement of quarks and gluons at high temperatures would lead to a weakly-interacting quark gluon plasma (QGP), the system appeared to be quite strongly coupled. Subsequent estimates of the viscosity-to-entropy ratio suggest that the system is tantalizingly close to the postulated bound from AdS/CFT calculations. The field is quite dynamic at the moment; new measurements are expected from upgraded detectors at RHIC, and an entirely new energy regime is being opened up by heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. On the theoretical side, much work remains to be done to extract the precise values of the transport coefficients, and to characterize the nature of quasi-particle excitations in the plasma. Finally, holographic dualities such as anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory (AdS/CFT) have opened a new theoretical window on strongly correlated fluids. Holography relates strongly-interacting quantum many-body systems to weakly-coupled semi-classical gravitational systems, replacing quasiparticles with geometry and translating various difficult questions about quantum fluids into simple and calculable geometric exercises. Already, some of the earliest lessons of holography, such as the conjectural bound on the viscosity-to-entropy ratio, have had a considerable impact on the theoretical and experimental study of strongly correlated fluids, from RHIC to ultracold atoms. More recently, the study of holographic superconductors, non-Fermi liquids and unitary quantum gases has touched

  11. Nonlinear phononics and structural control of strongly correlated materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mankowsky, Roman

    2016-01-20

    Mid-infrared light pulses can be used to resonantly excite infrared-active vibrational modes for the phase control of strongly correlated materials on subpicosecond timescales. As the energy is transferred directly into atomic motions, dissipation into the electronic system is reduced, allowing for the emergence of unusual low energy collective properties. Light-induced superconductivity, insulator-metal transitions and melting of magnetic order demonstrate the potential of this method. An understanding of the mechanism, by which these transitions are driven, is however missing. The aim of this work is to uncover this process by investigating the nonlinear lattice dynamics induced by the excitation and to elucidate their contribution to the modulation of collective properties of strongly correlated materials. The first signature of nonlinear lattice dynamics was reported in the observation of coherent phonon oscillations, resonant with the excitation of an infrared-active phonon mode in a manganite. This nonlinear phononic coupling can be described within a model, which predicts not only oscillatory coherent phonons dynamics but also directional atomic displacements along the coupled modes on average, which could cause the previously observed transitions. We verified this directional response and quantified the anharmonic coupling constant by tracing the atomic motions in a time-resolved hard X-ray diffraction experiment with sub-picometer spatial and femtosecond temporal resolution. In a subsequent study, we investigated the role of nonlinear lattice dynamics in the emergence of superconductivity far above the equilibrium transition temperature, an intriguing effect found to follow lattice excitation of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6+x}. By combining density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the anharmonic coupling constants with time-resolved X-ray diffraction experiments, we identified a structural rearrangement, which appears and decays with the same temporal

  12. Microscopic origin of marginal Fermi-liquid in strongly correlated spin systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Protogenov, A.P.; Ryndyk, D.A.

    1992-08-01

    We consider the consequences of separation of spin and charge degrees of freedom in 2+1D strongly correlated spin systems. Self-consistent spin and charge motions induced by doping in sites of ground and dual lattices form such a spectrum of quasiparticles which together with the dispersionless character of the collective excitation spectrum and the chemical potential pinning in the band centre yield the necessary behavior of charge and spin polarizability to support the theory of marginal liquid formulated by C.M. Varma et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 63, 1996 (1989)). (author). 28 refs, 4 figs

  13. Individual Assessment of Brain Tissue Changes in MS and the Effect of Focal Lesions on Short-Term Focal Atrophy Development in MS: A Voxel-Guided Morphometry Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Fox

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available We performed voxel-guided morphometry (VGM investigating the mechanisms of brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS related to focal lesions. VGM maps detect regional brain changes when comparing 2 time points on high resolution T1-weighted (T1w magnetic resonace imaging (MRI. Two T1w MR datasets from 92 relapsing-remitting MS patients obtained 12 months apart were analysed with VGM. New lesions and volume changes of focal MS lesions as well as in the surrounding tissue were identified by visual inspection on colour coded VGM maps. Lesions were dichotomized in active and inactive lesions. Active lesions, defined by either new lesions (NL (volume increase > 5% in VGM, chronic enlarging lesions (CEL (pre-existent T1w lesions with volume increase > 5%, or chronic shrinking lesions (CSL (pre-existent T1w lesions with volume reduction > 5% in VGM, were accompanied by tissue shrinkage in surrounding and/or functionally related regions. Volume loss within the corpus callosum was highly correlated with the number of lesions in its close proximity. Volume loss in the lateral geniculate nucleus was correlated with lesions along the optic radiation. VGM analysis provides strong evidence that all active lesion types (NL, CEL, and CSL contribute to brain volume reduction in the vicinity of lesions and/or in anatomically and functionally related areas of the brain.

  14. Strong correlation and ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)As and (Ga,Mn)N

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Filippetti, A.; Spaldin, N.A.; Sanvito, S.

    2005-01-01

    The band energies of the ferromagnetic diluted magnetic semiconductors (Ga,Mn)As and (Ga,Mn)N are calculated using a self-interaction-free approach which describes covalent and strongly correlated electrons without adjustable parameters. Both materials are half-metallic, although the contribution of Mn-derived d states to the bands around the Fermi energy is very different in the two cases. In (Ga,Mn)As the bands are strongly p-d hybridized, with a dominance of As p states. In contrast in (Ga,Mn)N the Fermi energy lies within three flat bands of mainly d character that are occupied by two electrons. Thus the Mn ion in (Ga,Mn)N behaves as a deep trap acceptor, with the hole at 1.39 eV above the GaN valence band top, and is in excellent agreement with the experimental data

  15. Correlation between Serum Levels of 3,3',5'-Triiodothyronine and Thyroid Hormones Measured by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Immunoassay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakai, Hiroyuki; Nagao, Hidenori; Sakurai, Mamoru; Okumura, Takako; Nagai, Yoshiyuki; Shikuma, Junpei; Ito, Rokuro; Imazu, Tetsuya; Miwa, Takashi; Odawara, Masato

    2015-01-01

    For measuring serum 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT3) levels, radioimmunoassay (RIA) has traditionally been used owing to the lack of other reliable methods; however, it has recently become difficult to perform. Meanwhile, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has recently been attracting attention as a novel alternative method in clinical chemistry. To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies to date comparing results of the quantification of human serum rT3 between LC-MS/MS and RIA. We therefore examined the feasibility of LC-MS/MS as a novel alternative method for measuring serum rT3, thyroxine (T4), and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) levels. Assay validation was performed by LC-MS/MS using quality control samples of rT3, T4, and T3 at 4 various concentrations which were prepared from reference compounds. Serum samples of 50 outpatients in our department were quantified both by LC-MS/MS and conventional immunoassay for rT3, T4, and T3. Correlation coefficients between the 2 measurement methods were statistically analyzed respectively. Matrix effects were not observed with our method. Intra-day and inter-day precisions were less than 10.8% and 9.6% for each analyte at each quality control level, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day accuracies were between 96.2% and 110%, and between 98.3% and 108.6%, respectively. The lower limit of quantification was 0.05 ng/mL. Strong correlations were observed between the 2 measurement methods (correlation coefficient, T4: 0.976, p < 0.001; T3: 0.912, p < 0.001; rT3: 0.928, p < 0.001). Our LC-MS/MS system requires no manual cleanup operation, and the process after application of a sample is fully automated; furthermore, it was found to be highly sensitive, and superior in both precision and accuracy. The correlation between the 2 methods over a wide range of concentrations was strong. LC-MS/MS is therefore expected to become a useful tool for clinical diagnosis and research.

  16. Correlation between Serum Levels of 3,3',5'-Triiodothyronine and Thyroid Hormones Measured by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Immunoassay.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroyuki Sakai

    Full Text Available For measuring serum 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT3 levels, radioimmunoassay (RIA has traditionally been used owing to the lack of other reliable methods; however, it has recently become difficult to perform. Meanwhile, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS has recently been attracting attention as a novel alternative method in clinical chemistry. To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies to date comparing results of the quantification of human serum rT3 between LC-MS/MS and RIA. We therefore examined the feasibility of LC-MS/MS as a novel alternative method for measuring serum rT3, thyroxine (T4, and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3 levels.Assay validation was performed by LC-MS/MS using quality control samples of rT3, T4, and T3 at 4 various concentrations which were prepared from reference compounds. Serum samples of 50 outpatients in our department were quantified both by LC-MS/MS and conventional immunoassay for rT3, T4, and T3. Correlation coefficients between the 2 measurement methods were statistically analyzed respectively.Matrix effects were not observed with our method. Intra-day and inter-day precisions were less than 10.8% and 9.6% for each analyte at each quality control level, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day accuracies were between 96.2% and 110%, and between 98.3% and 108.6%, respectively. The lower limit of quantification was 0.05 ng/mL. Strong correlations were observed between the 2 measurement methods (correlation coefficient, T4: 0.976, p < 0.001; T3: 0.912, p < 0.001; rT3: 0.928, p < 0.001.Our LC-MS/MS system requires no manual cleanup operation, and the process after application of a sample is fully automated; furthermore, it was found to be highly sensitive, and superior in both precision and accuracy. The correlation between the 2 methods over a wide range of concentrations was strong. LC-MS/MS is therefore expected to become a useful tool for clinical diagnosis and research.

  17. Self-consistent field model for strong electrostatic correlations and inhomogeneous dielectric media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Manman; Xu, Zhenli

    2014-12-28

    Electrostatic correlations and variable permittivity of electrolytes are essential for exploring many chemical and physical properties of interfaces in aqueous solutions. We propose a continuum electrostatic model for the treatment of these effects in the framework of the self-consistent field theory. The model incorporates a space- or field-dependent dielectric permittivity and an excluded ion-size effect for the correlation energy. This results in a self-energy modified Poisson-Nernst-Planck or Poisson-Boltzmann equation together with state equations for the self energy and the dielectric function. We show that the ionic size is of significant importance in predicting a finite self energy for an ion in an inhomogeneous medium. Asymptotic approximation is proposed for the solution of a generalized Debye-Hückel equation, which has been shown to capture the ionic correlation and dielectric self energy. Through simulating ionic distribution surrounding a macroion, the modified self-consistent field model is shown to agree with particle-based Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical results for symmetric and asymmetric electrolytes demonstrate that the model is able to predict the charge inversion at high correlation regime in the presence of multivalent interfacial ions which is beyond the mean-field theory and also show strong effect to double layer structure due to the space- or field-dependent dielectric permittivity.

  18. Self-consistent field model for strong electrostatic correlations and inhomogeneous dielectric media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Manman, E-mail: mmm@sjtu.edu.cn; Xu, Zhenli, E-mail: xuzl@sjtu.edu.cn [Department of Mathematics, Institute of Natural Sciences, and MoE Key Laboratory of Scientific and Engineering Computing, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China)

    2014-12-28

    Electrostatic correlations and variable permittivity of electrolytes are essential for exploring many chemical and physical properties of interfaces in aqueous solutions. We propose a continuum electrostatic model for the treatment of these effects in the framework of the self-consistent field theory. The model incorporates a space- or field-dependent dielectric permittivity and an excluded ion-size effect for the correlation energy. This results in a self-energy modified Poisson-Nernst-Planck or Poisson-Boltzmann equation together with state equations for the self energy and the dielectric function. We show that the ionic size is of significant importance in predicting a finite self energy for an ion in an inhomogeneous medium. Asymptotic approximation is proposed for the solution of a generalized Debye-Hückel equation, which has been shown to capture the ionic correlation and dielectric self energy. Through simulating ionic distribution surrounding a macroion, the modified self-consistent field model is shown to agree with particle-based Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical results for symmetric and asymmetric electrolytes demonstrate that the model is able to predict the charge inversion at high correlation regime in the presence of multivalent interfacial ions which is beyond the mean-field theory and also show strong effect to double layer structure due to the space- or field-dependent dielectric permittivity.

  19. Electron-muon correlation as a new probe of strongly interacting quark-gluon plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akamatsu, Yukinao; Hatsuda, Tetsuo; Hirano, Tetsufumi

    2009-01-01

    As a new and clean probe to the strongly interacting quark-gluon plasma (sQGP), we propose an azimuthal correlation of an electron and a muon that originate from the semileptonic decay of charm and bottom quarks. By solving the Langevin equation for the heavy quarks under the hydrodynamic evolution of the hot plasma, we show that substantial quenching of the away-side peak in the electron-muon correlation can be seen if the sQGP drag force acting on heavy quarks is large enough as suggested from the gauge/gravity correspondence. The effect could be detected in high-energy heavy ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider.

  20. Density functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory. A way to model strongly correlated systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Backes, Steffen

    2017-04-01

    The study of the electronic properties of correlated systems is a very diverse field and has lead to valuable insight into the physics of real materials. In these systems, the decisive factor that governs the physical properties is the ratio between the electronic kinetic energy, which promotes delocalization over the lattice, and the Coulomb interaction, which instead favours localized electronic states. Due to this competition, correlated electronic systems can show unique and interesting properties like the Metal-Insulator transition, diverse phase diagrams, strong temperature dependence and in general a high sensitivity to the environmental conditions. A theoretical description of these systems is not an easy task, since perturbative approaches that do not preserve the competition between the kinetic and interaction terms can only be applied in special limiting cases. One of the most famous approaches to obtain the electronic properties of a real material is the ab initio density functional theory (DFT) method. It allows one to obtain the ground state density of the system under investigation by mapping onto an effective non-interacting system that has to be found self-consistently. While being an exact theory, in practical implementations certain approximations have to be made to the exchange-correlation potential. The local density approximation (LDA), which approximates the exchange-correlation contribution to the total energy by that of a homogeneous electron gas with the corresponding density, has proven quite successful in many cases. Though, this approximation in general leads to an underestimation of electronic correlations and is not able to describe a metal-insulator transition due to electronic localization in the presence of strong Coulomb interaction. A different approach to the interacting electronic problem is the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT), which is non-perturbative in the kinetic and interaction term but neglects all non

  1. Density functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory. A way to model strongly correlated systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Backes, Steffen

    2017-04-15

    The study of the electronic properties of correlated systems is a very diverse field and has lead to valuable insight into the physics of real materials. In these systems, the decisive factor that governs the physical properties is the ratio between the electronic kinetic energy, which promotes delocalization over the lattice, and the Coulomb interaction, which instead favours localized electronic states. Due to this competition, correlated electronic systems can show unique and interesting properties like the Metal-Insulator transition, diverse phase diagrams, strong temperature dependence and in general a high sensitivity to the environmental conditions. A theoretical description of these systems is not an easy task, since perturbative approaches that do not preserve the competition between the kinetic and interaction terms can only be applied in special limiting cases. One of the most famous approaches to obtain the electronic properties of a real material is the ab initio density functional theory (DFT) method. It allows one to obtain the ground state density of the system under investigation by mapping onto an effective non-interacting system that has to be found self-consistently. While being an exact theory, in practical implementations certain approximations have to be made to the exchange-correlation potential. The local density approximation (LDA), which approximates the exchange-correlation contribution to the total energy by that of a homogeneous electron gas with the corresponding density, has proven quite successful in many cases. Though, this approximation in general leads to an underestimation of electronic correlations and is not able to describe a metal-insulator transition due to electronic localization in the presence of strong Coulomb interaction. A different approach to the interacting electronic problem is the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT), which is non-perturbative in the kinetic and interaction term but neglects all non

  2. Quasiparticles of strongly correlated Fermi liquids at high temperatures and in high magnetic fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaginyan, V. R.

    2011-01-01

    Strongly correlated Fermi systems are among the most intriguing, best experimentally studied and fundamental systems in physics. There is, however, lack of theoretical understanding in this field of physics. The ideas based on the concepts like Kondo lattice and involving quantum and thermal fluctuations at a quantum critical point have been used to explain the unusual physics. Alas, being suggested to describe one property, these approaches fail to explain the others. This means a real crisis in theory suggesting that there is a hidden fundamental law of nature. It turns out that the hidden fundamental law is well forgotten old one directly related to the Landau-Migdal quasiparticles, while the basic properties and the scaling behavior of the strongly correlated systems can be described within the framework of the fermion condensation quantum phase transition (FCQPT). The phase transition comprises the extended quasiparticle paradigm that allows us to explain the non-Fermi liquid (NFL) behavior observed in these systems. In contrast to the Landau paradigm stating that the quasiparticle effective mass is a constant, the effective mass of new quasiparticles strongly depends on temperature, magnetic field, pressure, and other parameters. Our observations are in good agreement with experimental facts and show that FCQPT is responsible for the observed NFL behavior and quasiparticles survive both high temperatures and high magnetic fields.

  3. Non-equilibrium magnetic interactions in strongly correlated systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Secchi, A., E-mail: a.secchi@science.ru.nl [Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen (Netherlands); Brener, S.; Lichtenstein, A.I. [Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universitat Hamburg, Jungiusstraße 9, D-20355 Hamburg (Germany); Katsnelson, M.I. [Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen (Netherlands)

    2013-06-15

    We formulate a low-energy theory for the magnetic interactions between electrons in the multi-band Hubbard model under non-equilibrium conditions determined by an external time-dependent electric field which simulates laser-induced spin dynamics. We derive expressions for dynamical exchange parameters in terms of non-equilibrium electronic Green functions and self-energies, which can be computed, e.g., with the methods of time-dependent dynamical mean-field theory. Moreover, we find that a correct description of the system requires, in addition to exchange, a new kind of magnetic interaction, that we name twist exchange, which formally resembles Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya coupling, but is not due to spin–orbit, and is actually due to an effective three-spin interaction. Our theory allows the evaluation of the related time-dependent parameters as well. -- Highlights: •We develop a theory for magnetism of strongly correlated systems out of equilibrium. •Our theory is suitable for laser-induced ultrafast magnetization dynamics. •We write time-dependent exchange parameters in terms of electronic Green functions. •We find a new magnetic interaction, a “twist exchange”. •We give general expressions for magnetic noise in itinerant-electron systems.

  4. Universal Behavior of Pair Correlations in a Strongly Interacting Fermi Gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuhnle, E. D.; Hu, H.; Liu, X.-J.; Dyke, P.; Mark, M.; Drummond, P. D.; Hannaford, P.; Vale, C. J.

    2010-01-01

    We show that short-range pair correlations in a strongly interacting Fermi gas follow a simple universal law described by Tan's relations. This is achieved through measurements of the static structure factor which displays a universal scaling proportional to the ratio of Tan's contact to the momentum C/q. Bragg spectroscopy of ultracold 6 Li atoms from a periodic optical potential is used to measure the structure factor for a wide range of momenta and interaction strengths, providing broad confirmation of this universal law. We calibrate our Bragg spectra using the f-sum rule, which is found to improve the accuracy of the structure factor measurement.

  5. STRONG CORRELATIONS AND ELECTRON-PHONON COUPLING IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTORS - A QUANTUM MONTE-CARLO STUDY

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    MORGENSTERN, [No Value; FRICK, M; VONDERLINDEN, W

    We present quantum simulation studies for a system of strongly correlated fermions coupled to local anharmonic phonons. The Monte Carlo calculations are based on a generalized version of the Projector Quantum Monte Carlo Method allowing a simultaneous treatment of fermions and dynamical phonons. The

  6. HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS analysis of fruits from Firmiana simplex (L.) and evaluation of their antioxidant and antigenotoxic properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghareeb, Mosad Ahmed; Mohamed, Tamer; Saad, Amal Mohamed; Refahy, Laila Abdel-Ghany; Sobeh, Mansour; Wink, Michael

    2018-01-01

    The secondary metabolites of the fruits of Firmiana simplex (L.) were analysed by LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS; furthermore, we evaluated their antioxidant and antigenotoxic properties. The antioxidant activity was investigated using the 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The antigenotoxic potential was determined via the comet assay. The ethyl acetate fraction (EtOAc) was analysed by LC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS: phenolic acids and flavonoids were the main polyphenols of the fruits. The EtOAc fraction yielded the highest content of polyphenols with 314.61 mg GAE/g extract, followed by 297.51, 153.75, 101.47, 97.19 for dichloromethane, butanol, methanol and water extracts, respectively. As expected, a strong correlation exists between the antioxidant activity of the investigated extracts and their total phenolic content. In the DPPH assay, the IC 50 value of the most active EtOAc fraction was 6.79 μg/ml, relative to 2.92 μg/ml of the standard ascorbic acid. ABTS and FRAP assays supported the results of DPPH assay. Moreover, using the comet assay, we could show that the phenol-rich EtOAc extract exhibits an antigenotoxic potential in human liver cancer cells (Hep-G2) treated with hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) as a genotoxic agent. The fruits of Firmiana simplex may be a good natural source of antioxidant and antigenotoxic agents. © 2017 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  7. Quantum Femtosecond Magnetism: Phase Transition in Step with Light in a Strongly Correlated Manganese Oxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jigang

    2014-03-01

    Research of non-equilibrium phase transitions of strongly correlated electrons is built around addressing an outstanding challenge: how to achieve ultrafast manipulation of competing magnetic/electronic phases and reveal thermodynamically hidden orders at highly non-thermal, femtosecond timescales? Recently we reveal a new paradigm called quantum femtosecond magnetism-photoinduced femtosecond magnetic phase transitions driven by quantum spin flip fluctuations correlated with laser-excited inter-atomic coherent bonding. We demonstrate an antiferromagnetic (AFM) to ferromagnetic (FM) switching during about 100 fs laser pulses in a colossal magneto-resistive manganese oxide. Our results show a huge photoinduced femtosecond spin generation, measured by magnetic circular dichroism, with photo-excitation threshold behavior absent in the picosecond dynamics. This reveals an initial quantum coherent regime of magnetism, while the optical polarization/coherence still interacts with the spins to initiate local FM correlations that compete with the surrounding AFM matrix. Our results thus provide a framework that explores quantum non-equilibrium kinetics to drive phase transitions between exotic ground states in strongly correlated elecrons, and raise fundamental questions regarding some accepted rules, such as free energy and adiabatic potential surface. This work is in collaboration with Tianqi Li, Aaron Patz, Leonidas Mouchliadis, Jiaqiang Yan, Thomas A. Lograsso, Ilias E. Perakis. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (contract no. DMR-1055352). Material synthesis at the Ames Laboratory was supported by the US Department of Energy-Basic Energy Sciences (contract no. DE-AC02-7CH11358).

  8. Natural isotope correction of MS/MS measurements for metabolomics and (13)C fluxomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niedenführ, Sebastian; ten Pierick, Angela; van Dam, Patricia T N; Suarez-Mendez, Camilo A; Nöh, Katharina; Wahl, S Aljoscha

    2016-05-01

    Fluxomics and metabolomics are crucial tools for metabolic engineering and biomedical analysis to determine the in vivo cellular state. Especially, the application of (13)C isotopes allows comprehensive insights into the functional operation of cellular metabolism. Compared to single MS, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) provides more detailed and accurate measurements of the metabolite enrichment patterns (tandem mass isotopomers), increasing the accuracy of metabolite concentration measurements and metabolic flux estimation. MS-type data from isotope labeling experiments is biased by naturally occurring stable isotopes (C, H, N, O, etc.). In particular, GC-MS(/MS) requires derivatization for the usually non-volatile intracellular metabolites introducing additional natural isotopes leading to measurements that do not directly represent the carbon labeling distribution. To make full use of LC- and GC-MS/MS mass isotopomer measurements, the influence of natural isotopes has to be eliminated (corrected). Our correction approach is analyzed for the two most common applications; (13)C fluxomics and isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) based metabolomics. Natural isotopes can have an impact on the calculated flux distribution which strongly depends on the substrate labeling and the actual flux distribution. Second, we show that in IDMS based metabolomics natural isotopes lead to underestimated concentrations that can and should be corrected with a nonlinear calibration. Our simulations indicate that the correction for natural abundance in isotope based fluxomics and quantitative metabolomics is essential for correct data interpretation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. A toy model to investigate the existence of excitons in the ground state of strongly-correlated semiconductor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karima, H. R.; Majidi, M. A.

    2018-04-01

    Excitons, quasiparticles associated with bound states between an electron and a hole and are typically created when photons with a suitable energy are absorbed in a solid-state material. We propose to study a possible emergence of excitons, created not by photon absorption but the effect of strong electronic correlations. This study is motivated by a recent experimental study of a substrate material SrTiO3 (STO) that reveals strong exitonic signals in its optical conductivity. Here we conjecture that some excitons may already exist in the ground state as a result of the electronic correlations before the additional excitons being created later by photon absorption. To investigate the existence of excitons in the ground state, we propose to study a simple 4-energy-level model that mimics a situation in strongly-correlated semiconductors. The four levels are divided into two groups, lower and upper groups separated by an energy gap, Eg , mimicking the valence and the conduction bands, respectively. Further, we incorporate repulsive Coulomb interactions between the electrons. The model is then solved by exact diagonalization method. Our result shows that the toy model can demonstrate band gap widening or narrowing and the existence of exciton in the ground state depending on interaction parameter values.

  10. Holstein-Primakoff representation and supercoherent states for strongly correlated electron systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azakov, S.

    1999-09-01

    First we show that the algebra of operators entering the Hamiltonian of the t-J model describing the strongly correlated electron system is graded spl(2.1) algebra. Then after a brief discussion of its atypical representations we construct the Holstein-Primakoff nonlinear realization of these operators which allows to carry out the systematic semiclassical approximation, similarly to the spin-wave theory of localized magnetism. The fact that the t-J model describes the itinerant magnetism is reflected in the presence of the spinless fermions. For the supersymmetric spl(2.1) algebra the supercoherent states are proposed and the partition function of the t-J model is represented as a path integral with the help of these states. (author)

  11. Strongly correlated impurity band superconductivity in diamond: X-ray spectroscopic evidence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Baskaran

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available In a recent X-ray absorption study in boron doped diamond, Nakamura et al. have seen a well isolated narrow boron impurity band in non-superconducting samples and an additional narrow band at the chemical potential in a superconducting sample. We interpret the beautiful spectra as evidence for upper Hubbard band of a Mott insulating impurity band and an additional metallic 'mid-gap band' of a conducting 'self-doped' Mott insulator. This supports the basic framework of a recent theory of the present author of strongly correlated impurity band superconductivity (impurity band resonating valence bond, IBRVB theory in a template of a wide-gap insulator, with no direct involvement of valence band states.

  12. High-order Path Integral Monte Carlo methods for solving strongly correlated fermion problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chin, Siu A.

    2015-03-01

    In solving for the ground state of a strongly correlated many-fermion system, the conventional second-order Path Integral Monte Carlo method is plagued with the sign problem. This is due to the large number of anti-symmetric free fermion propagators that are needed to extract the square of the ground state wave function at large imaginary time. In this work, I show that optimized fourth-order Path Integral Monte Carlo methods, which uses no more than 5 free-fermion propagators, in conjunction with the use of the Hamiltonian energy estimator, can yield accurate ground state energies for quantum dots with up to 20 polarized electrons. The correlations are directly built-in and no explicit wave functions are needed. This work is supported by the Qatar National Research Fund NPRP GRANT #5-674-1-114.

  13. Strongly correlated electrons at high pressure: an approach by inelastic X-Ray scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rueff, J.P.

    2007-06-01

    Inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) and associated methods has turn out to be a powerful alternative for high-pressure physics. It is an all-photon technique fully compatible with high-pressure environments and applicable to a vast range of materials. Standard focalization of X-ray in the range of 100 microns is typical of the sample size in the pressure cell. Our main aim is to provide an overview of experimental results obtained by IXS under high pressure in 2 classes of materials which have been at the origin of the renewal of condensed matter physics: strongly correlated transition metal oxides and rare-earth compounds. Under pressure, d and f-electron materials show behaviors far more complex that what would be expected from a simplistic band picture of electron delocalization. These spectroscopic studies have revealed unusual phenomena in the electronic degrees of freedom, brought up by the increased density, the changes in the charge-carrier concentration, the over-lapping between orbitals, and hybridization under high pressure conditions. Particularly we discuss about pressure induced magnetic collapse and metal-insulator transitions in 3d compounds and valence fluctuations phenomena in 4f and 5f compounds. Thanks to its superior penetration depth, chemical selectivity and resonant enhancement, resonant inelastic X-ray scattering has appeared extremely well suited to high pressure physics in strongly correlated materials. (A.C.)

  14. Comparison of 7 Published LC-MS/MS Methods for the Simultaneous Measurement of Testosterone, Androstenedione, and Dehydroepiandrosterone in Serum

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Büttler, Rahel M; Martens, Frans; Fanelli, Flaminia

    2015-01-01

    , and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). METHODS: We used 7 published LC-MS/MS methods to analyze in duplicate 55 random samples from both men and women. We performed Passing-Bablok regression analysis and calculated Pearson correlation coefficients to assess the agreement of the methods investigated with the median concentration...

  15. Study of rare earth local moment magnetism and strongly correlated phenomena in various crystal structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kong, Tai [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2016-12-17

    Benefiting from unique properties of 4f electrons, rare earth based compounds are known for offering a versatile playground for condensed matter physics research as well as industrial applications. This thesis focuses on three specific examples that further explore the rare earth local moment magnetism and strongly correlated phenomena in various crystal structures.

  16. Short Communication: Testosterone Measured with an Automatic Immunoassay Compares Reasonbly Well to Results Obtained by LC-MS/MS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Cindy Søndersø; Højskov, Carsten Schriver; Møller, Holger Jon

    2016-01-01

    Background: Previous studies have reported problems measuring testosterone with immunological assays. Here we explore an automatic second generation immunoassay compared to a LC-MS/MS method. Methods: We collected blood samples from 76 women and measured testosterone, progesterone, gender...... hormonebinding globulin (SHBG), and albumin employing Cobas e601/c501. Testosterone, androstenedione (andro), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) concentrations were measured employing LC-MS/MS. We evaluated the difference between testosterone measured by the two methods...... and examined the potential interference from the selected steroids and bindings proteins. Results: Testosterone concentrations measured by the two methods yielded: Cobas e601 = 1.240 x (LC-MS/MS) - 0.197, r = 0.84, for testosterone concentrations between 0.22 - 4.9 nmol/L. A positive correlation was observed...

  17. Complex mixture analysis of peptides using LC/LC-MS/MS and data-dependent protein identification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wasinger, V.; Corthals, G.

    2001-01-01

    The comprehensive identification of proteins within complex solutions by mass-spectrometry largely depends on the sensitivity, resolving power and sampling efficiency of the technology. An integrated orthogonal approach using Strong Cation Exchange-Reverse Phase-MS/MS (SCX-RP-MS/MS) was used to evaluate the data-dependent Collision Induced Dissociation (CID) of yeast peptides. Reverse phase gradient times of 4, 10. 30, 90, and 180 minutes allowed the identification of hundreds of proteins in a nearly automated fashion from nuclear, membrane, and cytosolic distributions. Many proteins from typically difficult to resolve regions of two-dimensional gels, such as >100kDa, > pI 9.0 and Codon Adaptation Index < 0.2, were also identified using this multi-dimensional separation technology. Few low mass proteins (<10kDa) were identified. The impact of scan-range and duty-cycle on CID of peptides will be discussed

  18. LC-MS/MS signal suppression effects in the analysis of pesticides in complex environmental matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, B K; Hercules, D M; Gusev, A I

    2001-02-01

    The application of LC separation and mobile phase additives in addressing LC-MS/MS matrix signal suppression effects for the analysis of pesticides in a complex environmental matrix was investigated. It was shown that signal suppression is most significant for analytes eluting early in the LC-MS analysis. Introduction of different buffers (e.g. ammonium formate, ammonium hydroxide, formic acid) into the LC mobile phase was effective in improving signal correlation between the matrix and standard samples. The signal improvement is dependent on buffer concentration as well as LC separation of the matrix components. The application of LC separation alone was not effective in addressing suppression effects when characterizing complex matrix samples. Overloading of the LC column by matrix components was found to significantly contribute to analyte-matrix co-elution and suppression of signal. This signal suppression effect can be efficiently compensated by 2D LC (LC-LC) separation techniques. The effectiveness of buffers and LC separation in improving signal correlation between standard and matrix samples is discussed.

  19. The ALPS project release 2.0: open source software for strongly correlated systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bauer, B; Gamper, L; Gukelberger, J; Hehn, A; Isakov, S V; Ma, P N; Mates, P; Carr, L D; Evertz, H G; Feiguin, A; Freire, J; Koop, D; Fuchs, S; Gull, E; Guertler, S; Igarashi, R; Matsuo, H; Parcollet, O; Pawłowski, G; Picon, J D

    2011-01-01

    We present release 2.0 of the ALPS (Algorithms and Libraries for Physics Simulations) project, an open source software project to develop libraries and application programs for the simulation of strongly correlated quantum lattice models such as quantum magnets, lattice bosons, and strongly correlated fermion systems. The code development is centered on common XML and HDF5 data formats, libraries to simplify and speed up code development, common evaluation and plotting tools, and simulation programs. The programs enable non-experts to start carrying out serial or parallel numerical simulations by providing basic implementations of the important algorithms for quantum lattice models: classical and quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) using non-local updates, extended ensemble simulations, exact and full diagonalization (ED), the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) both in a static version and a dynamic time-evolving block decimation (TEBD) code, and quantum Monte Carlo solvers for dynamical mean field theory (DMFT). The ALPS libraries provide a powerful framework for programmers to develop their own applications, which, for instance, greatly simplify the steps of porting a serial code onto a parallel, distributed memory machine. Major changes in release 2.0 include the use of HDF5 for binary data, evaluation tools in Python, support for the Windows operating system, the use of CMake as build system and binary installation packages for Mac OS X and Windows, and integration with the VisTrails workflow provenance tool. The software is available from our web server at http://alps.comp-phys.org/

  20. Quantum Monte Carlo methods and strongly correlated electrons on honeycomb structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lang, Thomas C.

    2010-12-16

    In this thesis we apply recently developed, as well as sophisticated quantum Monte Carlo methods to numerically investigate models of strongly correlated electron systems on honeycomb structures. The latter are of particular interest owing to their unique properties when simulating electrons on them, like the relativistic dispersion, strong quantum fluctuations and their resistance against instabilities. This work covers several projects including the advancement of the weak-coupling continuous time quantum Monte Carlo and its application to zero temperature and phonons, quantum phase transitions of valence bond solids in spin-1/2 Heisenberg systems using projector quantum Monte Carlo in the valence bond basis, and the magnetic field induced transition to a canted antiferromagnet of the Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice. The emphasis lies on two projects investigating the phase diagram of the SU(2) and the SU(N)-symmetric Hubbard model on the hexagonal lattice. At sufficiently low temperatures, condensed-matter systems tend to develop order. An exception are quantum spin-liquids, where fluctuations prevent a transition to an ordered state down to the lowest temperatures. Previously elusive in experimentally relevant microscopic two-dimensional models, we show by means of large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the SU(2) Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice, that a quantum spin-liquid emerges between the state described by massless Dirac fermions and an antiferromagnetically ordered Mott insulator. This unexpected quantum-disordered state is found to be a short-range resonating valence bond liquid, akin to the one proposed for high temperature superconductors. Inspired by the rich phase diagrams of SU(N) models we study the SU(N)-symmetric Hubbard Heisenberg quantum antiferromagnet on the honeycomb lattice to investigate the reliability of 1/N corrections to large-N results by means of numerically exact QMC simulations. We study the melting of phases

  1. Computational time-resolved and resonant x-ray scattering of strongly correlated materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bansil, Arun [Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA (United States)

    2016-11-09

    Basic-Energy Sciences of the Department of Energy (BES/DOE) has made large investments in x-ray sources in the U.S. (NSLS-II, LCLS, NGLS, ALS, APS) as powerful enabling tools for opening up unprecedented new opportunities for exploring properties of matter at various length and time scales. The coming online of the pulsed photon source, literally allows us to see and follow the dynamics of processes in materials at their natural timescales. There is an urgent need therefore to develop theoretical methodologies and computational models for understanding how x-rays interact with matter and the related spectroscopies of materials. The present project addressed aspects of this grand challenge of x-ray science. In particular, our Collaborative Research Team (CRT) focused on developing viable computational schemes for modeling x-ray scattering and photoemission spectra of strongly correlated materials in the time-domain. The vast arsenal of formal/numerical techniques and approaches encompassed by the members of our CRT were brought to bear through appropriate generalizations and extensions to model the pumped state and the dynamics of this non-equilibrium state, and how it can be probed via x-ray absorption (XAS), emission (XES), resonant and non-resonant x-ray scattering, and photoemission processes. We explored the conceptual connections between the time-domain problems and other second-order spectroscopies, such as resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) because RIXS may be effectively thought of as a pump-probe experiment in which the incoming photon acts as the pump, and the fluorescent decay is the probe. Alternatively, when the core-valence interactions are strong, one can view K-edge RIXS for example, as the dynamic response of the material to the transient presence of a strong core-hole potential. Unlike an actual pump-probe experiment, here there is no mechanism for adjusting the time-delay between the pump and the probe. However, the core hole

  2. Fast and simple online sample preparation coupled with capillary LC-MS/MS for determination of prostaglandins in cell culture supernatants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rinne, Sandra; Ramstad Kleiveland, Charlotte; Kassem, Moustapha

    2007-01-01

    An online 2-D strong cation exchange (SCX)-RP capillary liquid chromatographic (cLC) method with IT mass spectrometric (IT-MS/MS) detection for the simultaneous determination of prostaglandin (PG) A(1), PGD(2), PGE(1), PGE(2), PGF(2a), 6-keto-(6k)PGF(1a), and 15-Delta(12,14)-deoxy-PGJ(2) (15dPGJ(2...

  3. Subscales correlations between MSSS-88 and PRISM scales in evaluation of spasticity for patients with multiple sclerosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Knežević Tatjana

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction/Objective. Patient-reported outcomes have been recognized as an important way of assessing health and well-being of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS. The aim of the study is to determine the correlation between different subscales of Patient-Reported Impact of Spasticity Measure (PRISM and Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale (MSSS-88 scales in the estimation of spasticity influence on different domains Methods. The study is a cross-sectional observational study. MSSS-88 and PRISM scales were analyzed in five domains (body-function domain, activity domain, participation domain, personal factors/wellbeing domain, and hypothesis. For statistical interpretation of the correlation we performed the Spearman’s ρ-test, concurrent validity, divergent validity, and the linear regression model. Results. We found a significant correlation between subscales of evaluated MSSS-88 and PRISM scales for body domains; the highest correlation was between the need for assistance/positioning (NA/P and walking (W. Spasticity has the weakest correlation with the need for intervention (NI. The presence of pain has a negative impact and significant positive correlation between pain discomfort and NI. In the domain of body function for males, there was a non-significant correlation between muscle spasms and NI. The same applies for social functioning and social embarrassment domains, as well as for emotional health and psychological agitation for personal factors / wellbeing domain. The differences between genders of MS patients persist in different domains; muscle spasms are strong predictors for NI, and body movement is a strong predictor versus W for NA/P. Conclusion. MSSS-88 and PRISM scales can be considered reliable in measuring different domains of disability for MS patients with spasticity. Because it is shorter, quicker, and simple to use, it is concluded that the PRISM scale can successfully compete with and replace the MSSS-88 scale in

  4. Perturbation Solutions of the Quintic Duffing Equation with Strong Nonlinearities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Pakdemirli

    Full Text Available The quintic Duffing equation with strong nonlinearities is considered. Perturbation solutions are constructed using two different techniques: The classical multiple scales method (MS and the newly developed multiple scales Lindstedt Poincare method (MSLP. The validity criteria for admissible solutions are derived. Both approximate solutions are contrasted with the numerical solutions. It is found that MSLP provides compatible solution with the numerical solution for strong nonlinearities whereas MS solution fail to produce physically acceptable solution for large perturbation parameters.

  5. Strong correlation in acene sheets from the active-space variational two-electron reduced density matrix method: effects of symmetry and size.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelzer, Kenley; Greenman, Loren; Gidofalvi, Gergely; Mazziotti, David A

    2011-06-09

    Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of organic molecules with importance in several branches of science, including medicine, combustion chemistry, and materials science. The delocalized π-orbital systems in PAHs require highly accurate electronic structure methods to capture strong electron correlation. Treating correlation in PAHs has been challenging because (i) traditional wave function methods for strong correlation have not been applicable since they scale exponentially in the number of strongly correlated orbitals, and (ii) alternative methods such as the density-matrix renormalization group and variational two-electron reduced density matrix (2-RDM) methods have not been applied beyond linear acene chains. In this paper we extend the earlier results from active-space variational 2-RDM theory [Gidofalvi, G.; Mazziotti, D. A. J. Chem. Phys. 2008, 129, 134108] to the more general two-dimensional arrangement of rings--acene sheets--to study the relationship between geometry and electron correlation in PAHs. The acene-sheet calculations, if performed with conventional wave function methods, would require wave function expansions with as many as 1.5 × 10(17) configuration state functions. To measure electron correlation, we employ several RDM-based metrics: (i) natural-orbital occupation numbers, (ii) the 1-RDM von Neumann entropy, (iii) the correlation energy per carbon atom, and (iv) the squared Frobenius norm of the cumulant 2-RDM. The results confirm a trend of increasing polyradical character with increasing molecular size previously observed in linear PAHs and reveal a corresponding trend in two-dimensional (arch-shaped) PAHs. Furthermore, in PAHs of similar size they show significant variations in correlation with geometry. PAHs with the strictly linear geometry (chains) exhibit more electron correlation than PAHs with nonlinear geometries (sheets).

  6. Determination of rivaroxaban in patient's plasma samples by anti-Xa chromogenic test associated to High Performance Liquid Chromatography tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derogis, Priscilla Bento Matos; Sanches, Livia Rentas; de Aranda, Valdir Fernandes; Colombini, Marjorie Paris; Mangueira, Cristóvão Luis Pitangueira; Katz, Marcelo; Faulhaber, Adriana Caschera Leme; Mendes, Claudio Ernesto Albers; Ferreira, Carlos Eduardo Dos Santos; França, Carolina Nunes; Guerra, João Carlos de Campos

    2017-01-01

    Rivaroxaban is an oral direct factor Xa inhibitor, therapeutically indicated in the treatment of thromboembolic diseases. As other new oral anticoagulants, routine monitoring of rivaroxaban is not necessary, but important in some clinical circumstances. In our study a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was validated to measure rivaroxaban plasmatic concentration. Our method used a simple sample preparation, protein precipitation, and a fast chromatographic run. It was developed a precise and accurate method, with a linear range from 2 to 500 ng/mL, and a lower limit of quantification of 4 pg on column. The new method was compared to a reference method (anti-factor Xa activity) and both presented a good correlation (r = 0.98, p plasma samples for rivaroxaban measurement by HPLC-MS/MS without interferences. The chromogenic and HPLC-MS/MS methods were highly correlated and should be used as clinical tools for drug monitoring. The method was applied successfully in a group of 49 real-life patients, which allowed an accurate determination of rivaroxaban in peak and trough levels.

  7. Development and Validation of a Fast Procedure To Analyze Amoxicillin in River Waters by Direct-Injection LC-MS/MS

    OpenAIRE

    Vera Homem; Arminda Alves; Lúcia Silveira Santos

    2014-01-01

    A laboratory application with a strong component in analytical chemistry was designed for undergraduate students, in order to introduce a current problem in the environmental science field, the water contamination by antibiotics. Therefore, a simple and rapid method based on direct injection and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed and optimized for the determination of amoxicillin in river water. Students learned the main optimization steps...

  8. Improved LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of hepcidin-25 in clinical samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbas, Ioana M; Hoffmann, Holger; Montes-Bayón, María; Weller, Michael G

    2018-06-01

    Mass spectrometry-based methods play a crucial role in the quantification of the main iron metabolism regulator hepcidin by singling out the bioactive 25-residue peptide from the other naturally occurring N-truncated isoforms (hepcidin-20, -22, -24), which seem to be inactive in iron homeostasis. However, several difficulties arise in the MS analysis of hepcidin due to the "sticky" character of the peptide and the lack of suitable standards. Here, we propose the use of amino- and fluoro-silanized autosampler vials to reduce hepcidin interaction to laboratory glassware surfaces after testing several types of vials for the preparation of stock solutions and serum samples for isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS). Furthermore, we have investigated two sample preparation strategies and two chromatographic separation conditions with the aim of developing a LC-MS/MS method for the sensitive and reliable quantification of hepcidin-25 in serum samples. A chromatographic separation based on usual acidic mobile phases was compared with a novel approach involving the separation of hepcidin-25 with solvents at high pH containing 0.1% of ammonia. Both methods were applied to clinical samples in an intra-laboratory comparison of two LC-MS/MS methods using the same hepcidin-25 calibrators with good correlation of the results. Finally, we recommend a LC-MS/MS-based quantification method with a dynamic range of 0.5-40 μg/L for the assessment of hepcidin-25 in human serum that uses TFA-based mobile phases and silanized glass vials. Graphical abstract Structure of hepcidin-25 (Protein Data Bank, PDB ID 2KEF).

  9. SO(8) fermion dynamical symmetry and strongly correlated quantum Hall states in monolayer graphene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Lian-Ao; Murphy, Matthew; Guidry, Mike

    2017-03-01

    A formalism is presented for treating strongly correlated graphene quantum Hall states in terms of an SO(8) fermion dynamical symmetry that includes pairing as well as particle-hole generators. The graphene SO(8) algebra is isomorphic to an SO(8) algebra that has found broad application in nuclear physics, albeit with physically very different generators, and exhibits a strong formal similarity to SU(4) symmetries that have been proposed to describe high-temperature superconductors. The well-known SU(4) symmetry of quantum Hall ferromagnetism for single-layer graphene is recovered as one subgroup of SO(8), but the dynamical symmetry structure associated with the full set of SO(8) subgroup chains extends quantum Hall ferromagnetism and allows analytical many-body solutions for a rich set of collective states exhibiting spontaneously broken symmetry that may be important for the low-energy physics of graphene in strong magnetic fields. The SO(8) symmetry permits a natural definition of generalized coherent states that correspond to symmetry-constrained Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov solutions, or equivalently a microscopically derived Ginzburg-Landau formalism, exhibiting the interplay between competing spontaneously broken symmetries in determining the ground state.

  10. High plasma triglyceride levels strongly correlate with low kisspeptin in the arcuate nucleus of male rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Overgaard, A; Axel, A M; Lie, M E

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: It is well known that reproductive capacity is lower in obese individuals, but what mediators and signals are involved is unclear. Kisspeptin is a potent stimulator of GnRH release, and it has been suggested that kisspeptin neurons located in the arcuate nucleus transmit metabolic...... signals to the GnRH neurons. METHODS: In this study, we measured body weight and plasma concentrations of leptin, insulin, testosterone, and triglycerides after high fat diet exposure and correlated these parameters with the number of kisspeptin-immunoreactive neurons in the arcuate nucleus of male rats...... with increased fat in the diet. Kisspeptin-immunoreactive cells are not correlated with body weight, testosterone, leptin or insulin. However, we find that the number of kisspeptin-immunoreactive cells is strongly and negatively correlated with the level of plasma triglycerides (R2=0.49, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: We...

  11. T2 relaxation time analysis in patients with multiple sclerosis: correlation with magnetization transfer ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Papanikolaou, Nickolas; Papadaki, Eufrosini; Karampekios, Spyros; Maris, Thomas; Prassopoulos, Panos; Gourtsoyiannis, Nicholas; Spilioti, Martha

    2004-01-01

    The aim of the current study was to perform T2 relaxation time measurements in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and correlate them with magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) measurements, in order to investigate in more detail the various histopathological changes that occur in lesions and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM). A total number of 291 measurements of MTR and T2 relaxation times were performed in 13 MS patients and 10 age-matched healthy volunteers. Measurements concerned MS plaques (105), NAWM (80), and ''dirty'' white matter (DWM; 30), evenly divided between the MS patients, and normal white matter (NWM; 76) in the healthy volunteers. Biexponential T2 relaxation-time analysis was performed, and also possible linearity between MTR and mean T2 relaxation times was evaluated using linear regression analysis in all subgroups. Biexponential relaxation was more pronounced in ''black-hole'' lesions (16.6%) and homogeneous enhancing plaques (10%), whereas DWM, NAWM, and mildly hypointense lesions presented biexponential behavior with a lower frequency(6.6, 5, and 3.1%, respectively). Non-enhancing isointense lesions and normal white matter did not reveal any biexponentional behavior. Linear regression analysis between monoexponential T2 relaxation time and MTR measurements demonstrated excellent correlation for DWM(r=-0.78, p<0.0001), very good correlation for black-hole lesions(r=-0.71, p=0.002), good correlation for isointense lesions(r=-0.60, p=0.005), moderate correlation for mildly hypointense lesions(r=-0.34, p=0.007), and non-significant correlation for homogeneous enhancing plaques, NAWM, and NWM. Biexponential T2 relaxation-time behavior is seen in only very few lesions (mainly on plaques with high degree of demyelination and axonal loss). A strong correlation between MTR and monoexponential T2 values was found in regions where either inflammation or demyelination predominates; however, when both pathological conditions coexist, this linear

  12. MS Based Metabonomics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Want, Elizabeth J.; Metz, Thomas O.

    2010-03-01

    1. Gas chromatography-(GC)-MS was the most commonly used MS-based method for small molecule analysis in the 1970s and 1980s. It is still used today for the detection of many metabolic disorders and plays a strong role in plant metabonomics. Liquid chromatography (LC)-MS approaches have grown in popularity for metabolite studies, due to simpler sample preparation, reduced analysis times through the introduction of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-MS and the ability to observe a wider range of metabolites. This chapter will discuss the role of MS in metabonomics, the techniques involved in this exciting area, and the current and future applications of the field. The various bioinformatics tools and multivariate analysis techniques used to maximize information recovery and to aid in the interpretation of the very large data sets typically obtained in metabonomics studies will also be discussed. While there are many different MS-based approaches utilized in metabonomics studies, emphasis will be placed on more established methods.

  13. Determination of 48 fragrance allergens in toys using GC with ion trap MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Qing; Zhang, Qing; Li, Wentao; Li, Haiyu; Li, Pi; Ma, Qiang; Meng, Xianshuang; Qi, Meiling; Bai, Hua

    2013-11-01

    This paper presents a method for the simultaneous determination of 48 fragrance allergens in four types of toys (plastic toys, play clays, plush toys, and paper toys) based on GC with ion trap MS/MS. Compared with single-stage MS, MS/MS is superior in terms of the qualification and quantification of a large range of compounds in complicated matrices. Procedures for extraction and purification were optimized for each toy type. The method proved to be linear over a wide range of concentrations for all analytes with correlation coefficients between 0.9768 and 0.9999. Validation parameters, namely, LODs and LOQs, ranged from 0.005-5.0 and from 0.02-20 mg/kg, respectively. Average recoveries of target compounds (spiked at three concentration levels) were in the range of 79.5-109.1%. Intraday and interday repeatabilities of the proposed method varied from 0.7-10.5% and from 3.1-13.4%, respectively. The proposed method was used to monitor fragrance allergens in commercial toy products. Our findings indicate that this method is an accurate and effective technique for analyzing fragrance allergens in materials composed of complex components. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Tree-level correlations in the strong field regime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelis, François

    2017-09-01

    We consider the correlation function of an arbitrary number of local observables in quantum field theory, in situations where the field amplitude is large. Using a quasi-classical approximation (valid for a highly occupied initial mixed state, or for a coherent initial state if the classical dynamics has instabilities), we show that at tree level these correlations are dominated by fluctuations at the initial time. We obtain a general expression of the correlation functions in terms of the classical solution of the field equation of motion and its derivatives with respect to its initial conditions, that can be arranged graphically as the sum of labeled trees where the nodes are the individual observables, and the links are pairs of derivatives acting on them. For 3-point (and higher) correlation functions, there are additional tree-level terms beyond the quasi-classical approximation, generated by fluctuations in the bulk.

  15. ARCHITECTURAL CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF THE HAMM MS OF CHERCHELL, ALGERIA: LINEAR VS AGGREGATE SPACE IN THE TRADITIONAL BATH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Youcef Chennaoui

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available The architecture of traditional historic cities in Algeria has specific spatial and constructive characteristics despite the influence of the Andalusian-Ottoman style. In the case of Cherchell (a historic city 100kms west of Algiers, the architectural elements interpret these architectural references. These elements exist in a complex archaeological, historic and cultural fabric based on architectural and urban analogies, reminders and references. The paper focuses on the typological study of the historic hammāms of Cherchell. It is aimed to analyse the diverse correlations between specific urban amenities and the residential fabric framed within the spatial organization, proportional modulation and structural modes. In this paper, the spatial organisation of the public baths of Cherchell is identified. It is a nodal spiral organization developed around the hot room. It follows the Ottoman spatial prototype of Algiers hammāms. However, the specific characteristic of Cherchell baths is in their constructive system for the roofing covering the central space of the hot room. The roofing consists of an octagonal dome, where the transition to the large square of the hot room is covered by trusses supporting tiled roofing, inspired by the domestic Cherchell architecture of that era.

  16. Theory of L -edge spectroscopy of strongly correlated systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lüder, Johann; Schött, Johan; Brena, Barbara; Haverkort, Maurits W.; Thunström, Patrik; Eriksson, Olle; Sanyal, Biplab; Di Marco, Igor; Kvashnin, Yaroslav O.

    2017-12-01

    X-ray absorption spectroscopy measured at the L edge of transition metals (TMs) is a powerful element-selective tool providing direct information about the correlation effects in the 3 d states. The theoretical modeling of the 2 p →3 d excitation processes remains to be challenging for contemporary ab initio electronic structure techniques, due to strong core-hole and multiplet effects influencing the spectra. In this work, we present a realization of the method combining the density-functional theory with multiplet ligand field theory, proposed in Haverkort et al. [Phys. Rev. B 85, 165113 (2012), 10.1103/PhysRevB.85.165113]. In this approach, a single-impurity Anderson model (SIAM) is constructed, with almost all parameters obtained from first principles, and then solved to obtain the spectra. In our implementation, we adopt the language of the dynamical mean-field theory and utilize the local density of states and the hybridization function, projected onto TM 3 d states, in order to construct the SIAM. The developed computational scheme is applied to calculate the L -edge spectra for several TM monoxides. A very good agreement between the theory and experiment is found for all studied systems. The effect of core-hole relaxation, hybridization discretization, possible extensions of the method as well as its limitations are discussed.

  17. Ambient measurements of aromatic and oxidized VOCs by PTR-MS and GC-MS: intercomparison between four instruments in a boreal forest in Finland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kajos, M. K.; Rantala, P.; Hill, M.; Hellén, H.; Aalto, J.; Patokoski, J.; Taipale, R.; Hoerger, C. C.; Reimann, S.; Ruuskanen, T. M.; Rinne, J.; Petäjä, T.

    2015-10-01

    Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry GC-MS) are commonly used methods for automated in situ measurements of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere. In order to investigate the reliability of such measurements, we operated four automated analyzers using their normal field measurement protocol side by side at a boreal forest site. We measured methanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, benzene and toluene by two PTR-MS and two GC-MS instruments. The measurements were conducted in southern Finland between 13 April and 14 May 2012. This paper presents correlations and biases between the concentrations measured using the four instruments. A very good correlation was found for benzene and acetone measurements between all instruments (the mean R value was 0.88 for both compounds), while for acetaldehyde and toluene the correlation was weaker (with a mean R value of 0.50 and 0.62, respectively). For some compounds, notably for methanol, there were considerable systematic differences in the mixing ratios measured by the different instruments, despite the very good correlation between the instruments (mean R = 0.90). The systematic difference manifests as a difference in the linear regression slope between measurements conducted between instruments, rather than as an offset. This mismatch indicates that the systematic uncertainty in the sensitivity of a given instrument can lead to an uncertainty of 50-100 % in the methanol emissions measured by commonly used methods.

  18. Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to characterize copper, zinc and mercury along grizzly bear hair providing estimate of diet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noël, Marie; Christensen, Jennie R.; Spence, Jody; Robbins, Charles T.

    2015-01-01

    We enhanced an existing technique, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), to function as a non-lethal tool in the temporal characterization of trace element exposure in wild mammals. Mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) were analyzed along the hair of captive and wild grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis). Laser parameters were optimized (consecutive 2000 μm line scans along the middle line of the hair at a speed of 50 μm/s; spot size = 30 μm) for consistent ablation of the hair. A pressed pellet of reference material DOLT-2 and sulfur were used as external and internal standards, respectively. Our newly adapted method passed the quality control tests with strong correlations between trace element concentrations obtained using LA-ICP-MS and those obtained with regular solution-ICP-MS (r 2 = 0.92, 0.98, 0.63, 0.57, 0.99 and 0.90 for Hg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb, respectively). Cross-correlation analyses revealed good reproducibility between trace element patterns obtained from hair collected from the same bear. One exception was Cd for which external contamination was observed resulting in poor reproducibility. In order to validate the method, we used LA-ICP-MS on the hair of five captive grizzly bears fed known and varying amounts of cutthroat trout over a period of 33 days. Trace element patterns along the hair revealed strong Hg, Cu and Zn signals coinciding with fish consumption. Accordingly, significant correlations between Hg, Cu, and Zn in the hair and Hg, Cu, and Zn intake were evident and we were able to develop accumulation models for each of these elements. While the use of LA-ICP-MS for the monitoring of trace elements in wildlife is in its infancy, this study highlights the robustness and applicability of this newly adapted method. - Highlights: • LA-ICP-MS provides temporal trace metal exposure information for wild grizzly bears. • Cu and Zn temporal exposures provide

  19. Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to characterize copper, zinc and mercury along grizzly bear hair providing estimate of diet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noël, Marie, E-mail: marie.noel@stantec.com [Stantec Consulting Ltd. 2042 Mills Road, Unit 11, Sidney BC V8L 4X2 (Canada); Christensen, Jennie R., E-mail: jennie.christensen@stantec.com [Stantec Consulting Ltd. 2042 Mills Road, Unit 11, Sidney BC V8L 4X2 (Canada); Spence, Jody, E-mail: jodys@uvic.ca [School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Bob Wright Centre A405, University of Victoria, PO BOX 3065 STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 3V6 (Canada); Robbins, Charles T., E-mail: ctrobbins@wsu.edu [School of the Environment and School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4236 (United States)

    2015-10-01

    We enhanced an existing technique, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), to function as a non-lethal tool in the temporal characterization of trace element exposure in wild mammals. Mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) were analyzed along the hair of captive and wild grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis). Laser parameters were optimized (consecutive 2000 μm line scans along the middle line of the hair at a speed of 50 μm/s; spot size = 30 μm) for consistent ablation of the hair. A pressed pellet of reference material DOLT-2 and sulfur were used as external and internal standards, respectively. Our newly adapted method passed the quality control tests with strong correlations between trace element concentrations obtained using LA-ICP-MS and those obtained with regular solution-ICP-MS (r{sup 2} = 0.92, 0.98, 0.63, 0.57, 0.99 and 0.90 for Hg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb, respectively). Cross-correlation analyses revealed good reproducibility between trace element patterns obtained from hair collected from the same bear. One exception was Cd for which external contamination was observed resulting in poor reproducibility. In order to validate the method, we used LA-ICP-MS on the hair of five captive grizzly bears fed known and varying amounts of cutthroat trout over a period of 33 days. Trace element patterns along the hair revealed strong Hg, Cu and Zn signals coinciding with fish consumption. Accordingly, significant correlations between Hg, Cu, and Zn in the hair and Hg, Cu, and Zn intake were evident and we were able to develop accumulation models for each of these elements. While the use of LA-ICP-MS for the monitoring of trace elements in wildlife is in its infancy, this study highlights the robustness and applicability of this newly adapted method. - Highlights: • LA-ICP-MS provides temporal trace metal exposure information for wild grizzly bears. • Cu and Zn temporal exposures provide

  20. Strongly correlated quasi-one-dimensional bands: Ground states, optical absorption, and phonons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campbell, D.K.; Gammel, J.T.; Loh, E.Y. Jr.

    1989-01-01

    Using the Lanczos method for exact diagonalization on systems up to 14 sites, combined with a novel ''phase randomization'' technique for extracting more information from these small systems, we investigate several aspects of the one-dimensional Peierls-Hubbard Hamiltonian, in the context of trans-polyacetylene: the dependence of the ground state dimerization on the strength of the electron-electron interactions, including the effects of ''off-diagonal'' Coulomb terms generally ignored in the Hubbard model; the phonon vibrational frequencies and dispersion relations, and the optical absorption properties, including the spectrum of absorptions as a function of photon energy. These three different observables provide considerable insight into the effects of electron-electron interactions on the properties of real materials and thus into the nature of strongly correlated electron systems. 29 refs., 11 figs

  1. The King-Devick (K-D) test of rapid eye movements: a bedside correlate of disability and quality of life in MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moster, Stephen; Wilson, James A; Galetta, Steven L; Balcer, Laura J

    2014-08-15

    We investigated the King-Devick (K-D) test of rapid number naming as a visual performance measure in a cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In this cross-sectional study, 81 patients with MS and 20 disease-free controls from an ongoing study of visual outcomes underwent K-D testing. A test of rapid number naming, K-D requires saccadic eye movements as well as intact vision, attention and concentration. To perform the K-D test, participants are asked to read numbers aloud as quickly as possible from three test cards; the sum of the three test card times in seconds constitutes the summary score. High-contrast visual acuity (VA), low-contrast letter acuity (1.25% and 2.5% levels), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness by optical coherence tomography (OCT), MS Functional Composite (MSFC) and vision-specific quality of life (QOL) measures (25-Item NEI Visual Functioning Questionnaire [NEI-VFQ-25] and 10-Item Neuro-Ophthalmic Supplement) were also assessed. K-D time scores in the MS cohort (total time to read the three test cards) were significantly higher (worse) compared to those for disease-free controls (P=0.003, linear regression, accounting for age). Within the MS cohort, higher K-D scores were associated with worse scores for the NEI-VFQ-25 composite (Paccounting for age and within-patient, inter-eye correlations). Patients with a history of optic neuritis (ON) had increased (worse) K-D scores. Patients who classified their work disability status as disabled (receiving disability pension) did worse on K-D testing compared to those working full-time (P=0.001, accounting for age). The K-D test, a work disability as well as structural changes as measured by OCT imaging. History of ON and abnormal binocular acuities were associated with worse K-D scores, suggesting that abnormalities detected by K-D may go along with afferent dysfunction in MS patients. A brief test that requires saccadic eye movements, K-D should be considered for future MS trials as

  2. Pediatric siMS score: A new, simple and accurate continuous metabolic syndrome score for everyday use in pediatrics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vukovic, Rade; Milenkovic, Tatjana; Stojan, George; Vukovic, Ana; Mitrovic, Katarina; Todorovic, Sladjana; Soldatovic, Ivan

    2017-01-01

    The dichotomous nature of the current definition of metabolic syndrome (MS) in youth results in loss of information. On the other hand, the calculation of continuous MS scores using standardized residuals in linear regression (Z scores) or factor scores of principal component analysis (PCA) is highly impractical for clinical use. Recently, a novel, easily calculated continuous MS score called siMS score was developed based on the IDF MS criteria for the adult population. To develop a Pediatric siMS score (PsiMS), a modified continuous MS score for use in the obese youth, based on the original siMS score, while keeping the score as simple as possible and retaining high correlation with more complex scores. The database consisted of clinical data on 153 obese (BMI ≥95th percentile) children and adolescents. Continuous MS scores were calculated using Z scores and PCA, as well as the original siMS score. Four variants of PsiMS score were developed in accordance with IDF criteria for MS in youth and correlation of these scores with PCA and Z score derived MS continuous scores was assessed. PsiMS score calculated using formula: (2xWaist/Height) + (Glucose(mmol/l)/5.6) + (triglycerides(mmol/l)/1.7) + (Systolic BP/130)-(HDL(mmol/l)/1.02) showed the highest correlation with most of the complex continuous scores (0.792-0.901). The original siMS score also showed high correlation with continuous MS scores. PsiMS score represents a practical and accurate score for the evaluation of MS in the obese youth. The original siMS score should be used when evaluating large cohorts consisting of both adults and children.

  3. Strong transthyretin immunostaining: potential pitfall in cardiac amyloid typing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satoskar, Anjali A; Efebera, Yvonne; Hasan, Ayesha; Brodsky, Sergey; Nadasdy, Gyongyi; Dogan, Ahmet; Nadasdy, Tibor

    2011-11-01

    Although systemic amyloidosis commonly presents with renal disease, cardiac involvement usually determines the patient's prognosis. Cardiac involvement is seen in light chain amyloid and transthyretin amyloidosis. Distinguishing between these two is critical because prognosis and treatment differ. Our study demonstrates the unreliability of transthyretin immunostaining in subtyping cardiac amyloid. Between January 2003 and August 2010, we retrieved 229 native endomyocardial biopsies, of which 24 had amyloid. Immunohistochemistry for κ, λ, transthyretin, and serum amyloid A protein was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections. Staining was graded as weak (trace to 1+) or strong (2 to 3+). Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomic typing of microdissected amyloid material was performed on selected cases. Fifteen patients had monoclonal gammopathy/plasma cell dyscrasia with cardiac amyloid. Eight of them (53%) showed strong transthyretin staining in the cardiac amyloid deposits. MS was performed in 5 of these 8 biopsies, and all 5 biopsies revealed light chain amyloid-type amyloid. Two of these 5 light chain amyloid biopsies did not even have concomitant strong staining for the appropriate light chain. Among the 15 cases with plasma cell dyscrasia, only 7 biopsies showed strong staining for the corresponding monoclonal light chain. Strong, false-positive immunostaining for transthyretin in cardiac amyloid is a potential pitfall, augmented by the frequent lack of staining for immunoglobulin light chains. Therefore, the presence of amyloid in the cardiac biopsy should prompt a search for plasma cell dyscrasia irrespective of transthyretin staining. Confirmation with MS should be sought, particularly if there is any discrepancy between κ/λ staining and serum immunofixation results.

  4. Respiratory insufficiency correlated strongly with mortality of rodents infected with West Nile virus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John D Morrey

    Full Text Available West Nile virus (WNV disease can be fatal for high-risk patients. Since WNV or its antigens have been identified in multiple anatomical locations of the central nervous system of persons or rodent models, one cannot know where to investigate the actual mechanism of mortality without careful studies in animal models. In this study, depressed respiratory functions measured by plethysmography correlated strongly with mortality. This respiratory distress, as well as reduced oxygen saturation, occurred beginning as early as 4 days before mortality. Affected medullary respiratory control cells may have contributed to the animals' respiratory insufficiency, because WNV antigen staining was present in neurons located in the ventrolateral medulla. Starvation or dehydration would be irrelevant in people, but could cause death in rodents due to lethargy or loss of appetite. Animal experiments were performed to exclude this possibility. Plasma ketones were increased in moribund infected hamsters, but late-stage starvation markers were not apparent. Moreover, daily subcutaneous administration of 5% dextrose in physiological saline solution did not improve survival or other disease signs. Therefore, infected hamsters did not die from starvation or dehydration. No cerebral edema was apparent in WNV- or sham-infected hamsters as determined by comparing wet-to-total weight ratios of brains, or by evaluating blood-brain-barrier permeability using Evans blue dye penetration into brains. Limited vasculitis was present in the right atrium of the heart of infected hamsters, but abnormal electrocardiograms for several days leading up to mortality did not occur. Since respiratory insufficiency was strongly correlated with mortality more than any other pathological parameter, it is the likely cause of death in rodents. These animal data and a poor prognosis for persons with respiratory insufficiency support the hypothesis that neurological lesions affecting respiratory

  5. Auxiliary-Field Quantum Monte Carlo Simulations of Strongly-Correlated Systems, the Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2017-11-07

    In this final report, we present preliminary results of ground state phases of interacting spinless Dirac fermions. The name "Dirac fermion" originates from the fact that low-energy excitations of electrons hopping on the honeycomb lattice are described by a relativistic Dirac equation. Dirac fermions have received much attention particularly after the seminal work of Haldale1 which shows that the quantum Hall physics can be realized on the honeycomb lattice without magnetic fields. Haldane's work later becomes the foundation of topological insulators (TIs). While the physics of TIs is based largely on spin-orbit coupled non-interacting electrons, it was conjectured that topological insulators can be induced by strong correlations alone.

  6. Adhesion molecules levels in blood correlate with MRI activity and clinical activity in multiple sclerosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Millers, A.; Enina, G.; Platkajis, A.; Metra, M.; Kukaine, R.

    2002-01-01

    Research into pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) has prompted efforts to identify immunological markers associated with disease activity. Adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 are associated with inflammatory mediated blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction. In this study investigates the correlation between blood level of circulating ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity in different clinical phases of patients with MS. We show that RRMS and SPMS patients in clinically active phase with Gd-enhancing lesions in CNS had higher blood levels of cICAM-1 and cVCAM-1 compared these parameters levers of RRMS patients in remission stage. These results suggest that cICAM-1 and cVCAM-1 is a sensitive indicator of disease activity associated with BBB inflammatory dysfunction. Elevated blood level of cICAM-1 more strongly correlated with clinical activity and BBB damage, than cVCAM-1 and that could be used as biological marker of disease activity. Circulating VCAM-1 as an early indicator of BBB disturbance, may also serve as marker of beneficial activity in relapses phase of MS course. (authors)

  7. Spin-flip configuration interaction singles with exact spin-projection: Theory and applications to strongly correlated systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuchimochi, Takashi

    2015-10-14

    Spin-flip approaches capture static correlation with the same computational scaling as the ordinary single reference methods. Here, we extend spin-flip configuration interaction singles (SFCIS) by projecting out intrinsic spin-contamination to make it spin-complete, rather than by explicitly complementing it with spin-coupled configurations. We give a general formalism of spin-projection for SFCIS, applicable to any spin states. The proposed method is viewed as a natural unification of SFCIS and spin-projected CIS to achieve a better qualitative accuracy at a low computational cost. While our wave function ansatz is more compact than previously proposed spin-complete SF approaches, it successfully offers more general static correlation beyond biradicals without sacrificing good quantum numbers. It is also shown that our method is invariant with respect to open-shell orbital rotations, due to the uniqueness of spin-projection. We will report benchmark calculations to demonstrate its qualitative performance on strongly correlated systems, including conical intersections that appear both in ground-excited and excited-excited degeneracies.

  8. Characterization and quantification of flavonoids and organic acids over fruit development in American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) cultivars using HPLC and APCI-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yifei; Johnson-Cicalese, Jennifer; Singh, Ajay P; Vorsa, Nicholi

    2017-09-01

    Cranberry flavonoids, including anthocyanins, flavonol glycosides and proanthocyanidins, and organic acids were characterized and quantified by HPLC and LC-MS/MS during fruit development and ripening in eight cranberry cultivars. Anthocyanin biosynthesis initiated at early fruit development and reached highest level in mature fruit, with significant differences between cultivars. Major flavonol glycosides, including the most abundant quercetin-3-galactoside and myricetin-3-galactoside, showed consistent concentrations during the season with moderate fluctuation, and were at similar levels in mature fruits of the eight cultivars. Proanthocyanidins declined during fruit development and then increased slightly in later maturation stages. Levels of various proanthocyanidin oligomers/polymers with different degree-of-polymerization were highly correlated within a cultivar during fruit development. Cultivars with coancestry exhibited similar levels (high/low) of anthocyanins or proanthocyanidins, indicating genetic effects on biosynthesis of such flavonoids. All cultivars showed similar levels of malic and citric acids, and declining levels of quinic acid during fruit development. Benzoic acid was extremely low early in the season and increased sharply during fruit ripening. Levels of quinic and citric acids were significantly different among cultivars in the mature fruit. Concentrations of proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, quinic acid and benzoic acid have a strong developmental association in developing ovaries. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the meniscus (dGEMRIM) in patients with knee osteoarthritis: relation with meniscal degeneration on conventional MRI, reproducibility, and correlation with dGEMRIC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tiel, Jasper van; Kotek, Gyula; Krestin, Gabriel P.; Oei, Edwin H.G.; Reijman, Max; Bos, Pieter K.; Verhaar, Jan A.N.; Bron, Esther E.; Klein, Stefan; Weinans, Harrie

    2014-01-01

    To assess (1) whether normal and degenerated menisci exhibit different T1 GD on delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the meniscus (dGEMRIM), (2) the reproducibility of dGEMRIM and (3) the correlation between meniscus and cartilage T1 GD in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. In 17 OA patients who underwent dGEMRIM twice within 7 days, meniscus and cartilage T1 GD was calculated. Meniscus pathology was evaluated on conventional MRI. T1 GD in normal and degenerated menisci were compared using a Student's t-test. Reproducibility was assessed using ICCs. Pearson's correlation was calculated between meniscus and cartilage T1 GD . A trend towards lower T1 GD in degenerated menisci (mean: 402 ms; 95 % CI: 359-444 ms) compared to normal menisci (mean: 448 ms; 95 % CI: 423-473 ms) was observed (p = 0.05). Meniscus T1 GD ICCs were 0.85-0.90. The correlation between meniscus and cartilage T1 GD was moderate in the lateral (r = 0.52-0.75) and strong in the medial compartment (r = 0.78-0.94). Our results show that degenerated menisci have a clear trend towards lower T1 GD compared to normal menisci. Since these results are highly reproducible, meniscus degeneration may be assessed within one delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI simultaneously with cartilage. The strong correlation between meniscus and cartilage T1 GD suggests concomitant degeneration in both tissues in OA, but also suggests that dGEMRIC may not be regarded entirely as sulphated glycosaminoglycan specific. (orig.)

  10. Charge- and parity-projected Hartree-Fock method for the strong tensor correlation and its application to the alpha particle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugimoto, Satoru; Ikeda, Kiyomi; Toki, Hiroshi

    2004-01-01

    We propose a new mean-field-type framework which can treat the strong correlation induced by the tensor force. To treat the tensor correlation we break the charge and parity symmetries of a single-particle state and restore these symmetries of the total system by the projection method. We perform the charge and parity projections before variation and obtain a Hartree-Fock-like equation, which is solved self-consistently. We apply the Hartree-Fock-like equation to the alpha particle and find that by breaking the parity and charge symmetries, the correlation induced by the tensor force is obtained in the projected mean-field framework. We emphasize that the projection before the variation is important to pick up the tensor correlation in the present framework

  11. Metabolomics data normalization with EigenMS.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuliya V Karpievitch

    Full Text Available Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry has become one of the analytical platforms of choice for metabolomics studies. However, LC-MS metabolomics data can suffer from the effects of various systematic biases. These include batch effects, day-to-day variations in instrument performance, signal intensity loss due to time-dependent effects of the LC column performance, accumulation of contaminants in the MS ion source and MS sensitivity among others. In this study we aimed to test a singular value decomposition-based method, called EigenMS, for normalization of metabolomics data. We analyzed a clinical human dataset where LC-MS serum metabolomics data and physiological measurements were collected from thirty nine healthy subjects and forty with type 2 diabetes and applied EigenMS to detect and correct for any systematic bias. EigenMS works in several stages. First, EigenMS preserves the treatment group differences in the metabolomics data by estimating treatment effects with an ANOVA model (multiple fixed effects can be estimated. Singular value decomposition of the residuals matrix is then used to determine bias trends in the data. The number of bias trends is then estimated via a permutation test and the effects of the bias trends are eliminated. EigenMS removed bias of unknown complexity from the LC-MS metabolomics data, allowing for increased sensitivity in differential analysis. Moreover, normalized samples better correlated with both other normalized samples and corresponding physiological data, such as blood glucose level, glycated haemoglobin, exercise central augmentation pressure normalized to heart rate of 75, and total cholesterol. We were able to report 2578 discriminatory metabolite peaks in the normalized data (p<0.05 as compared to only 1840 metabolite signals in the raw data. Our results support the use of singular value decomposition-based normalization for metabolomics data.

  12. Quantum criticality and emergence of the T/B scaling in strongly correlated metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Shinji; Miyake, Kazumasa

    2016-01-01

    A new type of scaling observed in heavy-electron metal β-YbAlB_4, where the magnetic susceptibility is expressed as a single scaling function of the ratio of temperature T and magnetic field B over four decades, is examined theoretically. We develop the mode-coupling theory for critical Yb-valence fluctuations under a magnetic field, verifying that the T/B scaling behavior appears near the QCP of the valence transition. Emergence of the T/B scaling indicates the presence of the small characteristic temperature of the critical Yb-valence fluctuation due to the strong local correlation effect. It is discussed that the T/B scaling as well as the unconventional criticality is explained from the viewpoint of the quantum valence criticality in a unified way.

  13. Thermal properties of UO2 from density functional theory: role of strong correlations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panigrahi, Puspamitra; Kaur Gurpreet; Valsakumar, M.C.

    2011-01-01

    We report a study of ground state magnetic structure of Uranium-dioxide (UO 2 ) using ab initio calculations employing PAW pseudopotentials and Dudarev's version of GGA+U formalism as implemented in VASP to take into account the strong on-site Coulomb correlation among the localized Uranium-5f electrons. By choosing the value of the Hubbard parameter U eff to be 4.0 eV, we have confirmed the experimental observation that the ground state of UO 2 is an insulator with an anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) ordering. We study systematically the ground state structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of UO 2 and focus on the structure sensitive thermal properties such as specific heat, thermal expansion and comment on the calculation of thermal conductivity. (author)

  14. Finite-Temperature Variational Monte Carlo Method for Strongly Correlated Electron Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takai, Kensaku; Ido, Kota; Misawa, Takahiro; Yamaji, Youhei; Imada, Masatoshi

    2016-03-01

    A new computational method for finite-temperature properties of strongly correlated electrons is proposed by extending the variational Monte Carlo method originally developed for the ground state. The method is based on the path integral in the imaginary-time formulation, starting from the infinite-temperature state that is well approximated by a small number of certain random initial states. Lower temperatures are progressively reached by the imaginary-time evolution. The algorithm follows the framework of the quantum transfer matrix and finite-temperature Lanczos methods, but we extend them to treat much larger system sizes without the negative sign problem by optimizing the truncated Hilbert space on the basis of the time-dependent variational principle (TDVP). This optimization algorithm is equivalent to the stochastic reconfiguration (SR) method that has been frequently used for the ground state to optimally truncate the Hilbert space. The obtained finite-temperature states allow an interpretation based on the thermal pure quantum (TPQ) state instead of the conventional canonical-ensemble average. Our method is tested for the one- and two-dimensional Hubbard models and its accuracy and efficiency are demonstrated.

  15. Neuromimetic Circuits with Synaptic Devices Based on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Sieu D.; Shi, Jian; Meroz, Yasmine; Mahadevan, L.; Ramanathan, Shriram

    2014-12-01

    Strongly correlated electron systems such as the rare-earth nickelates (R NiO3 , R denotes a rare-earth element) can exhibit synapselike continuous long-term potentiation and depression when gated with ionic liquids; exploiting the extreme sensitivity of coupled charge, spin, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom to stoichiometry. We present experimental real-time, device-level classical conditioning and unlearning using nickelate-based synaptic devices in an electronic circuit compatible with both excitatory and inhibitory neurons. We establish a physical model for the device behavior based on electric-field-driven coupled ionic-electronic diffusion that can be utilized for design of more complex systems. We use the model to simulate a variety of associate and nonassociative learning mechanisms, as well as a feedforward recurrent network for storing memory. Our circuit intuitively parallels biological neural architectures, and it can be readily generalized to other forms of cellular learning and extinction. The simulation of neural function with electronic device analogs may provide insight into biological processes such as decision making, learning, and adaptation, while facilitating advanced parallel information processing in hardware.

  16. Entropy excess in strongly correlated Fermi systems near a quantum critical point

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clark, J.W., E-mail: jwc@wuphys.wustl.edu [McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences and Department of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130 (United States); Zverev, M.V. [Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, 123182 (Russian Federation); Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, 123098 (Russian Federation); Khodel, V.A. [Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, 123182 (Russian Federation); McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences and Department of Physics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130 (United States)

    2012-12-15

    A system of interacting, identical fermions described by standard Landau Fermi-liquid (FL) theory can experience a rearrangement of its Fermi surface if the correlations grow sufficiently strong, as occurs at a quantum critical point where the effective mass diverges. As yet, this phenomenon defies full understanding, but salient aspects of the non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) behavior observed beyond the quantum critical point are still accessible within the general framework of the Landau quasiparticle picture. Self-consistent solutions of the coupled Landau equations for the quasiparticle momentum distribution n(p) and quasiparticle energy spectrum {epsilon}(p) are shown to exist in two distinct classes, depending on coupling strength and on whether the quasiparticle interaction is regular or singular at zero momentum transfer. One class of solutions maintains the idempotency condition n{sup 2}(p)=n(p) of standard FL theory at zero temperature T while adding pockets to the Fermi surface. The other solutions are characterized by a swelling of the Fermi surface and a flattening of the spectrum {epsilon}(p) over a range of momenta in which the quasiparticle occupancies lie between 0 and 1 even at T=0. The latter, non-idempotent solution is revealed by analysis of a Poincare mapping associated with the fundamental Landau equation connecting n(p) and {epsilon}(p) and validated by solution of a variational condition that yields the symmetry-preserving ground state. Significantly, this extraordinary solution carries the burden of a large temperature-dependent excess entropy down to very low temperatures, threatening violation of the Nernst Theorem. It is argued that certain low-temperature phase transitions, notably those involving Cooper-pair formation, offer effective mechanisms for shedding the entropy excess. Available measurements in heavy-fermion compounds provide concrete support for such a scenario. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Extension of Landau

  17. Analysis of phytochemical variations in dioecious Tinospora cordifolia stems using HPLC/QTOF MS/MS and UPLC/QqQLIT -MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bajpai, Vikas; Singh, Awantika; Chandra, Preeti; Negi, M P S; Kumar, Nikhil; Kumar, Brijesh

    2016-01-01

    The stem of dioecious Tinospora cordifolia (Menispermaceae) is a commonly used traditional Ayurvedic medicine in India having several therapeutic properties. To develop and validate LC-MS methods for the identification and simultaneous quantitation of various secondary metabolites and to study metabolomic variations in the stem of male and female plants. Ethanolic extract of stems were analysed by HPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS/MS for rapid screening of bioactive phytochemicals. High resolution MS and MS/MS in positive ESI mode were used for structural investigation of secondary metabolites. An UPLC/ESI-QqQ(LIT) -MS/MS method in MRM mode was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantitation of five bioactive alkaloids. Identification and characterisation of 36 metabolites including alkaloids, sesquiterpenes and phytoecdysteroids were performed using LC-MS and MS/MS techniques. The bioactive alkaloids such as jatrorrhizine, magnoflorine, isocorydine, palmatine and tetrahydropalmatine were successfully quantified in male and female plants. The mean abundances of magnoflorine jatrorrhizine, and oblongine were significantly (P Phytochemicals in the stem of male and female Tinospora cordifolia showed significant qualitative and quantitative variations. LC-MS and MS/MS methods can be used to differentiate between male and female plants based on their chemical profiles and quantities of the marker bioactive alkaloids. This chemical composition difference was also evident during vegetative stage when there were no male and female flowers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  18. Determination of Glyphosate Levels in Breast Milk Samples from Germany by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Steinborn, Angelika; Alder, Lutz; Michalski, Britta; Zomer, Paul; Bendig, Paul; Martinez, Sandra Aleson; Mol, Hans G.J.; Class, Thomas J.; Costa Pinheiro, Nathalie

    2016-01-01

    This study describes the validation and application of two independent analytical methods for the determination of glyphosate in breast milk. They are based on liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), respectively. For

  19. Bodrum Strong Motion Network, Mugla, Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcik, H. A.; Tanircan, G.; Korkmaz, A.

    2015-12-01

    The Gulf of Gökova is located in southwestern Turkey near the Aegean Sea and surrounded by Datça Peninsula to the south, the island of Kos to the west and Bodrum Peninsula to the north. The Bodrum peninsula with a population of one million in summer season is one of the most populated touristic centers of Turkey. This region is also surrounded by numerous active seismic entities such as Ula-Ören Fault Zone, Gökova Graben etc.. and demonstrates high seismic hazard. In the past, many destructive earthquakes have occurred in southwestern Turkey. One of the destructive historical earthquakes is 1493 Kos event (Mw=6.9) caused heavy damage in Bodrum. In the instrumental period seismic activity in the Gökova region includes the Ms>6.0 earthquakes of 23 April 1933 (Ms=6.4), 23 May 1941 (Ms=6.0), 13 December 1941 (Ms=6.5) events. Intense earthquake activity (Mw5+) occurred in Gulf of Gökova in August 2004 and January 2005. Considering the high seismicity and population of this region, a strong ground motion monitoring system stationed in dense settlements in the Bodrum Peninsula: Bodrum, Turgutreis, Yalıkavak, Çiftlik and Ortakent was deployed on June 2015. The network consists of 5 strong motion recorders, has been set up with the aim of monitoring of regional earthquakes, collecting accurate and reliable data for engineering and scientific research purposes, in particular to provide input for future earthquake rapid reporting and early warning implementation projects on urban environments in the Bodrum peninsula and the surrounding areas. In this poster presentation, we briefly introduce the Bodrum Network and discuss our future plans for further developments.

  20. Strong-coupling theory of superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rainer, D.; Sauls, J.A.

    1995-01-01

    The electronic properties of correlated metals with a strong electron-phonon coupling may be understood in terms of a combination of Landau''s Fermi liquid theory and the strong-coupling theory of Migdal and Eliashberg. In these lecture notes we discuss the microscopic foundations of this phenomenological Fermi-liquid model of correlated, strong-coupling metals. We formulate the basic equations of the model, which are quasiclassical transport equations that describe both equilibrium and non-equilibrium phenomena for the normal and superconducting states of a metal. Our emphasis is on superconductors close to equilibrium, for which we derive the general linear response theory. As an application we calculate the dynamical conductivity of strong-coupling superconductors. (author)

  1. Finding of pesticides in fashionable fruit juices by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Kevin; Eide, David; Nickols, Susan M; Cromer, Michele R; Sabaa-Srur, Armando; Smith, Robert E

    2012-10-15

    Products labelled as containing extracts from two mushrooms (cordyceps plus reishi) and the juices from açaí, goji, mangosteen, noni, pomegranate, and sea buckthorn have been analysed for 174 different pesticides, using the validated QuEChERS method for sample preparation and electrospray LC-MS/MS in the positive ion mode for analysis. Pesticides were found in 10 of the 21 samples analysed. Most pesticides found were below the tolerance levels (1-6 μg/g, depending on the pesticide), but some were not. This included boscalid, dimethomorph, iprovalicarb, pyridaben, pyrimethanil, and imazalil, for which there is no tolerance reported or zero tolerance in any fruit. However, genuine açaí that was harvested in the state of Pará and lyophilised in Rio de Janeiro had no detectable pesticides, when analysed by both LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS, which can detect 213 more pesticides and industrial chemicals. Likewise no pesticides were found in one sample each of cordyceps plus reishi, sea buckthorn and noni. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  2. Potential Health Benefits and Metabolomics of Camel Milk by GC-MS and ICP-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahamad, Syed Rizwan; Raish, Mohammad; Ahmad, Ajaz; Shakeel, Faiyaz

    2017-02-01

    None of the research reports reveals the metabolomics and elemental studies on camel milk. Recent studies showed that camel milk possesses anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity. Metabolomics and elemental studies were carried out in camel milk which showed us the pathways and composition that are responsible for the key biological role of camel milk. Camel milk was dissolved in methanol and chloroform fraction and then vortexed and centrifuged. Both the fractions were derivatized by N,O-bis-(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) and TMCS after nitrogen purging and analyzed by GC-MS. Camel milk was also analyzed by ICP-MS after microwave digestion. We found that higher alkanes and fatty acids are present in the chloroform fraction and amino acids, sugars and fatty acid derivatives are present in aqueous fractions. All the heavy metals like As, Pb, Cd, Co, Cu, and Ni were in the safe limits in terms of maximum daily intake of these elements. Na, K, Mg, and Ca were also present in the safe limits in terms of maximum daily intake of these elements. These results suggested that the camel milk drinking is safe and there is no health hazard. The present data of GC-MS and ICP-MS correlate the activities related to camel milk.

  3. Rydberg-atom formation in strongly correlated ultracold plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bannasch, G.; Pohl, T.

    2011-01-01

    In plasmas at very low temperatures, the formation of neutral atoms is dominated by collisional three-body recombination, owing to the strong ∼T -9/2 scaling of the corresponding recombination rate with the electron temperature T. While this law is well established at high temperatures, the unphysical divergence as T→0 clearly suggests a breakdown in the low-temperature regime. Here, we present a combined molecular dynamics Monte Carlo study of electron-ion recombination over a wide range of temperatures and densities. Our results reproduce the known behavior of the recombination rate at high temperatures, but reveal significant deviations with decreasing temperature. We discuss the fate of the kinetic bottleneck and resolve the divergence problem as the plasma enters the ultracold, strongly coupled domain.

  4. Quantification of acetaminophen (paracetamol) in human plasma and urine by stable isotope-dilution GC-MS and GC-MS/MS as pentafluorobenzyl ether derivative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trettin, Arne; Zoerner, Alexander A; Böhmer, Anke; Gutzki, Frank-Mathias; Stichtenoth, Dirk O; Jordan, Jens; Tsikas, Dimitrios

    2011-08-01

    We report on the quantitative determination of acetaminophen (paracetamol; NAPAP-d(0)) in human plasma and urine by GC-MS and GC-MS/MS in the electron-capture negative-ion chemical ionization (ECNICI) mode after derivatization with pentafluorobenzyl (PFB) bromide (PFB-Br). Commercially available tetradeuterated acetaminophen (NAPAP-d(4)) was used as the internal standard. NAPAP-d(0) and NAPAP-d(4) were extracted from 100-μL aliquots of plasma and urine with 300 μL ethyl acetate (EA) by vortexing (60s). After centrifugation the EA phase was collected, the solvent was removed under a stream of nitrogen gas, and the residue was reconstituted in acetonitrile (MeCN, 100 μL). PFB-Br (10 μL, 30 vol% in MeCN) and N,N-diisopropylethylamine (10 μL) were added and the mixture was incubated for 60 min at 30 °C. Then, solvents and reagents were removed under nitrogen and the residue was taken up with 1000 μL of toluene, from which 1-μL aliquots were injected in the splitless mode. GC-MS quantification was performed by selected-ion monitoring ions due to [M-PFB](-) and [M-PFB-H](-), m/z 150 and m/z 149 for NAPAP-d(0) and m/z 154 and m/z 153 for NAPAP-d(4), respectively. GC-MS/MS quantification was performed by selected-reaction monitoring the transition m/z 150 → m/z 107 and m/z 149 → m/z 134 for NAPAP-d(0) and m/z 154 → m/z 111 and m/z 153 → m/z 138 for NAPAP-d(4). The method was validated for human plasma (range, 0-130 μM NAPAP-d(0)) and urine (range, 0-1300 μM NAPAP-d(0)). Accuracy (recovery, %) ranged between 89 and 119%, and imprecision (RSD, %) was below 19% in these matrices and ranges. A close correlation (r>0.999) was found between the concentrations measured by GC-MS and GC-MS/MS. By this method, acetaminophen can be reliably quantified in small plasma and urine sample volumes (e.g., 10 μL). The analytical performance of the method makes it especially useful in pediatrics. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. TRANSPORT PROPERTIES OF THE STRONGLY CORRELATED SYSTEMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T.Domanski

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The transport properties of various systems are studied here in the context of three different models. These are: - the disordered Hubbard model applicable to correlated binary alloys with a general disorder, - the Anderson model used in describing the Kondo physics of a quantum dot connected to the external superconducting leads, and - the Ranninger-Robaszkiewicz model applied to the study of optical properties of the system with preformed electron pairs above the temperature of transition to the superconducting state. We calculate the density of states, specific heat, the Wilson ratio and conductivity of the correlated binary alloy with off-diagonal disorder. We investigate the conditions under which the Kondo peak appears in the density of states and in the conductance of a dot coupled to the external superconducting leads. We analyze the effect of the pseudogap on the optical spectra in the high temperature superconductors described by the boson-fermion model.

  6. Fine mapping of the genic male-sterile ms 1 gene in Capsicum annuum L.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Kyumi; Choi, Doil; Lee, Jundae

    2018-01-01

    The genomic region cosegregating with the genic male-sterile ms 1 gene of Capsicum annuum L. was delimited to a region of 869.9 kb on chromosome 5 through fine mapping analysis. A strong candidate gene, CA05g06780, a homolog of the Arabidopsis MALE STERILITY 1 gene that controls pollen development, was identified in this region. Genic male sterility caused by the ms 1 gene has been used for the economically efficient production of massive hybrid seeds in paprika (Capsicum annuum L.), a colored bell-type sweet pepper. Previously, a CAPS marker, PmsM1-CAPS, located about 2-3 cM from the ms 1 locus, was reported. In this study, we constructed a fine map near the ms 1 locus using high-resolution melting (HRM) markers in an F 2 population consisting of 1118 individual plants, which segregated into 867 male-fertile and 251 male-sterile plants. A total of 12 HRM markers linked to the ms 1 locus were developed from 53 primer sets targeting intraspecific SNPs derived by comparing genome-wide sequences obtained by next-generation resequencing analysis. Using this approach, we narrowed down the region cosegregating with the ms 1 gene to 869.9 kb of sequence. Gene prediction analysis revealed 11 open reading frames in this region. A strong candidate gene, CA05g06780, was identified; this gene is a homolog of the Arabidopsis MALE STERILITY 1 (MS1) gene, which encodes a PHD-type transcription factor that regulates pollen and tapetum development. Sequence comparison analysis suggested that the CA05g06780 gene is the strongest candidate for the ms 1 gene of paprika. To summarize, we developed a cosegregated marker, 32187928-HRM, for marker-assisted selection and identified a strong candidate for the ms 1 gene.

  7. Pediatric MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Pediatric MS Share this page Facebook Twitter Email Pediatric MS Pediatric MS Pediatric MS Support Pediatric Providers ... system through the Pediatric MS Support Group . Treating pediatric MS In 2018 the U.S. Food and Drug ...

  8. A Strong High Altitude Narrow Jet At Saturn'S Equator From Cassini/ISS Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia-Melendo, Enrique; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Legarreta, J.; Pérez-Hoyos, S.; Hueso, R.

    2010-10-01

    The intense equatorial eastward jets observed at cloud level in Jupiter and Saturn, represent a major challenge for geophysical fluid dynamics. Saturn's equatorial jet is of particular interest in view of its three dimensional structure, suspected large temporal variability, and related stratospheric semiannual oscillation. Here we report the discovery at the upper cloud level of an extremely narrow and strong jet centered in the middle of the broad equatorial jet. Previously published works on Saturn's equatorial winds at cloud level provided only a partial coverage. Automatic correlation of brightness scans and manually tracked cloud features, retrieved from images obtained by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS), show that the jet reaches 430 ms-1 with a peak speed difference of 180 ms-1 relative to nearby latitudes at 60 mbar and 390 ms-1 at depths > 500 mbar. Images were obtained in two filters: MT3, centred at the 889nm strong methane absorption band, and CB3 centred at the near infrared 939nm continuum, which are sensitive to different altitude levels at the upper clouds and hazes. Contrarily to what is observed in other latitudes, its velocity increases with altitude. Our findings helps to extend the view we have of the equatorial stratospheric dynamics of fast rotating planets beyond the best known terrestrial environment, and extract more general consequences of the interaction between waves and mean flow. It remains to be known if this equatorial jet structure, now determined in detail in three dimensions, is permanent or variable with the seasonal solar insolation cycle, including the variable shadow cast by the rings. EGM, ASL, JL, SPH, and RH have been funded by the Spanish MICIIN AYA2009-10701 with FEDER support and ASL, JL, SPH, and RH by Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT-464-07

  9. Quantum criticality and emergence of the T/B scaling in strongly correlated metals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Watanabe, Shinji [Department of Basic Sciences, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu (Japan); Miyake, Kazumasa [Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute, Nagakute (Japan)

    2016-02-15

    A new type of scaling observed in heavy-electron metal β-YbAlB{sub 4}, where the magnetic susceptibility is expressed as a single scaling function of the ratio of temperature T and magnetic field B over four decades, is examined theoretically. We develop the mode-coupling theory for critical Yb-valence fluctuations under a magnetic field, verifying that the T/B scaling behavior appears near the QCP of the valence transition. Emergence of the T/B scaling indicates the presence of the small characteristic temperature of the critical Yb-valence fluctuation due to the strong local correlation effect. It is discussed that the T/B scaling as well as the unconventional criticality is explained from the viewpoint of the quantum valence criticality in a unified way.

  10. Quantum physics of light and matter photons, atoms, and strongly correlated systems

    CERN Document Server

    Salasnich, Luca

    2017-01-01

    This compact but exhaustive textbook, now in its significantly revised and expanded second edition, provides an essential introduction to the field quantization of light and matter with applications to atomic physics and strongly correlated systems. Following an initial review of the origins of special relativity and quantum mechanics, individual chapters are devoted to the second quantization of the electromagnetic field and the consequences of light field quantization for the description of electromagnetic transitions. The spin of the electron is then analyzed, with particular attention to its derivation from the Dirac equation. Subsequent topics include the effects of external electric and magnetic fields on the atomic spectra and the properties of systems composed of many interacting identical particles. The book also provides a detailed explanation of the second quantization of the non-relativistic matter field, i.e., the Schrödinger field, which offers a powerful tool for the investigation of many-body...

  11. Strongly correlated Fermi-systems: Non-Fermi liquid behavior, quasiparticle effective mass and their interplay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaginyan, V.R. [Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, RAS, Gatchina 188300 (Russian Federation); Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel)], E-mail: vrshag@thd.pnpi.spb.ru; Amusia, M.Ya. [Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel); Popov, K.G. [Komi Science Center, Ural Division, RAS, Syktyvkar 167982 (Russian Federation)

    2009-06-15

    Basing on the density functional theory of fermion condensation, we analyze the non-Fermi liquid behavior of strongly correlated Fermi-systems such as heavy-fermion metals. When deriving equations for the effective mass of quasiparticles, we consider solids with a lattice and homogeneous systems. We show that the low-temperature thermodynamic and transport properties are formed by quasiparticles, while the dependence of the effective mass on temperature, number density, magnetic fields, etc., gives rise to the non-Fermi liquid behavior. Our theoretical study of the heat capacity, magnetization, energy scales, the longitudinal magnetoresistance and magnetic entropy are in good agreement with the remarkable recent facts collected on the heavy-fermion metal YbRh{sub 2}Si{sub 2}.

  12. Strongly correlated Fermi-systems: Non-Fermi liquid behavior, quasiparticle effective mass and their interplay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaginyan, V.R.; Amusia, M.Ya.; Popov, K.G.

    2009-01-01

    Basing on the density functional theory of fermion condensation, we analyze the non-Fermi liquid behavior of strongly correlated Fermi-systems such as heavy-fermion metals. When deriving equations for the effective mass of quasiparticles, we consider solids with a lattice and homogeneous systems. We show that the low-temperature thermodynamic and transport properties are formed by quasiparticles, while the dependence of the effective mass on temperature, number density, magnetic fields, etc., gives rise to the non-Fermi liquid behavior. Our theoretical study of the heat capacity, magnetization, energy scales, the longitudinal magnetoresistance and magnetic entropy are in good agreement with the remarkable recent facts collected on the heavy-fermion metal YbRh 2 Si 2 .

  13. Delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the meniscus (dGEMRIM) in patients with knee osteoarthritis: relation with meniscal degeneration on conventional MRI, reproducibility, and correlation with dGEMRIC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tiel, Jasper van [University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (Netherlands); University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Kotek, Gyula; Krestin, Gabriel P.; Oei, Edwin H.G. [University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Reijman, Max; Bos, Pieter K.; Verhaar, Jan A.N. [University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Bron, Esther E.; Klein, Stefan [University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC, P.O. Box 2040, Rotterdam (Netherlands); University Medical Center, Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Weinans, Harrie [University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Delft University of Technology, Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft (Netherlands); University Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Utrecht (Netherlands); University Medical Center, Department of Rheumatology, Utrecht (Netherlands)

    2014-09-15

    To assess (1) whether normal and degenerated menisci exhibit different T1{sub GD} on delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the meniscus (dGEMRIM), (2) the reproducibility of dGEMRIM and (3) the correlation between meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD} in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. In 17 OA patients who underwent dGEMRIM twice within 7 days, meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD} was calculated. Meniscus pathology was evaluated on conventional MRI. T1{sub GD} in normal and degenerated menisci were compared using a Student's t-test. Reproducibility was assessed using ICCs. Pearson's correlation was calculated between meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD}. A trend towards lower T1{sub GD} in degenerated menisci (mean: 402 ms; 95 % CI: 359-444 ms) compared to normal menisci (mean: 448 ms; 95 % CI: 423-473 ms) was observed (p = 0.05). Meniscus T1{sub GD} ICCs were 0.85-0.90. The correlation between meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD} was moderate in the lateral (r = 0.52-0.75) and strong in the medial compartment (r = 0.78-0.94). Our results show that degenerated menisci have a clear trend towards lower T1{sub GD} compared to normal menisci. Since these results are highly reproducible, meniscus degeneration may be assessed within one delayed gadolinium-enhanced MRI simultaneously with cartilage. The strong correlation between meniscus and cartilage T1{sub GD} suggests concomitant degeneration in both tissues in OA, but also suggests that dGEMRIC may not be regarded entirely as sulphated glycosaminoglycan specific. (orig.)

  14. Quantitative analysis of oxytetracycline and its impurities by LC-MS-MS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lykkeberg, Anne Kruse; Halling-Sørensen, Bent; Cornett, Claus

    2004-01-01

    A liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric method using an Xterra MS C(18) chromatographic column ( 100 mm x 2.1 mm i.d., 3.5microm) that allows complete separation of oxytetracycline (OTC) and the impurities: 4-epi-oxytetracycline (EOTC), tetracycline (TC), 4-epi-tetracycline (ETC), 2......-acetyl-2-decarboxamido-oxytetracycline (ADOTC), alpha-apo-oxytetracycline (alpha-AOTC) and beta-apo-oxytetracycline (beta-AOTC) was developed. Gradient elution was used and calibration curves were obtained using the scan mode selected reaction monitoring (SRM). Acceptable correlations were obtained...

  15. Effect of strong correlations on the high energy anomaly in hole- and electron-doped high-Tc superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moritz, B; Johnston, S; Greven, M; Shen, Z-X; Devereaux, T P; Schmitt, F; Meevasana, W; Motoyama, E M; Lu, D H; Kim, C; Scalettar, R T

    2009-01-01

    Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). This paper demonstrates, using a combination of new ARPES measurements and quantum Monte Carlo simulations, that the HEA is not simply the by-product of matrix element effects, but rather represents a cross-over from a quasi-particle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character, in both hole- and electron-doped cuprates. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. the 'waterfall'-like behavior, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying both hole and electron doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram.

  16. Adler Award Lecture: Fermi-Liquid Instabilities in Strongly Correlated f-Electron Materials.^*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maple, M. Brian

    1996-03-01

    Strongly correlated f-electron materials are replete with novel electronic states and phenomena ; e. g. , a metallic ``heavy electron'' state with a quasiparticle effective mass of several hundred times the free electron mass, anisotropic superconductivity with an energy gap that may vanish at points or along lines on the Fermi surface, the coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism over different parts of the Fermi surface, multiple superconducting phases in the hyperspace of chemical composition, temperature, pressure, and magnetic field, and an insulating phase, in so-called ``hybridization gap semiconductors'' or ``Kondo insulators'', with a small energy gap of only a few meV. During the last several years, a new low temperature non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) state has been observed in a new class of strongly correlated f-electron materials which currently consists of certain Ce and U intermetallics into which a nonmagnetic element has been substituted.(M. B. Maple et al./) , J. Low Temp. Phys. 99 , 223 (1995). The Ce and U ions have partially-filled f-electron shells and carry magnetic dipole or electric quadrupole moments which interact with the spins and charges of the conduction electrons and can participate in magnetic or quadrupolar ordering at low temperatures. The physical properties of these materials exhibit weak power law or logarithmic divergences in temperature and suggest the existence of a critical point at T=0 K. Possible origins of the 0 K critical point include an unconventional moment compensation process, such as a multichannel Kondo effect, and fluctuations of the order parameter in the vicinity of a 0 K second order phase transition. In some systems, such as Y_1-xU_xPd 3 and U_1-xTh_xPd _2Al 3 , the NFL characteristics appear to be single ion effects since they persist to low concentrations of f-moments, whereas in other systems, such as CeCu _5.9Au _0.1 , the NFL behavior seems to be associated with interactions between the f

  17. Atomic physics of strongly correlated systems: Progress report, 1 February 1988--15 January 1989

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Chii-Dong.

    1989-01-01

    This report presents the progress made in our continuing study of strongly correlated atomic systems for the last contract period. In the area of hyperspherical coordinates for Coulombic three-body systems of arbitrary masses a general computing code has been developed. Calculation of the adiabatic potential curves have been accomplished for the e/sup /minus//e + e/sup /minus// system of arbitrary L, S and parity π. It was found that these curves behave very similar to the potential curves of H/sup /minus// except for a mass scaling. We have also examined the mass dependence of the ground state potential curves for systems of three charged particles, AAB, and showed that the curves become more attractive as the mass m/sub A/ becomes larger than m/sub B/. For ion-atom collisions we have examined the transfer-excitation (TE) processes to establish the importance of electron correlations in these two-electron transitions. We have also examined the orientation parameters for excited states formed in collisions with positive and negative charged particles to establish the relation between the sign of the charge of the incident particles to the sign of

  18. Improving the clinical correlation of multiple sclerosis black hole volume change by paired-scan analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tam, Roger C; Traboulsee, Anthony; Riddehough, Andrew; Li, David K B

    2012-01-01

    The change in T 1-hypointense lesion ("black hole") volume is an important marker of pathological progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). Black hole boundaries often have low contrast and are difficult to determine accurately and most (semi-)automated segmentation methods first compute the T 2-hyperintense lesions, which are a superset of the black holes and are typically more distinct, to form a search space for the T 1w lesions. Two main potential sources of measurement noise in longitudinal black hole volume computation are partial volume and variability in the T 2w lesion segmentation. A paired analysis approach is proposed herein that uses registration to equalize partial volume and lesion mask processing to combine T 2w lesion segmentations across time. The scans of 247 MS patients are used to compare a selected black hole computation method with an enhanced version incorporating paired analysis, using rank correlation to a clinical variable (MS functional composite) as the primary outcome measure. The comparison is done at nine different levels of intensity as a previous study suggests that darker black holes may yield stronger correlations. The results demonstrate that paired analysis can strongly improve longitudinal correlation (from -0.148 to -0.303 in this sample) and may produce segmentations that are more sensitive to clinically relevant changes.

  19. Study of thermal behavior of vitamin D3 by pyrolysis-GC-MS in combination with boiling point-retention time correlation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yu'an; Liu, Baoxia; Wang, Guoqing; Zhang, Rongjie; Xie, Bing

    2005-01-01

    The thermal behavior of vitamin D3 was studied based on pyrolysis-GC-MS technique. It was pyrolyzed at 600 degrees C, 750 degrees C, 900 degrees C, respectively. The pyrolysis product were separated With an HP-5 column and identified by the NIST mass spectral search program in combination with the correlation of boiling point and retention time (BP-RT). There are totally 50 components, including mono aromatics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were determined. It is shown that the contents of the PAHs are increasing with the increasing of the pyrolysis temperature. The contents of the determined components vary from 0.04% to 37.08%.

  20. Analysis of multiple vitamin D metabolites by ultra-performance supercritical fluid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPSFC-MS/MS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkinson, Carl; Taylor, Angela; Storbeck, Karl-Heinz; Hewison, Martin

    2018-06-15

    In recent years, increased interest in the human health benefits of vitamin D has led to demand for improved analysis of patient vitamin D 'status'. Studies to date have focused primarily on a single vitamin D metabolite, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, despite the existence of a broad range of vitamin D metabolites, referred to as the vitamin D metabolome. This study reports on the development of a rapid UPSFC-MS/MS method for the analysis of nine vitamin D metabolites in human serum. Optimum separation was obtained with a Lux-Cellulose chiral column. We observed an orthogonal elution order when compared with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The order of elution was reversed based on hydroxyl- group number, however elution order did not differ between isomeric changes in hydroxyl- group position or epimers. Although UPSFC yielded superior resolution and selectivity over previously developed UHPLC-MS/MS methods, improvements in sensitivity could not be achieved owing to the lower injection volume required for UPSFC relative to UHPLC. Method validation was performed on the developed UPSFC-MS/MS method and found to be within acceptable limits. Applying the method to the analysis of human serum samples showed a significant correlation with serum concentrations of metabolites measured by UHPLC-MS/MS (25OHD3 r = 0.997, P=<0.001, and 3-epi-25OHD3 r = 0.996, P ≤0.001). These data indicate that UPSFC provides an efficient analytical platform for rapid analysis of multiple vitamin D metabolites from serum. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Electron-mediated relaxation following ultrafast pumping of strongly correlated materials: model evidence of a correlation-tuned crossover between thermal and nonthermal states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moritz, B; Kemper, A F; Sentef, M; Devereaux, T P; Freericks, J K

    2013-08-16

    We examine electron-electron mediated relaxation following ultrafast electric field pump excitation of the fermionic degrees of freedom in the Falicov-Kimball model for correlated electrons. The results reveal a dichotomy in the temporal evolution of the system as one tunes through the Mott metal-to-insulator transition: in the metallic regime relaxation can be characterized by evolution toward a steady state well described by Fermi-Dirac statistics with an increased effective temperature; however, in the insulating regime this quasithermal paradigm breaks down with relaxation toward a nonthermal state with a complicated electronic distribution as a function of momentum. We characterize the behavior by studying changes in the energy, photoemission response, and electronic distribution as functions of time. This relaxation may be observable qualitatively on short enough time scales that the electrons behave like an isolated system not in contact with additional degrees of freedom which would act as a thermal bath, especially when using strong driving fields and studying materials whose physics may manifest the effects of correlations.

  2. 1S and $\\overline{MS}$ Bottom Quark Masses from $\\Upsilon$ Sum Rules

    CERN Document Server

    Hoang, A.H.

    2000-01-01

    The bottom quark $1S$ mass, $M_b^{1S}$, is determined using sum rules which relate the masses and the electronic decay widths of the $\\Upsilon$ mesons to moments of the vacuum polarization function. The $1S$ mass is defined as half the perturbative mass of a fictitious ${}^3S_1$ bottom-antibottom quark bound state, and is free of the ambiguity of order $\\Lambda_{QCD}$ which plagues the pole mass definition. Compared to an earlier analysis by the same author, which had been carried out in the pole mass scheme, the $1S$ mass scheme leads to a much better behaved perturbative series of the moments, smaller uncertainties in the mass extraction and to a reduced correlation of the mass and the strong coupling. We arrive at $M_b^{1S}=4.71\\pm 0.03$ GeV taking m_b(\\bar m_b)$ can be reduced if the three-loop corrections to the relation of pole and $\\bar{MS}$ mass are known and if the error in the strong coupling is decreased.

  3. A sensitive LC-MS/MS method for measurement of organophosphorus pesticides and their oxygen analogs in air sampling matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Jenna L; Dills, Russell L; Yu, Jianbo; Yost, Michael G; Fenske, Richard A

    2014-01-01

    A rapid liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed for determination of levels of the organophosphorus (OP) pesticides chlorpyrifos (CPF), azinphos methyl (AZM), and their oxygen analogs chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPF-O) and azinphos methyl-oxon (AZM-O) on common active air sampling matrices. XAD-2 resin and polyurethane foam (PUF) matrices were extracted with acetonitrile containing stable-isotope labeled internal standards (ISTD). Analysis was accomplished in Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) mode, and analytes in unknown samples were identified by retention time (±0.1 min) and qualifier ratio (±30% absolute) as compared to the mean of calibrants. For all compounds, calibration linearity correlation coefficients were ≥0.996. Limits of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.15-1.1 ng/sample for CPF, CPF-O, AZM, and AZM-O on active sampling matrices. Spiked fortification recoveries were 78-113% from XAD-2 active air sampling tubes and 71-108% from PUF active air sampling tubes. Storage stability tests also yielded recoveries ranging from 74-94% after time periods ranging from 2-10 months. The results demonstrate that LC-MS/MS is a sensitive method for determining these compounds from two different matrices at the low concentrations that can result from spray drift and long range transport in non-target areas following agricultural applications. In an inter-laboratory comparison, the limit of quantification (LOQ) for LC-MS/MS was 100 times lower than a typical gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method.

  4. Strong-Field Modulated Diffraction Effects in the Correlated Electron-Nuclear Motion in Dissociating H2+

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He Feng; Becker, Andreas; Thumm, Uwe

    2008-01-01

    We show that the electronic dynamics in a molecule driven by a strong field is complex and potentially even counterintuitive. As a prototype example, we simulate the interaction of a dissociating H 2 + molecule with an intense infrared laser pulse. Depending on the laser intensity, the direction of the electron's motion between the two nuclei is found to follow or oppose the classical laser-electric force. We explain the sensitive dependence of the correlated electronic-nuclear motion in terms of the diffracting electronic momentum distribution of the dissociating two-center system. The distribution is dynamically modulated by the nuclear motion and periodically shifted in the oscillating infrared electric field

  5. Strong correlation effects on the d-wave superconductor- spectral weight analysis by variational wave functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chou, C-P; Lee, T K; Ho, C-M

    2009-01-01

    We examine the strong correlation effects of the d-wave superconducting state by including the Gutzwiller projection for no electron double occupancy at each lattice site. The spectral weights (SW's) for adding and removing an electron on the projected superconducting state, the ground state of the 2-dimensional t-t'-t - J model with moderate doped holes describing the high T c cuprates, are studied numerically on finite lattices and compared with the observation made by low-temperature tunneling (particle asymmetry of tunneling conductance) and angle-resolved photoemission (SW transfer from the projected Fermi liquid state) spectroscopies. The contrast with the d-wave case without projection is alo presented.

  6. The relationship between MRI and PET changes and cognitive disturbances in MS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Per Soelberg; Jønsson, Agnete; Kahr Mathiesen, Henrik

    2006-01-01

    Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS) is present in approximately 50% of the patients. Only moderate correlations have been found between cognitive dysfunction and T2 lesion load, black holes or atrophy. Cognitive dysfunction in MS is probably related to the overall disease burden...... of the brain including abnormalities in normal appearing white matter (NAWM) and cortical grey matter, which is undetected with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Hence, imaging techniques that embrace such abnormalities are needed to achieve better correlation with cognitive dysfunction. MR...

  7. SFC-MS/MS as an orthogonal technique for improved screening of polar analytes in anti-doping control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parr, Maria Kristina; Wuest, Bernhard; Naegele, Edgar; Joseph, Jan F; Wenzel, Maxi; Schmidt, Alexander H; Stanic, Mijo; de la Torre, Xavier; Botrè, Francesco

    2016-09-01

    HPLC is considered the method of choice for the separation of various classes of drugs. However, some analytes are still challenging as HPLC shows limited resolution capabilities for highly polar analytes as they interact insufficiently on conventional reversed-phase (RP) columns. Especially in combination with mass spectrometric detection, limitations apply for alterations of stationary phases. Some highly polar sympathomimetic drugs and their metabolites showed almost no retention on different RP columns. Their retention remains poor even on phenylhexyl phases that show different selectivity due to π-π interactions. Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) as an orthogonal separation technique to HPLC may help to overcome these issues. Selected polar drugs and metabolites were analyzed utilizing SFC separation. All compounds showed sharp peaks and good retention even for the very polar analytes, such as sulfoconjugates. Retention times and elution orders in SFC are different to both RP and HILIC separations as a result of the orthogonality. Short cycle times could be realized. As temperature and pressure strongly influence the polarity of supercritical fluids, precise regulation of temperature and backpressure is required for the stability of the retention times. As CO2 is the main constituent of the mobile phase in SFC, solvent consumption and solvent waste are considerably reduced. Graphical Abstract SFC-MS/MS vs. LC-MS/MS.

  8. Dansyl-peptides matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometric (MALDI-MS) and tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) features improve the liquid chromatography/MALDI-MS/MS analysis of the proteome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiappetta, Giovanni; Ndiaye, Sega; Demey, Emmanuelle; Haddad, Iman; Marino, Gennaro; Amoresano, Angela; Vinh, Joëlle

    2010-10-30

    Peptide tagging is a useful tool to improve matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem mass spectrometric (MALDI-MS/MS) analysis. We present a new application of the use of the dansyl chloride (DNS-Cl). DNS-Cl is a specific primary amine reagent widely used in protein biochemistry. It adds a fluorescent dimethylaminonaphthalene moiety to the molecule. The evaluation of MALDI-MS and MS/MS analyses of dansylated peptides shows that dansylation raises the ionization efficiency of the most hydrophilic species compared with the most hydrophobic ones. Consequently, higher Mascot scores and protein sequence coverage are obtained by combining MS and MS/MS data of native and tagged samples. The N-terminal DNS-Cl sulfonation improves the peptide fragmentation and promotes the generation of b-fragments allowing better peptide sequencing. In addition, we set up a labeling protocol based on the microwave chemistry. Peptide dansylation proved to be a rapid and cheap method to improve the performance of liquid chromatography (LC)/MALDI-MS/MS analysis at the proteomic scale in terms of peptide detection and sequence coverage. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Elevated urinary levels of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines in patients with urinary tract infections measured by isotope dilution online SPE LC–MS/MS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Chiung-Wen; Shih, Ying-Ming; Liu, Hung-Hsin; Chiang, Yi-Chen; Chen, Chih-Ming; Chao, Mu-Rong

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Nine N-nitrosamines in urine were quantified by LC–MS/MS. • N-nitrosodiphenylamine was firstly identified in human urine. • UTI patients had much higher N-nitrosamines concentrations than healthy subjects. • N-nitrosamines were dramatically decreased after antibiotic treatment. • NDMA was correlated with the pH, WBC esterase activity or nitrite in UTI patients. - Abstract: N-nitrosamines (NAms) are well-documented for their carcinogenic potential. Human exposure to NAms may arise from the daily environment and endogenous formation via the reaction of secondary amines with nitrites or from bacteria infection. We describe the use of isotope dilution online solid-phase extraction (SPE) LC–MS/MS to quantify nine NAms in human urine. This method was validated and further applied to healthy subjects and patients with urinary tract infection (UTI). N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomethylethylamine (NMEA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) were analyzed with an APCI source, while N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP), N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosodibutylamine (NDBA) and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA) were quantified with an ESI source, due to their effect on the sensitivity and chromatography. NDMA was the most abundant N-nitrosamine, while NDPhA was firstly identified in human. UTI patients had three to twelve-fold higher concentrations for NDMA, NPIP, NDEA, NMOR and NDBA in urine than healthy subjects, and the NAms were significantly decreased after antibiotics treatment. NDMA concentrations were also significantly correlated with the pH value, leukocyte esterase activity or nitrite in urines of UTI patients. Our findings by online SPE LC–MS/MS method evidenced that UTI patients experienced various NAms exposures, especially the potent carcinogen NDMA, which was likely induced by bacteria infection.

  10. Elevated urinary levels of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines in patients with urinary tract infections measured by isotope dilution online SPE LC–MS/MS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Chiung-Wen [Department of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Shih, Ying-Ming [Department of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Division of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 500, Taiwan (China); Liu, Hung-Hsin [Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Chiang, Yi-Chen [Department of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, Fujian (China); Chen, Chih-Ming [Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Chao, Mu-Rong, E-mail: chaomurong@gmail.com [Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Department of Occupational Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China)

    2016-06-05

    Highlights: • Nine N-nitrosamines in urine were quantified by LC–MS/MS. • N-nitrosodiphenylamine was firstly identified in human urine. • UTI patients had much higher N-nitrosamines concentrations than healthy subjects. • N-nitrosamines were dramatically decreased after antibiotic treatment. • NDMA was correlated with the pH, WBC esterase activity or nitrite in UTI patients. - Abstract: N-nitrosamines (NAms) are well-documented for their carcinogenic potential. Human exposure to NAms may arise from the daily environment and endogenous formation via the reaction of secondary amines with nitrites or from bacteria infection. We describe the use of isotope dilution online solid-phase extraction (SPE) LC–MS/MS to quantify nine NAms in human urine. This method was validated and further applied to healthy subjects and patients with urinary tract infection (UTI). N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosomethylethylamine (NMEA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NMOR) were analyzed with an APCI source, while N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), N-nitrosopiperidine (NPIP), N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosodibutylamine (NDBA) and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA) were quantified with an ESI source, due to their effect on the sensitivity and chromatography. NDMA was the most abundant N-nitrosamine, while NDPhA was firstly identified in human. UTI patients had three to twelve-fold higher concentrations for NDMA, NPIP, NDEA, NMOR and NDBA in urine than healthy subjects, and the NAms were significantly decreased after antibiotics treatment. NDMA concentrations were also significantly correlated with the pH value, leukocyte esterase activity or nitrite in urines of UTI patients. Our findings by online SPE LC–MS/MS method evidenced that UTI patients experienced various NAms exposures, especially the potent carcinogen NDMA, which was likely induced by bacteria infection.

  11. Aroma volatiles obtained at harvest by HS-SPME/GC-MS and INDEX/MS-E-nose fingerprint discriminate climacteric behaviour in melon fruit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaparro-Torres, Libia A; Bueso, María C; Fernández-Trujillo, Juan P

    2016-05-01

    Melon aroma volatiles were extracted at harvest from juice of a climacteric near-isogenic line (NIL) SC3-5-1 with two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) introgressed which produced climacteric behaviour and its non-climacteric parental (PS) using two methodologies of analysis: static headspace solid phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and inside needle dynamic extraction (INDEX) by MS-based electronic nose (MS-E-nose). Of the 137 volatiles compounds identified, most were found at significantly higher concentrations in SC3-5-1 than in PS in both seasons. These volatiles were mostly esters, alcohols, sulfur-derived esters and even some aldehydes and others. The number of variables with high correlation values was reduced by using correlation network analysis. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) achieved the correct classification of PS and SC3-5-1. The ions m/z 74, 91, 104, 105, 106 and 108, mainly volatile derivatives precursor phenylalanine, were the most discriminant in SC3-5-1 and PS. As many as 104 QTLs were mapped in season 1 and at least 78 QTLs in each season with an effect above the PS mean. GC-MS gave better discrimination than E-nose. Most of the QTLs that mapped in both seasons enhanced aroma volatiles associated with climacteric behaviour. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  12. Aspects of Strongly Correlated Many-Body Fermi Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, William J., III

    A, by now, well-known signal-to-noise problem plagues Monte Carlo calculations of quantum-information-theoretic observables in systems of interacting fermions, particularly the Renyi entanglement entropies Sn, even in many cases where the infamous sign problem does not appear. Several methods have been put forward to circumvent this affliction including ensemble-switching techniques using auxiliary partition-function ratios. This dissertation presents an algorithm that modifies the recently proposed free-fermion decomposition in an essential way: we incorporate the entanglement-sensitive correlations directly into the probability measure in a natural way. Implementing this algorithm, we demonstrate that it is compatible with the hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm, the workhorse of the lattice quantum chromodynamics community and an essential tool for studying gauge theories that contain dynamical fermions. By studying a simple one-dimensional Hubbard model, we demonstrate that our method does not exhibit the same debilitating numerical difficulties that naive attempts to study entanglement often encounter. Following that, we illustrate some key probabilistic insights, using intuition derived from the previous method and its successes to construct a simpler, better behaved, and more elegant algorithm. Using this method, in combination with new identities which allow us to avoid seemingly necessary numerical difficulties, the inversion of the restricted one-body density matrices, we compute high order Renyi entropies and perform a thorough comparison to this new algorithm's predecessor using the Hubbard model mentioned before. Finally, we characterize non-perturbatively the Renyi entropies of degree n = 2,3,4, and 5 of three-dimensional, strongly coupled many-fermion systems in the scale-invariant regime of short interaction range and large scattering length, i.e. in the unitary limit using the algorithms detailed herein. We also detail an exact, few-body projective method

  13. The Electron-Phonon Interaction in Strongly Correlated Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castellani, C.; Grilli, M.

    1995-01-01

    We analyze the effect of strong electron-electron repulsion on the electron-phonon interaction from a Fermi-liquid point of view and show that the electron-electron interaction is responsible for vertex corrections, which generically lead to a strong suppression of the electron-phonon coupling in the v F q/ω >>1 region, while such effect is not present when v F q/ω F is the Fermi velocity and q and ω are the transferred momentum and frequency respectively. In particular the e-ph scattering is suppressed in transport properties which are dominated by low-energy-high-momentum processes. On the other hand, analyzing the stability criterion for the compressibility, which involves the effective interactions in the dynamical limit, we show that a sizable electron-phonon interaction can push the system towards a phase-separation instability. Finally a detailed analysis of these ideas is carried out using a slave-boson approach for the infinite-U three-band Hubbard model in the presence of a coupling between the local hole density and a dispersionless optical phonon. (author)

  14. Fundamental studies of interferences in ICP-MS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rowley, L.K

    2000-11-01

    Methods of temperature measurement by mass spectrometry have been critically reviewed. It was concluded that the most appropriate method depended critically on the availability of fundamental data, hence a database of fundamental spectroscopic constants, for diatomic ions which cause interferences in ICP-MS, was compiled. The equilibration temperature, calculated using the different methods and using various diatomic ions as the thermometric probes, was between c.a. 400 - 10,000 K in the central channel, and between c.a. 600 - 16,000 K when the plasma was moved 1.8 mm off-centre. The wide range in temperature reflected the range of temperature measurement methods and uncertainty in the fundamental data. Optical studies using a fibre optic connected to a monochromator were performed in order to investigate the presence of interferences both in the plasma and the interface region of the ICP-MS, and the influence of a shielded torch on these interferences. It was possible to determine the presence of some species in the plasma, such as the strongly bound metal oxides, however, no species other than OH were detected in the interface region of the ICP-MS. The OH rotational temperature within the interface region of the ICP-MS was calculated to be between 2,000 - 4,000 K. The effect of sampling depth, operating power, radial position and solvent loading, with and without the shielded torch, on the dissociation temperature of a variety of polyatomic interferences was investigated. These calculated temperatures were then used to elucidate the site of formation for different polyatomic interferences. Results confirmed that strongly bound ions such as MO{sup +} were formed in the plasma, whereas weakly bound ions such as ArO{sup +} were formed in the interface region due to gross deviation of the calculated temperatures from those expected for a system in thermal equilibrium. (author)

  15. UPLC-MS/MS-Based Profiling of Eicosanoids in RAW264.7 Cells Treated with Lipopolysaccharide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jae Won Lee

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available While both the pro- and anti-inflammatory effects of several eicosanoids have been widely studied, the degree of inflammation in cells that results from various eicosanoids has yet to be comprehensively studied. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS treatment on eicosanoid content in RAW264.7 cells. An Ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS-based profiling method was used to analyze the eicosanoid contents of RAW264.7 cells treated with different LPS concentrations. The profiling data were subjected to statistical analyses, such as principal component analysis (PCA and hierarchical clustering analysis. LPS treatment increased nitric oxide production and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, in a concentration-dependent manner. In total, 79 eicosanoids were identified in the cells. RAW264.7 cells treated with different LPS concentrations were well differentiated in the PCA score plot. A heatmap was used to identify the eicosanoids that were up- or down-regulated according to the degree of inflammation and LPS concentration. Thirty-nine eicosanoids were upregulated and seven were down-regulated by LPS treatment in a concentration-dependent manner. Our novel UPLC-MS/MS technique can profile eicosanoids, and can evaluate the correlations between inflammation and eicosanoid metabolism.

  16. Excitonic condensation in systems of strongly correlated electrons

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kuneš, Jan

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 27, č. 33 (2015), s. 333201 ISSN 0953-8984 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : electronic correlations * exciton * Bose-Einstein condensation Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.209, year: 2015

  17. Electronic structure calculations of atomic transport properties in uranium dioxide: influence of strong correlations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dorado, B.

    2010-09-01

    Uranium dioxide UO 2 is the standard nuclear fuel used in pressurized water reactors. During in-reactor operation, the fission of uranium atoms yields a wide variety of fission products (FP) which create numerous point defects while slowing down in the material. Point defects and FP govern in turn the evolution of the fuel physical properties under irradiation. In this study, we use electronic structure calculations in order to better understand the fuel behavior under irradiation. In particular, we investigate point defect behavior, as well as the stability of three volatile FP: iodine, krypton and xenon. In order to take into account the strong correlations of uranium 5f electrons in UO 2 , we use the DFT+U approximation, based on the density functional theory. This approximation, however, creates numerous metastable states which trap the system and induce discrepancies in the results reported in the literature. To solve this issue and to ensure the ground state is systematically approached as much as possible, we use a method based on electronic occupancy control of the correlated orbitals. We show that the DFT+U approximation, when used with electronic occupancy control, can describe accurately point defect and fission product behavior in UO 2 and provide quantitative information regarding point defect transport properties in the oxide fuel. (author)

  18. Record statistics of a strongly correlated time series: random walks and Lévy flights

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godrèche, Claude; Majumdar, Satya N.; Schehr, Grégory

    2017-08-01

    We review recent advances on the record statistics of strongly correlated time series, whose entries denote the positions of a random walk or a Lévy flight on a line. After a brief survey of the theory of records for independent and identically distributed random variables, we focus on random walks. During the last few years, it was indeed realized that random walks are a very useful ‘laboratory’ to test the effects of correlations on the record statistics. We start with the simple one-dimensional random walk with symmetric jumps (both continuous and discrete) and discuss in detail the statistics of the number of records, as well as of the ages of the records, i.e. the lapses of time between two successive record breaking events. Then we review the results that were obtained for a wide variety of random walk models, including random walks with a linear drift, continuous time random walks, constrained random walks (like the random walk bridge) and the case of multiple independent random walkers. Finally, we discuss further observables related to records, like the record increments, as well as some questions raised by physical applications of record statistics, like the effects of measurement error and noise.

  19. Development of an SPME-GC-MS/MS method for the determination of pesticides in rainwater: Laboratory and field experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sauret-Szczepanski, Nathalie; Mirabel, Philippe; Wortham, Henri

    2006-01-01

    A solid-phase microextraction - coupled to a gas chromatography - ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS/MS) method was developed for the quantitative determination in rainwater of 8 pesticides amongst the most used in France and 3 triazines metabolites. The main factors affecting the SPME process were studied. Using a 3 mL sample, the method developed showed good linearity for concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 50 μg L -1 with correlation coefficients between 0.997 and 0.9999 and relative standard deviations (% RSD) below 14%. The study of matrix effects showed that rainwater was too diluted to have any significant influence on the extraction efficiency. To validate the method, a field campaign was carried out on the rain events, which occurred in Strasbourg during a one-year period. The rain concentrations showed patterns of high pesticide concentrations during spring months, which were correlated to the spraying periods of most of these substances. - Solid-phase microextraction efficiency of pesticides in rainwater was optimized

  20. Improvement of Nicotinic Acid and Nicotinamide Analysis in Meats and Meat Products by HPLC and LC-MS/MS with Solid-Phase Extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiki, Asako; Yamajima, Yukiko; Uematsu, Yoko

    2016-01-01

    A method for nicotinic acid (NA) and nicotinamide (NAA) analysis in meats was developed. NA and NAA were extracted from meats or meat products with metaphosphate aqueous solution. The extract was cleaned up with an Oasis MCX cartridge. The cartridge was washed with 2% acetic acid (v/v) and acetic acid-methanol solution. NA and NAA were eluted with ammonia-methanol solution. NA and NAA in the eluate were chromatographed on a Scherzo SM-C18 (3.0×150 mm, 3.0 μm) column with 20 mmol/L ammonium acetate containing 0.1% acetic acid-acetonitrile (97 : 3) as a mobile phase and were monitored at 261 nm. Quantification was performed by LC and LC-MS/MS. Calibration curves showed high linearity (correlation coefficient>0.998) between 1-25 μg/mL for LC and LC-MS/MS. Recoveries were 84-108% (CV≦5.8%) by HPLC and 79-105% (CV≦9.0%) by LC-MS/MS. The limit of quantitation for NA was 0.005-0.01 g/kg and that for NAA was 0.01-0.02 g/kg.

  1. MALDI-TOF MS/MS measurements of PMMA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Becer, C.R.; Baumgaertel, A.; Gottschaldt, M.; Schubert, U.S.

    2008-01-01

    The polymer poly(Me methacrylate) (PMMA) was analyzed using the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technique. The MALDI-TOF MS app. was coupled with a collision-induced dissocn. (CID) unit. The performance of the MALDI-TOF/TOF MS method in

  2. Designing, Probing, and Stabilizing Exotic Fabry-Perot Cavities for Studying Strongly Correlated Light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryou, Albert

    Synthetic materials made of engineered quasiparticles are a powerful platform for studying manybody physics and strongly correlated systems due to their bottom-up approach to Hamiltonian modeling. Photonic quasiparticles called polaritons are particularly appealing since they inherit fast dynamics from light and strong interaction from matter. This thesis describes the experimental demonstration of cavity Rydberg polaritons, which are composite particles arising from the hybridization of an optical cavity with Rydberg EIT, as well as the tools for probing and stabilizing the cavity. We first describe the design, construction, and testing of a four-mirror Fabry-Perot cavity, whose small waist size on the order of 10 microns is comparable to the Rydberg blockade radius. By achieving strong coupling between the cavity photon and an atomic ensemble undergoing electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), we observe the emergence of the dark-state polariton and characterize its single-body properties as well as the single-quantum nonlinearity. We then describe the implementation of a holographic spatial light modulator for exciting different transverse modes of the cavity, an essential tool for studying polariton-polariton scattering. For compensating optical aberrations, we employ a digital micromirror device (DMD), combining beam shaping with adaptive optics to produce diffraction-limited light. We quantitatively measure the purity of the DMD-produced Hermite-Gauss modes and confirm up to 99.2% efficiency. One application of the technique is to create Laguerre-Gauss modes, which have been used to probe synthetic Landau levels for photons in a twisted, nonplanar cavity. Finally, we describe the implementation of an FPGA-based FIR filter for stabilizing the cavity. We digitally cancel the acoustical resonances of the feedback-controlled mechanical system, thereby demonstrating an order-of-magnitude enhancement in the feedback bandwidth from 200 Hz to more than 2 k

  3. An assessment of communication skills of the MD/MS students of institute of medicine in Nepal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jagdish Prasad Agrawal

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction The main objective of this study was to assess the level of interpersonal communication skills of MD/MS resident doctors and to provide recommendations for the future. Methods Descriptive, cross sectional, qualitative and quantitative research design was used. 7- point Likert scale (0 to 6 MAAS-Global scoring instrument was used. The subjects of the research were the MD/MS residents from various departments of Maharajgunj Medical Campus (MMC of Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu. Out of 162 MD/MS residents, only 30 (18.5% MD/MS residents were selected for the sample size for the study from 1st, 2nd and 3rd year. One MD/MS resident was required four video recording to conduct four interviews with patients coming to the outpatient department. Results There was high degree of positive correlation between Information sharing and Management (r=0.746 whereas weak negative correlation on clarification and diagnosis (r=-0.011. Inter-rater correlation was established before hand and was satisfactory (p < 0.05. Conclusions This base line study of MD/MS residents shows that over all MD/MS residents are deficient in almost all the components of interpersonal communication skills. A communication skills training course in postgraduate medical education could improve the existing communication skills of the doctors in Nepal.

  4. Combination of pentafluorophenylhydrazine derivatization and isotope dilution LC-MS/MS techniques for the quantification of apurinic/apyrimidinic sites in cellular DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jie; Leung, Elvis M K; Choi, Martin M F; Chan, Wan

    2013-05-01

    Apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites are common DNA lesions arising from spontaneous hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond and base-excision repair mechanisms of the modified bases. Due to the strong association of AP site formation with physically/chemically induced DNA damage, quantifying AP sites provides important information for risk assessment of exposure to genotoxins and oxidative stress. However, rigorous quantification of AP sites in DNA has been hampered by technical problems relating to the sensitivity and selectivity of existing analytical methods. We have developed a new isotope dilution liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the rigorous quantification of AP sites in genomic DNA. The method entails enzymatic digestion of AP site-containing DNA by endo- and exonucleases, derivatization with pentafluorophenylhydrazine (PFPH), addition of an isotopically labeled PFPH derivative as internal standard, and quantification by LC-MS/MS. The combination of PFPH derivatization with LC-MS/MS analysis on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer allows for sensitive and selective quantification of AP sites in DNA at a detection limit of 6.5 fmol, corresponding to 4 AP sites/10(9) nt in 5 μg of DNA, which is at least ten times more sensitive than existing analytical methods. The protocol was validated by AP site-containing oligonucleotides and applied in quantifying methyl methanesulfonate-induced formation of AP sites in cellular DNA.

  5. High serum dihydrotestosterone examined by ultrasensitive LC-MS/MS as a predictor of benign prostatic hyperplasia or Gleason score 6 cancer in men with prostate-specific antigen levels of 3-10 ng/mL.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyoshi, Y; Uemura, H; Suzuki, K; Shibata, Y; Honma, S; Harada, M; Kubota, Y

    2017-03-01

    There has been no consensus on the role of serum androgen concentrations in prostate cancer detection in men with prostate-specific antigen levels of 3-10 ng/mL. In this study, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone concentrations in blood were examined by a newly developed method using ultrasensitive liquid chromatography with two serially linked mass spectrometers (LC-MS/MS). We investigated the correlation between serum androgen levels and Gleason scores at biopsy. We analyzed data of 157 men with a total prostate-specific antigen range of 3-10 ng/mL who underwent initial systematic prostate needle biopsy for suspected prostate cancer between April 2000 and July 2003. Peripheral blood testosterone and dihydrotestosterone concentrations were determined by LC-MS/MS. Blood levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone were compared with pathological findings by multivariate analyses. Median values of prostate-specific antigen and prostate volume measured by ultrasound were 5.7 ng/mL and 31.4 cm 3 , respectively. Benign prostatic hyperplasia was diagnosed in 97 patients (61.8%), and prostate cancer was diagnosed in 60 (38.2%) patients, including 31 (19.7%) patients with a Gleason score of 6 and 29 (18.5%) patients with a Gleason score of 7-10. Median values of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in blood were 3798.7 and 371.7 pg/mL, respectively. There was a strong correlation between serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. In multivariate analysis, age, prostate volume, and serum dihydrotestosterone were significant predictors of benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 6. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for age, prostate volume, and serum dihydrotestosterone were 0.67, 0.67, and 0.67, respectively . We confirmed that high dihydrotestosterone blood levels can predict benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 6 in men with prostate-specific antigen levels of 3-10

  6. Disability in progressive MS is associated with T2 lesion changes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ammitzbøll, Cecilie; Dyrby, Tim Bjørn; Lyksborg, Mark

    2017-01-01

    Background: Progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by diffuse changes on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which complicates the use of MRI as a diagnostic and prognostic marker. The relationship between MRI measures (conventional and non-conventional) and clinical disability...... in progressive MS therefore warrants further investigation. Objective: To investigate the relationship between clinical disability and MRI measures in patients with progressive MS. Methods: Data from 93 primary and secondary progressive MS patients who had participated in 3 phase 2 clinical trials were included...... matter. Disability was assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the MS functional composite. Results: T2 lesion volume was associated with impairment by all clinical measures. MD and MTR in T2 lesions were significantly related to disability, and lower FA values correlated with worse...

  7. Clinical laboratory verification of thyroglobulin concentrations in the presence of autoantibodies to thyroglobulin: comparison of EIA, radioimmunoassay and LC MS/MS measurements in an Urban Hospital.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wheeler, Sarah E; Liu, Li; Blair, Harry C; Sivak, Richard; Longo, Nancy; Tischler, Jeffery; Mulvey, Kathryn; Palmer, Octavia M Peck

    2017-12-08

    Thyroglobulin (Tg) measurements assess recurrence in post-thyroidectomy thyroid cancer patients. Tg measurements by enzyme immunoassays (EIA) can be falsely elevated by interference from Tg autoantibodies (TgAb). Radioimmunoassay (RIA) is less susceptible to TgAb interference and has been the standard-of-care test for TgAb positive patients. Recently developed liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods may eliminate TgAb interference. We assessed the performance of Tg measurements by EIA, RIA and LC-MS/MS to evaluate TgAb interference differences. We measured TgAb and Tg in 50 plasma samples from 40 patients in whom Tg measurement was part of their routine follow-up and 10 healthy volunteers. Discrepancy between EIA and both LC-MS/MS and RIA was observed at low Tg concentrations (≤ 7.55 ng/mL) in TgAb positive specimens (LC-MS/MS = 1.9 * EIA - 0.03, r = 0.68). RIA and LC-MS/MS Tg measurements in TgAb positive specimens with low Tg concentrations had improved correlation but demonstrated bias (LC MS/MS = 0.6 * RIA - 1.4, r = 0.90). Disagreement between methods may be attributed to LC-MS/MS reported Tg concentrations as undetectable compared to RIA. It seems likely that most discrepant cases are falsely elevated in RIA due to TgAb interference, however, some cases appear below the detection limit of LC-MS/MS; implementation of LC-MS/MS by clinicians will require lower detection limits.

  8. Tandem mass spectrometry approach for the investigation of the steroidal metabolism: structure-fragmentation relationship (SFR) in anabolic steroids and their metabolites by ESI-MS/MS analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Musharraf, Syed Ghulam; Ali, Arslan; Khan, Naik Tameem; Yousuf, Maria; Choudhary, Muhammad Iqbal; Atta-ur-Rahman

    2013-02-01

    Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) was used to investigate the effect of different substitutions introduced during metabolism on fragmentation patterns of four anabolic steroids including methyltestosterone, methandrostenolone, cis-androsterone and adrenosterone, along with their metabolites. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) analysis was performed to correlate the major product ions of 19 steroids with structural features. The analysis is done to portray metabolic alteration, such as incorporation or reduction of double bonds, hydroxylations, and/or oxidation of hydroxyl moieties to keto functional group on steroidal skeleton which leads to drastically changed product ion spectra from the respective classes of steroids, therefore, making them difficult to identify. The comparative ESI-MS/MS study also revealed some characteristic peaks to differentiate different steroidal metabolites and can be useful for the unambiguous identification of anabolic steroids in biological fluid. Moreover, LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of fermented extract of methyltestosterone, obtained by Macrophomina phaseolina was also investigated. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. PREFACE: International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems 2014 (SCES2014)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-03-01

    The 2014 International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems (SCES) was held in Grenoble from the 7th to 11th of July on the campus of the University of Grenoble. It was a great privilege to have the conference in Grenoble after the series of meetings in Sendai (1992), San Diego (1993), Amsterdam (1994), Goa (1995), Zürich (1996), Paris (1998), Nagano (1999), Ann Arbor (2001), Krakow (2002), Karlsruhe (2004), Vienna (2005), Houston (2007), Buzios (2008), Santa Fe (2010), Cambridge (2011) and Tokyo (2013). Every three years, SCES joins the triennial conference on magnetism ICM. In 2015, ICM will take place in Barcelona. The meeting gathered an audience of 875 participants who actively interacted inside and outside of conference rooms. A large number of posters (530) was balanced with four parallel oral sessions which included 86 invited speakers and 141 short oral contributions. A useful arrangement was the possibility to put poster presentations on the website so participants could see them all through the conference week. Each morning two plenary sessions were held, ending on Friday with experimental and theoretical summaries delivered by Philipp Gegenwart (Augsburg) and Andrew Millis (Columbia). The plenary sessions were given by Gabriel Kotliar (Rutgers), Masashi Kawasaki (Tokyo), Jennifer Hoffman (Harvard), Mathias Vojta (Dresden), Ashvin Vishwanath (Berkeley), Andrea Cavalleri (Hamburg), Marc-Henri Julien (Grenoble), Neil Mathur (Cambridge), Giniyat Khaliullin (Stuttgart), and Toshiro Sakakibara (Tokyo). The parallel oral sessions were prepared by 40 symposium organizers selected by the chairman (Antoine Georges) and co-chairman (Kamran Behnia) of the Program Committee with the supplementary rule that speakers had not delivered an invited talk at the previous SCES conference held in 2013 in Tokyo. Special attention was given to help young researchers via grants to 40 overseas students. Perhaps due to the additional possibility of cheap

  10. Superconductivity in strongly correlated electron systems: successes and open questions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shastry, B. Sriram

    2000-01-01

    Correlated electronic systems and superconductivity is a field which has unique track record of producing exciting new phases of matter. The article gives an overview of trends in solving the problems of superconductivity and correlated electronic systems

  11. Circulating dendritic cells of multiple sclerosis patients are proinflammatory and their frequency is correlated with MS-associated genetic risk factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thewissen, Kristof; Nuyts, Amber H; Deckx, Nathalie; Van Wijmeersch, Bart; Nagels, Guy; D'hooghe, Marie; Willekens, Barbara; Cras, Patrick; Eijnde, Bert O; Goossens, Herman; Van Tendeloo, Viggo F I; Stinissen, Piet; Berneman, Zwi N; Hellings, Niels; Cools, Nathalie

    2014-04-01

    The role of the adaptive immune system and more specifically T cells in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been studied extensively. Emerging evidence suggests that dendritic cells (DCs), which are innate immune cells, also contribute to MS. This study aimed to characterize circulating DC populations in MS and to investigate the contribution of MS-associated genetic risk factors to DCs. Ex vivo analysis of conventional (cDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) was carried out on peripheral blood of MS patients (n = 110) and age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n = 112). Circulating pDCs were significantly decreased in patients with chronic progressive MS compared to relapsing-remitting MS and healthy controls. While no differences in cDCs frequency were found between the different study groups, HLA-DRB1*1501(+) MS patients and patients not carrying the protective IL-7Rα haplotype 2 have reduced frequencies of circulating cDCs and pDCs, respectively. MS-derived DCs showed enhanced IL-12p70 production upon TLR ligation and had an increased expression of the migratory molecules CCR5 and CCR7 as well as an enhanced in vitro chemotaxis. DCs in MS are in a pro-inflammatory state, have a migratory phenotype and are affected by genetic risk factors, thereby contributing to pathogenic responses.

  12. Strongly correlated electrons at high pressure: an approach by inelastic X-Ray scattering; Electrons correles sous haute pression: une approche par diffusion inelastique des rayons X

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rueff, J.P

    2007-06-15

    Inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) and associated methods has turn out to be a powerful alternative for high-pressure physics. It is an all-photon technique fully compatible with high-pressure environments and applicable to a vast range of materials. Standard focalization of X-ray in the range of 100 microns is typical of the sample size in the pressure cell. Our main aim is to provide an overview of experimental results obtained by IXS under high pressure in 2 classes of materials which have been at the origin of the renewal of condensed matter physics: strongly correlated transition metal oxides and rare-earth compounds. Under pressure, d and f-electron materials show behaviors far more complex that what would be expected from a simplistic band picture of electron delocalization. These spectroscopic studies have revealed unusual phenomena in the electronic degrees of freedom, brought up by the increased density, the changes in the charge-carrier concentration, the over-lapping between orbitals, and hybridization under high pressure conditions. Particularly we discuss about pressure induced magnetic collapse and metal-insulator transitions in 3d compounds and valence fluctuations phenomena in 4f and 5f compounds. Thanks to its superior penetration depth, chemical selectivity and resonant enhancement, resonant inelastic X-ray scattering has appeared extremely well suited to high pressure physics in strongly correlated materials. (A.C.)

  13. LC-MS (/MS) in clinical toxicology screening methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viette, Véronique; Hochstrasser, Denis; Fathi, Marc

    2012-01-01

    Toxicological screening is the analysis of biological samples to detect and identify unknown compounds. The high selectivity and sensitivity of liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) or tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) technology provide an attractive alternative to the current methods (LC-UV, GC/MS, etc.). For these reasons, an increasing number of applications are being published. This paper is a brief overview of LC-MS(/MS) screening methods developed for clinical toxicology in recent years. Various sample treatments, chromatographic separations and detection by mass spectrometry can be combined to obtain screening methods adapted to the constraints and needs of clinical toxicology laboratories. Currently the techniques are in the hands of specialists, mainly in academic institutions. However, the evolution in technology should allow application of these techniques as a tool in toxicology laboratories, thus allowing a more widespread exploitation of their potential.

  14. A novel assay of DGAT activity based on high temperature GC/MS of triacylglycerol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greer, Michael S; Zhou, Ting; Weselake, Randall J

    2014-08-01

    Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) catalyzes the final step in the acyl-CoA-dependent biosynthesis of triacylglycerol (TAG), a high-energy compound composed of three fatty acids esterified to a glycerol backbone. In vitro DGAT assays, which are usually conducted with radiolabeled substrate using microsomal fractions, have been useful in identifying compounds and genetic modifications that affect DGAT activity. Here, we describe a high-temperature gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS)-based method for monitoring molecular species of TAG produced by the catalytic action of microsomal DGAT. This method circumvents the need for radiolabeled or modified substrates, and only requires a simple lipid extraction prior to GC. The utility of the method is demonstrated using a recombinant type-1 Brassica napus DGAT produced in a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisae that is deficient in TAG synthesis. The GC/MS-based assay of DGAT activity was strongly correlated with the typical in vitro assay of the enzyme using [1-(14)C] acyl-CoA as an acyl donor. In addition to determining DGAT activity, the method is also useful for determining substrate specificity and selectivity properties of the enzyme.

  15. HPLC and LC-MS/MS methods for determination of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate in food and beverages: performances of local accredited laboratories via proficiency tests in Turkey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gören, Ahmet C; Bilsel, Gökhan; Şimşek, Adnan; Bilsel, Mine; Akçadağ, Fatma; Topal, Kevser; Ozgen, Hasan

    2015-05-15

    High Performance Liquid Chromatography LC-UV and LC-MS/MS methods were developed and validated for quantitative analyses of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate in foods and beverages. HPLC-UV and LC-MS/MS methods were compared for quantitative analyses of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate in a representative ketchup sample. Optimisation of the methods enabled the chromatographic separation of the analytes in less than 4 min. A correlation coefficient of 0.999 was achieved over the measured calibration range for both compounds and methods (HPLC and LC-MS/MS). The uncertainty values of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate were found as 0.199 and 0.150 mg/L by HPLC and 0.072 and 0.044 mg/L by LC-MS/MS, respectively. Proficiency testing performance of Turkish accredited laboratories between the years 2005 and 2013 was evaluated and reported herein. The aim of the proficiency testing scheme was to evaluate the performance of the laboratories, analysing benzoate and sorbate in tomato ketchup. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. A Proof of Concept to Bridge the Gap between Mass Spectrometry Imaging, Protein Identification and Relative Quantitation: MSI~LC-MS/MS-LF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laëtitia Théron

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI is a powerful tool to visualize the spatial distribution of molecules on a tissue section. The main limitation of MALDI-MSI of proteins is the lack of direct identification. Therefore, this study focuses on a MSI~LC-MS/MS-LF workflow to link the results from MALDI-MSI with potential peak identification and label-free quantitation, using only one tissue section. At first, we studied the impact of matrix deposition and laser ablation on protein extraction from the tissue section. Then, we did a back-correlation of the m/z of the proteins detected by MALDI-MSI to those identified by label-free quantitation. This allowed us to compare the label-free quantitation of proteins obtained in LC-MS/MS with the peak intensities observed in MALDI-MSI. We managed to link identification to nine peaks observed by MALDI-MSI. The results showed that the MSI~LC-MS/MS-LF workflow (i allowed us to study a representative muscle proteome compared to a classical bottom-up workflow; and (ii was sparsely impacted by matrix deposition and laser ablation. This workflow, performed as a proof-of-concept, suggests that a single tissue section can be used to perform MALDI-MSI and protein extraction, identification, and relative quantitation.

  17. Investigation of the Material Basis Underlying the Correlation between Presbycusis and Kidney Deficiency in Traditional Chinese Medicine via GC/MS Metabolomics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yang Dong

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To investigate the correlation between presbycusis and kidney deficiency as defined by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM and its material basis from the perspective of metabolism. Methods. Pure-tone audiometry was used to test auditory function. A kidney deficiency symptom scoring table was used to measure the kidney deficiency accumulated scores of the research subjects. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS was used to measure the metabolites in the urine samples from 11 presbycusis patients and 9 elderly people with normal hearing. Results. Hearing loss in the elderly was positively correlated with kidney deficiency score in TCM. There were significant differences in urine metabolite profile between the presbycusis patients and the controls. A total of 23 differentially expressed metabolites were found. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG pathway analysis showed that these metabolites were related to glutathione metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA receptor pathway, and the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA receptor pathway. Conclusion. Glutathione metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, NMDA receptors, and GABA receptors may be related to the pathogenesis of presbycusis and may be the material basis underlying the correlation between presbycusis and kidney deficiency in TCM.

  18. Investigation of the Material Basis Underlying the Correlation between Presbycusis and Kidney Deficiency in Traditional Chinese Medicine via GC/MS Metabolomics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Yang; Liu, Pu-Zhao; Song, Hai-Yan; Zhao, Yu-Ping; Li, Ming; Shi, Jian-Rong

    2013-01-01

    Objective. To investigate the correlation between presbycusis and kidney deficiency as defined by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and its material basis from the perspective of metabolism. Methods. Pure-tone audiometry was used to test auditory function. A kidney deficiency symptom scoring table was used to measure the kidney deficiency accumulated scores of the research subjects. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to measure the metabolites in the urine samples from 11 presbycusis patients and 9 elderly people with normal hearing. Results. Hearing loss in the elderly was positively correlated with kidney deficiency score in TCM. There were significant differences in urine metabolite profile between the presbycusis patients and the controls. A total of 23 differentially expressed metabolites were found. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that these metabolites were related to glutathione metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor pathway, and the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor pathway. Conclusion. Glutathione metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glucose metabolism, NMDA receptors, and GABA receptors may be related to the pathogenesis of presbycusis and may be the material basis underlying the correlation between presbycusis and kidney deficiency in TCM. PMID:24371466

  19. LA-ICP-MS of magnetite: Methods and reference materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadoll, P.; Koenig, A.E.

    2011-01-01

    Magnetite (Fe3O4) is a common accessory mineral in many geologic settings. Its variable geochemistry makes it a powerful petrogenetic indicator. Electron microprobe (EMPA) analyses are commonly used to examine major and minor element contents in magnetite. Laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) is applicable to trace element analyses of magnetite but has not been widely employed to examine compositional variations. We tested the applicability of the NIST SRM 610, the USGS GSE-1G, and the NIST SRM 2782 reference materials (RMs) as external standards and developed a reliable method for LA-ICP-MS analysis of magnetite. LA-ICP-MS analyses were carried out on well characterized magnetite samples with a 193 nm, Excimer, ArF LA system. Although matrix-matched RMs are sometimes important for calibration and normalization of LA-ICP-MS data, we demonstrate that glass RMs can produce accurate results for LA-ICP-MS analyses of magnetite. Cross-comparison between the NIST SRM 610 and USGS GSE-1G indicates good agreement for magnetite minor and trace element data calibrated with either of these RMs. Many elements show a sufficiently good match between the LA-ICP-MS and the EMPA data; for example, Ti and V show a close to linear relationship with correlation coefficients, R2 of 0.79 and 0.85 respectively. ?? 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  20. Analysis of acrylamide by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS in processed Japanese foods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ono, H; Chuda, Y; Ohnishi-Kameyama, M; Yada, H; Ishizaka, M; Kobayashi, H; Yoshida, M

    2003-03-01

    Acrylamide concentrations in processed foods (63 samples covering 31 product types) from Japan were analysed by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS methods. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of acrylamide were 0.2 ng x ml(-1) (6 fmol) and 0.8 ng x ml(-1) (22 fmol), respectively, by LC-MS/MS, and those of 2,3-dibromopropionamide derived from acrylamide were 12 ng x ml(-1) (52 fmol) and 40 ng x ml(-1) (170 fmol), respectively, by GC-MS. Repeatability given as RSD was 1000 microg x kg(-1). The concentrations in non-whole potato-based snacks, rice crackers processed by grilling or frying, and candied sweet potatoes were lower compared with those in the potato crisps and the whole potato-based fried snacks. One of the whole potato-based fried snacks, however, showed low acrylamide concentration (instant precooked noodles and won-tons were <100 microg x kg(-1) with only one exception. Roasted barley grains for 'Mugi-cha' tea contained 200-600 microg x kg(-1) acrylamide.

  1. Strong asymmetry of hemispheric climates during MIS-13 inferred from correlating China loess and Antarctica ice records

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. T. Guo

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available We correlate the China loess and Antarctica ice records to address the inter-hemispheric climate link over the past 800 ka. The results show a broad coupling between Asian and Antarctic climates at the glacial-interglacial scale. However, a number of decoupled aspects are revealed, among which marine isotope stage (MIS 13 exhibits a strong anomaly compared with the other interglacials. It is characterized by unusually positive benthic oxygen (δ18O and carbon isotope (δ13C values in the world oceans, cooler Antarctic temperature, lower summer sea surface temperature in the South Atlantic, lower CO2 and CH4 concentrations, but by extremely strong Asian, Indian and African summer monsoons, weakest Asian winter monsoon, and lowest Asian dust and iron fluxes. Pervasive warm conditions were also evidenced by the records from northern high-latitude regions. These consistently indicate a warmer Northern Hemisphere and a cooler Southern Hemisphere, and hence a strong asymmetry of hemispheric climates during MIS-13. Similar anomalies of lesser extents also occurred during MIS-11 and MIS-5e. Thus, MIS-13 provides a case that the Northern Hemisphere experienced a substantial warming under relatively low concentrations of greenhouse gases. It suggests that the global climate system possesses a natural variability that is not predictable from the simple response of northern summer insolation and atmospheric CO2 changes. During MIS-13, both hemispheres responded in different ways leading to anomalous continental, marine and atmospheric conditions at the global scale. The correlations also suggest that the marine δ18O record is not always a reliable indicator of the northern ice-volume changes, and that the asymmetry of hemispheric climates is one of the prominent factors controlling the strength of Asian, Indian and African monsoon circulations, most likely through modulating the position of

  2. Identification of the free phenolic profile of Adlay bran by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and inhibitory mechanisms of phenolic acids against xanthine oxidase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Lianzhu; Yang, Qingyun; Zhao, Kun; Zhao, Mouming

    2018-07-01

    Adlay bran free phenolic extract has been previously demonstrated to possess potent xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibitory activity. The aims of this study were to characterize the free phenolic profile of adlay bran and investigate the structure-activity relationship, underlying mechanism and interaction of phenolic acids as XOD inhibitors. A total of twenty phenolics including ten phenolic acids, two coumarins, two phenolic aldedhyes and six flavonoids were identified in a phenolic compound-guided separation by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. Adlay bran free phenolic extract possessed strong XOD inhibitory activity related to hydroxycinnamic acids with methoxyl groups. The hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions were the main forces in the binding of adlay phenolics to XOD. Sinapic acid, identified in adlay bran for the first time, possessed strong XOD inhibitory activity in a mixed non-competitive manner, and synergistic effects with other adlay phenolic acids at low concentrations, and would be a promising agent for preventing and treating hyperuricemia. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  3. Footprints of electron correlation in strong-field double ionization of Kr close to the sequential-ionization regime

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiaokai; Wang, Chuncheng; Yuan, Zongqiang; Ye, Difa; Ma, Pan; Hu, Wenhui; Luo, Sizuo; Fu, Libin; Ding, Dajun

    2017-09-01

    By combining kinematically complete measurements and a semiclassical Monte Carlo simulation we study the correlated-electron dynamics in the strong-field double ionization of Kr. Interestingly, we find that, as we step into the sequential-ionization regime, there are still signatures of correlation in the two-electron joint momentum spectrum and, more intriguingly, the scaling law of the high-energy tail is completely different from early predictions on the low-Z atom (He). These experimental observations are well reproduced by our generalized semiclassical model adapting a Green-Sellin-Zachor potential. It is revealed that the competition between the screening effect of inner-shell electrons and the Coulomb focusing of nuclei leads to a non-inverse-square central force, which twists the returned electron trajectory at the vicinity of the parent core and thus significantly increases the probability of hard recollisions between two electrons. Our results might have promising applications ranging from accurately retrieving atomic structures to simulating celestial phenomena in the laboratory.

  4. Large deep neural networks for MS lesion segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prieto, Juan C.; Cavallari, Michele; Palotai, Miklos; Morales Pinzon, Alfredo; Egorova, Svetlana; Styner, Martin; Guttmann, Charles R. G.

    2017-02-01

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a multi-factorial autoimmune disorder, characterized by spatial and temporal dissemination of brain lesions that are visible in T2-weighted and Proton Density (PD) MRI. Assessment of lesion burden and is useful for monitoring the course of the disease, and assessing correlates of clinical outcomes. Although there are established semi-automated methods to measure lesion volume, most of them require human interaction and editing, which are time consuming and limits the ability to analyze large sets of data with high accuracy. The primary objective of this work is to improve existing segmentation algorithms and accelerate the time consuming operation of identifying and validating MS lesions. In this paper, a Deep Neural Network for MS Lesion Segmentation is implemented. The MS lesion samples are extracted from the Partners Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis (CLIMB) study. A set of 900 subjects with T2, PD and a manually corrected label map images were used to train a Deep Neural Network and identify MS lesions. Initial tests using this network achieved a 90% accuracy rate. A secondary goal was to enable this data repository for big data analysis by using this algorithm to segment the remaining cases available in the CLIMB repository.

  5. Analytical and clinical performance of the new Fujirebio 25-OH vitamin D assay, a comparison with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and three other automated assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Lanja; Mueller, Daniel; von Eckardstein, Arnold

    2016-04-01

    We evaluated the analytical and clinical performance of the new Lumipulse® G 25-OH vitamin D assay from Fujirebio, and compared it to a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method and three other commercial automated assays. Total 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels were measured in 100 selected serum samples from our routine analysis with Fujirebio 25(OH)D assay. The results were compared with those obtained with LC-MS/MS and three other automated 25(OH)D assays (Abbott, Beckman, and Roche). The accuracy of each assay tested was evaluated against a Labquality reference serum panel for 25(OH)D (Ref!25OHD; University of Ghent). Intra- and inter-day imprecision of the Fujirebio 25(OH)D assay was Lumipulse G 25-OH vitamin D assay from Fujirebio demonstrated a good correlation with LC-MS/MS and some immunoassays. The performance of the assay is well-suited for routine 25(OH)D measurement in clinical serum samples. A correction for the observed negative bias vs. LC-MS/MS could be considered.

  6. Simple and rapid LC-MS/MS method for the absolute determination of cetuximab in human serum using an immobilized trypsin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shibata, Kaito; Naito, Takafumi; Okamura, Jun; Hosokawa, Seiji; Mineta, Hiroyuki; Kawakami, Junichi

    2017-11-30

    Proteomic approaches using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) without an immunopurification technique have not been applied to the determination of serum cetuximab. This study developed a simple and rapid LC-MS/MS method for the absolute determination of cetuximab in human serum and applied it to clinical settings. Surrogate peptides derived from cetuximab digests were selected using a Fourier transform mass spectrometer. Reduced-alkylated serum cetuximab without immunopurification was digested for 20minutes using immobilized trypsin, and the digestion products were purified by solid-phase extraction. The LC-MS/MS was run in positive ion multiple reaction monitoring mode. This method was applied to the determination of serum samples in head and neck cancer patients treated with cetuximab. The chromatographic run time was 10minutes and no peaks interfering with surrogate peptides in serum digestion products were observed. The calibration curve of absolute cetuximab in serum was linear over the concentration range of 4-200μg/mL. The lower limit of quantification of cetuximab in human serum was 4μg/mL. The intra-assay and inter-assay precision and accuracy were less than 13.2% and 88.0-100.7%, respectively. The serum concentration range of cetuximab was 19-140μg/mL in patients. The serum cetuximab concentrations in LC-MS/MS were correlated with those in ELISA (r=0.899, P <0.01) and the mean bias was 1.5% in cancer patients. In conclusion, the present simple and rapid method with acceptable analytical performance can be helpful for evaluating the absolute concentration of serum cetuximab in clinical settings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Urinary amino acid analysis: a comparison of iTRAQ-LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, and amino acid analyzer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaspar, Hannelore; Dettmer, Katja; Chan, Queenie; Daniels, Scott; Nimkar, Subodh; Daviglus, Martha L; Stamler, Jeremiah; Elliott, Paul; Oefner, Peter J

    2009-07-01

    Urinary amino acid analysis is typically done by cation-exchange chromatography followed by post-column derivatization with ninhydrin and UV detection. This method lacks throughput and specificity. Two recently introduced stable isotope ratio mass spectrometric methods promise to overcome those shortcomings. Using two blinded sets of urine replicates and a certified amino acid standard, we compared the precision and accuracy of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) of propyl chloroformate and iTRAQ derivatized amino acids, respectively, to conventional amino acid analysis. The GC-MS method builds on the direct derivatization of amino acids in diluted urine with propyl chloroformate, GC separation and mass spectrometric quantification of derivatives using stable isotope labeled standards. The LC-MS/MS method requires prior urinary protein precipitation followed by labeling of urinary and standard amino acids with iTRAQ tags containing different cleavable reporter ions distinguishable by MS/MS fragmentation. Means and standard deviations of percent technical error (%TE) computed for 20 amino acids determined by amino acid analyzer, GC-MS, and iTRAQ-LC-MS/MS analyses of 33 duplicate and triplicate urine specimens were 7.27+/-5.22, 21.18+/-10.94, and 18.34+/-14.67, respectively. Corresponding values for 13 amino acids determined in a second batch of 144 urine specimens measured in duplicate or triplicate were 8.39+/-5.35, 6.23+/-3.84, and 35.37+/-29.42. Both GC-MS and iTRAQ-LC-MS/MS are suited for high-throughput amino acid analysis, with the former offering at present higher reproducibility and completely automated sample pretreatment, while the latter covers more amino acids and related amines.

  8. HEDL empirical correlation of fuel pin top failure thresholds, status 1976

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baars, R.E.

    1976-01-01

    The Damage Parameter (DP) empirical correlation of fuel pin cladding failure thresholds for TOP events has been revised and recorrelated to the results of twelve TREAT tests. The revised correlation, called the Failure Potential (FP) correlation, predicts failure times for the tests in the data base with an average error of 35 ms for $3/s tests and of 150 ms for 50 cents/s tests

  9. Analysis of Flavonoids in Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Leaves and Their Antioxidant Activity Using Macroporous Resin Chromatography Coupled with LC-MS/MS and Antioxidant Biochemical Assays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming-Zhi Zhu

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera leaves, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, are rich in flavonoids. In an effort to thoroughly analyze their flavonoid components, macroporous resin chromatography coupled with HPLC-MS/MS was employed to simultaneously enrich and identify flavonoids from lotus leaves. Flavonoids extracted from lotus leaves were selectively enriched in the macroporous resin column, eluted subsequently as fraction II, and successively subjected to analysis with the HPLC-MS/MS and bioactivity assays. Altogether, fourteen flavonoids were identified, four of which were identified from lotus leaves for the first time, including quercetin 3-O-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2-glucopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-arabinoside, diosmetin 7-O-hexose, and isorhamnetin 3-O-arabino- pyranosyl-(1→2-glucopyranoside. Further bioactivity assays revealed that these flavonoids from lotus leaves possess strong antioxidant activity, and demonstrate very good potential to be explored as food supplements or even pharmaceutical products to improve human health.

  10. Urinary Amino Acid Analysis: A Comparison of iTRAQ®-LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, and Amino Acid Analyzer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaspar, Hannelore; Dettmer, Katja; Chan, Queenie; Daniels, Scott; Nimkar, Subodh; Daviglus, Martha L.; Stamler, Jeremiah; Elliott, Paul; Oefner, Peter J.

    2009-01-01

    Urinary amino acid analysis is typically done by cation-exchange chromatography followed by post-column derivatization with ninhydrin and UV detection. This method lacks throughput and specificity. Two recently introduced stable isotope ratio mass spectrometric methods promise to overcome those shortcomings. Using two blinded sets of urine replicates and a certified amino acid standard, we compared the precision and accuracy of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) of propyl chloroformate and iTRAQ® derivatized amino acids, respectively, to conventional amino acid analysis. The GC-MS method builds on the direct derivatization of amino acids in diluted urine with propyl chloroformate, GC separation and mass spectrometric quantification of derivatives using stable isotope labeled standards. The LC-MS/MS method requires prior urinary protein precipitation followed by labeling of urinary and standard amino acids with iTRAQ® tags containing different cleavable reporter ions distinguishable by MS/MS fragmentation. Means and standard deviations of percent technical error (%TE) computed for 20 amino acids determined by amino acid analyzer, GC-MS, and iTRAQ®-LC-MS/MS analyses of 33 duplicate and triplicate urine specimens were 7.27±5.22, 21.18±10.94, and 18.34±14.67, respectively. Corresponding values for 13 amino acids determined in a second batch of 144 urine specimens measured in duplicate or triplicate were 8.39±5.35, 6.23±3.84, and 35.37±29.42. Both GC-MS and iTRAQ®-LC-MS/MS are suited for high-throughput amino acid analysis, with the former offering at present higher reproducibility and completely automated sample pretreatment, while the latter covers more amino acids and related amines. PMID:19481989

  11. Correlation expansion: a powerful alternative multiple scattering calculation method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Haifeng; Wu Ziyu; Sebilleau, Didier

    2008-01-01

    We introduce a powerful alternative expansion method to perform multiple scattering calculations. In contrast to standard MS series expansion, where the scattering contributions are grouped in terms of scattering order and may diverge in the low energy region, this expansion, called correlation expansion, partitions the scattering process into contributions from different small atom groups and converges at all energies. It converges faster than MS series expansion when the latter is convergent. Furthermore, it takes less memory than the full MS method so it can be used in the near edge region without any divergence problem, even for large clusters. The correlation expansion framework we derive here is very general and can serve to calculate all the elements of the scattering path operator matrix. Photoelectron diffraction calculations in a cluster containing 23 atoms are presented to test the method and compare it to full MS and standard MS series expansion

  12. Instabilities in strongly coupled plasmas

    CERN Document Server

    Kalman, G J

    2003-01-01

    The conventional Vlasov treatment of beam-plasma instabilities is inappropriate when the plasma is strongly coupled. In the strongly coupled liquid state, the strong correlations between the dust grains fundamentally affect the conditions for instability. In the crystalline state, the inherent anisotropy couples the longitudinal and transverse polarizations, and results in unstable excitations in both polarizations. We summarize analyses of resonant and non-resonant, as well as resistive instabilities. We consider both ion-dust streaming and dust beam-plasma instabilities. Strong coupling, in general, leads to an enhancement of the growth rates. In the crystalline phase, a resonant transverse instability can be excited.

  13. Quantum phase transition in strongly correlated many-body system

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Wenlong

    The past decade has seen a substantial rejuvenation of interest in the study of quantum phase transitions (QPTs), driven by experimental advance on the cuprate superconductors, the heavy fermion materials, organic conductors, Quantum Hall effect, Fe-As based superconductors and other related compounds. It is clear that strong electronic interactions play a crucial role in the systems of current interest, and simple paradigms for the behavior of such systems near quantum critical points remain unclear. Furthermore, the rapid progress in Feshbach resonance and optical lattice provides a flexible platform to study QPT. Quantum Phase Transition (QPT) describes the non-analytic behaviors of the ground-state properties in a many-body system by varying a physical parameter at absolute zero temperature - such as magnetic field or pressure, driven by quantum fluctuations. Such quantum phase transitions can be first-order phase transition or continuous. The phase transition is usually accompanied by a qualitative change in the nature of the correlations in the ground state, and describing this change shall clearly be one of our major interests. We address this issue from three prospects in a few strong correlated many-body systems in this thesis, i.e., identifying the ordered phases, studying the properties of different phases, characterizing the QPT points. In chapter 1, we give an introduction to QPT, and take one-dimensional XXZ model as an example to illustrate the QPT therein. Through this simple example, we would show that when the tunable parameter is varied, the system evolves into different phases, across two quantum QPT points. The distinct phases exhibit very different behaviors. Also a schematic phase diagram is appended. In chapter 2, we are engaged in research on ordered phases. Originating in the work of Landau and Ginzburg on second-order phase transition, the spontaneous symmetry breaking induces nonzero expectation of field operator, e.g., magnetization M

  14. Selenium speciation analysis of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus selenoprotein by HPLC-ICP-MS and HPLC-ESI-MS/MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Analytical methods for selenium (Se) speciation were developed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to either inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Separations of selenomethionine (Se-Met) and sel...

  15. MassSieve: Panning MS/MS peptide data for proteins

    OpenAIRE

    Slotta, Douglas J.; McFarland, Melinda A.; Markey, Sanford P.

    2010-01-01

    We present MassSieve, a Java-based platform for visualization and parsimony analysis of single and comparative LC-MS/MS database search engine results. The success of mass spectrometric peptide sequence assignment algorithms has led to the need for a tool to merge and evaluate the increasing data set sizes that result from LC-MS/MS-based shotgun proteomic experiments. MassSieve supports reports from multiple search engines with differing search characteristics, which can increase peptide sequ...

  16. Transverse transport in coupled strongly correlated electronic chains

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Capponi, S.; Poilblanc, D.

    1997-01-01

    One-particle interchain hopping in a system of coupled Luttinger liquids is investigated by use of exact diagonalizations techniques. We give numerical evidence that inter-chain coherent hopping (defined by a non-vanishing splitting) can be totally suppressed for the Luttinger liquid exponent α ∝ 0.4 or even smaller α values. The transverse conductivity is shown to exhibit a strong incoherent part even when coherent inter-chain hopping is believed to occur. Implications for the optical experiments in quasi-1D organic or high-T c superconductors is outlined. (orig.)

  17. The earliest electrophysiological correlate of visual awareness?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Koivisto, Mika; Lähteenmäki, Mikko; Sørensen, Thomas Alrik

    2008-01-01

    ) and nondetections (misses) separately. Our results revealed that hits, as compared to misses, showed a negativity around 180-350 ms at occipital and posterior temporal sites. It was followed by a positive wave after 400-500 ms, peaking at parietal sites. These correlates were not affected by a manipulation...

  18. Before and after retrofit - response of a building during ambient and strong motions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celebi, M.; Liu, Huaibao P.; ,

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents results obtained from ambient vibration and strong-motion responses of a thirteen-story, moment-resisting steel framed Santa Clara County Office Building (SCCOB) before being retrofitted by visco-elastic dampers and from ambient vibration response following the retrofit. Understanding the cumulative structural and site characteristics that affect the response of SCCOB before and after the retrofit is important in assessing earthquake hazards to other similar buildings and decision making in retrofitting them. The results emphasize the need to better evaluate structural and site characteristics in developing earthquake resisting designs that avoid resonating effects. Various studies of the strong-motion response records from the SCCOB during the 24 April 1984 (MHE) Morgan Hill (MS = 6.1), the 31 March 1986 (MLE) Mt. Lewis (MS = 6.1) and the 17 October 1989 (LPE) Loma Prieta (MS = 7.1) earthquakes show that the dynamic characteristics of the building are such that it (a) resonated (b) responded with a beating effect due to close-coupling of its translational and torsional frequencies, and (c) had a long-duration response due to low-damping. During each of these earthquakes, there was considerable contents damage and the occupants felt the rigorous vibration of the building. Ambient tests of SCCOB performed following LPE showed that both translational and torsional periods of the building are smaller than those derived from strong motions. Ambient tests performed following the retrofit of the building with visco-elastic dampers show that the structural fundamental mode frequency of the building has increased. The increased frequency implies a stiffer structure. Strong-motion response of the building during future earthquakes will ultimately validate the effectiveness of the retrofit method.This paper presents results obtained from ambient vibration and strong-motion responses of a thirteen-story, moment-resisting steel framed Santa Clara County

  19. Social Cognitive Correlates of Physical Activity in Black Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinnett-Hopkins, Dominique; Motl, Robert W

    2016-04-01

    To examine variables from social cognitive theory as correlates of physical activity in black and white individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Cross-sectional. National survey. Black (n=151) and white (n=185) individuals with MS were recruited through the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis Registry. Not applicable. The battery of questionnaires included information on demographic and clinical characteristics, physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, function, social support, exercise outcome expectations, and exercise goal setting and planning. Black individuals with MS reported significantly lower levels of physical activity compared with white individuals with MS. Physical activity levels were significantly correlated with self-efficacy, outcome expectations, functional limitations as impediments, and goal setting in black participants with MS. The pattern and magnitude of correlations were comparable with those observed in white participants based on Fisher z tests. Researchers should consider applying behavioral interventions that target social cognitive theory variables for increasing physical activity levels among black individuals with MS. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Strong Country Level Correlation between Syphilis and HSV-2 Prevalence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kenyon, Chris Richard; Tsoumanis, Achilleas

    2016-01-01

    Background. Syphilis is curable but Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2) is not. As a result, the prevalence of syphilis but not HSV-2 may be influenced by the efficacy of national STI screening and treatment capacity. If the prevalence of syphilis and HSV-2 is found to be correlated, then this makes it more likely that something other than differential STI treatment is responsible for variations in the prevalence of both HSV-2 and syphilis. Methods. Simple linear regression was used to evaluate the relationship between national antenatal syphilis prevalence and HSV-2 prevalence in women in two time periods: 1990–1999 and 2008. Adjustments were performed for the laboratory syphilis testing algorithm used and the prevalence of circumcision. Results. The prevalence of syphilis was positively correlated with that of HSV-2 for both time periods (adjusted correlations, 20–24-year-olds: 1990–99: R 2 = 0.54, P < 0.001; 2008: R 2 = 0.41, P < 0.001 and 40–44-year-olds: 1990–99: R 2 = 0.42, P < 0.001; 2008: R 2 = 0.49, P < 0.001). Conclusion. The prevalence of syphilis and HSV-2 is positively correlated. This could be due to a common set of risk factors underpinning both STIs. PMID:27069710

  1. Detection and quantification of ochratoxin A and deoxynivalenol in barley grains by GC-MS and electronic nose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsson, J; Börjesson, T; Lundstedt, T; Schnürer, J

    2002-02-05

    Mycotoxin contamination of cereal grains can be detected and quantified using complex extraction procedures and analytical techniques. Normally, the grain odour, i.e. the presence of non-grain volatile metabolites, is used for quality classification of grain. We have investigated the possibility of using fungal volatile metabolites as indicators of mycotoxins in grain. Ten barley samples with normal odour, and 30 with some kind of off-odour were selected from Swedish granaries. The samples were evaluated with regard to moisture content, fungal contamination, ergosterol content, and levels of ochratoxin A (OA) and deoxynivalenol (DON). Volatile compounds were also analysed using both an electronic nose and gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Samples with normal odour had no detectable ochratoxin A and average DON contents of 16 microg kg(-1) (range 0-80), while samples with off-odour had average OA contents of 76 microg kg(-1) (range 0-934) and DON contents of 69 microg kg(-1) (range 0-857). Data were evaluated by multivariate data analysis using projection methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS). The results show that it was possible to classify the OA level as below or above the maximum limit of 5 microg kg(-1) cereal grain established by the Swedish National Food Administration, and that the DON level could be estimated using PLS. Samples with OA levels below 5 microg kg(-1) had higher concentration of aldehydes (nonanal, 2-hexenal) and alcohols (1-penten-3-ol, 1-octanol). Samples with OA levels above 5 microg kg(-1) had higher concentrations of ketones (2-hexanone, 3-octanone). The GC-MS system predicted OA concentrations with a higher accuracy than the electronic nose, since the GC-MS misclassified only 3 of 37 samples and the electronic nose 7 of 37 samples. No correlation was found between odour and OA level, as samples with pronounced or strong off-odours had OA levels both below and above 5

  2. Quality control of meat using proton-transfer-reaction-mass-spectrometry (PTR-MS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mayr, D.; Hartungen, E.; Maerk, T.D.; Margesin, R.; Schinner, F.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Numerous food scandals which happened during the last few years make food safety controls more and more important. The method currently used for determining the status of meat, with respect to spoilage, is analysis of the counts of total viable bacteria and/or specific spoilage bacteria. An obvious drawback of this bacteriological method is the long incubation period of 1-3 days that is required for colony formation. Therefore we develop a novel method for meat quality control using PTR-MS which does not have this drawback. We measured the emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of meat (beef and pork) using PTR-MS as a function of storage time. At the same time a bacteriological examination of these meat samples was carried out. We found strong correlations (about 99 %) between some VOCs and bacteriological contamination. This is a first step to replace the time-consuming bacteriological method by fast headspace air measurements to facilitate the investigation of a huge number of pieces of meat in very short time and to determine the maximum storage time and storage temperature from the emissions. We will also use this method to investigate the growth of various bacteria, the changes in the microbial composition and the influence of various environmental conditions such as temperature, pH, chemical and microbial preservation techniques. (author)

  3. Cross-correlation Doppler global velocimetry (CC-DGV)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadel, Daniel R.; Lowe, K. Todd

    2015-08-01

    A flow velocimetry method, cross-correlation Doppler global velocimetry (CC-DGV), is presented as a robust, simplified, and high dynamic range implementation of the Doppler global/planar Doppler velocimetry technique. A sweep of several gigahertz of the vapor absorption spectrum is used for each velocity sample, with signals acquired from both Doppler-shifted scattered light within the flow and a non-Doppler shifted reference beam. Cross-correlation of these signals yields the Doppler shift between them, averaged over the duration of the scan. With presently available equipment, velocities from 0 ms-1 to over 3000 ms-1 can notionally be measured simultaneously, making the technique ideal for high speed flows. The processing routine is shown to be robust against large changes in the vapor pressure of the iodine cell, benefiting performance of the system in facilities where ambient conditions cannot be easily regulated. Validation of the system was performed with measurements of a model wind turbine blade boundary layer made in a 1.83 m by 1.83 m subsonic wind tunnel for which laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) measurements were acquired alongside the CC-DGV results. CC-DGV uncertainties of ±1.30 ms-1, ±0.64 ms-1, and ±1.11 ms-1 were determined for the orthogonal stream-wise, transverse-horizontal, and transverse-vertical velocity components, and root-mean-square deviations of 2.77 ms-1 and 1.34 ms-1 from the LDV validation results were observed for Reynolds numbers of 1.5 million and 2 million, respectively. Volumetric mean velocity measurements are also presented for a supersonic jet, with velocity uncertainties of ±4.48 ms-1, ±16.93 ms-1, and ±0.50 ms-1 for the orthogonal components, and self-validation done by collapsing the data with a physical scaling.

  4. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Area Donate Donate Search v What Is MS? Definition of MS What Causes MS? Who Gets MS? ... Support Personal Stories d What Is MS? d Definition of MS Myelin Immune-Mediated Disease T Cells ...

  5. Quantification of genetically modified soya using strong anion exchange chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Po-Chih; Reddy, P Muralidhar; Ho, Yen-Peng

    2014-09-01

    Stable-isotope dimethyl labeling was applied to the quantification of genetically modified (GM) soya. The herbicide-resistant gene-related protein 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (CP4 EPSPS) was labeled using a dimethyl labeling reagent, formaldehyde-H2 or -D2. The identification and quantification of CP4 EPSPS was performed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The CP4 EPSPS protein was separated from high abundance proteins using strong anion exchange chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Then, the tryptic peptides from the samples and reference were labeled with formaldehyde-H2 and formaldehyde-D2, respectively. The two labeled pools were mixed and analyzed using MALDI-MS. The data showed a good correlation between the peak ratio of the H- and D-labeled peptides and the GM soya percentages at 0.5, 1, 3, and 5 %, with R (2) of 0.99. The labeling reagents are readily available. The labeling experiments and the detection procedures are simple. The approach is useful for the quantification of GM soya at a level as low as 0.5 %.

  6. Correlated binomial models and correlation structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hisakado, Masato; Kitsukawa, Kenji; Mori, Shintaro

    2006-01-01

    We discuss a general method to construct correlated binomial distributions by imposing several consistent relations on the joint probability function. We obtain self-consistency relations for the conditional correlations and conditional probabilities. The beta-binomial distribution is derived by a strong symmetric assumption on the conditional correlations. Our derivation clarifies the 'correlation' structure of the beta-binomial distribution. It is also possible to study the correlation structures of other probability distributions of exchangeable (homogeneous) correlated Bernoulli random variables. We study some distribution functions and discuss their behaviours in terms of their correlation structures

  7. Metabolic profiling of roots of liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) from different geographical areas by ESI/MS/MS and determination of major metabolites by LC-ESI/MS and LC-ESI/MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montoro, Paola; Maldini, Mariateresa; Russo, Mariateresa; Postorino, Santo; Piacente, Sonia; Pizza, Cosimo

    2011-02-20

    Liquid chromatography electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS) has been applied to the full characterization of saponins and phenolics in hydroalcoholic extracts of roots of liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Relative quantitative analyses of the samples with respect to the phenolic constituents and to a group of saponins related to glycyrrhizic acid were performed using LC-ESI/MS. For the saponin constituents, full scan LC-MS/MS fragmentation of the protonated (positive ion mode) or deprotonated (negative ion mode) molecular species generated diagnostic fragment ions that provided information concerning the triterpene skeleton and the number and nature of the substituents. On the basis of the specific fragmentation of glycyrrhizic acid, an LC-MS/MS method was developed in order to quantify the analyte in the liquorice root samples. Chinese G. glabra roots contained the highest levels of glycyrrhizic acid, followed by those from Italy (Calabria). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Profiling of adrenocorticotropic hormone and arginine vasopressin in human pituitary gland and tumor thin tissue sections using droplet-based liquid-microjunction surface-sampling-HPLC-ESI-MS-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kertesz, Vilmos; Calligaris, David; Feldman, Daniel R; Changelian, Armen; Laws, Edward R; Santagata, Sandro; Agar, Nathalie Y R; Van Berkel, Gary J

    2015-08-01

    Described here are the results from the profiling of the proteins arginine vasopressin (AVP) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from normal human pituitary gland and pituitary adenoma tissue sections, using a fully automated droplet-based liquid-microjunction surface-sampling-HPLC-ESI-MS-MS system for spatially resolved sampling, HPLC separation, and mass spectrometric detection. Excellent correlation was found between the protein distribution data obtained with this method and data obtained with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) chemical imaging analyses of serial sections of the same tissue. The protein distributions correlated with the visible anatomic pattern of the pituitary gland. AVP was most abundant in the posterior pituitary gland region (neurohypophysis), and ATCH was dominant in the anterior pituitary gland region (adenohypophysis). The relative amounts of AVP and ACTH sampled from a series of ACTH-secreting and non-secreting pituitary adenomas correlated with histopathological evaluation. ACTH was readily detected at significantly higher levels in regions of ACTH-secreting adenomas and in normal anterior adenohypophysis compared with non-secreting adenoma and neurohypophysis. AVP was mostly detected in normal neurohypophysis, as expected. This work reveals that a fully automated droplet-based liquid-microjunction surface-sampling system coupled to HPLC-ESI-MS-MS can be readily used for spatially resolved sampling, separation, detection, and semi-quantitation of physiologically-relevant peptide and protein hormones, including AVP and ACTH, directly from human tissue. In addition, the relative simplicity, rapidity, and specificity of this method support the potential of this basic technology, with further advancement, for assisting surgical decision-making. Graphical Abstract Mass spectrometry based profiling of hormones in human pituitary gland and tumor thin tissue sections.

  9. Effect of strong correlations on the high energy anomaly in hole- and electron-doped high-T{sub c} superconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moritz, B; Johnston, S; Greven, M; Shen, Z-X; Devereaux, T P [Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Schmitt, F; Meevasana, W; Motoyama, E M [Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States); Lu, D H [Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Kim, C [Institute of Physics and Applied Physics, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Scalettar, R T [Physics Department, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)], E-mail: moritzb@slac.stanford.edu

    2009-09-15

    Recently, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has been used to highlight an anomalously large band renormalization at high binding energies in cuprate superconductors: the high energy 'waterfall' or high energy anomaly (HEA). This paper demonstrates, using a combination of new ARPES measurements and quantum Monte Carlo simulations, that the HEA is not simply the by-product of matrix element effects, but rather represents a cross-over from a quasi-particle band at low binding energies near the Fermi level to valence bands at higher binding energy, assumed to be of strong oxygen character, in both hole- and electron-doped cuprates. While photoemission matrix elements clearly play a role in changing the aesthetic appearance of the band dispersion, i.e. the 'waterfall'-like behavior, they provide an inadequate description for the physics that underlies the strong band renormalization giving rise to the HEA. Model calculations of the single-band Hubbard Hamiltonian showcase the role played by correlations in the formation of the HEA and uncover significant differences in the HEA energy scale for hole- and electron-doped cuprates. In addition, this approach properly captures the transfer of spectral weight accompanying both hole and electron doping in a correlated material and provides a unifying description of the HEA across both sides of the cuprate phase diagram.

  10. Exchange and spin-fluctuation superconducting pairing in the strong correlation limit of the Hubbard model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plakida, N. M.; Anton, L.; Adam, S. . Department of Theoretical Physics, Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, PO Box MG-6, RO-76900 Bucharest - Magurele; RO); Adam, Gh. . Department of Theoretical Physics, Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, PO Box MG-6, RO-76900 Bucharest - Magurele; RO)

    2001-01-01

    A microscopical theory of superconductivity in the two-band singlet-hole Hubbard model, in the strong coupling limit in a paramagnetic state, is developed. The model Hamiltonian is obtained by projecting the p-d model to an asymmetric Hubbard model with the lower Hubbard subband occupied by one-hole Cu d-like states and the upper Hubbard subband occupied by two-hole p-d singlet states. The model requires two microscopical parameters only, the p-d hybridization parameter t and the charge-transfer gap Δ. It was previously shown to secure an appropriate description of the normal state properties of the high -T c cuprates. To treat rigorously the strong correlations, the Hubbard operator technique within the projection method for the Green function is used. The Dyson equation is derived. In the molecular field approximation, d-wave superconducting pairing of conventional hole (electron) pairs in one Hubbard subband is found, which is mediated by the exchange interaction given by the interband hopping, J ij = 4 (t ij ) 2 / Δ. The normal and anomalous components of the self-energy matrix are calculated in the self-consistent Born approximation for the electron-spin-fluctuation scattering mediated by kinematic interaction of the second order of the intraband hopping. The derived numerical and analytical solutions predict the occurrence of singlet d x 2 -y 2 -wave pairing both in the d-hole and singlet Hubbard subbands. The gap functions and T c are calculated for different hole concentrations. The exchange interaction is shown to be the most important pairing interaction in the Hubbard model in the strong correlation limit, while the spin-fluctuation coupling results only in a moderate enhancement of T c . The smaller weight of the latter comes from two specific features: its vanishing inside the Brillouin zone (BZ) along the lines, |k x | + |k y |=π pointing towards the hot spots and the existence of a small energy shell within which the pairing is effective. By

  11. Strong Tracking Filter for Nonlinear Systems with Randomly Delayed Measurements and Correlated Noises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongtao Yang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a novel strong tracking filter (STF, which is suitable for dealing with the filtering problem of nonlinear systems when the following cases occur: that is, the constructed model does not match the actual system, the measurements have the one-step random delay, and the process and measurement noises are correlated at the same epoch. Firstly, a framework of decoupling filter (DF based on equivalent model transformation is derived. Further, according to the framework of DF, a new extended Kalman filtering (EKF algorithm via using first-order linearization approximation is developed. Secondly, the computational process of the suboptimal fading factor is derived on the basis of the extended orthogonality principle (EOP. Thirdly, the ultimate form of the proposed STF is obtained by introducing the suboptimal fading factor into the above EKF algorithm. The proposed STF can automatically tune the suboptimal fading factor on the basis of the residuals between available and predicted measurements and further the gain matrices of the proposed STF tune online to improve the filtering performance. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed STF has been proved through numerical simulation experiments.

  12. Disinfection of bacteriophage MS2 by copper in water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, Andrew M; Sobsey, Mark D; Casanova, Lisa M

    2017-09-01

    Households that lack piped water supply are often forced to meet water needs by storing in the home, leaving water vulnerable to contamination by viruses. Storage in copper containers can potentially prevent this type of contamination, but the inactivation kinetics of viruses by copper need to be described to make appropriate storage recommendations. This work characterized inactivation kinetics of bacteriophage MS2 as a surrogate for enteric viruses by dissolved ionic copper in water. Reduction of MS2 increased with increasing doses of copper. At 0.3 mg/L, there was a 1.8-log 10 reduction of MS2 within 6 h. At 1 and 3 mg/L, 2-2.5 log 10 inactivation could be achieved between 6 and 24 h. Parameters for the Chick-Watson, Hom, and One Hit-Two Population models of inactivation were calculated and evaluated, all of which demonstrated strong goodness-of-fit and predictability at various contact times. Copper inactivates MS2 under controlled conditions at doses between 0.3 and 3 mg/L. Although requiring longer contact times than conventional disinfectants, it is a candidate for improving the safety of stored drinking water.

  13. JC Polyomavirus Infection Is Strongly Controlled by Human Leucocyte Antigen Class II Variants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sundqvist, Emilie; Buck, Dorothea; Warnke, Clemens

    2014-01-01

    sequence-specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO) method. An initial GWAS screen displayed a strong HLA class II region signal. The HLA-DRB1*15 haplotype was strongly negatively associated to JCV sero-status in Scandinavian MS cases (OR = 0.42, p = 7×10(-15)) and controls (OR = 0.53, p = 2×10(-5)). In contrast...

  14. Investigating neurophysiological correlates of metacontrast masking with magnetoencephalography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jens Schwarzbach

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Early components of visual evoked potentials (VEP in EEG seem to be unaffected by target visibility in visual masking studies. Bridgeman's reanalysis of Jeffreys and Musselwhite's (1986 data suggests that a later visual component in the VEP, around 250 ms reflects the perceptual effect of masking. We challenge this view on the ground that temporal interactions between targets and masks unrelated to stimulus visibility could account for Bridgeman's observation of a U-shaped time course in VEP amplitudes for this later component. In an MEG experiment of metacontrast masking with variable stimulus onset asynchrony, we introduce a proper control, a pseudo mask. In contrast to an effective mask, the pseudomask should produce neither behavioral masking nor amplitude modulations of late VEPs. Our results show that effective masks produced a strong U-shaped perceptual effect of target visibility while performance remained virtually perfect when a pseudomask was used. The visual components around 250 ms after target onset did not show a distinction between mask and pseudomask conditions. The results indicate that these visual evoked potentials do not reveal neurophysiological correlates of stimulus visibility but rather reflect dynamic interactions between superimposed potentials elicited by stimuli in close temporal proximity. However, we observed a postperceptual component around 340 ms after target onset, located over temporal-parietal cortex, which shows a clear effect of visibility. Based on P300 ERP literature, this finding could indicate that working memory related processes contribute to metacontrast masking.

  15. LC-MS metabolomic analysis of environmental stressor impacts on the metabolite diversity in Nephthea spp.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hedi Indra Januar

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Context: The soft coral Nephthea spp. is a source of terpenoid class that potentially has pharmaceutical properties. However, metabolite diversity and cytotoxic activity of this species are varied among coral reefs from various sites. Aim: To analyze the water quality in Nephthea spp. environment as a possible factor causing a difference in its metabolite diversity. Settings and Design: Nephthea spp. from seven sites were taken in October 2010 at the Alor District of Marine Protected Area, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: Water quality assessment was analyzed in situ and indexed by Canadian Council of Ministry Environment-Water Quality Index (CCME-WQI method. Meanwhile, metabolite diversity was analyzed by a LC-MS metabolomic method, using C18 reversed phase and gradient water-acetonitrile system. Statistical Analysis Used: Spearman′s rho and regression analysis were applied to correlate the water quality index to ecological index (richness, diversity, and evenness from LC-MS results. Results: The water quality index had a significant positive correlation and strong linear regression determinant to the total metabolite (R 2 = 0.704, particularly to semipolar metabolite richness (R 2 = 0.809, the area of terpenoid class in the organism. Conclusion: It can be concluded that water quality may serve as a major factor that affects the amount of richness in Nephthea spp. metabolites. When the water quality is lower, as environment stresses increases, it may affect the metabolite richness within direct disrupt of metabolite biosynthesis or indirect ecological means. Terpenoids are known as a soft coral antipredator (coral fishes, the amount of which depends on the water quality.

  16. Analysis of poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate in environmental samples by GC-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elhottová, D; Tríska, J; Petersen, S O; Santrůcková, H

    2000-05-01

    Application of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) can significantly improve trace analyses of compounds in complex matrices from natural environments compared to gas chromatography only. A GC-MS/MS technique for determination of poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), a bacterial storage compound, has been developed and used for analysis of two soils stored for up to 319 d, fresh samples of sewage sludge, as well as a pure culture of Bacillus megaterium. Specific derivatization of beta-hydroxybutyrate (3-OH C4:0) PHB monomer units by N-tert-butyl-dimethylsilyl-N-methyltrifluoracetamide (MTBSTFA) improved chromatographic and mass spectrometric properties of the analyte. The diagnostic fragmentation scheme of the derivates tert-butyldimethylsilyl ester and ether of beta-hydroxybutyric acid (MTBSTFA-HB) essential for the PHB identification was shown. The ion trap MS was used, therefore the scan gave the best sensitivity and with MS/MS the noise decreased, so the S/N was better and also with second fragmentation the amount of ions increased compared to SIM. The detection limit for MTBSTFA-HB by GC-MS/MS was about 10(-13) g microL(-1) of injected volume, while by GC (FID) and GC-MS (scan) it was around 10(-10) g microL(-1) of injected volume. Sensitivity of GC-MS/MS measurements of PHB in arable soil and activated sludge samples was down to 10 pg of PHB g(-1) dry matter. Comparison of MTBSTFA-HB detection in natural soil sample by GC (FID), GC-MS (scan) and by GC-MS/MS demonstrated potentials and limitations of the individual measurement techniques.

  17. Rapid first-line discrimination of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains using MALDI-TOF MS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard, Claus; Grønvall Kjær Hansen, Sanne; Møller, Jens K

    2015-01-01

    /z-values (peaks) and used a concept of arranging these peaks into pairs or small clusters within a small mass range, allowing for quality control of the spectra obtained. Using this concept we could reproducibly characterise and arrange the isolates into 26 MALDI-TOF groups, which strongly correlated with spa...... used for this purpose. These methods are all relatively time-consuming and not performed routinely in all laboratories. The aim of this study is to examine whether MALDI-TOF MS can be used as a fast, simple and easily implemented method for first-line discrimination of MRSA isolates. Mass spectra from...... 600 clinical MRSA isolates were included in the study, representing 89 spa types, associated with 16 different known clonal complexes. All spectra were obtained directly from colony material obtained from overnight cultures without prior protein extraction. We identified 43 useful discriminatory m...

  18. The influence of effective microorganisms (EM) and yeast on the degradation of strobilurins and carboxamides in leafy vegetables monitored by LC-MS/MS and health risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wołejko, Elżbieta; Łozowicka, Bożena; Kaczyński, Piotr; Jankowska, Magdalena; Piekut, Jolanta

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the behaviour of strobilurin and carbocyamides commonly used in chemical protection of lettuce depending on carefully selected effective microorganisms (EM) and yeast (Y). Additionally, the assessment of the chronic health risk during a 2-week experiment was performed. The statistical method for correlation of physico-chemical parameters and time of degradation for pesticides was applied. In this study, the concentration of azoxystrobin, boscalid, pyraclostrobin and iprodione using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in the matrix of lettuce plants was performed, and there was no case of concentration above maximum residues levels. Before harvest, four fungicides and their mixture with EM (1 % and 10 %) and/or yeast 5 % were applied. In our work, the mixtures of 1%EM + Y and 10%EM + Y both stimulated and inhibited the degradation of the tested active substances. Adding 10%EM to the test substances strongly inhibited the degradation of iprodione, and its concentration decreased by 30 %, and in the case of other test substances, the degradation was approximately 60 %. Moreover, the addition of yeast stimulated the distribution of pyraclostrobin and boscalid in lettuce leaves. The risk assessment for the pesticides ranged from 0.4 to 64.8 % on day 1, but after 14 days, it ranged from 0.0 to 20.9 % for children and adults, respectively. It indicated no risk of adverse effects following exposure to individual pesticides and their mixtures with EM and yeast.

  19. Development of a LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous screening of seven water-soluble vitamins in processing semi-coarse wheat flour products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nurit, Eric; Lyan, Bernard; Piquet, Agnès; Branlard, Gérard; Pujos-Guillot, Estelle

    2015-05-01

    Wheat is the second largest crop cultivated around the world and constitutes a major part of the daily diet in Europe. It is therefore important to determine the content of micronutrient in wheat and wheat-based food products to define the contribution of wheat-based foods to the nutrition of the consumers. The aim of the present work was to develop a simple and rapid method based on liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous determination of seven water-soluble vitamins in various wheat-based food materials. The vitamins present in the test material were separated in less than 15 min by using a reverse-phase C18 column, and analyzed by positive ion electrospray selected reaction monitoring MS/MS. The MS response for all the vitamins was linear over the working range (0.05 to 9 μg/mL) with correlation coefficients ranging between 0.991 and 1. Limits of quantification in the different food materials ranged from 0.09 to 3.5 μg/g. Intra-day and inter-day precision were found satisfactory. The developed method was applied for the simultaneous analysis of the water-soluble vitamin natural content of different semi-coarse wheat flours and in their corresponding baking products.

  20. Magnetic field correlations in random flow with strong steady shear

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolokolov, I. V.; Lebedev, V. V.; Sizov, G. A.

    2011-01-01

    We analyze the magnetic kinematic dynamo in a conducting fluid where a stationary shear flow is accompanied by relatively weak random velocity fluctuations. The diffusionless and diffusion regimes are described. The growth rates of the magnetic field moments are related to the statistical characteristics of the flow describing divergence of the Lagrangian trajectories. The magnetic field correlation functions are examined, and their growth rates and scaling behavior are established. General assertions are illustrated by the explicit solution of a model where the velocity field is short-correlated in time.

  1. Determination of advanced glycation endproducts by LC-MS/MS in raw and roasted almonds (Prunus dulcis).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Gong; Huang, Guangwei; Xiao, Lu; Mitchell, Alyson E

    2011-11-23

    A sensitive and reliable LC-(ESI)MS/MS method was developed and validated for the simultaneous analysis of five common advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) after enzymatic digestion in raw and roasted almonds. AGEs included carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), carboxyethyl-lysine (CEL), pyralline (Pyr), argpyrimidine (Arg-p), and pentosidine (Pento-s). This method allows accurate quantitation of free and AGE-protein adducts of target AGEs. Results indicate that CML and CEL are found in both raw and roasted almonds. Pyr was identified for the first time in roasted almonds and accounted for 64.4% of free plus bound measured AGEs. Arg-p and Pento-s were below the limit of detection in all almond samples tested. Free AGEs accounted for 1.3-26.8% of free plus bound measured AGEs, indicating that protein-bound forms predominate. The roasting process significantly increased CML, CEL, and Pyr formation, but no significant correlation was observed between these AGEs and roasting temperature.

  2. The strong coupling from a nonperturbative determination of the Λ parameter in three-flavor QCD

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bruno, Mattia [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States). Physics Dept.; Dalla Brida, Mattia [Univ. di Milano-Bicocca (Italy). Dipt. di Fisica; INFN, Sezione di Milano-Bicocca (Italy); Fritzsch, Patrick; Ramos, Alberto [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland). Theoretical Physics Dept.; Korzec, Tomasz [Wuppertal Univ. (Germany). Dept. of Physics; Schaefer, Stefan; Simma, Hubert [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Sint, Stefan [Trinity College Dublin (Ireland). School of Mathematics and Hamilton Mathematics Inst.; Sommer, Rainer [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC; Humboldt-Universitaet, Berlin (Germany). Inst. fuer Physik; Collaboration: ALPHA Collaboration

    2017-07-15

    We present a lattice determination of the Λ parameter in three-flavor QCD and the strong coupling at the Z pole mass. Computing the nonperturbative running of the coupling in the range from 0.2 GeV to 70 GeV, and using experimental input values for the masses and decay constants of the pion and the kaon, we obtain Λ{sup (3)}{sub MS}=341(12) MeV. The nonperturbative running up to very high energies guarantees that systematic effects associated with perturbation theory are well under control. Using the four-loop prediction for Λ{sup (5)}{sub MS}/Λ{sup (3)}{sub MS} yields α{sup (5)}{sub MS}(m{sub Z})=0.11852(84).

  3. Local Magnetism in Strongly Correlated Electron Systems with Orbital Degrees of Freedom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ducatman, Samuel Charles

    The central aim of my research is to explain the connection between the macroscopic behavior and the microscopic physics of strongly correlated electron systems with orbital degrees of freedom through the use of effective models. My dissertation focuses on the sub-class of these materials where electrons appear to be localized by interactions, and magnetic ions have well measured magnetic moments. This suggests that we can capture the low-energy physics of the material by employing a minimal model featuring localized spins which interact with each other through exchange couplings. I describe Fe1+y Te and beta-Li2IrO3 with effective models primarily focusing on the spins of the magnetic ions, in this case Fe and Ir, respectively. The goal with both materials is to gain insight and make predictions for experimentalists. In chapter 2, I focus on Fe1+yTe. I describe why we believe the magnetic ground state of this material, with an observed Bragg peak at Q +/- pi/2, pi/2), can be described by a Heisenberg model with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd neighbor interactions. I present two possible ground states of this model in the small J1 limit, the bicollinear and plaquette states. In order to predict which ground state the model prefers, I calculate the spin wave spectrum with 1/S corrections, and I find the model naturally selects the "plaquette state." I give a brief description of the ways this result could be tested using experimental techniques such as polarized neutron scattering. In chapter 3, I extend the model used in chapter 2. This is necessary because the Heisenberg model we employed cannot explain why Fe1+yTe undergoes a phase transition as y is increased. We add an additional elements to our calculation; we assume that electrons in some of the Fe 3D orbitals have selectively localized while others remain itinerant. We write a new Hamiltonian, where localized moments acquire a new long-range RKKY-like interaction from interactions with the itinerant electrons. We are

  4. The contribution of Diamond Light Source to the study of strongly correlated electron systems and complex magnetic structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radaelli, P G; Dhesi, S S

    2015-03-06

    We review some of the significant contributions to the field of strongly correlated materials and complex magnets, arising from experiments performed at the Diamond Light Source (Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, UK) during the first few years of operation (2007-2014). We provide a comprehensive overview of Diamond research on topological insulators, multiferroics, complex oxides and magnetic nanostructures. Several experiments on ultrafast dynamics, magnetic imaging, photoemission electron microscopy, soft X-ray holography and resonant magnetic hard and soft X-ray scattering are described. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

  5. A surrogate analyte-based LC-MS/MS method for the determination of γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in human urine and variation of endogenous urinary concentrations of GHB.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Soyoung; Oh, Seung Min; Chung, Kyu Hyuck; Lee, Sooyeun

    2014-09-01

    γ-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a drug of abuse with a strong anesthetic effect; however, proving its ingestion through the quantification of GHB in biological specimens is not straightforward due to the endogenous presence of GHB in human blood, urine, saliva, etc. In the present study, a surrogate analyte approach was applied to accurate quantitative determination of GHB in human urine using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in order to overcome this issue. For this, (2)H6-GHB and (13)C2-dl-3-hydroxybutyrate were used as a surrogate standard and as an internal standard, respectively, and parallelism between the surrogate analyte approach and standard addition was investigated at the initial step. The validation results proved the method to be selective, accurate, and precise, with acceptable linearity within calibration ranges (0.1-1μg/ml). The limit of detection and the limit of quantification of (2)H6-GHB were 0.05 and 0.1μg/ml, respectively. No significant variations were observed among urine matrices from different sources. The stability of (2)H6-GHB was satisfactory under sample storage and in-process conditions. However, in vitro production of endogenous GHB was observed when the urine sample was kept under the in-process condition for 4h and under the storage conditions of 4 and -20°C. In order to facilitate the practical interpretation of urinary GHB, endogenous GHB was accurately measured in urine samples from 79 healthy volunteers using the surrogate analyte-based LC-MS/MS method developed in the present study. The unadjusted and creatinine-adjusted GHB concentrations in 74 urine samples with quantitative results ranged from 0.09 to 1.8μg/ml and from 4.5 to 530μg/mmol creatinine, respectively. No significant correlation was observed between the unadjusted and creatinine-adjusted GHB concentrations. The urinary endogenous GHB concentrations were affected by gender and age while they were not significantly influenced by habitual

  6. Cannabinoids determination in oral fluid by SPME-GC/MS and UHPLC-MS/MS and its application on suspected drivers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anzillotti, Luca; Castrignanò, Erika; Strano Rossi, Sabina; Chiarotti, Marcello

    2014-12-01

    The confirmation of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in oral fluid (OF) is an important issue for assessing Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID). The aim of this research was to develop a highly sensitive method with minimal sample pre-treatment suitable for the analysis of small OF volumes (100 μL) for the confirmation of cannabinoids in DUID cases. Two methods were compared for the confirmation of THC in residual OF samples, obtained from a preliminary on-site screening with commercial devices. An ultra high performance LC-MS (UHPLC-MS/MS) method and an SPME-GC/MS method were hence developed. 100 μL of the residual mixture OF/preservative buffer or neat OF was simply added to 10 μL of THC-D3 (1 μg/mL) and submitted to the two different analyses: A - direct injection of 10 μL in UHPLC-MS/MS in positive electrospray ionisation (ESI) mode and B - sampling for 30 min with SPME (100 μm polydimethylsiloxane or PDMS fibre) and direct injection by desorption of the fibre in the GC injection port. The lowest limit of detection (LLOD) of THC was 2 ng/mL in UHPLC-MS/MS and 0.5 ng/mL in SPME-GC/MS. In addition, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN) could be detected in GC/MS equipment at 2 ng/mL, whilst in UHPLC-MS/MS the LLOD was 20 ng/mL. Both methods were applied to 70 samples coming from roadside tests. By SPME-GC/MS analysis, THC was confirmed in 42 samples, whilst CBD was detected in 21 of them, along with CBN in 14 samples. THC concentrations ranged from traces below the lowest limit of quantification or LLOQ (2 ng/mL) up to 690 ng/mL. Copyright © 2014 Forensic Science Society. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Software ion scan functions in analysis of glycomic and lipidomic MS/MS datasets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haramija, Marko

    2018-03-01

    Hardware ion scan functions unique to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) mode of data acquisition, such as precursor ion scan (PIS) and neutral loss scan (NLS), are important for selective extraction of key structural data from complex MS/MS spectra. However, their software counterparts, software ion scan (SIS) functions, are still not regularly available. Software ion scan functions can be easily coded for additional functionalities, such as software multiple precursor ion scan, software no ion scan, and software variable ion scan functions. These are often necessary, since they allow more efficient analysis of complex MS/MS datasets, often encountered in glycomics and lipidomics. Software ion scan functions can be easily coded by using modern script languages and can be independent of instrument manufacturer. Here we demonstrate the utility of SIS functions on a medium-size glycomic MS/MS dataset. Knowledge of sample properties, as well as of diagnostic and conditional diagnostic ions crucial for data analysis, was needed. Based on the tables constructed with the output data from the SIS functions performed, a detailed analysis of a complex MS/MS glycomic dataset could be carried out in a quick, accurate, and efficient manner. Glycomic research is progressing slowly, and with respect to the MS experiments, one of the key obstacles for moving forward is the lack of appropriate bioinformatic tools necessary for fast analysis of glycomic MS/MS datasets. Adding novel SIS functionalities to the glycomic MS/MS toolbox has a potential to significantly speed up the glycomic data analysis process. Similar tools are useful for analysis of lipidomic MS/MS datasets as well, as will be discussed briefly. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. GC-MS profile of antimicrobial and antioxidant fractions from Cordia rothii roots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Kehkashan; Firdous, Sadiqa; Ahmad, Aqeel; Fayyaz, Nida; Nadir, Muhammad; Rasheed, Munawwer; Faizi, Shaheen

    2016-11-01

    An ethnobotanical survey of Cordia rothii Roem. & Schult. (Boraginaceae) reveals it as a medicinal plant. Antimicrobial and antioxidant potential evaluation and identification of chemical constituents via GC-MS of C. rothii roots fractions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic investigation of the roots exploiting GC-MS. Extraction and fractionation of C. rothii roots furnished various fractions using solvents of varying polarity, i.e., n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetone and methanol. In vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant screening was performed using disk diffusion and DPPH methods, respectively. MIC of active fractions was also determined using disk diffusion method. GC-MS was used to identify constituents which may be responsible for these activities. Among various fractions from C. rothii roots, fraction KA-C showed strong antibacterial activity against 17 microorganisms tested, with MIC ranging from 250-31.25 μg/mL. Fractions KA-A, KM and KM-A exhibited significant antioxidant potential with EC 50 46.875 μg/mL, while fractions KEA-PE, KM-PE and KM-M were good with EC 50 93.750 μg/mL. Forty-five phytochemicals were identified in GC-MS studies including eight hydrocarbons, six free fatty acids, 11 fatty acids esters, two phenylpropanoids, four aromatics, four terpenoid quinones/hydroquinones, three triterpenes, four phytosterols, two hexose metabolites and a DNA base. Of these, 32 constituents have been reported for the first time from C. rothii, 24 from genus Cordia and 15 from Boraginaceae. Strong antibacterial and antioxidant potential of C. rothii roots may be due to the contribution of phytoconstituents identified through GC-MS studies.

  9. Rapid analysis of bile acids in different biological matrices using LC-ESI-MS/MS for the investigation of bile acid transformation by mammalian gut bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wegner, Katrin; Just, Sarah; Gau, Laura; Mueller, Henrike; Gérard, Philippe; Lepage, Patricia; Clavel, Thomas; Rohn, Sascha

    2017-02-01

    Bile acids are important signaling molecules that regulate cholesterol, glucose, and energy homoeostasis and have thus been implicated in the development of metabolic disorders. Their bioavailability is strongly modulated by the gut microbiota, which contributes to generation of complex individual-specific bile acid profiles. Hence, it is important to have accurate methods at hand for precise measurement of these important metabolites. Here, a rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous identification and quantitation of primary and secondary bile acids as well as their taurine and glycine conjugates was developed and validated. Applicability of the method was demonstrated for mammalian tissues, biofluids, and cell culture media. The analytical approach mainly consists of a simple and rapid liquid-liquid extraction procedure in presence of deuterium-labeled internal standards. Baseline separation of all isobaric bile acid species was achieved and a linear correlation over a broad concentration range was observed. The method showed acceptable accuracy and precision on intra-day (1.42-11.07 %) and inter-day (2.11-12.71 %) analyses and achieved good recovery rates for representative analytes (83.7-107.1 %). As a proof of concept, the analytical method was applied to mouse tissues and biofluids, but especially to samples from in vitro fermentations with gut bacteria of the family Coriobacteriaceae. The developed method revealed that the species Eggerthella lenta and Collinsella aerofaciens possess bile salt hydrolase activity, and for the first time that the species Enterorhabdus mucosicola is able to deconjugate and dehydrogenate primary bile acids in vitro.

  10. Lipidomics study of plasma phospholipid metabolism in early type 2 diabetes rats with ancient prescription Huang-Qi-San intervention by UPLC/Q-TOF-MS and correlation coefficient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xia; Zhu, Jian-Cheng; Zhang, Yu; Li, Wei-Min; Rong, Xiang-Lu; Feng, Yi-Fan

    2016-08-25

    Potential impact of lipid research has been increasingly realized both in disease treatment and prevention. An effective metabolomics approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS) along with multivariate statistic analysis has been applied for investigating the dynamic change of plasma phospholipids compositions in early type 2 diabetic rats after the treatment of an ancient prescription of Chinese Medicine Huang-Qi-San. The exported UPLC/Q-TOF-MS data of plasma samples were subjected to SIMCA-P and processed by bioMark, mixOmics, Rcomdr packages with R software. A clear score plots of plasma sample groups, including normal control group (NC), model group (MC), positive medicine control group (Flu) and Huang-Qi-San group (HQS), were achieved by principal-components analysis (PCA), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Biomarkers were screened out using student T test, principal component regression (PCR), partial least-squares regression (PLS) and important variable method (variable influence on projection, VIP). Structures of metabolites were identified and metabolic pathways were deduced by correlation coefficient. The relationship between compounds was explained by the correlation coefficient diagram, and the metabolic differences between similar compounds were illustrated. Based on KEGG database, the biological significances of identified biomarkers were described. The correlation coefficient was firstly applied to identify the structure and deduce the metabolic pathways of phospholipids metabolites, and the study provided a new methodological cue for further understanding the molecular mechanisms of metabolites in the process of regulating Huang-Qi-San for treating early type 2 diabetes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Atrophy of reward-related striatal structures in fatigued MS patients is independent of physical disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damasceno, Alfredo; Damasceno, Benito Pereira; Cendes, Fernando

    2016-05-01

    MRI studies have shown gray-matter abnormalities in fatigued multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, given that physical disability is highly correlated to MS fatigue, it is often difficult to disentangle its effect in these MRI findings. The objective of this research paper is to investigate gray-matter damage in mildly disabled MS patients, addressing which variables were better related to fatigue while controlling for physical disability and depression. Forty-nine relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients and 30 controls underwent MRI (3T). Fatigue was assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the contribution of clinical and MRI metrics to fatigue. Statistical analyses were performed controlling for disability and depression. Fatigue was present in 22 (44.9%) patients. FSS score was highly correlated with EDSS (p = 0.00001). Patients with fatigue had lower brain cortical and subcortical gray-matter volumes. However, after controlling for EDSS, only the caudate and the accumbens volumes remained statistically significant. Fatigued MS patients have a global cortical and subcortical gray-matter atrophy that seems largely related to higher physical disability. However, striatal structures involved in effort-reward functions exhibited smaller volumes in fatigued patients, independently of physical disability and depressive symptoms, supporting the theory of cortico-striatal network impairment in MS fatigue. © The Author(s), 2015.

  12. Can strong correlations be experimentally revealed for Ҡ -mesons?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiesmayr Beatrix C.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In 1964 the physicists John St. Bell working at CERN took the 1935-idea of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen seriously and found that all theories based on local realism have to satisfy a certain inequality, nowadays dubbed Bell’s inequality. Experiments with ordinary matter systems or light show violations of Bell’s inequality favouring the quantum theory though a loophole free experiment has not yet been performed. This contribution presents an experimentally feasible Bell inequality for systems at higher energy scales, i.e. entangled neutral Ҡ -meson pairs that are typically produced in Φ -mesons decays or proton-antiproton annihilation processes. Strong requirements have to be overcome in order to achieve a conclusive tests, such a proposal was recently published. Surprisingly, this new Bell inequality reveals new features for weakly decaying particles, in particular, a strong sensitivity to the combined charge-conjugation-parity (CP symmetry. Here-with, a puzzling relation between a symmetry breaking for mesons and Bell’s inequality—which is a necessary and sufficient condition for the security of quantum cryptography protocols— is established. This becomes the more important since CP symmetry is related to the cosmological question why the antimatter disappeared after the Big Bang.

  13. Analytical Method Details (MS): SE52_MS01 [Metabolonote[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available stem and Waters Q-Tof Premier UPLC-QTOF-MS ESI Negative The eluates (3 μl) were subsequently subjected to metabolome...DS column (LC-ESI-Q-Tof/MS, HPLC: Waters Acquity UPLC system; MS: Waters Q-Tof Premier). The metabolome...d (Matsuda et al., 2009c, 2010a). Briefly, the metabolome data were obtained in the negative ion mode (m/z 1... the complex nature of the metabolome data. To construct MS2T libraries, the extracts of five ecotypes were

  14. Information-dependent acquisition-mediated LC-MS/MS screening procedure with semiquantitative potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Decaestecker, Tineke N; Vande Casteele, Sofie R; Wallemacq, Pierre E; Van Peteghem, Carlos H; Defore, Dieter L; Van Bocxlaer, Jan F

    2004-11-01

    The development of a LC-MS/MS general unknown screening procedure for toxicologically relevant substances in blood samples by means of information-dependent acquisition on a Q-TOF is reported. IDA is an artificial intelligence-based product ion scan mode providing automatic "on-the-fly" MS to MS/MS switching. By performing information-dependent scanning at two different fragmentation energies, two collision-induced dissociation product ion spectra for each of the detected compounds are generated. As such, information-rich MS/MS spectra are obtained from precursor ions not known beforehand. In addition, limitation of the MS/MS acquisition time to an acceptable minimum resulted in an almost instantaneous switch back to the MS mode. As such, this approach provided MS chromatograms that still could be of use for semiquantitative purposes. Since the switching intensity threshold, unequivocally related to the background noise, proved a critical parameter, the solid-phase extraction procedure, the liquid chromatographic conditions, and the mass spectrometric parameters all were optimized to the advantage of information-dependent acquisition. Finally, the screening procedure we developed was benchmarked, on one hand, qualitatively against the results obtained from traditional GUS approaches in a number of routine toxicological laboratories (20 samples) and, on the other hand, quantitatively with respect to its potential against established LC-MS/MS methods (7 samples). The procedure performed very well from a qualitative point of view; almost all of the drugs detected by the conventional techniques were identified, as well as additional drugs that were not previously reported. The procedure proved well-suited for an initial semiquantitative assessment, as is customary in, for example, forensic toxicology before accurate intoxication levels are determined using targeted analytical analyses.

  15. Some Applications of Holography to Study Strongly Correlated Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bhatnagar Neha

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we study the transport coefficients of strongly coupled condensed matter systems using gauge/gravity duality (holography. We consider examples from the real world and evaluate the conductivities from their gravity duals. Adopting the bottom-up approach of holography, we obtain the frequency response of the conductivity for (1+1-dimensional systems. We also evaluate the DC conductivities for non-relativistic condensed matter systems with hyperscaling violating geometry.

  16. The influence of laser pulse duration and energy on ICP-MS signal intensity, elemental fractionation, and particle size distribution in NIR fs-LA-ICP-MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diwakar, Prasoon K.; Harilal, Sivanandan S.; LaHaye, Nicole L.; Hassanein, Ahmed; Kulkarni, Pramod

    2015-01-01

    Laser parameters, typically wavelength, pulse width, irradiance, repetition rate, and pulse energy, are critical parameters which influence the laser ablation process and thereby influence the LA-ICP-MS signal. In recent times, femtosecond laser ablation has gained popularity owing to the reduction in fractionation related issues and improved analytical performance which can provide matrix-independent sampling. The advantage offered by fs-LA is due to shorter pulse duration of the laser as compared to the phonon relaxation time and heat diffusion time. Hence the thermal effects are minimized in fs-LA. Recently, fs-LA-ICP-MS demonstrated improved analytical performance as compared to ns-LA-ICP-MS, but detailed mechanisms and processes are still not clearly understood. Improvement of fs-LA-ICP-MS over ns-LA-ICP-MS elucidates the importance of laser pulse duration and related effects on the ablation process. In this study, we have investigated the influence of laser pulse width (40 fs to 0.3 ns) and energy on LA-ICP-MS signal intensity and repeatability using a brass sample. Experiments were performed in single spot ablation mode as well as rastering ablation mode to monitor the Cu/Zn ratio. The recorded ICP-MS signal was correlated with total particle counts generated during laser ablation as well as particle size distribution. Our results show the importance of pulse width effects in the fs regime that becomes more pronounced when moving from femtosecond to picosecond and nanosecond regimes. PMID:26664120

  17. Simultaneous quantitation of hydroxychloroquine and its metabolites in mouse blood and tissues using LC-ESI-MS/MS: An application for pharmacokinetic studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chhonker, Yashpal S; Sleightholm, Richard L; Li, Jing; Oupický, David; Murry, Daryl J

    2018-01-01

    Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been shown to disrupt autophagy and sensitize cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapeutic agents. However, the optimal delivery method, dose, and tumor concentrations required for these effects are not known. This is in part due to a lack of sensitive and reproducible analytical methods for HCQ quantitation in small animals. As such, we developed and validated a selective and sensitive liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous quantitation of hydroxychloroquine and its metabolites in mouse blood and tissues. The chromatographic separation and detection of analytes were achieved on a reversed phase Thermo Aquasil C 18 (50×4.6mm, 3μ) column, with gradient elution using 0.2% formic acid and 0.1% formic acid in methanol as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.5mL/min. Simple protein precipitation was utilized for extraction of analytes from the desired matrix. Analytes were separated and quantitated using MS/MS with an electrospray ionization source in positive multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The MS/MS response was linear over the concentration range from 1 to 2000ng/mL for all analytes with a correlation coefficient (R 2 ) of 0.998 or better. The within- and between-day precision (relative standard deviation, % RSD) and accuracy were within the acceptable limits per FDA guidelines. The validated method was successfully applied to a preclinical pharmacokinetic mouse study involving low volume blood and tissue samples for hydroxychloroquine and metabolites. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Simultaneous Release and Labeling of O- and N-Glycans Allowing for Rapid Glycomic Analysis by Online LC-UV-ESI-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chengjian; Lu, Yu; Han, Jianli; Jin, Wanjun; Li, Lingmei; Zhang, Ying; Song, Xuezheng; Huang, Linjuan; Wang, Zhongfu

    2018-05-24

    Most glycoproteins and biological protein samples undergo both O- and N-glycosylation, making characterization of their structures very complicated and time-consuming. Nevertheless, to fully understand the biological functions of glycosylation, both the glycosylation forms need to be analyzed. Herein we report a versatile, convenient one-pot method in which O- and N-glycans are simultaneously released from glycoproteins and chromogenically labeled in situ and thus available for further characterization. In this procedure, glycoproteins are incubated with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) in aqueous ammonium hydroxide, making O-glycans released from protein backbones by β-elimination and N-glycans liberated by alkaline hydrolysis. The released glycans are promptly derivatized with PMP in situ by Knoevenagel condensation and Michael addition, with peeling degradation almost completely prevented. The recovered mixture of O- and N-glycans as bis-PMP derivatives features strong ultraviolet (UV) absorbing ability and hydrophobicity, allowing for high-resolution chromatographic separation and high-sensitivity spectrometric detection. Using this technique, O- and N-glycans were simultaneously prepared from some model glycoproteins and complex biological samples, without significant peeling, desialylation, deacetylation, desulfation or other side-reactions, and then comprehensively analyzed by online HILIC-UV-ESI-MS/MS and RP-HPLC-UV-ESI-MS/MS, with which some novel O- and N-glycan structures were first found. This method provides a simple, versatile strategy for high-throughput glycomics analysis.

  19. Development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for quantification of cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) in clinical applications: a comparison with a EIA method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yanhua; Dufield, Dawn; Klover, Jon; Li, Wenlin; Szekely-Klepser, Gabriella; Lepsy, Christopher; Sadagopan, Nalini

    2009-02-15

    An LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated to quantify endogenous cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) in human plasma. The LC-MS/MS and competitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) assays were compared. cGMP concentrations of 20 human plasma samples were measured by both methods. For the MS-based assay, plasma samples were subjected to a simple protein precipitation procedure by acetonitrile prior to analysis by electrospray ionization LC-MS/MS. De-protonated analytes generated in negative ionization mode were monitored through multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). A stable isotope-labeled internal standard, (13)C(10),(15)N(5)-cGMP, which was biosynthesized in-house, was used in the LC-MS/MS method. The competitive EIA was validated using a commercially available cGMP fluorescence assay kit. The intra-assay accuracy and precision for MS-based assay for cGMP were 6-10.1% CV and -3.6% to 7.3% relative error (RE), respectively, while inter-assay precision and accuracy were 5.6-8.1% CV and -2.1% to 6.3% RE, respectively. The intra-assay accuracy and precision for EIA were 17.9-27.1% CV and -4.9% to 24.5% RE, respectively, while inter-assay precision and accuracy were 15.1-39.5% CV and -30.8% to 4.37% RE, respectively. Near the lower limits of detection, there was little correlation between the cGMP concentration values in human plasma generated by these two methods (R(2)=0.197, P=0.05). Overall, the MS-based assay offered better selectivity, recovery, precision and accuracy over a linear range of 0.5-20ng/mL. The LC-MS/MS method provides an effective tool for the quantitation of cGMP to support clinical mechanistic studies of curative pharmaceuticals.

  20. Development of Multi-Service (MS) for SAC-OCDMA systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakaee, Majid H.; Seyedzadeh, Saleh; Adnan Fadhil, Hilal; Barirah Ahmad Anas, Siti; Mokhtar, Makhfudzah

    2014-08-01

    A Multi-Service Optical Code Division Multiple Access (MS-OCDMA) code based on Spectral Amplitude Coding (SAC) is proposed in this paper. The advantage of proposed code on setting a variable number of users in a basic code matrix with a fixed code weight makes it more flexible in generating codewords. The appropriate quality of service required for various network applications can be provided by choosing a different number of users for the basic code matrix of MS code. The properties of the proposed code is compared with other OCDMA codes in terms of code length and maximum cross-correlation. The performance of the MS code mathematically analysed and probability of error for users is plotted as a function of the number of active users and optical received power. Shot, phase induced intensity and thermal noises are considered in mathematical analysis. Results show that by choosing code weight of 4 and optimizing number of users per sequence, the MS code supports up to 82 users, each operating at a bit-rate of 622 Mbps with reference to the Bit Error Rate (BER) of 10-9.

  1. Gravity variation before the Akto Ms6.7 earthquake, Xinjiang

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongtao Hao

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The relationship between gravity variation and the Akto Ms6.7 earthquake on November 11, 2016, was studied by use of mobile gravity observation data from the China continental structural environmental monitoring network. The result revealed that before the Akto earthquake, a high positive gravity variation was observed in the Pamir tectonic knots region (within a maximum magnitude of approximately +80 microgal, which was consistent with the existing knowledge of gravity abnormality and the locations of strong earthquakes. In view of the recent strong seismic activities in the Pamir tectonic knots region, as well as the strong upward crust movement and compressive strain, it is believed that gravity change in the Pamir tectonic knots region reflects the recent strong seismic activities and crust movement.

  2. Automated protein identification by the combination of MALDI MS and MS/MS spectra from different instruments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levander, Fredrik; James, Peter

    2005-01-01

    The identification of proteins separated on two-dimensional gels is most commonly performed by trypsin digestion and subsequent matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) with time-of-flight (TOF). Recently, atmospheric pressure (AP) MALDI coupled to an ion trap (IT) has emerged as a convenient method to obtain tandem mass spectra (MS/MS) from samples on MALDI target plates. In the present work, we investigated the feasibility of using the two methodologies in line as a standard method for protein identification. In this setup, the high mass accuracy MALDI-TOF spectra are used to calibrate the peptide precursor masses in the lower mass accuracy AP-MALDI-IT MS/MS spectra. Several software tools were developed to automate the analysis process. Two sets of MALDI samples, consisting of 142 and 421 gel spots, respectively, were analyzed in a highly automated manner. In the first set, the protein identification rate increased from 61% for MALDI-TOF only to 85% for MALDI-TOF combined with AP-MALDI-IT. In the second data set the increase in protein identification rate was from 44% to 58%. AP-MALDI-IT MS/MS spectra were in general less effective than the MALDI-TOF spectra for protein identification, but the combination of the two methods clearly enhanced the confidence in protein identification.

  3. Natalizumab Discontinuation and Treatment Strategies in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS): A Retrospective Study from Two Italian MS Centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lo Re, Marianna; Capobianco, Marco; Ragonese, Paolo; Realmuto, Sabrina; Malucchi, Simona; Berchialla, Paola; Salemi, Giuseppe; Bertolotto, Antonio

    2015-12-01

    Natalizumab (NTZ) discontinuation can be followed by multiple sclerosis (MS) disease reactivation. Currently no disease-modifying drug (DMD) has been shown to be able to abolish disease reactivation. The aims of the current study were: (1) to determine the frequency of MS reactivation after NTZ discontinuation; (2) to evaluate predictors of reactivation risk, and (3) to compare the effect of different treatments in reducing this risk. Data from 132 patients with MS followed-up for 2 years before NTZ treatment and 1 year after interruption were collected from two Italian MS centers and retrospectively evaluated. Overall, 72 of 132 patients (54.5%) had relapses after NTZ discontinuation and 60 of 125 patients (48%), who had magnetic resonance imaging, had radiological reactivation. Rebound was observed in 28 of 132 patients (21.2%). A higher number of relapses in the 2 years before NTZ treatment, a longer washout period, and a lower number NTZ infusions correlated with reactivation and rebound. Untreated patients (n = 37) had higher clinical and radiological activity and rebound in comparison to patients receiving DMDs. Moreover, a lower risk of relapses was found in patients treated with second-line therapies (NTZ and fingolimod) than in those treated with first-line therapies (interferon beta, glatiramer acetate, teriflunomide, azathioprine). Interestingly, no disease reactivation in off-label treatment (rituximab, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) was observed. NTZ discontinuation is a risk for MS reactivation and rebound. An alternative treatment should be promptly resumed mainly in patients with a previous very active disease course and with a shorter NTZ therapy. Second-line therapies demonstrate superiority in preventing relapses after NTZ discontinuation.

  4. Early highly aggressive MS successfully treated by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fagius, J.; Lundgren, J.; Oberg, G.

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND: During the last 15 years, high-dose chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has globally been performed for severe multiple sclerosis (MS). Most patients have been in progressive phase with long disease duration. As a rule, treatment effect has been...... minor or moderate. PATIENTS: Since 2004, we have performed HSCT in nine young patients with "malignant" relapsing-remitting MS. Criteria for treatment were short duration of disease; very frequent, severe relapses; recent improvement periods indicating potential for recovery after strong...... immunosuppression. FINDINGS: Median age at treatment was 27 (range 9-34) years, MS duration 26 (4-100) months, and annualized relapse rate 10 (4-12). Median Disability Status Scale (extended disability status scale, EDSS) at HSCT was 7.0 (3.5-8.0). Median follow-up time April 2008 is 29 (23-47) months. Median EDSS...

  5. Molecular analysis of intact preen waxes of Calidris Canutus (Aves: Scolopacidae) by GC/MS and GC/MS/MS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Dekker, M.H.A.; Piersma, T.

    2000-01-01

    The intact preen wax esters of the red knot Calidris canutus were studied with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and GC/MS/MS. In this latter technique, transitions from the molecular ion to fragment ions representing the fatty acid moiety of the wax esters were measured, providing

  6. Illness perception, treatment beliefs, self-esteem, and self-efficacy as correlates of self-management in multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilski, M; Tasiemski, T

    2016-05-01

    Self-management of a disease is considered one of the most important factors affecting the treatment outcome. The research on the correlates of self-management in multiple sclerosis (MS) is limited. The aim of this study was to determine if personal factors, such as illness perception, treatment beliefs, self-esteem and self-efficacy, are correlates of self-management in MS. This cross-sectional study included 210 patients with MS who completed Multiple Sclerosis Self-Management Scale - Revised, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, Treatment Beliefs Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. The patients were recruited from a MS rehabilitation clinic. Demographic data and illness-related problems of the study participants were collected with a self-report survey. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to determine associations between variables. Four factors: age at the time of the study (β = 0.14, P = 0.032), timeline (β = 0.16, P = 0.018), treatment control (β = 0.17, P = 0.022), and general self-efficacy (β = 0.19, P = 0.014) turned out to be the significant correlates of self-management in MS. The model including these variables explained 25% of variance in self-management in MS. Personal factors, such as general self-efficacy, perception of treatment control and realistic MS timeline perspective, are more salient correlates of self-management in MS than the objective clinical variables, such as the severity, type, and duration of MS. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. The CAREQOL-MS was a useful instrument to measure caregiver quality of life in multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benito-León, Julián; Rivera-Navarro, Jesús; Guerrero, Angel Luis; de Las Heras, Virginia; Balseiro, José; Rodríguez, Elena; Belló, Mireia; Martínez-Martín, Pablo

    2011-06-01

    To develop and test the first specific instrument for assessing caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in multiple sclerosis (MS) (CAREQOL-MS). Questionnaire items were derived from a literature review and the views of patients, caregivers, and experts. Instrument was reduced after the analyses of caregivers' interviews and experts' opinions. CAREQOL-MS psychometric properties were assessed in 276 MS caregivers. The final version consisted of 24 items (five subscales) and was free of floor or ceiling effects. For subscales, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranged from 0.75 to 0.90. The item-total correlation was 0.62-0.74 for subscale I (physical burden/global health); 0.56-0.74 for subscale II (social impact); 0.52-0.62 for subscale III (emotional impact), and 0.58-0.65 for subscale IV (need of help); subscale V (emotional reactions) had only two items. The intraclass correlation coefficient (0.96 for the total score; 0.75-0.95 for subscales) suggested satisfactory reproducibility. Association was close between CAREQOL-MS subscales and the Zarit burden interview and moderate with short form 36 mental/physical components. CAREQOL-MS subscales scores significantly increased (worse HRQOL) with increasing caregivers' age and Expanded Disability Status Scale. The standard error of the measurement ranged from 0.91 to 2.43 for subscales. Our results provided initial evidence of the usefulness and satisfactory psychometric properties of the CAREQOL-MS. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Determination of rivaroxaban in patient’s plasma samples by anti-Xa chromogenic test associated to High Performance Liquid Chromatography tandem Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derogis, Priscilla Bento Matos; Sanches, Livia Rentas; de Aranda, Valdir Fernandes; Colombini, Marjorie Paris; Mangueira, Cristóvão Luis Pitangueira; Katz, Marcelo; Faulhaber, Adriana Caschera Leme; Mendes, Claudio Ernesto Albers; Ferreira, Carlos Eduardo dos Santos; França, Carolina Nunes; Guerra, João Carlos de Campos

    2017-01-01

    Rivaroxaban is an oral direct factor Xa inhibitor, therapeutically indicated in the treatment of thromboembolic diseases. As other new oral anticoagulants, routine monitoring of rivaroxaban is not necessary, but important in some clinical circumstances. In our study a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was validated to measure rivaroxaban plasmatic concentration. Our method used a simple sample preparation, protein precipitation, and a fast chromatographic run. It was developed a precise and accurate method, with a linear range from 2 to 500 ng/mL, and a lower limit of quantification of 4 pg on column. The new method was compared to a reference method (anti-factor Xa activity) and both presented a good correlation (r = 0.98, p highly correlated and should be used as clinical tools for drug monitoring. The method was applied successfully in a group of 49 real-life patients, which allowed an accurate determination of rivaroxaban in peak and trough levels. PMID:28170419

  9. 2D FT-ICR MS of Calmodulin: A Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Floris, Federico; van Agthoven, Maria; Chiron, Lionel; Soulby, Andrew J; Wootton, Christopher A; Lam, Yuko P Y; Barrow, Mark P; Delsuc, Marc-André; O'Connor, Peter B

    2016-09-01

    Two-dimensional Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (2D FT-ICR MS) allows data-independent fragmentation of all ions in a sample and correlation of fragment ions to their precursors through the modulation of precursor ion cyclotron radii prior to fragmentation. Previous results show that implementation of 2D FT-ICR MS with infrared multi-photon dissociation (IRMPD) and electron capture dissociation (ECD) has turned this method into a useful analytical tool. In this work, IRMPD tandem mass spectrometry of calmodulin (CaM) has been performed both in one-dimensional and two-dimensional FT-ICR MS using a top-down and bottom-up approach. 2D IRMPD FT-ICR MS is used to achieve extensive inter-residue bond cleavage and assignment for CaM, using its unique features for fragment identification in a less time- and sample-consuming experiment than doing the same thing using sequential MS/MS experiments. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  10. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Definition of MS Myelin Immune-Mediated Disease T Cells d What Causes MS? Disproved Theories Viruses Clusters ... d Research News & Progress Research News MSPARIS2017 Stem Cells in MS Progressive MS Research Clinical Trials in ...

  11. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... MS Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) Share this page Facebook Twitter Email Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) Relapsing-remitting ... Here Start Here Colophon Stay Informed Join Us Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest MS Connection About the ...

  12. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... d Living Well with MS d Diet, Exercise & Healthy Behaviors Diet & Nutrition Exercise Heat & Temperature Sensitivity Sleep Vaccinations Women's Health Unhealthy Habits Managing MS and Another Condition Aging with MS Anesthesia and Surgery Managing Your MS ...

  13. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... to navigation Skip to content Menu Navigation National Multiple Sclerosis Society Sign In In Your Area Donate Donate ... of MS What Causes MS? Who Gets MS? Multiple Sclerosis FAQs Types of MS Related Conditions Symptoms & Diagnosis ...

  14. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) Share this page Facebook Twitter Email Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) Relapsing-remitting MS ( ... Start Here Colophon Stay Informed Join Us Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Pinterest MS Connection About the Society ...

  15. Effective interactions in strongly-coupled quantum systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, J.M.C.

    1986-01-01

    In this thesis, they study the role of effective interactions in strongly-coupled Fermi systems where the short-range correlations introduce difficulties requiring special treatment. The correlated basis function method provides the means to incorporate the short-range correlations and generate the matrix elements of the Hamiltonian and identity operators in a nonorthogonal basis of states which are so important to their studies. In the first half of the thesis, the particle-hole channel is examined to elucidate the effects of collective excitations. Proceeding from a least-action principle, a generalization of the random-phase approximation is developed capable of describing such strongly-interacting Fermi systems as nuclei, nuclear matter, neutron-star matter, and liquid 3 He. A linear response of dynamically correlated system to a weak external perturbation is also derived based on the same framework. In the second half of the thesis, the particle-particle channel is examined to elucidate the effects of pairing in nuclear and neutron-star matter

  16. Excitonic condensation of strongly correlated electrons: the case of Pr.sub.0.5./sub. Ca.sub.0.5./sub. CoO.sub.3./sub..

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kuneš, Jan; Augustinský, Pavel

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 90, č. 23 (2014), "235112-1"-"235112-5" ISSN 1098-0121 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-25251S Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : excitonic condensation * strongly correlated electrons * cobaltites Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.736, year: 2014

  17. Development of a LC-MS/MS Method for the Simultaneous Detection of Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Intermediates in a Range of Biological Matrices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omar Al Kadhi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available It is now well-established that perturbations in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA cycle play an important role in the metabolic transformation occurring in cancer including that of the prostate. A method for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of TCA cycle intermediates in body fluids, tissues, and cultured cell lines of human origin was developed using a common C18 reversed-phase column by LC-MS/MS technique. This LC-MS/MS method for profiling TCA cycle intermediates offers significant advantages including simple and fast preparation of a wide range of human biological samples. The analytical method was validated according to the guideline of the Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Methods Committee. The limits of detection were below 60 nM for most of the TCA intermediates with the exception of lactic and fumaric acids. The calibration curves of all TCA analytes showed linearity with correlation coefficients r2>0.9998. Recoveries were >95% for all TCA analytes. This method was established taking into consideration problems and limitations of existing techniques. We envisage that its application to different biological matrices will facilitate deeper understanding of the metabolic changes in the TCA cycle from in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies.

  18. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... the Challenges of MS You CAN! Webcasts DVDs Books For Kids: Keep S'myelin Información en Español Brochures ... Managing MS and Another Condition Aging with MS Anesthesia and Surgery Managing Your MS d Emotional Well- ...

  19. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... the Challenges of MS You CAN! Webcasts DVDs Books For Kids: Keep S'myelin Información en Español Brochures ... MS Managing MS Resources for You and Your Practice Publications for Clinicians Publications for Your Patients MS ...

  20. Quantitative Determination of Ivermectin in Raw Milk Using Positive ESI LC-MS/MS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meenakshi Dahiya

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Ivermectin, a veterinary drug, is commonly used endectocide for animal husbandry. The drug is available in the form of subcutaneous or topical formulations. Its application may cause accumulation of its residues into the animal tissues, which ultimately find their way into the food products, such as milk and meat products. In order to determine the residues of ivermectin in milk, a comparatively simple, sensitive and rapid method was developed and validated using LC-MS/MS. The MRM transitions corresponding to m/z 892.71>569.6, 892.71>551.5 and 892.71>307.3 were used for the purpose of quantification and evaluation of other parameters of the method. The limit of detection of the method was found to be 0.1 μg/kg and the limit of quantitation was calculated as 0.2 μg/kg. The method was found to be linear in the range of 1.0 ng/mL to 100.0 ng/mL with correlation coefficient of 0.9992 for pure calibration curve and 0.9990 for the matrix- matched calibration curve. The recoveries of ivermectin from the spiked samples of raw milk were found between 85 to 105%.

  1. The MR-TOF-MS isobar separator for the TITAN facility at TRIUMF

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jesch, Christian; Dickel, Timo, E-mail: t.dickel@gsi.de; Plaß, Wolfgang R. [Justus-Liebig-University (Germany); Short, Devin [Simon Fraser University (Canada); Ayet San Andres, Samuel [Justus-Liebig-University (Germany); Dilling, Jens [TRIUMF (Canada); Geissel, Hans; Greiner, Florian; Lang, Johannes [Justus-Liebig-University (Germany); Leach, Kyle G. [Simon Fraser University (Canada); Lippert, Wayne; Scheidenberger, Christoph [Justus-Liebig-University (Germany); Yavor, Mikhail I. [Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Science (Russian Federation)

    2015-11-15

    At TRIUMF’s Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear Science (TITAN) a multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS) will extend TITAN’s capabilities and facilitate mass measurements and in-trap decay spectroscopy of exotic nuclei that so far have not been possible due to strong isobaric contamination. This MR-TOF-MS will also enable mass measurements of very short-lived nuclides (half-life > 1 ms) that are produced in very low quantities (a few detected ions overall). In order to allow the installation of an MR-TOF-MS in the restricted space on the platform, on which the TITAN facility is located, novel mass spectrometric methods have been developed. Transport, cooling and distribution of the ions inside the device is done using a buffer gas-filled RFQ-based ion beam switchyard. Mass selection is achieved using a dynamic retrapping technique after time-of-flight analysis in an electrostatic isochronous reflector system. Only due to the combination of these novel methods the realization of an MR-TOF-MS based isobar separator at TITAN has become possible. The device has been built, commissioned off-line and is currently under installation at TITAN.

  2. The MR-TOF-MS isobar separator for the TITAN facility at TRIUMF

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jesch, Christian; Dickel, Timo; Plaß, Wolfgang R.; Short, Devin; Ayet San Andres, Samuel; Dilling, Jens; Geissel, Hans; Greiner, Florian; Lang, Johannes; Leach, Kyle G.; Lippert, Wayne; Scheidenberger, Christoph; Yavor, Mikhail I.

    2015-11-01

    At TRIUMF's Ion Trap for Atomic and Nuclear Science (TITAN) a multiple-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF-MS) will extend TITAN's capabilities and facilitate mass measurements and in-trap decay spectroscopy of exotic nuclei that so far have not been possible due to strong isobaric contamination. This MR-TOF-MS will also enable mass measurements of very short-lived nuclides (half-life > 1 ms) that are produced in very low quantities (a few detected ions overall). In order to allow the installation of an MR-TOF-MS in the restricted space on the platform, on which the TITAN facility is located, novel mass spectrometric methods have been developed. Transport, cooling and distribution of the ions inside the device is done using a buffer gas-filled RFQ-based ion beam switchyard. Mass selection is achieved using a dynamic retrapping technique after time-of-flight analysis in an electrostatic isochronous reflector system. Only due to the combination of these novel methods the realization of an MR-TOF-MS based isobar separator at TITAN has become possible. The device has been built, commissioned off-line and is currently under installation at TITAN.

  3. A measurement of energy correlations and a determination of αs(M sub(Z0)2) in e+e- annihilations at √s=91 GeV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akrawy, M.Z.; Alexander, G.; Allison, J.; Allport, P.P.; Anderson, K.J.; Armitage, J.C.; Arnison, G.T.J.; Ashton, P.; Azuelos, G.; Baines, J.T.M.; Ball, A.H.; Banks, J.; Barker, G.J.; Barlow, R.J.; Batley, J.R.; Beck, A.; Becker, J.; Behnke, T.; Bell, K.W.; Bella, G.; Bethke, S.; Biebel, O.; Binder, U.; Bloodworth, I.J.; Bock, P.; Breuker, H.; Brown, R.M.; Brun, R.; Buijs, A.; Burckhart, H.J.; Capiluppi, P.; Carnegie, R.K.; Carter, A.A.; Carter, J.R.; Chang, C.Y.; Charlton, D.G.; Chrin, J.T.M.; Clarke, P.E.L.; Cohen, I.; Collins, W.J.; Conboy, J.E.; Couch, M.; Coupland, M.; Cuffiani, M.; Dado, S.; Dallavalle, G.M.; Debu, P.; Deninno, M.M.; Dieckmann, A.; Dittmar, M.; Dixit, M.S.; Duchovni, E.; Duerdoth, I.P.; Dumas, D.J.P.; El Mamouni, H.; Elcombe, P.A.; Estabrooks, P.G.; Etzion, E.; Fabbri, F.; Farthouat, P.; Fischer, H.M.; Fong, D.G.; French, M.T.; Fukunaga, C.; Gaidot, A.; Ganel, O.; Gary, J.W.; Gascon, J.; Geddes, N.I.; Gee, C.N.P.; Geich-Gimbel, C.; Gensler, S.W.; Gentit, F.X.; Giacomelli, G.; Gibson, V.; Gibson, W.R.; Gillies, J.D.; Goldberg, J.; Goodrick, M.J.; Gorn, W.; Granite, D.; Gross, E.; Grunhaus, J.; Hagedorn, H.; Hagemann, J.; Hansroul, M.; Hargrove, C.K.; Harrus, I.; Hart, J.; Hattersley, P.M.; Hauschild, M.; Hawkes, C.M.; Heflin, E.; Hemingway, R.J.; Heuer, R.D.; Hill, J.C.; Hillier, S.J.; Ho, C.; Hobbs, J.D.; Hobson, P.R.; Hochman, D.; Holl, B.; Homer, R.J.; Hou, S.R.; Howarth, C.P.; Hughes-Jones, R.E.; Humbert, R.; Igo-Kemenes, P.; Ihssen, H.; Imrie, D.C.; Janissen, L.; Jawahery, A.; Jeffreys, P.W.; Jeremie, H.; Jimack, M.; Jobes, M.; Jones, R.W.L.; Jovanovic, P.; Karlen, D.; Kawagoe, K.; Kawamoto, T.; Kellogg, R.G.; Kennedy, B.W.; Kleinworth, C.; Klem, D.E.; Knop, G.; Kobayashi, T.; Kokott, T.P.; Koepke, L.; Kowalewski, R.; Kreutzmann, H.; Kroll, J.; Kuwano, M.; Kyberd, P.; Lafferty, G.D.; Lamarche, F.; Larson, W.J.; Layter, J.G.; Le Du, P.; Leblanc, P.; Lee, A.M.; Lehto, M.H.; Lellouch, D.; Lennert, P.; Lessard, L.; Levinson, L.; Lloyd, S.L.; Loebinger, F.K.; Lorah, J.M.; Lorazo, B.; Losty, M.J.; Ludwig, J.; Ma, J.; Macbeth, A.A.; Mannelli, M.; Marcellini, S.; Maringer, G.; Martin, A.J.; Martin, J.P.; Mashimo, T.; Maettig, P.; Maur, U.; McMahon, T.J.; McNutt, J.R.; Meijers, F.; Menszner, D.; Merritt, F.S.; Mes, H.; Michelini, A.; Middleton, R.P.; Mikenberg, G.; Mildenberger, J.; Miller, D.J.; Milstene, C.; Minowa, M.; Mohr, W.; Montanari, A.; Mori, T.; Moss, M.W.; Murphy, P.G.; Murray, W.J.; Nellen, B.; Nguyen, H.H.; Nozaki, M.; O'Dowd, A.J.P.; O'Neale, S.W.; O'Neill, B.P.; Oakham, F.G.; Odorici, F.; Ogg, M.; Oh, H.; Oreglia, M.J.; Orito, S.; Pansart, J.P.

    1990-01-01

    From an analysis of multi-hadron events from Z 0 decays, values of the strong coupling constant α s (M 2 Z0 ) = 0.131±0.006(exp)±0.007(theor.) and α s (M 2 Z0 ) = 0.117 -0.009 +0.007 (exp.) -0.002 +0.006 (theor.) are derived from the energy-energy correlation distribution and its asymmetry, respectively, assuming the QCD renormalization scale μ = M Z0 . The theoretical error accounts for differences between O(α s 2 ) calculations. A two parameter fit of Λ MS and the renormalization scale μ leads to Λ MS =216±85 MeV and μ 2 /s=0.027±0.013 or to α s (M 2 Z0 ) = 0.117 -0.008 +0.006 (exp.) for the energy-energy correlation distribution. The energy-energy correlation asymmetry distribution is insensitive to a scale change: thus the α s value quoted above for this variable includes the theoretical uncertainty associated with the renormalization scale. (orig.)

  4. Ferro-based derivatizing agents for LC/MS an LC/EC/MS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Seiwert, Bettina

    2007-01-01

    Within this thesis, the development and application of ferrocene-based derivatizing agents for LC/MS and LC/EC/MS is presented. The advantages of derivatization by ferrocenes are the similtaneous introduction of a mass tag and an electroactive group, which make them ideally suited for LC/MS and

  5. Current topics in condensed matter and particle physics. Non-perturbative phenomena and strongly correlated systems. Kathmandu summer school lecture notes. V. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pati, J.; Shafi, Q.; Yu Lu

    1993-01-01

    This is a collection of five lectures on quantum field theory and its applications, two lectures on aspects of particle and nuclear physics (unification in the superstring context; and topics in P and CP violation in nuclear and particle physics), and ten lectures mainly on the physics of strong correlations, all but one of which are within the INIS scope. Refs, figs and tabs

  6. New developments in the theoretical treatment of low dimensional strongly correlated systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Andrew J A; Konik, Robert M; Lecheminant, Philippe; Robinson, Neil; Tsvelik, Alexei M

    2017-10-09

    We review two important non-perturbative approaches for extracting the physics of low- dimensional strongly correlated quantum systems. Firstly, we start by providing a comprehensive review of non-Abelian bosonization. This includes an introduction to the basic elements of confor- mal field theory as applied to systems with a current algebra, and we orient the reader by presenting a number of applications of non-Abelian bosonization to models with large symmetries. We then tie this technique into recent advances in the ability of cold atomic systems to realize complex symme- tries. Secondly, we discuss truncated spectrum methods for the numerical study of systems in one and two dimensions. For one-dimensional systems we provide the reader with considerable insight into the methodology by reviewing canonical applications of the technique to the Ising model (and its variants) and the sine-Gordon model. Following this we review recent work on the development of renormalization groups, both numerical and analytical, that alleviate the effects of truncating the spectrum. Using these technologies, we consider a number of applications to one-dimensional systems: properties of carbon nanotubes, quenches in the Lieb-Liniger model, 1+1D quantum chro- modynamics, as well as Landau-Ginzburg theories. In the final part we move our attention to consider truncated spectrum methods applied to two-dimensional systems. This involves combining truncated spectrum methods with matrix product state algorithms. We describe applications of this method to two-dimensional systems of free fermions and the quantum Ising model, including their non-equilibrium dynamics. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  7. LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of thalidomide, lenalidomide, cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, dexamethasone and adriamycin in serum of multiple myeloma patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shu, Chang; Zeng, Tianmei; Gao, Shouhong; Xia, Tianyi; Huang, Lifeng; Zhang, Feng; Chen, Wansheng

    2016-08-15

    Multiple myeloma (MM), a malignant neoplastic serum-cell disorder, has been a serious threat to human health. The determination of 6 commonly used drug concentrations, including thalidomide, lenalidomide, cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, dexamethasone and adriamycin, in MM patients was of great clinical interest. Herein, we reported a method for the rapid and simultaneous measurement of the above therapeutics by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) method with solid phase extraction. Analysis was performed on a Waters XBridge(®) BEH C18 column (2.5μm, 2.1 mm×50mm), with formic acid aqueous solution and acetonitrile as the mobile phase at flow rate 0.3mL/min. All analytes showed good correlation coefficients (r>0.996), and LLOQ of thalidomide, lenalidomide, cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, dexamethasone and adriamycin were 4, 2, 2, 2, 2 and 2ng/mL, respectively. The inter- and intra-day precisions and stability were expressed as variation coefficients within 15% and relative error less than 15%. Dilution effect, carryover and incurred sample reanalysis were investigated according to the 2015 edition Chinese Pharmacopoeia guidelines, as US FDA (2013, revision 1) required. The LC-MS/MS based assay described in this article may improve future clinical studies evaluating common therapeutics for MM treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Application of CE-ICP-MS and CE-ESI-MS/MS for identification of Zn-binding ligands in Goji berries extracts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruzik, Lena; Kwiatkowski, Piotr

    2018-06-01

    The identification of groups of ligands binding metals is a crucial issue for the better understanding of their bioaccessibility. In the current study, we have intended an approach for identification of Zn-binding ligands based on using capillary electrophoresis combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS) and tandem electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS/MS). The approach, which featured the use of the coupling of capillary electrophoresis with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry allows to separate and observe zinc ions present in complexes with respect to their size and charge and to identify nine compounds with zinc isotopic profile. CE-ICP-MS provides us with information about presence of zinc species and elemental information about zinc distribution. CE-ESI-MS/MS provide us with information about the most favorable Zn binding ligands: amino acids, flavonols, stilbenoids, fenolic acids and carotenoids. The presented work is the continuation of previous studies based on using LC-ESI-MS/MS, though, now we presented a new solutions with the possibility of changing detectors without changing the separation techniques, what is important without re-optimizing the method. The new presented method allows to identify the zinc-binding ligands in shorter time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Analysis of pesticide residues in strawberries and soils by GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS and two-dimensional GC-time-of-flight MS comparing organic and integrated pest management farming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandes, Virgínia C; Lehotay, Steven J; Geis-Asteggiante, Lucía; Kwon, Hyeyoung; Mol, Hans G J; van der Kamp, Henk; Mateus, Nuno; Domingues, Valentina F; Delerue-Matos, Cristina

    2014-01-01

    This study analysed 22 strawberry and soil samples after their collection over the course of 2 years to compare the residue profiles from organic farming with integrated pest management practices in Portugal. For sample preparation, we used the citrate-buffered version of the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method. We applied three different methods for analysis: (1) 27 pesticides were targeted using LC-MS/MS; (2) 143 were targeted using low pressure GC-tandem mass spectrometry (LP-GC-MS/MS); and (3) more than 600 pesticides were screened in a targeted and untargeted approach using comprehensive, two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-TOF-MS). Comparison was made of the analyses using the different methods for the shared samples. The results were similar, thereby providing satisfactory confirmation of both similarly positive and negative findings. No pesticides were found in the organic-farmed samples. In samples from integrated pest management practices, nine pesticides were determined and confirmed to be present, ranging from 2 µg kg(-1) for fluazifop-p-butyl to 50 µg kg(-1) for fenpropathrin. Concentrations of residues in strawberries were less than European maximum residue limits.

  10. Quantitative Determination of Perfluorochemicals and Fluorotelomer Alcohols in Plants from Biosolid-Amended Fields using LC/MS/MS and GC/MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Analytical methods for determining perfluorochemicals (PFCs) and fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) in plants using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were developed, and applied to quantify a suite of analytes i...

  11. In Vivo Metabolism Study of Xiamenmycin A in Mouse Plasma by UPLC-QTOF-MS and LC-MS/MS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Lei

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Xiamenmycin A is an antifibrotic leading compound with a benzopyran skeleton that is isolated from mangrove-derived Streptomyces xiamenensis. As a promising small molecule for fibrotic diseases, less information is known about its metabolic characteristics in vivo. In this study, the time-course of xiamenmycin A in mouse plasma was investigated by relative quantification. After two types of administration of xiamenmycin A at a single dose of 10 mg/kg, the plasma concentrations were measured quantitatively by LC-MS/MS. The dynamic changes in the xiamenmycin A concentration showed rapid absorption and quick elimination in plasma post-administration. Four metabolites (M1–M4 were identified in blood by UPLC-QTOF-MS, and xiamenmycin B (M3 is the principal metabolite in vivo, as verified by comparison of the authentic standard sample. The structures of other metabolites were identified based on the characteristics of their MS and MS/MS data. The newly identified metabolites are useful for understanding the metabolism of xiamenmycin A in vivo, aiming at the development of an anti-fibrotic drug candidate for the therapeutic treatment of excessive fibrotic diseases.

  12. Contribution to the development of new analytical methods by the coupling between capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS and ESI-MS): applications to the nuclear and biological fields; Contribution au developpement de nouvelles methodes analytiques par le couplage entre l'electrophorese capillaire et la spectrometrie de masse (ICP-MS et ESI-MS): applications dans les domaines nucleaires et biologiques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pitois, A

    2006-04-15

    The coupling between chromatographic and electrophoretic separation techniques and mass spectrometry is used to combine the efficiency of the separation technique to the selectivity and sensitivity of the detectors. In this work, the number of applications of the CE-MS couplings has been increased. New analytical methods have been set up in the nuclear and biological fields. New analytical methods for the determination of fission products (cesium and lanthanides) have been developed by CE-ICP-MS. They enable to determine both concentration and isotopic composition of the fission products for very low detection limits (ng/mL by CE-Q-ICPMS, pg/mL by CE-HR-ICP-MS), since all the isobaric interferences are resolved. Moreover, only some nano-liters of sample are necessary to perform the analysis. These method have been applied with success to a simulated sample of spent fuel, to a nuclear sample from PUREX process and to a leaching of MOX fuel. Then, lanthanides have been analysed by CE-ESI-MS and the capability of ESI-MS to provide structural information has been studied. Elementary information has been obtained for strong potentials. Structural information has been obtained for low potentials. Finally, a new analytical method by CE-ESI-MS for the determination of 10B-boronophenylalanine (10B-BPA) has been developed for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). It has been applied to the cellular lines F98 and HUVEC. This CE-ESI-MS method has been validated by HR-ICP-MS. It enables a direct quantification of the chemical form 10B-BPA in samples of limited size (some nano-liters) and for low concentrations (ng/mL). As a consequence, this CE-ESI-MS method has enabled the study of the kinetics of 10B-BPA release and uptake for the F98 cells. (author)

  13. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Become an MS Activist Take Action Current Advocacy Issues Advocacy Results Advocacy News d Raise Awareness d ... MS are more likely to experience gradually worsening problems with walking and mobility, along with whatever other symptoms they may have. Diagnosing relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) Learn More Learn More ... Room MS Prevalence ...

  14. Identification and characterization of novel long-term metabolites of oxymesterone and mesterolone in human urine by application of selected reaction monitoring GC-CI-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polet, Michael; Van Gansbeke, Wim; Geldof, Lore; Deventer, Koen; Van Eenoo, Peter

    2017-11-01

    The search for metabolites with longer detection times remains an important task in, for example, toxicology and doping control. The impact of these long-term metabolites is highlighted by the high number of positive cases after reanalysis of samples that were stored for several years, e.g. samples of previous Olympic Games. A substantial number of previously alleged negative samples have now been declared positive due to the detection of various long-term steroid metabolites the existence of which was unknown during the Olympic Games of 2008 and 2012. In this work, the metabolism of oxymesterone and mesterolone, two anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), was investigated by application of a selected reaction monitoring gas chromatography-chemical ionization-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-CI-MS/MS) protocol for metabolite detection and identification. Correlations between AAS structure and GC-CI-MS/MS fragmentation behaviour enabled the search for previously unknown but expected AAS metabolites by selection of theoretical transitions for expected metabolites. Use of different hydrolysis protocols allowed for evaluation of the detection window of both phase I and phase II metabolites. For oxymesterone, a new metabolite, 18-nor-17β-hydroxymethyl-17α-methyl-4-hydroxy-androst-4,13-diene-3-one, was identified. It was detectable up to 46 days by using GC-CI-MS/MS, whereas with a traditional screening (detection of metabolite 17-epioxymesterone with electron ionization GC-MS/MS) oxymesterone administration was only detectable for 3.5 days. A new metabolite was also found for mesterolone. It was identified as 1α-methyl-5α-androstan-3,6,16-triol-17-one and its sulfate form after hydrolysis with Helix pomatia resulted in a prolonged detection time (up to 15 days) for mesterolone abuse. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  15. Sulphur fertilization influences the sulphur species composition in Allium sativum: sulphomics using HPLC-ICPMS/MS-ESI-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raab, Andrea; Ronzan, Marilena; Feldmann, Joerg

    2017-10-18

    Garlic (A. sativum) contains a large number of small sulphur (S)-containing metabolites, which are important for its taste and smell and vary with A. sativum variety and growth conditions. This study was designed to investigate the influence of different sulphur-fertilization regimes on low molecular weight S-species by attempting the first sulphur mass balance in A. sativum roots and bulbs using HPLC-ICPMS/MS-ESI-MS/MS. Species unspecific quantification of acid soluble S-containing metabolites was achieved using HPLC-ICP-MS/MS. For identification of the compounds, high resolution ESI-MS (Orbitrap LTQ and q-TOF) was used. The plants contained up to 54 separated sulphur-containing compounds, which constitute about 80% of the total sulphur present in A. sativum. The roots and bulbs of A. sativum contained the same compounds, but not necessarily the same amounts and proportions. The S-containing metabolites in the roots reacted more sensitively to manipulations of sulphur fertilization than those compounds in the bulbs. In addition to known compounds (e.g. γ-glutamyl-S-1-propenylcysteine) we were able to identify and partially quantify 31 compounds. Three as yet undescribed S-containing compounds were also identified and quantified for the first time. Putative structures were assigned to the oxidised forms of S-1-propenylmercaptoglutathione, S-2-propenylmercaptoglutathione, S-allyl/propenyl-containing PC-2 and 2-amino-3-[(2-carboxypropyl)sulfanyl]propanoic acid. The parallel use of ICP-MS/MS as a sulphur-specific detector and ESI-MS as a molecular detector simplifies the identification and quantification of sulphur containing metabolites without species specific standards. This non-target analysis approach enables a mass balance approach and identifies the occurrence of the so far unidentified organosulphur compounds. The experiments showed that the sulphur-fertilization regime does not influence sulphur-speciation, but the concentration of some S

  16. Electrophysiological and psychophysical asymmetries in sensitivity to interaural correlation gaps and implications for binaural integration time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lüddemann, Helge; Kollmeier, Birger; Riedel, Helmut

    2016-02-01

    Brief deviations of interaural correlation (IAC) can provide valuable cues for detection, segregation and localization of acoustic signals. This study investigated the processing of such "binaural gaps" in continuously running noise (100-2000 Hz), in comparison to silent "monaural gaps", by measuring late auditory evoked potentials (LAEPs) and perceptual thresholds with novel, iteratively optimized stimuli. Mean perceptual binaural gap duration thresholds exhibited a major asymmetry: they were substantially shorter for uncorrelated gaps in correlated and anticorrelated reference noise (1.75 ms and 4.1 ms) than for correlated and anticorrelated gaps in uncorrelated reference noise (26.5 ms and 39.0 ms). The thresholds also showed a minor asymmetry: they were shorter in the positive than in the negative IAC range. The mean behavioral threshold for monaural gaps was 5.5 ms. For all five gap types, the amplitude of LAEP components N1 and P2 increased linearly with the logarithm of gap duration. While perceptual and electrophysiological thresholds matched for monaural gaps, LAEP thresholds were about twice as long as perceptual thresholds for uncorrelated gaps, but half as long for correlated and anticorrelated gaps. Nevertheless, LAEP thresholds showed the same asymmetries as perceptual thresholds. For gap durations below 30 ms, LAEPs were dominated by the processing of the leading edge of a gap. For longer gap durations, in contrast, both the leading and the lagging edge of a gap contributed to the evoked response. Formulae for the equivalent rectangular duration (ERD) of the binaural system's temporal window were derived for three common window shapes. The psychophysical ERD was 68 ms for diotic and about 40 ms for anti- and uncorrelated noise. After a nonlinear Z-transform of the stimulus IAC prior to temporal integration, ERDs were about 10 ms for reference correlations of ±1 and 80 ms for uncorrelated reference. Hence, a physiologically motivated

  17. Decoherence-induced transition from photon correlation to anti-correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Q

    2014-01-01

    Decoherence tends to induce the quantum-to-classical transition, which leads to a crucial obstacle in the realization of reliable quantum information processing. Counterintuitively, we propose that the decoherence due to phase decay brings about the switch from photon correlation to anti-correlation. Stronger decoherence also gives rise to an enhancement of the transition from photon correlation to anti-correlation. This breaks the conventional correlation of strong decoherence with fast decorrelation. (letters)

  18. Damping at positive frequencies in the limit J⊥-->0 in the strongly correlated Hubbard model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohan, Minette M.

    1992-08-01

    I show damping in the two-dimensional strongly correlated Hubbard model within the retraceable-path approximation, using an expansion around dominant poles for the self-energy. The damping half-width ~J2/3z occurs only at positive frequencies ω>5/2Jz, the excitation energy of a pure ``string'' state of length one, where Jz is the Ising part of the superexchange interaction, and occurs even in the absence of spin-flip terms ~J⊥ in contrast to other theoretical treatments. The dispersion relation for both damped and undamped peaks near the upper band edge is found and is shown to have lost the simple J2/3z dependence characteristic of the peaks near the lower band edge. The position of the first three peaks near the upper band edge agrees well with numerical simulations on the t-J model. The weight of the undamped peaks near the upper band edge is ~J4/3z, contrasting with Jz for the weight near the lower band edge.

  19. Deterministic alternatives to the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo method for strongly correlated systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tubman, Norm; Whaley, Birgitta

    The development of exponential scaling methods has seen great progress in tackling larger systems than previously thought possible. One such technique, full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo, allows exact diagonalization through stochastically sampling of determinants. The method derives its utility from the information in the matrix elements of the Hamiltonian, together with a stochastic projected wave function, which are used to explore the important parts of Hilbert space. However, a stochastic representation of the wave function is not required to search Hilbert space efficiently and new deterministic approaches have recently been shown to efficiently find the important parts of determinant space. We shall discuss the technique of Adaptive Sampling Configuration Interaction (ASCI) and the related heat-bath Configuration Interaction approach for ground state and excited state simulations. We will present several applications for strongly correlated Hamiltonians. This work was supported through the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Advanced Scientific Computing Research and Basic Energy Sciences.

  20. Characterization, stoichiometry, and stability of salivary protein-tannin complexes by ESI-MS and ESI-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canon, Francis; Paté, Franck; Meudec, Emmanuelle; Marlin, Thérèse; Cheynier, Véronique; Giuliani, Alexandre; Sarni-Manchado, Pascale

    2009-12-01

    Numerous protein-polyphenol interactions occur in biological and food domains particularly involving proline-rich proteins, which are representative of the intrinsically unstructured protein group (IUP). Noncovalent protein-ligand complexes are readily detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), which also gives access to ligand binding stoichiometry. Surprisingly, the study of interactions between polyphenolic molecules and proteins is still an area where ESI-MS has poorly benefited, whereas it has been extensively applied to the detection of noncovalent complexes. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry has been applied to the detection and the characterization of the complexes formed between tannins and a human salivary proline-rich protein (PRP), namely IB5. The study of the complex stability was achieved by low-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) measurements, which are commonly implemented using triple quadrupole, hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight, or ion trap instruments. Complexes composed of IB5 bound to a model polyphenol EgCG have been detected by ESI-MS and further analyzed by MS/MS. Mild ESI interface conditions allowed us to observe intact noncovalent PRP-tannin complexes with stoichiometries ranging from 1:1 to 1:5. Thus, ESI-MS shows its efficiency for (1) the study of PRP-tannin interactions, (2) the determination of stoichiometry, and (3) the study of complex stability. We were able to establish unambiguously both their stoichiometries and their overall subunit architecture via tandem mass spectrometry and solution disruption experiments. Our results prove that IB5.EgCG complexes are maintained intact in the gas phase.

  1. An improved method of sample preparation on AnchorChip targets for MALDI-MS and MS/MS and its application in the liver proteome project

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xumin; Shi, Liang; Shu, Shaokung

    2007-01-01

    An improved method for sample preparation for MALDI-MS and MS/MS using AnchorChip targets is presented. The method, termed the SMW method (sample, matrix wash), results in better sensitivity for peptide mass fingerprinting as well as for sequencing by MS/MS than previously published methods. The ...

  2. Cluster-cluster correlations and constraints on the correlation hierarchy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, A. J. S.; Gott, J. R., III

    1988-01-01

    The hypothesis that galaxies cluster around clusters at least as strongly as they cluster around galaxies imposes constraints on the hierarchy of correlation amplitudes in hierachical clustering models. The distributions which saturate these constraints are the Rayleigh-Levy random walk fractals proposed by Mandelbrot; for these fractal distributions cluster-cluster correlations are all identically equal to galaxy-galaxy correlations. If correlation amplitudes exceed the constraints, as is observed, then cluster-cluster correlations must exceed galaxy-galaxy correlations, as is observed.

  3. Sedentary behaviour in people with multiple sclerosis: Is it time to stand up against MS?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veldhuijzen van Zanten, Jet Jcs; Pilutti, Lara A; Duda, Joan L; Motl, Robert W

    2016-09-01

    Historically, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been considered sedentary, although the actual scientific study of sedentary behaviour in MS did not originate until 2011. Sedentary behaviour, which is conceptually distinct from physical inactivity, is defined as any waking activity characterised by an energy expenditure ⩽ 1.5 metabolic equivalents and in a sitting or reclining posture. In the general population, the volume of sitting time is associated with increased risks of morbidity and mortality, independent of physical activity, and has been suggested to carry a greater risk of mortality than smoking behaviour. There are many symptoms of MS (e.g. mobility disability and fatigue) that could increase the prevalence of sedentary behaviour, and sedentary behaviour may have considerable implications for the development of comorbid conditions prevalent in MS. This review provides a summary of the rates, correlates, consequences and interventions attempting to reduce sedentary behaviour in MS. We provide a research agenda that guides future research on sedentary behaviour in MS. This paper provides a clarion call that it is time to 'stand up against MS'. © The Author(s), 2016.

  4. Effective application of freezing lipid precipitation and SCX-SPE for determination of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in high lipid foodstuffs by LC-ESI-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Soo Hwan; Kim, Min-Sun; Kim, Sang Hoon; Park, Hyun Mee; Pyo, Heesoo; Lee, Yong Moon; Lee, Kyung-Tae; Hong, Jongki

    2015-06-15

    Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are naturally occurring plant toxins associated with serious hepatic disease in humans and animals. In this study, rapid and sensitive analytical method was developed for the determination of 9 toxic PAs in popularly high lipid foodstuffs by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). PAs in lipid foodstuff were effectively purified by freezing lipid precipitation (FLP) and strong cation exchange (SCX)-solid-phase extraction (SPE). Especially, FLP could easily remove the large amounts of triacylglycerols in the lipid sample extract and effectively combine with SPE cleanup. During the FLP procedure, over 77% of the lipids in the foodstuff extracts were rapidly eliminated without any significant loss of the PAs with over 81% recovery. The elimination efficiency of lipids by FLP was tested with LC-atmospheric chemical ionization (APCI)-MS. For further purification, SCX-SPE cartridge could successfully purify PAs from the remaining interfering substances by the variation pH with 5% NH4OH in methanol. For precise quantification and confirmation of PAs in complicate sample matrices, appropriate transition ions in LC-MS/MS-multiple-ion reaction monitoring (MRM) mode were selected on the basis of MS/MS fragmentation pathways of PAs. The established analytical method was validated in terms of the linearity, limits of detection (LOD), and quantification (LOQ), precision, and accuracy. The method was deemed satisfactory by inter- and intra-day validation and exhibited both high accuracy and precision (relative standard deviation<11.06%). Overall limits of detection and quantitation of PAs were approximately 0.06-0.60ng/mL at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 3 and were about 0.20-1.99ng/mL at a S/N of 10 for all foodstuffs. The established method was successfully applied for the monitoring of toxic PAs in several types of high lipid foodstuffs such as soybeans, seed oil, milk, and margarine. Copyright

  5. Ferromagnetic instabilities in disordered systems in the limit of strong correlations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magalhaes, A.N.; Troper, A.; Gomes, A.A.

    1976-05-01

    One derives the criterion for ferromagnetic instabilities in hybridized disordered systems, e.g. transition metal like systems and actinides, within the Coherent Potential Approximation (CPA), the electron-electron correlations being described by Hubbard' approximation. In the case of actinides, one treats approximately the motion of d electrons while the diagonal disorder within the f band is fully taken into account. In the case of a trnsition metal like system, except for Hubbard's approximation in dealing with d-d electron correlations, our procedure is exact within the spirit of CPA

  6. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... for You and Your Practice Publications for Clinicians Publications for Your Patients MS Navigator Program Programs and Services for Your Patients ... Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) Relapsing-remitting MS ( ...

  7. Serum cytokine contents in schizophrenia patient with metabolic syndrome and their correlation with nerve electrophysiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li-Yong Chen

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To analyze serum cytokine contents in schizophrenia patient with metabolic syndrome (MS and their correlation with nerve electrophysiology. Methods: A total of 90 chizophrenia patient with MS, including 41 cases with simple schizophrenia and 39 cases with simple metabolic syndrome were included for study. The values of nerve electrophysiology indexes and serum illness-related indexes were compared among included patients, and the correlation between the two was further analyzed. Results: Compared with simple schizophrenia group and simple MS group, P300 latency of schizophrenia with MS group was longer, and the amplitude was shorter; N2-P3 latency and amplitude were shorter (P<0.05; serum SOD, S100b, BDNF, ABAb, PAI-1, 毩-HBDH, AST, cystatin c, TG, FBG and 2hPG values of schizophrenia with MS group were higher, IGF1, HMW-APN and HDL-C levels were lower, and compared with simple schizophrenia group and simple MS group, differences were significant (P<0.05; P300 latency, P300 amplitude, N2-P3 latency and N2- P3 amplitude of schizophrenia with MS group were directly correlated with serum cytokine contents (P<0.05. Conclusions: There are significantly abnormal serum cytokines and nerve electrophysiology indexes in schizophrenia patient with MS, and nerve electrophysiology detection can be used as the means to judge disease and guide treatment.

  8. An in silico MS/MS library for automatic annotation of novel FAHFA lipids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Yan; Kind, Tobias; Vaniya, Arpana; Gennity, Ingrid; Fahrmann, Johannes F; Fiehn, Oliver

    2015-01-01

    A new lipid class named 'fatty acid esters of hydroxyl fatty acids' (FAHFA) was recently discovered in mammalian adipose tissue and in blood plasma and some FAHFAs were found to be associated with type 2 diabetes. To facilitate the automatic annotation of FAHFAs in biological specimens, a tandem mass spectra (MS/MS) library is needed. Due to the limitation of the commercial available standard compounds, we proposed building an in silico MS/MS library to extend the coverage of molecules. We developed a computer-generated library with 3267 tandem mass spectra (MS/MS) for 1089 FAHFA species. FAHFA spectra were generated based on authentic standards with negative mode electrospray ionization and 10, 20, and 40 V collision induced dissociation at 4 spectra/s as used in in ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-QTOF mass spectrometry studies. However, positional information of the hydroxyl group is only obtained either at lower QTOF spectra acquisition rates of 1 spectrum/s or at the MS(3) level in ion trap instruments. Therefore, an additional set of 4290 fragment-rich MS/MS spectra was created to enable distinguishing positional FAHFA isomers. The library was generated based on ion fragmentations and ion intensities of FAHFA external reference standards, developing a heuristic model for fragmentation rules and extending these rules to large swaths of computer-generated structures of FAHFAs with varying chain lengths, degrees of unsaturation and hydroxyl group positions. Subsequently, we validated the new in silico library by discovering several new FAHFA species in egg yolk, showing that this library enables high-throughput screening of FAHFA lipids in various biological matrices. The developed library and templates are freely available for commercial or noncommercial use at http://fiehnlab.ucdavis.edu/staff/yanma/fahfa-lipid-library. This in silico MS/MS library allows users to annotate FAHFAs from accurate mass tandem mass spectra in an easy and fast manner

  9. Roles of singlet oxygen and triplet excited state of dissolved organic matter formed by different organic matters in bacteriophage MS2 inactivation

    KAUST Repository

    Rosado-Lausell, Sahid L.; Wang, Hanting; Gutié rrez, Leonardo A.; Romero-Maraccini, Ofelia C.; Niu, Xi-Zhi; Gin, Karina; Croue, Jean-Philippe; Nguyen, Thanh Ha

    2013-01-01

    Inactivation of bacteriophage MS2 by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and triplet excited state of dissolved organic matter (3DOM*) produced by irradiation of natural and synthetic sensitizers with simulated sunlight of wavelengths greater than 320nm was investigated. Natural sensitizers included purified DOM isolates obtained from wastewater and river waters, and water samples collected from Singapore River, Stamford Canal, and Marina Bay Reservoir in Singapore. Linear correlations were found between MS2 inactivation rate constants (kobs) and the photo-induced reaction rate constants of 2,4,6-trimethylphenol (TMP), a probe compound shown to react mainly with 3DOM*. Linear correlations between MS2 kobs and singlet oxygen (1O2) concentrations were also found for both purified DOM isolates and natural water samples. These correlations, along with data from quenching experiments and experiments with synthetic sensitizers, Rose Bengal (RB), 3'-methoxyacetophenone (3'-MAP), and nitrite (NO2-), suggest that 1O2, 3DOM*, and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) could inactivate bacteriophage MS2. Linear correlations between MS2 kobs and Specific Ultraviolet Absorption determined at 254nm (SUVA254) were also found for both purified DOM isolates and natural samples. These results suggest the potential use of TMP as a chemical probe and SUVA254 as an indicator for virus inactivation in natural and purified DOM water samples. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

  10. Roles of singlet oxygen and triplet excited state of dissolved organic matter formed by different organic matters in bacteriophage MS2 inactivation

    KAUST Repository

    Rosado-Lausell, Sahid L.

    2013-09-01

    Inactivation of bacteriophage MS2 by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and triplet excited state of dissolved organic matter (3DOM*) produced by irradiation of natural and synthetic sensitizers with simulated sunlight of wavelengths greater than 320nm was investigated. Natural sensitizers included purified DOM isolates obtained from wastewater and river waters, and water samples collected from Singapore River, Stamford Canal, and Marina Bay Reservoir in Singapore. Linear correlations were found between MS2 inactivation rate constants (kobs) and the photo-induced reaction rate constants of 2,4,6-trimethylphenol (TMP), a probe compound shown to react mainly with 3DOM*. Linear correlations between MS2 kobs and singlet oxygen (1O2) concentrations were also found for both purified DOM isolates and natural water samples. These correlations, along with data from quenching experiments and experiments with synthetic sensitizers, Rose Bengal (RB), 3\\'-methoxyacetophenone (3\\'-MAP), and nitrite (NO2-), suggest that 1O2, 3DOM*, and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) could inactivate bacteriophage MS2. Linear correlations between MS2 kobs and Specific Ultraviolet Absorption determined at 254nm (SUVA254) were also found for both purified DOM isolates and natural samples. These results suggest the potential use of TMP as a chemical probe and SUVA254 as an indicator for virus inactivation in natural and purified DOM water samples. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Organization of GC/MS and LC/MS metabolomics data into chemical libraries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DeHaven Corey D

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Metabolomics experiments involve generating and comparing small molecule (metabolite profiles from complex mixture samples to identify those metabolites that are modulated in altered states (e.g., disease, drug treatment, toxin exposure. One non-targeted metabolomics approach attempts to identify and interrogate all small molecules in a sample using GC or LC separation followed by MS or MSn detection. Analysis of the resulting large, multifaceted data sets to rapidly and accurately identify the metabolites is a challenging task that relies on the availability of chemical libraries of metabolite spectral signatures. A method for analyzing spectrometry data to identify and Quantify Individual Components in a Sample, (QUICS, enables generation of chemical library entries from known standards and, importantly, from unknown metabolites present in experimental samples but without a corresponding library entry. This method accounts for all ions in a sample spectrum, performs library matches, and allows review of the data to quality check library entries. The QUICS method identifies ions related to any given metabolite by correlating ion data across the complete set of experimental samples, thus revealing subtle spectral trends that may not be evident when viewing individual samples and are likely to be indicative of the presence of one or more otherwise obscured metabolites. Results LC-MS/MS or GC-MS data from 33 liver samples were analyzed simultaneously which exploited the inherent biological diversity of the samples and the largely non-covariant chemical nature of the metabolites when viewed over multiple samples. Ions were partitioned by both retention time (RT and covariance which grouped ions from a single common underlying metabolite. This approach benefitted from using mass, time and intensity data in aggregate over the entire sample set to reject outliers and noise thereby producing higher quality chemical identities. The

  12. Structure Elucidation of Unknown Metabolites in Metabolomics by Combined NMR and MS/MS Prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boiteau, Rene M; Hoyt, David W; Nicora, Carrie D; Kinmonth-Schultz, Hannah A; Ward, Joy K; Bingol, Kerem

    2018-01-17

    We introduce a cheminformatics approach that combines highly selective and orthogonal structure elucidation parameters; accurate mass, MS/MS (MS²), and NMR into a single analysis platform to accurately identify unknown metabolites in untargeted studies. The approach starts with an unknown LC-MS feature, and then combines the experimental MS/MS and NMR information of the unknown to effectively filter out the false positive candidate structures based on their predicted MS/MS and NMR spectra. We demonstrate the approach on a model mixture, and then we identify an uncatalogued secondary metabolite in Arabidopsis thaliana . The NMR/MS² approach is well suited to the discovery of new metabolites in plant extracts, microbes, soils, dissolved organic matter, food extracts, biofuels, and biomedical samples, facilitating the identification of metabolites that are not present in experimental NMR and MS metabolomics databases.

  13. Analytical Method Details (MS): SE53_MS03 [Metabolonote[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available SE53_MS03 CE-TOF/MS Agilent CE capillary electrophoresis system,Agilent G3250AA LC/...s were performed using an Agilent CE capillary electrophoresis system (Agilent Technologies, Waldbronn, Germ

  14. Simultaneous determination of 30 hormones illegally added to anti-ageing functional foods using UPLC-MS/MS coupled with SPE clean-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xiaoqin; Xi, Cunxian; Tang, Bobin; Wang, Guomin; Chen, Dongdong; Peng, Tao; Mu, Zhaode

    2014-01-01

    A novel analytical method employing solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of 30 hormones in anti-ageing functional foods (capsules, powders and tablets). The analytes were extracted with acetic acid-acetonitrile (1-99 v/v), methanol and acetone, respectively. The extract was purified using a combined column, followed by analyte detection with electrospray ionisation in positive- or negative-ion modes. The results indicated that the 30 compounds had good linear correlations in the range of 1-1000 μg kg⁻¹, and the correlation coefficients were above 0.99. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) were 0.03-2 and 0.1-5 μg kg⁻¹, respectively. The average recovery of 30 compounds at the three spiked levels varied from 74.7% to 124.1%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 2.4-15.0%. This method was applied to the analysis of hormones in 14 real samples of which seven hormones (such as estrone, dienestrol) were detected in four samples, but the remainder of the hormones were not detected. The developed method is sensitive, efficient, reliable and applicable to real samples.

  15. First impressions: making up your mind after a 100-ms exposure to a face.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willis, Janine; Todorov, Alexander

    2006-07-01

    People often draw trait inferences from the facial appearance of other people. We investigated the minimal conditions under which people make such inferences. In five experiments, each focusing on a specific trait judgment, we manipulated the exposure time of unfamiliar faces. Judgments made after a 100-ms exposure correlated highly with judgments made in the absence of time constraints, suggesting that this exposure time was sufficient for participants to form an impression. In fact, for all judgments-attractiveness, likeability, trustworthiness, competence, and aggressiveness-increased exposure time did not significantly increase the correlations. When exposure time increased from 100 to 500 ms, participants' judgments became more negative, response times for judgments decreased, and confidence in judgments increased. When exposure time increased from 500 to 1,000 ms, trait judgments and response times did not change significantly (with one exception), but confidence increased for some of the judgments; this result suggests that additional time may simply boost confidence in judgments. However, increased exposure time led to more differentiated person impressions.

  16. Dating of Uranium Materials by Using Combination of ICP-MS and SIMS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stebelkov, Y.; Aleshin, M.; Elantyev, I.; Grachev, A.; Zhizhin, K.; Stebelkov, V.

    2015-01-01

    The age of nuclear and some other radioactive materials can be determined undoubtedly by using ICP-MS techniques. But it can be correct if only one nuclear or another radioactive material is presented in analyzed sample and no isotope-chronograph presented in background particles in significant quantities. For particle analysis, which can be implemented by using SIMS, these restrictions are not valid. Practically one particle always characterizes only one material and does not contain background isotopes-chronographs. But age determination is based on the result of measuring of the content ratio of Th230 and U234. The difference of ionization coefficients of uranium and thorium and dependence of these coefficients on composition of particle does not allow using this method directly for age determination. Nevertheless SIMS is useful for dating of uranium materials, especially if the sample can contain small amounts of different materials. In this case the analysis of different fragments of materials by SIMS can confirm or not confirm the result, had been obtained by ICP-MS. If all detected and analyzed particles and fragments will have the same ratio of ion currents of Th230 and U234, the result of ICP-MS is true. If particles and fragments will have different ratios the result of ICP-MS cannot be related to any of presented materials. But in the last case the ages of different materials can be still estimated if different fragments have different ages, but the same elemental composition. The ''age'' had been determined by ICP-MS can be correlated with the average ratio of ion currents of Th230 and U234 had been determined by SIMS for all analyzed particles or fragments. This correlation determines the ratio of ionization coefficients of uranium and thorium, which should be the same for particles with the same elemental composition. (author)

  17. Quality evaluation of LC-MS/MS-based E. coli H antigen typing (MS-H) through label-free quantitative data analysis in a clinical sample setup.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Keding; Sloan, Angela; McCorrister, Stuart; Peterson, Lorea; Chui, Huixia; Drebot, Mike; Nadon, Celine; Knox, J David; Wang, Gehua

    2014-12-01

    The need for rapid and accurate H typing is evident during Escherichia coli outbreak situations. This study explores the transition of MS-H, a method originally developed for rapid H antigen typing of E. coli using LC-MS/MS of flagella digest of reference strains and some clinical strains, to E. coli isolates in clinical scenario through quantitative analysis and method validation. Motile and nonmotile strains were examined in batches to simulate clinical sample scenario. Various LC-MS/MS batch run procedures and MS-H typing rules were compared and summarized through quantitative analysis of MS-H data output for a standard method development. Label-free quantitative data analysis of MS-H typing was proven very useful for examining the quality of MS-H result and the effects of some sample carryovers from motile E. coli isolates. Based on this, a refined procedure and protein identification rule specific for clinical MS-H typing was established and validated. With LC-MS/MS batch run procedure and database search parameter unique for E. coli MS-H typing, the standard procedure maintained high accuracy and specificity in clinical situations, and its potential to be used in a clinical setting was clearly established. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Multi-Segment Direct Inject nano-ESI-LTQ-FT-ICR-MS/MS For Protein Identification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neal Rachel E

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC interfaced to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS is commonly used for the identification of peptides from proteolytically cleaved proteins embedded in a polyacrylamide gel matrix as well as for metabolomics screening. HPLC separations are time consuming (30-60 min average, costly (columns and mobile phase reagents, and carry the risk of column carry over between samples. The use of a chip-based nano-ESI platform (Advion NanoMate based on replaceable nano-tips for sample introduction eliminates sample cross-contamination, provides unchanging sample matrix, and enhances spray stability with attendant increases in reproducibility. Recent papers have established direct infusion nano-ESI-MS/MS utilizing the NanoMate for protein identification of gel spots based on full range MS scans with data dependent MS/MS. In a full range scan, discontinuous ion suppression due to sample matrix can impair identification of putative mass features of interest in both the proteomic and metabolomic workflows. In the current study, an extension of an established direct inject nano-ESI-MS/MS method is described that utilizes the mass filtering capability of an ion-trap for ion packet separation into four narrow mass ranges (50 amu overlap with segment specific dynamic data dependent peak inclusion for MS/MS fragmentation (total acquisition time of 3 minutes. Comparison of this method with a more traditional nanoLC-MS/MS based protocol utilizing solvent/sample stream splitting to achieve nanoflow demonstrated comparable results for protein identification from polyacrylamide gel matrices. The advantages of this method include full automation, lack of cross-contamination, low cost, and high throughput.

  19. PER3 VNTR polymorphism in Multiple Sclerosis: A new insight to impact of sleep disturbances in MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golalipour, Masoud; Maleki, Zahra; Farazmandfar, Touraj; Shahbazi, Majid

    2017-10-01

    Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease of central nervous system caused by an immune response against the myelin. About half of MS patients suffers from sleep disturbances. The circadian clock genes such as PER3 controls circadian rhythm and sleep. Due to the role of PER3 in sleep disturbances and regulation of immune response, it is possible that PER3 dysregulation increase risk of MS disease. Study groups included 160 MS patients and 160 healthy volunteers. PER3 VNTR polymorphism was evaluated by PCR method. The genotypic and allelic distribution analyzed by chi square test. There was a significant association between genotype PER3 4/4 , and 4-repeat allele with MS disease (p = 0.014 and p MS group, and MS onset showed that there was a significant correlation between PER3 4/4 genotype with female gender and early onset of MS disease (p = 0.033 and p = 0.028 respectively). Our data suggest that, PER3 4/4 genotype may accelerate the course of disease in MS susceptible individuals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Two strongly correlated electron systems: the Kondo mode in the strong coupling limit and a 2-D model of electrons close to an electronic topological transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouis, F.

    1999-01-01

    Two strongly correlated electron systems are considered in this work, Kondo insulators and high Tc cuprates. Experiments and theory suggest on one hand that the Kondo screening occurs on a rather short length scale and on the other hand that the Kondo coupling is renormalized to infinity in the low energy limit. The strong coupling limit is then the logical approach although the real coupling is moderate. A systematic development is performed around this limit in the first part. The band structure of these materials is reproduced within this scheme. Magnetic fluctuations are also studied. The antiferromagnetic transition is examined in the case where fermionic excitations are shifted to high energy. In the second part, the Popov and Fedotov representation of spins is used to formulate the Kondo and the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model in terms of a non-polynomial action of boson fields. In the third part the properties of high Tc cuprates are explained by a change of topology of the Fermi surface. This phenomenon would happen near the point of optimal doping and zero temperature. It results in the appearance of a density wave phase in the under-doped regime. The possibility that this phase has a non-conventional symmetry is considered. The phase diagram that described the interaction and coexistence of density wave and superconductivity is established in the mean-field approximation. The similarities with the experimental observations are numerous in particular those concerning the pseudo-gap and the behavior of the resistivity near optimal doping. (author)

  1. Contribution to the development of new analytical methods by the coupling between capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS and ESI-MS): applications to the nuclear and biological fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pitois, A.

    2006-04-01

    The coupling between chromatographic and electrophoretic separation techniques and mass spectrometry is used to combine the efficiency of the separation technique to the selectivity and sensitivity of the detectors. In this work, the number of applications of the CE-MS couplings has been increased. New analytical methods have been set up in the nuclear and biological fields. New analytical methods for the determination of fission products (cesium and lanthanides) have been developed by CE-ICP-MS. They enable to determine both concentration and isotopic composition of the fission products for very low detection limits (ng/mL by CE-Q-ICPMS, pg/mL by CE-HR-ICP-MS), since all the isobaric interferences are resolved. Moreover, only some nano-liters of sample are necessary to perform the analysis. These method have been applied with success to a simulated sample of spent fuel, to a nuclear sample from PUREX process and to a leaching of MOX fuel. Then, lanthanides have been analysed by CE-ESI-MS and the capability of ESI-MS to provide structural information has been studied. Elementary information has been obtained for strong potentials. Structural information has been obtained for low potentials. Finally, a new analytical method by CE-ESI-MS for the determination of 10B-boronophenylalanine (10B-BPA) has been developed for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). It has been applied to the cellular lines F98 and HUVEC. This CE-ESI-MS method has been validated by HR-ICP-MS. It enables a direct quantification of the chemical form 10B-BPA in samples of limited size (some nano-liters) and for low concentrations (ng/mL). As a consequence, this CE-ESI-MS method has enabled the study of the kinetics of 10B-BPA release and uptake for the F98 cells. (author)

  2. Improved sensitivity of ochratoxin A analysis in coffee using high-performance liquid chromatography with hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-QqQLIT-MS/MS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kokina, Aija; Pugajeva, Iveta; Bartkevics, Vadims

    2016-01-01

    A novel and sensitive method utilising high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-QqQLIT-MS/MS) was developed in order to analyse the content of ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee samples. The introduction of the triple-stage MS scanning mode (MS(3)) has been shown to increase greatly sensitivity and selectivity by eliminating the high chromatographic baseline caused by interference of complex coffee matrices. The analysis included the sample preparation procedure involving extraction of OTA using a methanol-water mixture and clean-up by immunoaffinity columns and detection using the MS(3) scanning mode of LC-QqQLIT-MS/MS. The proposed method offered a good linear correlation (r(2) > 0.998), excellent precision (RSD coffee beans and espresso beverages was 0.010 and 0.003 µg kg(-1), respectively. The developed procedure was compared with traditional methods employing liquid chromatography coupled to fluorescent and tandem quadrupole detectors in conjunction with QuEChERS and solid-phase extraction. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of OTA in 15 samples of coffee beans and in 15 samples of espresso coffee beverages obtained from the Latvian market. OTA was found in 10 samples of coffee beans and in two samples of espresso in the ranges of 0.018-1.80 µg kg(-1) and 0.020-0.440 µg l(-1), respectively. No samples exceeded the maximum permitted level of OTA in the European Union (5.0 µg kg(-1)).

  3. Azimuthal Charged-Particle Correlations and Possible Local Strong Parity Violation

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Abelev, B. I.; Aggarwal, M. M.; Ahammed, Z.; Anderson, B. D.; Arkhipkin, D.; Averichev, G. S.; Balewski, J.; Barannikova, O.; Barnby, L. S.; Baudot, J.; Baumgart, S.; Beavis, D.R.; Bellwied, R.; Benedosso, F.; Betancourt, M.J.; Betts, R. R.; Bhasin, A.; Bhati, A.K.; Bichsel, H.; Bielčík, Jaroslav; Bielčíková, Jana; Biritz, B.; Bland, L.C.; Bombara, M.; Bonner, B. E.; Botje, M.; Bouchet, J.; Braidot, E.; Brandin, A. V.; Bruna, E.; Bueltmann, S.; Burton, T. P.; Bysterský, Michal; Cai, X.Z.; Caines, H.; Sanchez, M.C.D.; Catu, O.; Cebra, D.; Cendejas, R.; Cervantes, M.C.; Chajecki, Z.; Chaloupka, Petr; Chattopadhyay, S.; Chen, H.F.; Chen, J.H.; Cheng, J.; Cherney, M.; Chikanian, A.; Choi, K.E.; Christie, W.; Clarke, R.F.; Codrington, M.J.M.; Corliss, R.; Cormier, T.M.; Coserea, R. M.; Cramer, J. G.; Crawford, H. J.; Das, D.; Dash, S.; Daugherity, M.; De Silva, L.C.; Dedovich, T. G.; DePhillips, M.; Derevschikov, A.A.; de Souza, R.D.; Didenko, L.; Djawotho, P.; Dunlop, J.C.; Mazumdar, M.R.D.; Edwards, W.R.; Efimov, L.G.; Elhalhuli, E.; Elnimr, M.; Emelianov, V.; Engelage, J.; Eppley, G.; Erazmus, B.; Estienne, M.; Eun, L.; Fachini, P.; Fatemi, R.; Fedorisin, J.; Feng, A.; Filip, P.; Finch, E.; Fine, V.; Fisyak, Y.; Gagliardi, C. A.; Gaillard, L.; Ganti, M. S.; Gangaharan, D.R.; Garcia-Solis, E.J.; Geromitsos, A.; Geurts, F.; Ghazikhanian, V.; Ghosh, P.; Gorbunov, Y.N.; Gordon, A.; Grebenyuk, O.; Grosnick, D.; Grube, B.; Guertin, S.M.; Guimaraes, K.S.F.F.; Gupta, A.; Gupta, N.; Guryn, W.; Haag, B.; Hallman, T.J.; Hamed, A.; Harris, J.W.; He, W.; Heinz, M.; Heppelmann, S.; Hippolyte, B.; Hirsch, A.; Hjort, E.; Hoffman, A.M.; Hoffmann, G.W.; Hofman, D.J.; Hollis, R.S.; Huang, H.Z.; Humanic, T.J.; Igo, G.; Iordanova, A.; Jacobs, P.; Jacobs, W.W.; Jakl, Pavel; Jena, C.; Jin, F.; Jones, C.L.; Jones, P.G.; Joseph, J.; Judd, E.G.; Kabana, S.; Kajimoto, K.; Kang, K.; Kapitán, Jan; Keane, D.; Kechechyan, A.; Kettler, D.; Khodyrev, V.Yu.; Kikola, D.P.; Kiryluk, J.; Kisiel, A.; Klein, S.R.; Knospe, A.G.; Kocoloski, A.; Koetke, D.D.; Kopytine, M.; Korsch, W.; Kotchenda, L.; Kushpil, Vasilij; Kravtsov, P.; Kravtsov, V.I.; Krueger, K.; Krus, M.; Kuhn, C.; Kumar, L.; Kurnadi, P.; Lamont, M.A.C.; Landgraf, J.M.; LaPointe, S.; Lauret, J.; Lebedev, A.; Lednický, Richard; Lee, Ch.; Lee, J.H.; Leight, W.; LeVine, M.J.; Li, N.; Li, C.; Li, Y.; Lin, G.; Lindenbaum, S.J.; Lisa, M.A.; Liu, F.; Liu, J.; Liu, L.; Ljubicic, T.; Llope, W.J.; Longacre, R.S.; Love, W.A.; Lu, Y.; Ludlam, T.; Ma, G.L.; Ma, Y.G.; Mahapatra, D.P.; Majka, R.; Mall, O.I.; Mangotra, L.K.; Manweiler, R.; Margetis, S.; Markert, C.; Matis, H.S.; Matulenko, Yu.A.; McShane, T.S.; Meschanin, A.; Milner, R.; Minaev, N.G.; Mioduszewski, S.; Mischke, A.; Mitchell, J.; Mohanty, B.; Morozov, D.A.; Munhoz, M. G.; Nandi, B.K.; Nattrass, C.; Nayak, T. K.; Nelson, J.M.; Netrakanti, P.K.; Ng, M.J.; Nogach, L.V.; Nurushev, S.B.; Odyniec, G.; Ogawa, A.; Okada, H.; Okorokov, V.; Olson, D.; Pachr, M.; Page, B.S.; Pal, S.K.; Pandit, Y.; Panebratsev, Y.; Panitkin, S.Y.; Pawlak, T.; Peitzmann, T.; Perevoztchikov, V.; Perkins, C.; Peryt, W.; Phatak, S.C.; Poljak, N.; Poskanzer, A.M.; Potukuchi, B.V.K.S.; Prindle, D.; Pruneau, C.; Pruthi, N.K.; Putschke, J.; Raniwala, R.; Raniwala, S.; Ray, R.L.; Redwine, R.; Reed, R.; Ridiger, A.; Ritter, H.G.; Roberts, J.B.; Rogachevskiy, O.V.; Romero, J.L.; Rose, A.; Roy, C.; Ruan, L.; Russcher, M.J.; Sahoo, R.; Sakrejda, I.; Sakuma, T.; Salur, S.; Sandweiss, J.; Sarsour, M.; Schambach, J.; Scharenberg, R.P.; Schmitz, N.; Seger, J.; Selyuzhenkov, I.; Seyboth, P.; Shabetai, A.; Shahaliev, E.; Shao, M.; Sharma, M.; Shi, S.S.; Shi, X.H.; Sichtermann, E.P.; Simon, F.; Singaraju, R.N.; Skoby, M.J.; Smirnov, N.; Snellings, R.; Sorensen, P.; Sowinski, J.; Spinka, H.M.; Srivastava, B.; Stadnik, A.; Stanislaus, T.D.S.; Staszak, D.; Strikhanov, M.; Stringfellow, B.; Suaide, A.A.P.; Suarez, M.C.; Subba, N.L.; Šumbera, Michal; Sun, X.M.; Sun, Y.; Sun, Z.; Surrow, B.; Symons, T.J.M.; de Toledo, A. S.; Takahashi, J.; Tang, A.H.; Tang, Z.; Tarnowsky, T.; Thein, D.; Thomas, J.H.; Tian, J.; Timmins, A.R.; Timoshenko, S.; Tokarev, M. V.; Trainor, T.A.; Tram, V.N.; Trattner, A.L.; Trentalange, S.; Tribble, R. E.; Tsai, O.D.; Ulery, J.; Ullrich, T.; Underwood, D.G.; Van Buren, G.; van Leeuwen, M.; Vander Molen, A.M.; Vanfossen, J.A.; Varma, R.; Vasconcelos, G.S.M.; Vasilevski, I.M.; Vasiliev, A. N.; Videbaek, F.; Vigdor, S.E.; Viyogi, Y. P.; Vokal, S.; Voloshin, S.A.; Wada, M.; Walker, M.; Wang, F.; Wang, G.; Wang, J.S.; Wang, Q.; Wang, X.; Wang, X.L.; Wang, Y.; Webb, G.; Webb, J.C.; Westfall, G.D.; Whitten, C.; Wieman, H.; Wissink, S.W.; Witt, R.; Wu, Y.; Xie, W.; Xu, N.; Xu, Q.H.; Xu, Y.; Xu, Z.; Yang, Y.; Yepes, P.; Yip, K.; Yoo, I.K.; Yue, Q.; Zawisza, M.; Zbroszczyk, H.; Zhan, W.; Zhang, S.; Zhang, W.M.; Zhang, X.P.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Z.P.; Zhao, Y.; Zhong, C.; Zhou, J.; Zhu, X.; Zoulkarneev, R.; Zoulkarneeva, Y.; Zuo, J.X.; Tlustý, David

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 103, č. 25 (2009), 251601/1-251601/7 ISSN 0031-9007 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA202/07/0079; GA MŠk LC07048; GA MŠk LA09013 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10480505; CEZ:AV0Z10100502 Keywords : heavy-ion collisions * local parity violation * strong interaction Subject RIV: BG - Nuclear, Atomic and Molecular Physics, Colliders Impact factor: 7.328, year: 2009

  4. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Disease T Cells d What Causes MS? Disproved Theories Viruses Clusters d Who Gets MS? Pediatric MS ... times as often as men; in PPMS, the number of women and men are approximately equal. RRMS ...

  5. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Living Well with MS Diet, Exercise & Healthy Behaviors Emotional Well-Being Spiritual Well-Being Cognitive Health Work, ... MS Anesthesia and Surgery Managing Your MS d Emotional Well-Being Mood Changes d Spiritual Well-Being ...

  6. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Disease T Cells d What Causes MS? Disproved Theories Viruses Clusters d Who Gets MS? Pediatric MS ... of Distinction Lawry Circle Circle of Influence d Planned Giving d Other Ways to Give Donate by ...

  7. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Trials in MS Wellness and Lifestyle Research Diet Vitamin D How and Why Do Scientists Share Results ... The National MS Society is Here to Help Need More Information? We Are Here Our MS Navigators ...

  8. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Disease T Cells d What Causes MS? Disproved Theories Viruses Clusters d Who Gets MS? Pediatric MS ... Community at MSconnection.org Join a Local Support Group Peer Connections: One-on-One Edward M. Dowd ...

  9. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Disease T Cells d What Causes MS? Disproved Theories Viruses Clusters d Who Gets MS? Pediatric MS ... Review of Society's Research Programs d Careers d Leadership Board of Directors Senior Leadership Team Founder Sylvia ...

  10. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... working effectively. How does RRMS differ from progressive types of MS? While RRMS is defined by attacks ... Pinterest MS Connection About the Society Vision Careers Leadership Cultural Values Financials News Press Room MS Prevalence ...

  11. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Room Events at a Glance MS the Disease Public Service Announcements In the News Archives d MS ... For Professionals Researchers Physicians Nurses Rehabilitation Professionals Mental Health Professionals Health and Wellness Professionals What Is MS? ...

  12. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Disproved Theories Viruses Clusters d Who Gets MS? Pediatric MS African Americans Hispanics & Latino/as d Multiple ... Questions to Ask d Resources for Specific Populations Pediatric MS Support Veterans with Multiple Sclerosis d Find ...

  13. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Conditions to Rule Out For Clinicians Treating MS Comprehensive Care Find an MS Care Provider Medications Managing ... ADEM) d For Clinicians d Treating MS d Comprehensive Care Developing a Healthcare Team Make the Most ...

  14. Simultaneous analysis of 17 diuretics in dietary supplements by HPLC and LC-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, H; Kim, J W; Han, K M; Lee, J H; Hwang, I S; Lee, J H; Kim, J; Kweon, S J; Cho, S; Chae, K R; Han, S Y; Kim, J

    2013-01-01

    In order to test health foods for illegally added diuretics for weight loss, we developed simple, rapid, selective, and sensitive methods using HPLC and LC-MS/MS for the simultaneous analysis of 17 diuretics in dietary supplements. HPLC conditions were set with a Capcell-pak C18, using a mobile phase consisting of gradient conditions, UV detection at 254 nm and validated for linearity (r(2)> 0.999), precision (CV ≤ 3%), recoveries (90.4-102.8%) and reproducibility. Identification and quantification of 17 diuretics were accomplished by ion-spray LC-MS/MS using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The chromatographic separation was carried out under the reversed-phase mechanism on an HSS-T3 column. The LC-MS/MS method was validated for linearity (r(2)> 0.99) and precision (CV Diuretics were not detected in all samples. Extraction recovery was also investigated and the extraction recoveries in different formulations were from 88% to 110% and from 81% to 116% using HPLC and LC-MS/MS, respectively. There was no significant difference in recoveries in the type of dietary supplements. Based on this result, the developed methods to monitor illegal drug adulterations in dietary supplements using HPLC and LC-MS/MS are simple, fast and reliable. Therefore, it is applicable to routine drug-adulteration screening.

  15. ChromAlign: A two-step algorithmic procedure for time alignment of three-dimensional LC-MS chromatographic surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadygov, Rovshan G; Maroto, Fernando Martin; Hühmer, Andreas F R

    2006-12-15

    We present an algorithmic approach to align three-dimensional chromatographic surfaces of LC-MS data of complex mixture samples. The approach consists of two steps. In the first step, we prealign chromatographic profiles: two-dimensional projections of chromatographic surfaces. This is accomplished by correlation analysis using fast Fourier transforms. In this step, a temporal offset that maximizes the overlap and dot product between two chromatographic profiles is determined. In the second step, the algorithm generates correlation matrix elements between full mass scans of the reference and sample chromatographic surfaces. The temporal offset from the first step indicates a range of the mass scans that are possibly correlated, then the correlation matrix is calculated only for these mass scans. The correlation matrix carries information on highly correlated scans, but it does not itself determine the scan or time alignment. Alignment is determined as a path in the correlation matrix that maximizes the sum of the correlation matrix elements. The computational complexity of the optimal path generation problem is reduced by the use of dynamic programming. The program produces time-aligned surfaces. The use of the temporal offset from the first step in the second step reduces the computation time for generating the correlation matrix and speeds up the process. The algorithm has been implemented in a program, ChromAlign, developed in C++ language for the .NET2 environment in WINDOWS XP. In this work, we demonstrate the applications of ChromAlign to alignment of LC-MS surfaces of several datasets: a mixture of known proteins, samples from digests of surface proteins of T-cells, and samples prepared from digests of cerebrospinal fluid. ChromAlign accurately aligns the LC-MS surfaces we studied. In these examples, we discuss various aspects of the alignment by ChromAlign, such as constant time axis shifts and warping of chromatographic surfaces.

  16. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Viruses Clusters d Who Gets MS? Pediatric MS African Americans Hispanics & Latino/as d Multiple Sclerosis FAQs d ... Diet & Nutrition Exercise Heat & Temperature Sensitivity Sleep Vaccinations Women's Health Unhealthy Habits Managing MS and Another Condition ...

  17. Signals of strong electronic correlation in ion scattering processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonetto, F.; Gonzalez, C.; Goldberg, E. C.

    2016-05-01

    Previous measurements of neutral atom fractions for S r+ scattered by gold polycrystalline surfaces show a singular dependence with the target temperature. There is still not a theoretical model that can properly describe the magnitude and the temperature dependence of the neutralization probabilities found. Here, we applied a first-principles quantum-mechanical theoretical formalism to describe the time-dependent scattering process. Three different electronic correlation approaches consistent with the system analyzed are used: (i) the spinless approach, where two charge channels are considered (S r0 and S r+ ) and the spin degeneration is neglected; (ii) the infinite-U approach, with the same charge channels (S r0 and S r+ ) but considering the spin degeneration; and (iii) the finite-U approach, where the first ionization and second ionization energy levels are considered very, but finitely, separated. Neutral fraction magnitudes and temperature dependence are better described by the finite-U approach, indicating that e -correlation plays a significant role in charge-transfer processes. However, none of them is able to explain the nonmonotonous temperature dependence experimentally obtained. Here, we suggest that small changes in the surface work function introduced by the target heating, and possibly not detected by experimental standard methods, could be responsible for that singular behavior. Additionally, we apply the same theoretical model using the infinite-U approximation for the Mg-Au system, obtaining an excellent description of the experimental neutral fractions measured.

  18. Gray Matter Correlates of Cognitive Performance Differ between Relapsing-Remitting and Primary-Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura E Jonkman

    Full Text Available Multiple Sclerosis (MS is a chronic inflammatory/demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS. Most patients experience a relapsing-remitting (RR course, while about 15-20% of patients experience a primary progressive (PP course. Cognitive impairment affects approximately 40-70% of all MS patients and differences in cognitive impairment between RR-MS and PP-MS have been found. We aimed to compare RR-MS and PP-MS patients in terms of cognitive performance, and to investigate the MRI correlates of cognitive impairment in the two groups using measures of brain volumes and cortical thickness. Fifty-seven patients (42 RR-MS, 15 PP-MS and thirty-eight matched controls underwent neuropsychological (NP testing and MRI. PP-MS patients scored lower than RR-MS patients on most of the NP tests in absence of any specific pattern. PP-MS patients showed significantly lower caudate volume. There was no significant difference in MRI correlates of cognitive impairment between the two groups except for a prevalent association with MRI measures of cortical GM injury in RR-MS patients and with MRI measures of subcortical GM injury in PP-MS patients. This suggests that although cognitive impairment results from several factors, cortical and subcortical GM injury may play a different role depending on the disease course.

  19. Data representing two separate LC-MS methods for detection and quantification of water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins in tears and blood serum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Khaksari

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Two separate liquid chromatography (LC-mass spectrometry (MS methods were developed for determination and quantification of water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins in human tear and blood serum samples. The water-soluble vitamin method was originally developed to detect vitamins B1, B2, B3 (nicotinamide, B5, B6 (pyridoxine, B7, B9 and B12 while the fat-soluble vitamin method detected vitamins A, D3, 25(OHD3, E and K1. These methods were then validated with tear and blood serum samples. In this data in brief article, we provide details on the two LC-MS methods development, methods sensitivity, as well as precision and accuracy for determination of vitamins in human tears and blood serum. These methods were then used to determine the vitamin concentrations in infant and parent samples under a clinical study which were reported in "Determination of Water-Soluble and Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Tears and Blood Serum of Infants and Parents by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry DOI:10.1016/j.exer.2016.12.007 [1]". This article provides more details on comparison of vitamin concentrations in the samples with the ranges reported in the literature along with the medically accepted normal ranges. The details on concentrations below the limits of detection (LOD and limits of quantification (LOQ are also discussed. Vitamin concentrations were also compared and cross-correlated with clinical data and nutritional information. Significant differences and strongly correlated data were reported in [1]. This article provides comprehensive details on the data with slight differences or slight correlations.

  20. Data representing two separate LC-MS methods for detection and quantification of water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins in tears and blood serum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khaksari, Maryam; Mazzoleni, Lynn R; Ruan, Chunhai; Kennedy, Robert T; Minerick, Adrienne R

    2017-04-01

    Two separate liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) methods were developed for determination and quantification of water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins in human tear and blood serum samples. The water-soluble vitamin method was originally developed to detect vitamins B 1 , B 2 , B 3 (nicotinamide), B 5 , B 6 (pyridoxine), B 7 , B 9 and B 12 while the fat-soluble vitamin method detected vitamins A, D 3 , 25(OH)D 3, E and K 1 . These methods were then validated with tear and blood serum samples. In this data in brief article, we provide details on the two LC-MS methods development, methods sensitivity, as well as precision and accuracy for determination of vitamins in human tears and blood serum. These methods were then used to determine the vitamin concentrations in infant and parent samples under a clinical study which were reported in "Determination of Water-Soluble and Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Tears and Blood Serum of Infants and Parents by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry DOI:10.1016/j.exer.2016.12.007 [1]". This article provides more details on comparison of vitamin concentrations in the samples with the ranges reported in the literature along with the medically accepted normal ranges. The details on concentrations below the limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) are also discussed. Vitamin concentrations were also compared and cross-correlated with clinical data and nutritional information. Significant differences and strongly correlated data were reported in [1]. This article provides comprehensive details on the data with slight differences or slight correlations.

  1. MS-SQL data base programming

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noh, Chang Bae; Kim, Nam Jung; Lee, Hyeong Gyo

    2002-07-15

    This is about MS-SQL data base programming which is divided into thirteen chapters. The contents of this book are to understand MS-SQL 2000 DBMS with its composition, new function and history of MS-SQL, to learn conception of data base, install, run and closing of MS-SQL 2000 DBMS, to deal with the basic of MS-SQL DBMS, to handle the intermediate level of MS-SQL DBMS, to deal with MS-SQL DBMS in advanced level, to practice query like changing data base and checking of data lists, function on its use and data diff, get date, date add, char, upper and system function, set-up of MS-SQL ODBC, constructing of web server of windows 2000, web programming using visual studio.net.making board and making reference room.

  2. MS-SQL data base programming

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noh, Chang Bae; Kim, Nam Jung; Lee, Hyeong Gyo

    2002-07-01

    This is about MS-SQL data base programming which is divided into thirteen chapters. The contents of this book are to understand MS-SQL 2000 DBMS with its composition, new function and history of MS-SQL, to learn conception of data base, install, run and closing of MS-SQL 2000 DBMS, to deal with the basic of MS-SQL DBMS, to handle the intermediate level of MS-SQL DBMS, to deal with MS-SQL DBMS in advanced level, to practice query like changing data base and checking of data lists, function on its use and data diff, get date, date add, char, upper and system function, set-up of MS-SQL ODBC, constructing of web server of windows 2000, web programming using visual studio.net.making board and making reference room.

  3. Analytical Method Details (MS): SE2_MS3 [Metabolonote[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available 00.0-1500.0); 2: ITMS + c norm !corona !pi Dep MS/MS Most intense ion from (1)., Rejected mass=284.2000;300.2000;328.2000;344.2000;372.2000;388.2000;416.3000;432.3000;460.0000. ...

  4. Endangerment of cultural heritage sites by strong rain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krauß, Thomas; Fischer, Peter

    2017-09-01

    Due to climate change extreme weather conditions become more and more frequent in the last years. Especially in Germany nearly every year a large flood event happens. Most of these events are caused by strong rain. There are at most two causes for these floodings: The first is locally strong rain in the area of damage, the second happens at damage sites located near confluxes and strong rain in the upper stream areas of the joining rivers. The amount of damage is often strongly correlated with unreasonable designation of new construction in such endangered regions. Our presented study is based on an earlier project together with a German insurance company. In this project we analyzed correlations of geographical settings with the insurance data of flood damages over ten years. The result of this study was a strong relation of the terrain with the amount and the probability of damages. Further investigations allow us to derive a system for estimating potential endangerment due to strong rain just from suitable digital terrain models (DTMs). In the presented study we apply this method to different types of cultural heritage (CH) sites in Germany and other parts of the world to detect which type of CH sites were build with potential endangerment of strong rain events in mind and which ones are prone to such events.

  5. Analysis of Hydroxy Fatty Acids from the Pollen of Brassica campestris L. var. oleifera DC. by UPLC-MS/MS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nian-Yun Yang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with negative electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS was used to determine 7 hydroxy fatty acids in the pollen of Brassica campestris L. var. oleifera DC. All the investigated hydroxy fatty acids showed strong deprotonated molecular ions [M–H]−, which underwent two major fragment pathways of the allyl scission and the β-fission of the alcoholic hydroxyl group. By comparison of their molecular ions and abundant fragment ions with those of reference compounds, they were tentatively assigned as 15,16-dihydroxy-9Z,12Z-octadecadienoic acid (1, 10,11,12-trihydroxy-(7Z,14Z-heptadecadienoic acid (2, 7,15,16-trihydroxy-9Z,12Z-octadecadienoic acid (3, 15,16-dihydroxy-9Z,12Z-octadecadienoic acid (4, 15-hydroxy-6Z,9Z,12Z-octadecatrienoic acid (5, 15-hydroxy-9Z,12Z- octadecadienoic acid (6, and 15-hydroxy-12Z-octadecaenoic acid (7, respectively. Compounds 3, 5, and 7 are reported for the first time.

  6. Determination of Scopolamine in Human Saliva Using Solid Phase Extraction and LC/MS/MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zuwei; Vaksman, Zalman; Boyd, Jason; Putcha, Lakshmi

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: Scopolamine is the preferred treatment for motion sickness during space flight because of its quick onset of action, short half-life and favorable side-effect profile. The dose administered depends on the mode of administration and usually ranges between 0.1 and 0.8 mg. Such small doses make it difficult to detect concentrations of scopolamine in biological fluids by using conventional HPLC methods. To measure scopolamine in saliva and thereby to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of scopolamine, we developed an LC/MS/MS method using off-line solid phase extraction. Method: Samples (0.5mL) were loaded onto Waters Oasis HLB co-polymer cartridges (10 mg, 1 mL) and eluted with 0.5 mL methanol without evaporation and reconstitution. HPLC separation of the eluted sample was performed using an Agilent Zorbax SB-CN column (50 x 2.1 mm) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min for 4 minutes. The mobile phase for separation was 90:10 (v/v) methanol: ammonium acetate (2 mM) in water, pH 5.0 +/- 0.1. Concentrations of scopolamine were determined using a Micromass Quattro Micro(TM) mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization (ESI). ESI mass spectra were acquired in positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring for the determination of scopolamine m/z = 304.2 yields 138.1 and internal standard (IS) hyoscyamine m/z = 290.2 yields 124.1. Results: The method is rapid, reproducible, specific and has the following parameters: scopolamine and the IS are eluted at 1.7 and 3.2 min respectively. The linear range is 50-5000 pg/mL for scopolamine in saliva with correlation coefficients > 0.99 with a CV < 0.5 %. The intra-day and inter-day CVs are < 15 % for quality control samples with concentrations of 75, 300, 750 and 3000 pg/mL of scopolamine in human saliva. Conclusion: Solid phase extraction allows more rapid sample preparation and greater precision than liquid extraction. Furthermore, we increased the sensitivity and specificity by adjusting the LC mobile phase and using an MS/MS

  7. LDA+DMFT Approach to Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy of Strong Magnets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian-Xin Zhu

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The new challenges posed by the need of finding strong rare-earth-free magnets demand methods that can predict magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE. We argue that correlated electron effects, which are normally underestimated in band-structure calculations, play a crucial role in the development of the orbital component of the magnetic moments. Because magnetic anisotropy arises from this orbital component, the ability to include correlation effects has profound consequences on our predictive power of the MAE of strong magnets. Here, we show that incorporating the local effects of electronic correlations with dynamical mean-field theory provides reliable estimates of the orbital moment, the mass enhancement, and the MAE of YCo_{5}.

  8. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Treating MS d Comprehensive Care Developing a Healthcare Team Make the Most of Your Doctor Visits Advance Medical Directives d Find an MS Care Provider Partners in MS Care d Managing Relapses Plasmapheresis d Rehabilitation Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) ...

  9. LC-MS-MS identification of drug metabolites obtained by metalloporphyrin mediated oxidation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maurin Andrea J. M.

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we report the application of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS to the identification of the products formed by oxidation of albendazole and disopyramide with metalloporphyrins in dichloroethane, using iodosylbenzene as an oxygen donor. Our results show that LC-MS-MS is a powerful tool to study the in vitro metabolism of drugs, allowing the identification of known and unknown metabolites. In addition, it was observed that the catalyst system used resulted in the formation of the same metabolites as obtained in vivo, although for disopyramide other products were also observed.

  10. DBS-LC-MS/MS assay for caffeine: validation and neonatal application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruschettini, Matteo; Barco, Sebastiano; Romantsik, Olga; Risso, Francesco; Gennai, Iulian; Chinea, Benito; Ramenghi, Luca A; Tripodi, Gino; Cangemi, Giuliana

    2016-09-01

    DBS might be an appropriate microsampling technique for therapeutic drug monitoring of caffeine in infants. Nevertheless, its application presents several issues that still limit its use. This paper describes a validated DBS-LC-MS/MS method for caffeine. The results of the method validation showed an hematocrit dependence. In the analysis of 96 paired plasma and DBS clinical samples, caffeine levels measured in DBS were statistically significantly lower than in plasma but the observed differences were independent from hematocrit. These results clearly showed the need for extensive validation with real-life samples for DBS-based methods. DBS-LC-MS/MS can be considered to be a good alternative to traditional methods for therapeutic drug monitoring or PK studies in preterm infants.

  11. Correlated electron-ion collisions in a strong laser field; Korrelierte Elektron-Ion-Stoesse in starken Laserfeldern

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ristow, T.

    2007-12-17

    Electron-ion-collisions in plasmas in the presence of an ultra-short intensive laser pulse can cause high energy transfers to the electrons. During the collision the oscillation energy of the electron in the laser field is changed into drift energy. In this regime, multi-photon processes, known from the ionization of neutral atoms (Above-Threshold Ionization), and successive, so called correlated collisions, are important. The subject of the thesis is a study of binary Coulomb collisions in strong laser fields. The collisions are treated both in the context of classical Newtonian mechanics and in the quantum-mechanical framework by the Schroedinger equation. In the classical case a simplified instantaneous collision model and a complete dynamical treatment are discussed. Collisions can be treated instantaneously, if the ratio of the impact parameter to the quiver amplitude is small. The energy distributions calculated in this approximation show an elastic peak and a broad plateau due to rescattered electrons. At incident velocities smaller than the quiver velocity, correlated collisions are observed in the electron trajectories of the dynamical model. This effect leads to characteristic momentum distributions of the electrons, that are explicitly calculated and compared with the results of the instantaneous model. In addition, the time-dependence of the collisions is discussed in the framework of a singular perturbation theory. The complete description of the Coulomb scattering requires a quantum-mechanical description. A time-dependent method of wave-packet scattering is used and the corresponding time-dependent three-dimensional Schroedinger equation is solved by an implicit ADImethod on a spatial grid. The momentum and the energy distributions of the scattered electrons are calculated by the Fourier transformation of the wavefunction. A comparison of the scattering from a repulsive and an attractive potential is used to distinguish between simple collisions and

  12. Determination of benzoylurea insecticides in food by pressurized liquid extraction and LC-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brutti, Monia; Blasco, Cristina; Picó, Yolanda

    2010-01-01

    A method based on pressurized liquid extraction and LC-MS/MS has been developed for determining nine benzoylureas (BUs) in fruit, vegetable, cereals, and animal products. Samples (5 g) were homogenized with diatomaceous earth and extracted in a 22 mL cell with 22 mL of ethyl acetate at 80 degrees C and 1500 psi. After solvent concentration and exchange to methanol, BUs were analyzed by LC-MS/MS using an IT mass analyzer, which achieved several transitions of precursor ions that increase selectivity providing identification. LOQs were between 0.002 and 0.01 mg/kg, which are equal or lower than maximum residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius. Excellent linearity was achieved over a range of concentrations from 0.01 to 1 mg/kg with correlation coefficients 0.995-0.999 (n=7). Validation of the total method was performed by analyzing in quintuplicate seven different commodities (milk, eggs, meat, rice, lettuce, avocado, and lemon) at three concentration levels (0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/kg). The recoveries ranged from 58 to 97% and the RSDs from 5 to 19% depending on the compound and the commodity. The combination of pressurized liquid extraction with LC-MS/MS provides a sensitive and selective method for the determination of BUs in food.

  13. Acute post cessation smoking. A strong predictive factor for metabolic syndrome among adult Saudis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    AlDaghri, Nasser M.

    2009-01-01

    To determine the influence of tobacco exposure in the development of metabolic syndrome (MS) in the adult Saudi population. Six hundred and sixty-four adults (305 males and 359 females) aged 25-70 years were included in this cross-sectional study conducted at the King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, between June 2006 and May 2007. We classified the participants into non-smokers, smokers, and ex-smokers (defined as complete cessation for 1-2 years). All subjects were screened for the presence of MS using the modified American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI), International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and World Health Organization (WHO) definitions. Metabolic syndrome was highest among ex-smokers regardless of definition used. Relative risk for ex-smokers (95% CI: 2.23, 1.06-4.73) was more than twice in harboring MS as compared to non-smokers (95% CI: 2.78, 1.57-4.92) (p=0.009). Acute post-cessation smoking is a strong predictor for MS among male and female Arabs. Smoking cessation programs should include a disciplined lifestyle and dietary intervention to counteract the MS-augmenting side-effect of smoking cessation. (author)

  14. Enantioselective analysis of citalopram and demethylcitalopram in human whole blood by chiral LC-MS/MS and application in forensic cases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Sys Stybe

    2017-01-01

    OH. The analytes were separated on a 250 x 4.6 mm Chirobiotic V, 5 µm column by isocratic elution with methanol:ammonia:acetic acid (1000:1:1) using an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system. Quantification was performed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) using multiple reaction monitoring...... in the positive mode. The total chromatographic run time was 20 min. The limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.001 and 0.005 mg/kg of all four enantiomers, respectively. Linear behaviour was obtained for all four enantiomers from LOQ to 0.50 mg/kg blood with absolute recoveries from 71 to 80......%. The method showed an acceptable precision and accuracy as the obtained coefficient of variation, and bias values were ≤ 16% for all enantiomers. After the validation of the method, a correlation with the racemic method was assessed and found to be acceptable. Then, the method was successfully applied...

  15. Ultra-sensitive LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of gemcitabine and its metabolite 2',2'-difluorodeoxyuridine in human plasma for a microdose clinical trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Nuland, M; Hillebrand, M J X; Rosing, H; Burgers, J A; Schellens, J H M; Beijnen, J H

    2018-03-20

    In microdose clinical trials a maximum of 100 μg of drug substance is administered to participants, in order to determine the pharmacokinetic properties of the agents. Measuring low plasma concentrations after administration of a microdose is challenging and requires the use of ulta-sensitive equipment. Novel liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) platforms can be used for quantification of low drug plasma levels. Here we describe the development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for quantification of gemcitabine and its metabolite 2',2'-difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU) in the low picogram per milliliter range to support a microdose trial. The validated assay ranges from 2.5-500 pg/mL for gemcitabine and 250-50,000 pg/mL for dFdU were linear, with a correlation coefficient (r 2 ) of 0.996 or better. Sample preparation with solid phase extraction provided a good and reproducible recovery. All results were within the acceptance criteria of the latest US FDA guidance and EMA guidelines. In addition, the method was successfully applied to measure plasma concentrations of gemcitabine in a patient after administration of a microdose of gemcitabine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Quantum phase transitions of strongly correlated electron systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Imada, Masatoshi

    1998-01-01

    Interacting electrons in solids undergo various quantum phase transitions driven by quantum fluctuations. The quantum transitions take place at zero temperature by changing a parameter to control quantum fluctuations rather than thermal fluctuations. In contrast to classical phase transitions driven by thermal fluctuations, the quantum transitions have many different features where quantum dynamics introduces a source of intrinsic fluctuations tightly connected with spatial correlations and they have been a subject of recent intensive studies as we see below. Interacting electron systems cannot be fully understood without deep analyses of the quantum phase transitions themselves, because they are widely seen and play essential roles in many phenomena. Typical and important examples of the quantum phase transitions include metal-insulator transitions, (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) metal-superconductor transitions, superconductor-insulator transitions, magnetic transitions to antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic phases in metals as well as in Mott insulators, and charge ordering transitions. Here, we focus on three different types of transitions

  17. Strong-coupling constant at three loops in momentum subtraction scheme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chetyrkin, K.G.; Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow; Kniehl, B.A.; Steinhauser, M.

    2008-12-01

    In this paper we compute the three-loop corrections to the β function in a momentum subtraction (MOM) scheme with a massive quark. The calculation is performed in the background field formalism applying asymptotic expansions for small and large momenta. Special emphasis is devoted to the relation between the coupling constant in the MOM and MS schemes as well as their ability to describe the phenomenon of decoupling. It is demonstrated by an explicit comparison that the MS scheme can be consistently used to relate the values of the MOM-scheme strong-coupling constant in the energy regions higher and lower than the massive-quark production threshold. This procedure obviates the necessity to know the full mass dependence of the MOM β function and clearly demonstrates the equivalence of both schemes for the description of physics outside the threshold region. (orig.)

  18. Strong-coupling constant at three loops in momentum subtraction scheme

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chetyrkin, K.G. [Karlsruhe Univ. (T.H.), Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology (KIT) (Germany). Inst. fuer Theoretische Teilchenphysik]|[Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation). Inst. for Nuclear Research; Kniehl, B.A. [Hamburg Univ. (Germany). II. Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik; Steinhauser, M. [Karlsruhe Univ. (T.H.), Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology (KIT) (Germany). Inst. fuer Theoretische Teilchenphysik

    2008-12-15

    In this paper we compute the three-loop corrections to the {beta} function in a momentum subtraction (MOM) scheme with a massive quark. The calculation is performed in the background field formalism applying asymptotic expansions for small and large momenta. Special emphasis is devoted to the relation between the coupling constant in the MOM and MS schemes as well as their ability to describe the phenomenon of decoupling. It is demonstrated by an explicit comparison that the MS scheme can be consistently used to relate the values of the MOM-scheme strong-coupling constant in the energy regions higher and lower than the massive-quark production threshold. This procedure obviates the necessity to know the full mass dependence of the MOM {beta} function and clearly demonstrates the equivalence of both schemes for the description of physics outside the threshold region. (orig.)

  19. MsLDR-creator: a web service to design msLDR assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bormann, Felix; Dahl, Andreas; Sers, Christine

    2012-03-01

    MsLDR-creator is a free web service to design assays for the new DNA methylation detection method msLDR. The service provides the user with all necessary information about the oligonucleotides required for the measurement of a given CpG within a sequence of interest. The parameters are calculated by the nearest neighbour approach to achieve optimal behaviour during the experimental procedure. In addition, to guarantee a good start using msLDR, further information, like protocols and hints and tricks, are provided.

  20. Analytical Method Details (MS): SE29_MS1 [Metabolonote[Archive

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available SE29_MS1 LC-FT-ICR-MS ESI positive method 1 Agilent1100 HPLC (Agilent), LTQ-FT (The... (100mg) are solved in 300uL 80% methanol solution. 20uL sample is injected into HPLC after 0.2um membrane filter treatment. HPLC

  1. Secondary Metabolite Profiling of Species of the Genus Usnea by UHPLC-ESI-OT-MS-MS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Salgado

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Lichens are symbiotic associations of fungi with microalgae and/or cyanobacteria, which are considered among the slowest growing organisms, with strong tolerance to adverse environmental conditions. There are about 400 genera and 1600 species of lichens and those belonging to the Usnea genus comprise about 360 of these species. Usnea lichens have been used since ancient times as dyes, cosmetics, preservatives, deodorants and folk medicines. The phytochemistry of the Usnea genus includes more than 60 compounds which belong to the following classes: depsides, depsidones, depsones, lactones, quinones, phenolics, polysaccharides, fatty acids and dibenzofurans. Due to scarce knowledge of metabolomic profiles of Usnea species (U. barbata, U. antarctica, U. rubicunda and U. subfloridana, a study based on UHPLC-ESI-OT-MS-MS was performed for a comprehensive characterization of their secondary metabolites. From the methanolic extracts of these species a total of 73 metabolites were identified for the first time using this hyphenated technique, including 34 compounds in U. barbata, 21 in U. antarctica, 38 in U. rubicunda and 37 in U. subfloridana. Besides, a total of 13 metabolites were not identified and reported so far, and could be new according to our data analysis. This study showed that this hyphenated technique is rapid, effective and accurate for phytochemical identification of lichen metabolites and the data collected could be useful for chemotaxonomic studies.

  2. Assessing Hubbard-corrected AM05+U and PBEsol+U density functionals for strongly correlated oxides CeO_2 and Ce_2O_3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weck, Philippe F.; Kim, Eunja

    2016-01-01

    The structure–property relationships of bulk CeO_2 and Ce_2O_3 have been investigated using AM05 and PBEsol exchange–correlation functionals within the frameworks of Hubbard-corrected density functional theory (DFT+U) and density functional perturbation theory (DFPT+U). Compared with conventional PBE+U, RPBE+U, PW91+U and LDA+U functionals, AM05+U and PBEsol+U describe experimental crystalline parameters and properties of CeO_2 and Ce_2O_3 with superior accuracy, especially when +U is chosen close to its value derived by the linear-response approach. Lastly, the present findings call for a reexamination of some of the problematic oxide materials featuring strong f- and d-electron correlation using AM05+U and PBEsol+U.

  3. Neural correlates of cross-domain affective priming.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qin; Li, Xiaohua; Gold, Brian T; Jiang, Yang

    2010-05-06

    The affective priming effect has mostly been studied using reaction time (RT) measures; however, the neural bases of affective priming are not well established. To understand the neural correlates of cross-domain emotional stimuli presented rapidly, we obtained event-related potential (ERP) measures during an affective priming task using short SOA (stimulus onset asynchrony) conditions. Two sets of 480 picture-word pairs were presented at SOAs of either 150ms or 250ms between prime and target stimuli. Participants decided whether the valence of each target word was pleasant or unpleasant. Behavioral results from both SOA conditions were consistent with previous reports of affective priming, with longer RTs for incongruent than congruent pairs at SOAs of 150ms (771 vs. 738ms) and 250ms (765 vs. 720ms). ERP results revealed that the N400 effect (associated with incongruent pairs in affective processing) occurred at anterior scalp regions at an SOA of 150ms, and this effect was only observed for negative target words across the scalp at an SOA of 250ms. In contrast, late positive potentials (LPPs) (associated with attentional resource allocation) occurred across the scalp at an SOA of 250ms. LPPs were only observed for positive target words at posterior parts of the brain at an SOA of 150ms. Our finding of ERP signatures at very short SOAs provides the first neural evidence that affective pictures can exert an automatic influence on the evaluation of affective target words. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Rapid age determination of oysters using LA-ICP-MS line scans of shell Mg/Ca ratios

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillikin, D. P.; Durham, S. R.; Goodwin, D. H.

    2016-02-01

    Magnesium to calcium (Mg/Ca) ratios exhibit a strong temperature dependence in foraminifera and corals, but not in bivalve mollusks. Various studies have reported Mg/Ca-temperature relationships with R2 values ranging from 0.3 to 0.8 and significantly different relationships for bivalves growing at different salinities. However, this poor temperature correlation does not render Mg/Ca data useless. A weak temperature dependence would allow time (seasons and years) to be determined along the growth axis of shells. This would provide information about age, growth rate and also allow other proxies to be aligned with time. Typically, oxygen isotopes (δ18O) are used to age shells without clear periodic growth lines, which is time consuming and expensive. Line scans using laser ablation systems can cover several centimeters of shell in a few minutes. We test this method on the resilifer of two oyster species (Crassostrea gigas and C. virginica) using a 193 nm Laser-Ablation-ICP-MS. Living oysters were collected from San Francisco Bay, North Carolina, South Carolina, and the Gulf of Mexico; fossil shells (Pleistocene) were also collected in South Carolina. Shells were sampled for δ18O values and Mg/Ca ratios. We use annual cycles in δ18O values to confidently determine age, then apply the Mg/Ca technique. Shells of both species exhibit annual cyclicity in Mg/Ca ratios using spot and line scan laser sampling, which matche the seasonal cyclicity determined using δ18O values. Results show a good correlation between ages determined using the different methods. We conclude that LA-ICP-MS line scans offer a rapid and inexpensive technique for determining age, growth rate, and timing of shell growth in oyster reslifers.

  5. A comparison between DART-MS and DSA-MS in the forensic analysis of writing inks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drury, Nicholas; Ramotowski, Robert; Moini, Mehdi

    2018-05-23

    Ambient ionization mass spectrometry is gaining momentum in forensic science laboratories because of its high speed of analysis, minimal sample preparation, and information-rich results. One such application of ambient ionization methodology includes the analysis of writing inks from questioned documents where colorants of interest may not be soluble in common solvents, rendering thin layer chromatography (TLC) and separation-mass spectrometry methods such as LC/MS (-MS) impractical. Ambient ionization mass spectrometry uses a variety of ionization techniques such as penning ionization in Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART), and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in Direct Sample Analysis (DSA), and electrospray ionization in Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI). In this manuscript, two of the commonly used ambient ionization techniques are compared: Perkin Elmer DSA-MS and IonSense DART in conjunction with a JEOL AccuTOF MS. Both technologies were equally successful in analyzing writing inks and produced similar spectra. DSA-MS produced less background signal likely because of its closed source configuration; however, the open source configuration of DART-MS provided more flexibility for sample positioning for optimum sensitivity and thereby allowing smaller piece of paper containing writing ink to be analyzed. Under these conditions, the minimum sample required for DART-MS was 1mm strokes of ink on paper, whereas DSA-MS required a minimum of 3mm. Moreover, both techniques showed comparable repeatability. Evaluation of the analytical figures of merit, including sensitivity, linear dynamic range, and repeatability, for DSA-MS and DART-MS analysis is provided. To the forensic context of the technique, DART-MS was applied to the analysis of United States Secret Service ink samples directly on a sampling mesh, and the results were compared with DSA-MS of the same inks on paper. Unlike analysis using separation mass spectrometry, which requires sample

  6. Correlations between Strong Range Spread-F and GPS L-Band Scintillations Observed in Hainan in 2004

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo-Jun, Wang; Jian-Kui, Shi; She-Ping, Shang; Xiao, Wang

    2009-01-01

    Data from the DPS-4 digisonde and the GPS L-band ionospheric scintillation monitor are employed to study the correlations between strong range spread-F (SSF) and GPS L-band scintillations observed in the ionosphere over Hainan Island, China (19.5°N, 109.1°E geogr., dip lat. 9°N) in 2004. The SSF in the ionogram is different from the general range spread-F because it extends in frequency well beyond FoF2 and makes FoF2 difficult to be determined. The observations show that the SSF phenomenon is frequently accompanied by the occurrence of GPS L-band scintillations. The SSF and GPS L-band scintillations occur frequently in the equinoctial months (March, April, September, and October), but rarely in the winter (January, February, November, and December) and summer (May–August); especially, occurrence variations of the SSF and GPS L-band scintillations nearly have a same trend. The SSF and scintillations may be associated with the occurrence of topside plasma bubbles and could be explained by the generalized Rayleigh–Taylor instability

  7. Antioxidant capacity and phenolic compounds of Lonicerae macranthoides by HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Xin; Chen, Lin; Shi, Shuyun; Cai, Ping; Liang, Xuejuan; Zhang, Shuihan

    2016-05-30

    Lonicerae macranthoides with strong antioxidant activity is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine and folk tea/beverage. However, detailed information about its antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds is limited. Then at first, we comparatively evaluated total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant activities of water extract, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of L. macranthoides. Ethyl acetate fraction exhibited the highest level of TPC (207.38 mg GAE/g DW), TFC (53.06 mg RE/g DW) and the best DPPH scavenge activity and reducing power. n-Butanol fraction showed the best ABTS(+) and O2(-) scavenging activities. Interestingly, water extract, ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions showed stronger antioxidant activities than positive control, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). After that, thirty-one antioxidant phenolic compounds, including twenty-two phenolic acids and nine flavonoids, were screened by DPPH-HPLC experiment and then identified using HPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS/MS. It is noted that twenty-one compounds (1, 3-4, 6-17, 19, 23, 26, 28-29, and 31), as far as was known, were discovered from L. macranthoide for the first time, and eleven of them (3-4, 10-17, and 23) were reported in Lonicera species for the first time. Results indicated that L. macranthoides could serve as promising source of rich antioxidants in foods, beverages and medicines for health promotion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Development and Validation of an LC-MS/MS Method and Comparison with a GC-MS Method to Measure Phenytoin in Human Brain Dialysate, Blood, and Saliva

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raphael Hösli

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Phenytoin (PHT is one of the most often used critical dose drugs, where insufficient or excessive dosing can have severe consequences such as seizures or toxicity. Thus, the monitoring and precise measuring of PHT concentrations in patients is crucial. This study develops and validates an LC-MS/MS method for the measurement of phenytoin concentrations in different body compartments (i.e., human brain dialysate, blood, and saliva and compares it with a formerly developed GC-MS method that measures PHT in the same biological matrices. The two methods are evaluated and compared based on their analytical performance, appropriateness to analyze human biological samples, including corresponding extraction and cleanup procedures, and their validation according to ISO 17025/FDA Guidance for Industry. The LC-MS/MS method showed a higher performance compared with the GC-MS method. The LC-MS/MS was more sensitive, needed a smaller sample volume (25 µL and less chemicals, was less time consuming (cleaning up, sample preparation, and analysis, and resulted in a better LOD ( 0.995 for all tested matrices (blood, saliva, and dialysate. For larger sample numbers as in pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies and for bedside as well as routine analyses, the LC-MS/MS method offers significant advantages over the GC-MS method.

  9. Structure Annotation and Quantification of Wheat Seed Oxidized Lipids by High-Resolution LC-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riewe, David; Wiebach, Janine; Altmann, Thomas

    2017-10-01

    Lipid oxidation is a process ubiquitous in life, but the direct and comprehensive analysis of oxidized lipids has been limited by available analytical methods. We applied high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to quantify oxidized lipids (glycerides, fatty acids, phospholipids, lysophospholipids, and galactolipids) and implemented a platform-independent high-throughput-amenable analysis pipeline for the high-confidence annotation and acyl composition analysis of oxidized lipids. Lipid contents of 90 different naturally aged wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) seed stocks were quantified in an untargeted high-resolution LC-MS experiment, resulting in 18,556 quantitative mass-to-charge ratio features. In a posthoc liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry experiment, high-resolution MS/MS spectra (5 mD accuracy) were recorded for 8,957 out of 12,080 putatively monoisotopic features of the LC-MS data set. A total of 353 nonoxidized and 559 oxidized lipids with up to four additional oxygen atoms were annotated based on the accurate mass recordings (1.5 ppm tolerance) of the LC-MS data set and filtering procedures. MS/MS spectra available for 828 of these annotations were analyzed by translating experimentally known fragmentation rules of lipids into the fragmentation of oxidized lipids. This led to the identification of 259 nonoxidized and 365 oxidized lipids by both accurate mass and MS/MS spectra and to the determination of acyl compositions for 221 nonoxidized and 295 oxidized lipids. Analysis of 15-year aged wheat seeds revealed increased lipid oxidation and hydrolysis in seeds stored in ambient versus cold conditions. © 2017 The author(s). All Rights Reserved.

  10. A Modified LC/MS/MS Method with Enhanced Sensitivity for the Determination of Scopolamine in Human Plasma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zuwei; Vaksman, Zalman; Putcha, Lakshmi

    2008-01-01

    Intranasal scopolamine is a choice drug for the treatment of motion sickness during space flight because of its quick onset of action, short half-life and favorable sideeffects profile. The dose administered usually ranges between 0.1 and 0.4 mg. Such small doses make it difficult to detect concentrations of scopolamine in biological fluids using existing sensitive LC/MS/MS method, especially when the biological sample volumes are limited. To measure scopolamine in human plasma to facilitate pharmacokinetic evaluation of the drug, we developed a sensitive LC/MS/MS method using 96 well micro elution plates for solid phase extraction (SPE) of scopolamine in human plasma. Human plasma (100-250 micro L) were loaded onto Waters Oasis HLB 96 well micro elution plate and eluted with 50 L of organic solvent without evaporation and reconstitution. HPLC separation of the eluted sample was performed using an Agilent Zorbax SB-CN column (50 x 2.1 mm) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min for 3 minutes. The mobile phase for separation was 80:20 (v/v) methanol: ammonium acetate (30 mM) in water. Concentrations of scopolamine were determined using a Micromass Quattro Micro(TM) mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization (ESI). ESI mass spectra were acquired in positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring for the determination of scopolamine m/z = 304.2 right arrow 138.1 and internal standard hyoscyamine m/z = 290.2 right arrow 124.1. The method is rapid, reproducible, specific and has the following parameters: scopolamine and the IS are eluted at about 1.1 and 1.7 min respectively. The linear range is 25-10000 pg/mL for scopolamine in human plasma with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99 and CV less than 0.5%. The intra-day and inter-day CVs are less than 15% for quality control samples with concentrations of 75,300, and 750 pg/mL of scopolamine in human plasma. SPE using 96 well micro elution plates allows rapid sample preparation and enhanced sensitivity for the LC/MS/MS

  11. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... and problems with cognition (learning and memory or information processing). People with progressive forms of MS are more likely to experience gradually worsening problems with walking and mobility, along with whatever other symptoms they may have. Diagnosing ... MS Society is Here to Help Need More Information? We Are Here Our MS Navigators help identify ...

  12. High throughput HPLC-ESI(-)-MS/MS methodology for mercapturic acid metabolites of 1,3-butadiene: Biomarkers of exposure and bioactivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotapati, Srikanth; Esades, Amanda; Matter, Brock; Le, Chap; Tretyakova, Natalia

    2015-11-05

    1,3-Butadiene (BD) is an important industrial and environmental carcinogen present in cigarette smoke, automobile exhaust, and urban air. The major urinary metabolites of BD in humans are 2-(N-acetyl-L-cystein-S-yl)-1-hydroxybut-3-ene/1-(N-acetyl-L-cystein-S-yl)-2-hydroxybut-3-ene (MHBMA), 4-(N-acetyl-L-cystein-S-yl)-1,2-dihydroxybutane (DHBMA), and 4-(N-acetyl-L-cystein-S-yl)-1,2,3-trihydroxybutyl mercapturic acid (THBMA), which are formed from the electrophilic metabolites of BD, 3,4-epoxy-1-butene (EB), hydroxymethyl vinyl ketone (HMVK), and 3,4-epoxy-1,2-diol (EBD), respectively. In the present work, a sensitive high-throughput HPLC-ESI(-)-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneous quantification of MHBMA and DHBMA in small volumes of human urine (200 μl). The method employs a 96 well Oasis HLB SPE enrichment step, followed by isotope dilution HPLC-ESI(-)-MS/MS analysis on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The validated method was used to quantify MHBMA and DHBMA in urine of workers from a BD monomer and styrene-butadiene rubber production facility (40 controls and 32 occupationally exposed to BD). Urinary THBMA concentrations were also determined in the same samples. The concentrations of all three BD-mercapturic acids and the metabolic ratio (MHBMA/(MHBMA+DHBMA+THBMA)) were significantly higher in the occupationally exposed group as compared to controls and correlated with BD exposure, with each other, and with BD-hemoglobin biomarkers. This improved high throughput methodology for MHBMA and DHBMA will be useful for future epidemiological studies in smokers and occupationally exposed workers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Correlation of Diffusion and Metabolic Alterations in Different Clinical Forms of Multiple Sclerosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hannoun, Salem; Bagory, Matthieu; Durand-Dubief, Francoise; Ibarrola, Danielle; Comte, Jean-Christophe; Confavreux, Christian; Cotton, Francois; Sappey-Marinier, Dominique

    2012-01-01

    Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) provide greater sensitivity than conventional MRI to detect diffuse alterations in normal appearing white matter (NAWM) of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients with different clinical forms. Therefore, the goal of this study is to combine DTI and MRSI measurements to analyze the relation between diffusion and metabolic markers, T2-weighted lesion load (T2-LL) and the patients clinical status. The sensitivity and specificity of both methods were then compared in terms of MS clinical forms differentiation. MR examination was performed on 71 MS patients (27 relapsing remitting (RR), 26 secondary progressive (SP) and 18 primary progressive (PP)) and 24 control subjects. DTI and MRSI measurements were obtained from two identical regions of interest selected in left and right centrum semioval (CSO) WM. DTI metrics and metabolic contents were significantly altered in MS patients with the exception of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) and NAA/Choline (Cho) ratio in RR patients. Significant correlations were observed between diffusion and metabolic measures to various degrees in every MS patients group. Most DTI metrics were significantly correlated with the T2-LL while only NAA/Cr ratio was correlated in RR patients. A comparison analysis of MR methods efficiency demonstrated a better sensitivity/specificity of DTI over MRSI. Nevertheless, NAA/Cr ratio could distinguish all MS and SP patients groups from controls, while NAA/Cho ratio differentiated PP patients from controls. This study demonstrated that diffusivity changes related to microstructural alterations were correlated with metabolic changes and provided a better sensitivity to detect early changes, particularly in RR patients who are more subject to inflammatory processes. In contrast, the better specificity of metabolic ratios to detect axonal damage and demyelination may provide a better index for identification of PP patients. PMID:22479330

  14. Evaluation of the QuEChERS method for the extraction of pharmaceuticals and personal care products from drinking-water treatment sludge with determination by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cerqueira, Maristela B R; Guilherme, Juliana R; Caldas, Sergiane S; Martins, Manoel L; Zanella, Renato; Primel, Ednei G

    2014-07-01

    A modified version of the QuEChERS method has been evaluated for the determination of 21 pharmaceuticals and 6 personal care products (PPCPs) in drinking-water sludge samples by employing ultra high liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The performance of the method was evaluated through linearity, recovery, precision (intra-day), method detection and quantification limits (MDL and MQL) and matrix effect. The calibration curves prepared in acetonitrile and in the matrix extract showed a correlation coefficient ranging from 0.98 to 0.99. MQLs values were on the ng g(-1) order of magnitude for most compounds. Recoveries between 50% and 93% were reached with RSDs lower than 10% for most compounds. Matrix effect was almost absent with values lower than 16% for 93% of the compounds. By coupling a quick and simple extraction called QuEChERS with the UPLC-MS/MS analysis, a method that is both selective and sensitive was obtained. This methodology was successfully applied to real samples and caffeine and benzophenone-3 were detected in ng g(-1) levels. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR FT-IR) for Rapid Determination of Microbial Cell Lipid Content: Correlation with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Millan-Oropeza, Aaron; Rebois, Rolando; David, Michelle; Moussa, Fathi; Dazzi, Alexandre; Bleton, Jean; Virolle, Marie-Joelle; Deniset-Besseau, Ariane

    2017-10-01

    There is a growing interest worldwide for the production of renewable oil without mobilizing agriculture lands; fast and reliable methods are needed to identify highly oleaginous microorganisms of potential industrial interest. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the relevance of attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy to achieve this goal. To do so, the total lipid content of lyophilized samples of five Streptomyces strains with varying lipid content was assessed with two classical quantitative but time-consuming methods, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ATR Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy in transmission mode with KBr pellets and the fast ATR method, often questioned for its lack of reliability. A linear correlation between these three methods was demonstrated allowing the establishment of equations to convert ATR values expressed as CO/amide I ratio, into micrograms of lipid per milligram of biomass. The ATR method proved to be as reliable and quantitative as the classical GC-MS and FT-IR in transmission mode methods but faster and more reproducible than the latter since it involves far less manipulation for sample preparation than the two others. Attenuated total reflection could be regarded as an efficient fast screening method to identify natural or genetically modified oleaginous microorganisms by the scientific community working in the field of bio-lipids.

  16. Stability of γ-Hydroxybutyrate in Blood Samples from Impaired Drivers after Storage at 4°C and Comparison of GC–FID–GBL and LC–MS-MS Methods of Analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jones, Alan Wayne; Gladh, Sven-Åke; Windberg, Charlotte Norup

    2015-01-01

    The stability of γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) was determined in 50 blood samples from impaired drivers after storage at 4 °: C for up to 12 months. GHB was determined in whole blood by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) after conversion into γ-butyrolactone (GBL) and results were......-MS-MS method (x-variate) were highly correlated (R(2) = 0.974). The regression equation was y = 0.85x + 2.2 and residual standard deviation (SD) was 7.8 mg/kg. The y-intercept (2.2 mg/kg) was not significantly different from zero (P > 0.05), although the slope of the regression line (0.85) differed from unity...

  17. Matrix Optical Absorption in UV-MALDI MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Kenneth N; Steven, Rory T; Bunch, Josephine

    2018-03-01

    In ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (UV-MALDI MS) matrix compound optical absorption governs the uptake of laser energy, which in turn has a strong influence on experimental results. Despite this, quantitative absorption measurements are lacking for most matrix compounds. Furthermore, despite the use of UV-MALDI MS to detect a vast range of compounds, investigations into the effects of laser energy have been primarily restricted to single classes of analytes. We report the absolute solid state absorption spectra of the matrix compounds α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA), para-nitroaniline (PNA), 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,5-DHB), and 2,4,6-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP). The desorption/ionization characteristics of these matrix compounds with respect to laser fluence was investigated using mixed systems of matrix with either angiotensin II, PC(34:1) lipid standard, or haloperidol, acting as representatives for typical classes of analyte encountered in UV-MALDI MS. The first absolute solid phase spectra for PNA, MBT, and THAP are reported; additionally, inconsistencies between previously published spectra for CHCA are resolved. In light of these findings, suggestions are made for experimental optimization with regards to matrix and laser wavelength selection. The relationship between matrix optical cross-section and wavelength-dependant threshold fluence, fluence of maximum ion yield, and R, a new descriptor for the change in ion intensity with fluence, are described. A matrix cross-section of 1.3 × 10 -17 cm -2 was identified as a potential minimum for desorption/ionization of analytes. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  18. Atom-Pair Kinetics with Strong Electric-Dipole Interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thaicharoen, N; Gonçalves, L F; Raithel, G

    2016-05-27

    Rydberg-atom ensembles are switched from a weakly to a strongly interacting regime via adiabatic transformation of the atoms from an approximately nonpolar into a highly dipolar quantum state. The resultant electric dipole-dipole forces are probed using a device akin to a field ion microscope. Ion imaging and pair-correlation analysis reveal the kinetics of the interacting atoms. Dumbbell-shaped pair-correlation images demonstrate the anisotropy of the binary dipolar force. The dipolar C_{3} coefficient, derived from the time dependence of the images, agrees with the value calculated from the permanent electric-dipole moment of the atoms. The results indicate many-body dynamics akin to disorder-induced heating in strongly coupled particle systems.

  19. Determination of drug residues by CLAR-MS/MS in animal tissues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brenes Jimenez, Jose Eduardo

    2009-01-01

    Produced food of animal origin, present the possibility of occurrence of any contact with substances that have negative effects on the health of people who consume them. The use of drugs in veterinary medicine is one of the possible sources of such waste; so, the conditions for the analysis of some classes of antibiotics in animal tissues are based on the study. Costa Rica and the countries that are export destination, have regulation and programs for control before to be distributed in local markets, or post if it is received any complaint of pollution. The high resolution liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometers (CLAR-MS/MS) allows the analysis of analytes monitored, according to the specifications required by the legislation. The cases of two laboratories in Costa Rica are presented as the only ones who have the ability to perform the analysis of drug residues CLAR-MS/MS. (author) [es

  20. Nonequilibrium self-energy functional theory. Accessing the real-time dynamics of strongly correlated fermionic lattice systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hofmann, Felix

    2016-07-05

    The self-energy functional theory (SFT) is extended to the nonequilibrium case and applied to the real-time dynamics of strongly correlated lattice-fermions. Exploiting the basic structure of the well established equilibrium theory the entire formalism is reformulated in the language of Keldysh-Matsubara Green's functions. To this end, a functional of general nonequilibrium self-energies is constructed which is stationary at the physical point where it moreover yields the physical grand potential of the initial thermal state. Nonperturbative approximations to the full self-energy can be constructed by reducing the original lattice problem to smaller reference systems and varying the functional on the space of the respective trial self-energies, which are parametrized by the reference system's one-particle parameters. Approximations constructed in this way can be shown to respect the macroscopic conservation laws related to the underlying symmetries of the original lattice model. Assuming thermal equilibrium, the original SFT is recovered from the extended formalism. However, in the general case, the nonequilibrium variational principle comprises functional derivatives off the physical parameter space. These can be carried out analytically to derive inherently causal conditional equations for the optimal physical parameters of the reference system and a computationally realizable propagation scheme is set up. As a benchmark for the numerical implementation the variational cluster approach is applied to the dynamics of a dimerized Hubbard model after fast ramps of its hopping parameters. Finally, the time-evolution of a homogeneous Hubbard model after sudden quenches and ramps of the interaction parameter is studied by means of a dynamical impurity approximation with a single bath site. Sharply separated by a critical interaction at which fast relaxation to a thermal final state is observed, two differing response regimes can be distinguished, where the

  1. Bivariate Correlation Analysis of the Chemometric Profiles of Chinese Wild Salvia miltiorrhiza Based on UPLC-Qqq-MS and Antioxidant Activities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaodan Zhang

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available To better understand the mechanisms underlying the pharmacological actions of Salvia miltiorrhiza, correlation between the chemical profiles and in vitro antioxidant activities in 50 batches of wild S. miltiorrhiza samples was analyzed. Our ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis detected twelve phenolic acids and five tanshinones and obtained various chemical profiles from different origins. In a principal component analysis (PCA and cluster analysis, the tanshinones cryptotanshinone, tanshinone IIA and dihydrotanshinone I exhibited higher weights in PC1, whereas the phenolic acids danshensu, salvianolic acids A and B and lithospermic acid were highly loaded in PC2. All components could be optimized as markers of different locations and might be suitable for S. miltiorrhiza quality analyses. Additionally, the DPPH and ABTS assays used to comprehensively evaluate antioxidant activities indicated large variations, with mean DPPH and ABTS scavenging potencies of 32.24 and 23.39 μg/mL, respectively, among S. miltiorrhiza extract solutions. Notably, samples that exceeded the mean IC50 values had higher phenolic acid contents. A correlation analysis indicated a strong correlation between the antioxidant activities and phenolic acid contents. Caffeic acid, danshensu, rosmarinic acid, lithospermic acid and salvianolic acid B were major contributors to antioxidant activity. In conclusion, phenolic compounds were the predominant antioxidant components in the investigated plant species. These plants may be sources of potent natural antioxidants and beneficial chemopreventive agents.

  2. Strong Velocity-Weakening of Nanograins at High Slip-Rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, R.; Hirose, T.; Ando, J.

    2008-12-01

    It has been observed that slip localization zones in some experimental and natural faults consist of crystalline or amorphous nanograins of different minerals. Prolonged grinding of silicate rocks (e.g., quartz rock and granite) is known to produce amorphous silica nanograins and mechanical properties of the material (especially under wet condition) have been attributed to a mechanism of fault weakening. Also, recent high- velocity friction tests on carbonate rocks showed that faults can be weakened by thermal decomposition of calcite into nanograins of lime and carbon dioxide and the lubrication effect of the nanograins would be critical for the fault weakening. However, mechanical behavior(s) and friction mechanism(s) of fault slip zones with nanograins, especially at high slip-rates, are still poorly understood, despite their potential importance to the understanding of seismic faulting. In this contribution, we show you our experimental results indicating velocity-weakening of nanograins (probably caused by still unknown mechanical behaviors of nanograins) rather than by temperature-related weakening behavior. In our high-velocity friction tests on Carrara marble at seismic slip-rates, we have tried to "cool" the simulated fault with liquid nitrogen and compressed air during frictional sliding, and found, in the simulated fault coated with nanopowders of lime (CaO) formed by thermal decomposition, no correlation between friction and temperature measured with thermocouples (i.e., no temperature-related weakening behavior), although strong "velocity-weakening" behavior appeared. The observation was confirmed by another experiment: from (1) the calculated "maximum" sliding surface temperature [Carslaw and Jaeger, 1959] using the mechanical data, with an assumption of strong slip localization into a very thin layer, and (2) the measured temperature with thermocouples at a place just below the sliding surface and close to the periphery of the specimen, it was found

  3. Metabolomic and elemental analysis of camel and bovine urine by GC-MS and ICP-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahamad, Syed Rizwan; Alhaider, Abdul Qader; Raish, Mohammad; Shakeel, Faiyaz

    2017-01-01

    Recent studies from the author's laboratory indicated that camel urine possesses antiplatelet activity and anti-cancer activity which is not present in bovine urine. The objective of this study is to compare the volatile and elemental components of bovine and camel urine using GC-MS and ICP-MS analysis. We are interested to know the component that performs these biological activities. The freeze dried urine was dissolved in dichloromethane and then derivatization process followed by using BSTFA for GC-MS analysis. Thirty different compounds were analyzed by the derivatization process in full scan mode. For ICP-MS analysis twenty eight important elements were analyzed in both bovine and camel urine. The results of GC-MS and ICP-MS analysis showed marked difference in the urinary metabolites. GC-MS evaluation of camel urine finds a lot of products of metabolism like benzene propanoic acid derivatives, fatty acid derivatives, amino acid derivatives, sugars, prostaglandins and canavanine. Several research reports reveal the metabolomics studies on camel urine but none of them completely reported the pharmacology related metabolomics. The present data of GC-MS suggest and support the previous studies and activities related to camel urine.

  4. T1- Thresholds in Black Holes Increase Clinical-Radiological Correlation in Multiple Sclerosis Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thaler, Christian; Faizy, Tobias; Sedlacik, Jan; Holst, Brigitte; Stellmann, Jan-Patrick; Young, Kim Lea; Heesen, Christoph; Fiehler, Jens; Siemonsen, Susanne

    2015-01-01

    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an established tool in diagnosing and evaluating disease activity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). While clinical-radiological correlations are limited in general, hypointense T1 lesions (also known as Black Holes (BH)) have shown some promising results. The definition of BHs is very heterogeneous and depends on subjective visual evaluation. We aimed to improve clinical-radiological correlations by defining BHs using T1 relaxation time (T1-RT) thresholds to achieve best possible correlation between BH lesion volume and clinical disability. 40 patients with mainly relapsing-remitting MS underwent MRI including 3-dimensional fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo (MPRAGE) before and after Gadolinium (GD) injection and double inversion-contrast magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo (MP2RAGE) sequences. BHs (BHvis) were marked by two raters on native T1-weighted (T1w)-MPRAGE, contrast-enhancing lesions (CE lesions) on T1w-MPRAGE after GD and FLAIR lesions (total-FLAIR lesions) were detected separately. BHvis and total-FLAIR lesion maps were registered to MP2RAGE images, and the mean T1-RT were calculated for all lesion ROIs. Mean T1 values of the cortex (CTX) were calculated for each patient. Subsequently, Spearman rank correlations between clinical scores (Expanded Disability Status Scale and Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite) and lesion volume were determined for different T1-RT thresholds. Significant differences in T1-RT were obtained between all different lesion types with highest T1 values in visually marked BHs (BHvis: 1453.3±213.4 ms, total-FLAIR lesions: 1394.33±187.38 ms, CTX: 1305.6±35.8 ms; p1500 ms (Expanded Disability Status Scale vs. lesion volume: rBHvis = 0.442 and rtotal-FLAIR = 0.497, p<0.05; Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite vs. lesion volume: rBHvis = -0.53 and rtotal-FLAIR = -0.627, p<0.05). Clinical-radiological correlations in MS patients are

  5. LC-MS data processing with MAVEN: a metabolomic analysis and visualization engine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clasquin, Michelle F; Melamud, Eugene; Rabinowitz, Joshua D

    2012-03-01

    MAVEN is an open-source software program for interactive processing of LC-MS-based metabolomics data. MAVEN enables rapid and reliable metabolite quantitation from multiple reaction monitoring data or high-resolution full-scan mass spectrometry data. It automatically detects and reports peak intensities for isotope-labeled metabolites. Menu-driven, click-based navigation allows visualization of raw and analyzed data. Here we provide a User Guide for MAVEN. Step-by-step instructions are provided for data import, peak alignment across samples, identification of metabolites that differ strongly between biological conditions, quantitation and visualization of isotope-labeling patterns, and export of tables of metabolite-specific peak intensities. Together, these instructions describe a workflow that allows efficient processing of raw LC-MS data into a form ready for biological analysis.

  6. Application of LC–MS/MS for quantitative analysis of glucocorticoids and stimulants in biological fluids

    OpenAIRE

    Haneef, Jamshed; Shaharyar, Mohammad; Husain, Asif; Rashid, Mohd; Mishra, Ravinesh; Parveen, Shama; Ahmed, Niyaz; Pal, Manoj; Kumar, Deepak

    2013-01-01

    Liquid chromatography tandem mass chromatography (LCâMS/MS) is an important hyphenated technique for quantitative analysis of drugs in biological fluids. Because of high sensitivity and selectivity, LCâMS/MS has been used for pharmacokinetic studies, metabolites identification in the plasma and urine. This manuscript gives comprehensive analytical review, focusing on chromatographic separation approaches (column packing materials, column length and mobile phase) as well as different acquisiti...

  7. Application of LC–MS/MS for quantitative analysis of glucocorticoids and stimulants in biological fluids

    OpenAIRE

    Haneef, Jamshed; Shaharyar, Mohammad; Husain, Asif; Rashid, Mohd; Mishra, Ravinesh; Parveen, Shama; Ahmed, Niyaz; Pal, Manoj; Kumar, Deepak

    2013-01-01

    Liquid chromatography tandem mass chromatography (LC–MS/MS) is an important hyphenated technique for quantitative analysis of drugs in biological fluids. Because of high sensitivity and selectivity, LC–MS/MS has been used for pharmacokinetic studies, metabolites identification in the plasma and urine. This manuscript gives comprehensive analytical review, focusing on chromatographic separation approaches (column packing materials, column length and mobile phase) as well as different acquisiti...

  8. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Clinicians Publications for Your Patients MS Navigator Program Programs and Services for Your Patients Contact Us Clinical Fellows ... Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) Relapsing-remitting ...

  9. The EIPeptiDi tool: enhancing peptide discovery in ICAT-based LC MS/MS experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tradigo Giuseppe

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Isotope-coded affinity tags (ICAT is a method for quantitative proteomics based on differential isotopic labeling, sample digestion and mass spectrometry (MS. The method allows the identification and relative quantification of proteins present in two samples and consists of the following phases. First, cysteine residues are either labeled using the ICAT Light or ICAT Heavy reagent (having identical chemical properties but different masses. Then, after whole sample digestion, the labeled peptides are captured selectively using the biotin tag contained in both ICAT reagents. Finally, the simplified peptide mixture is analyzed by nanoscale liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS. Nevertheless, the ICAT LC-MS/MS method still suffers from insufficient sample-to-sample reproducibility on peptide identification. In particular, the number and the type of peptides identified in different experiments can vary considerably and, thus, the statistical (comparative analysis of sample sets is very challenging. Low information overlap at the peptide and, consequently, at the protein level, is very detrimental in situations where the number of samples to be analyzed is high. Results We designed a method for improving the data processing and peptide identification in sample sets subjected to ICAT labeling and LC-MS/MS analysis, based on cross validating MS/MS results. Such a method has been implemented in a tool, called EIPeptiDi, which boosts the ICAT data analysis software improving peptide identification throughout the input data set. Heavy/Light (H/L pairs quantified but not identified by the MS/MS routine, are assigned to peptide sequences identified in other samples, by using similarity criteria based on chromatographic retention time and Heavy/Light mass attributes. EIPeptiDi significantly improves the number of identified peptides per sample, proving that the proposed method has a considerable impact on the protein

  10. Development and validation of LC-MS/MS method with multiple reactions monitoring mode for quantification of vanillin and syringaldehyde in plum brandies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tešević Vele

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS method with multiple reactions monitoring mode (MRM has been developed and validated for quantification of vanillin and syringaldehyde in plum brandy. The method showed good linearity (0.05 to 10 mgL−1 and low limits of detection and quantification (LOD and LOQ were 11.6 µgL−1 and 38.2 µgL−1 for vanillin, and 12.7 µgL−1 and 42.0 µgL−1 for syringaldehyde, respectively. The overall intra-day and inter-day variations were less than 4.21%, and the overall recovery over 93.0%. The correlation coefficients (R2 of the calibration curves were higher than 0.9999. In order to evaluate if the method is suitable for use as a routine analytical tool, in 31 Serbian plum brandy samples vanillin and syringaldehide were determined. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 172053

  11. No Geographic Correlation between Lyme Disease and Death Due to 4 Neurodegenerative Disorders, United States, 2001-2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forrester, Joseph D; Kugeler, Kiersten J; Perea, Anna E; Pastula, Daniel M; Mead, Paul S

    2015-11-01

    Associations between Lyme disease and certain neurodegenerative diseases have been proposed, but supportive evidence for an association is lacking. Similar geographic distributions would be expected if 2 conditions were etiologically linked. Thus, we compared the distribution of Lyme disease cases in the United States with the distributions of deaths due to Alzheimer disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson disease; no geographic correlations were identified. Lyme disease incidence per US state was not correlated with rates of death due to ALS, MS, or Parkinson disease; however, an inverse correlation was detected between Lyme disease and Alzheimer disease. The absence of a positive correlation between the geographic distribution of Lyme disease and the distribution of deaths due to Alzheimer disease, ALS, MS, and Parkinson disease provides further evidence that Lyme disease is not associated with the development of these neurodegenerative conditions.

  12. Isotope ratio monitoring LC/MS (IRM-LC/MS): new applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juchelka, D; Hilkert, A.; Krummen, M.

    2005-01-01

    With the introduction of compound specific isotope analysis by isotope ratio monitoring GC/ MS (IRM-GC/MS) the immediate demand for similar applications using HPLC was created. Many compounds of biological, medical, pharmaceutical and environmental interest are not volatile or too polar. Consequently, they cannot be directly analyzed by gas chromatography. In IRM-GC/MS the carrier is helium, which does not interfere with the essential combust ion step prior to isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). In opposite the LC mobile phase has inhibited a similar direct conversion up to now. All earlier IRM-LC/MS approaches were based on the removal of the liquid phase prior to combustion risking fractionation of the isotope ratios of the eluted compounds. To avoid such restrictions we developed a new continuous flow concept for the coupling of an HPLC system to the isotope ratio MS for 13 C/ 12C isotope ratio analysis. In the Finnigan LC IsoLink, the liquid phase is not removed from the sample prior to oxidation. The sample is oxidized still in the mobile phase followed by on-line separation of the CO 2 from the liquid phase and transfer into the isotope ratio MS. Therefore, this strategy is based on water and inorganic buffers as mobile phase. The new approach opens up a whole new world in the application of gas isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The 13 C/ 12 C ratio s of organic acids, amino acids, carbohydrates and nucleotides can now be measured. These components typically within a complex matrix are separated by liquid chromatography followed by on-line determination of the isotope ratios. The draw backs of using derivatization and off-line preparation procedures can now be over come. This new technique allow s studying biochemical cycles, running tracer experiments and determining the origin of components. Applications from different scientific areas such as biogeochemistry, molecular biology, and pharmacy as well as authenticity control o f foods will be presented

  13. Ms. Mentor Unmasked

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krebs, Paula

    2008-01-01

    This article presents an interview with Emily Toth, who writes the monthly "Ms. Mentor" academic advice column in the "Chronicle of Higher Education" and teaches in the English department at Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge. She is the author of "Ms. Mentor's Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia" (1997), "Inside Peyton Place: The Life…

  14. Assessment of heat treatment of dairy products by MALDI-TOF-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meltretter, Jasmin; Birlouez-Aragon, Inès; Becker, Cord-Michael; Pischetsrieder, Monika

    2009-12-01

    The formation of the Amadori product from lactose (protein lactosylation) is a major parameter to evaluate the quality of processed milk. Here, MALDI-TOF-MS was used for the relative quantification of lactose-adducts in heated milk. Milk was heated at a temperature of 70, 80, and 100 degrees C between 0 and 300 min, diluted, and subjected directly to MALDI-TOF-MS. The lactosylation rate of alpha-lactalbumin increased with increasing reaction temperature and time. The results correlated well with established markers for heat treatment of milk (concentration of total soluble protein, soluble alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin at pH 4.6, and fluorescence of advanced Maillard products and soluble tryptophan index; r=0.969-0.997). The method was also applied to examine commercially available dairy products. In severely heated products, protein pre-purification by immobilized metal affinity chromatography improved spectra quality. Relative quantification of protein lactosylation by MALDI-TOF-MS proved to be a very fast and reliable method to monitor early Maillard reaction during milk processing.

  15. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Your Practice Publications for Clinicians Publications for Your Patients MS Navigator Program Programs and Services for Your Patients Contact Us Clinical Fellows d Careers in MS ...

  16. Lung Cancer Serum Biomarker Discovery Using Label Free LC-MS/MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Xuemei; Hood, Brian L.; Zhao, Ting; Conrads, Thomas P.; Sun, Mai; Gopalakrishnan, Vanathi; Grover, Himanshu; Day, Roger S.; Weissfeld, Joel L.; Wilson, David O.; Siegfried, Jill M.; Bigbee, William L.

    2011-01-01

    Introduction Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death with poor survival due to the late stage at which lung cancer is typically diagnosed. Given the clinical burden from lung cancer, and the relatively favorable survival associated with early stage lung cancer, biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer are of important potential clinical benefit. Methods We performed a global lung cancer serum biomarker discovery study using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in a set of pooled non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) case sera and matched controls. Immunoaffinity subtraction was used to deplete the top most abundant serum proteins; the remaining serum proteins were subjected to trypsin digestion and analyzed in triplicate by LC-MS/MS. The tandem mass spectrum data were searched against the human proteome database and the resultant spectral counting data were used to estimate the relative abundance of proteins across the case/control serum pools. The spectral counting derived abundances of some candidate biomarker proteins were confirmed with multiple reaction monitoring MS assays. Results A list of 49 differentially abundant candidate proteins was compiled by applying a negative binomial regression model to the spectral counting data (pbiomarkers with statistically significant differential abundance across the lung cancer case/control pools which, when validated, could improve lung cancer early detection. PMID:21304412

  17. Evidence for a glassy state in strongly driven carbon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, C.R.D.; Gericke, D.O.; Wunsch, K.; Cammarata, M.; Fritz, D.; Glenzer, S.H.; Heimann, P.; Lee, H.J.; Lemke, H.; Nagler, B.; Zhu, D.; Galtier, E.; Moinard, A.; Rosmej, F.B.

    2014-01-01

    Here, we report results of an experiment creating a transient, highly correlated carbon state using a combination of optical and x-ray lasers. Scattered x-rays reveal a highly ordered state with an electrostatic energy significantly exceeding the thermal energy of the ions. Strong Coulomb forces are predicted to induce nucleation into a crystalline ion structure within a few picoseconds. However, we observe no evidence of such phase transition after several tens of picoseconds but strong indications for an over-correlated fluid state. The experiment suggests a much slower nucleation and points to an intermediate glassy state where the ions are frozen close to their original positions in the fluid. (authors)

  18. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Treating MS Comprehensive Care Find an MS Care Provider Medications Managing Relapses Rehabilitation Complementary & Alternative Medicines For Clinicians Resources & Support Library & Education Programs Find Support Advanced Care ...

  19. Multianalytical determination of trace elements in atmospheric biomonitors by k0-INAA, ICP-MS and AAS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freitas, M. C.; Pacheco, A. M. G.; Dionísio, I.; Sarmento, S.; Baptista, M. S.; Vasconcelos, M. T. S. D.; Cabral, J. P.

    2006-08-01

    Elemental contents of atmospheric biomonitors—epiphytic lichens and tree bark, exposed in continuous and discontinuous modes—have been assessed through k0-standardised instrumental neutron activation analysis ( k0-INAA) (two different institutions), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Certified reference materials—ISE-921 (river clay), NIST-1547 (peach leaves), ICHTJ-INCT-TL-1 (tea leaves; TL-1 hereinafter) and IAEA-336 (lichen material), and nonparametric statistics—rank-order correlations (Spearman RS) and enhanced-sign tests (Wilcoxon T)—were used for analytical control and data comparison, respectively. In general, quality of procedures was deemed good, except for k0-INAA in determining Br, Cu and Na, all likely affected by high counting statistics, and/or contamination issues (the latter). Results for Cu, Ni, Pb and Sr (by both ICP-MS and AAS) revealed that, despite an outstanding correlation (asymptotic p=0.000), they could be viewed as statistically equal for Cu only: AAS tended to yield higher values for Pb and Ni, and lower ones for Sr. The comparison between ICP-MS and k0-INAA data from TUDelft, for Al, Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, Na, Ti and V, showed an excellent correlation (as above) and random (relative) magnitude for Cu, Mg, Mn and Ti only: ICP-MS tended to yield higher values for Al, Na and V, and lower ones for Ca, whereas between k0-INAA data from TUDelft and ITN, for Br, Ca and Na, resulted in systematically higher [Br] and [Ca] variates from TUDelft, even if all corresponding data sets were found to correlate at stringent significance levels. In a few cases, though—Ca, Sr in lichens; Pb in bark—matrix effects did appear to interfere in the outcome of matched-pairs, signed-rank tests, since random hierarchy of variates could be asserted just when lichen and bark data sets were processed separately.

  20. Progressive-Relapsing MS (PRMS)

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    ... Is MS? Types of MS Share this page Facebook Twitter Email ... multiple sclerosis (PRMS) was described in the 1996 disease-course definitions as — steadily worsening neurologic function from the beginning ...

  1. EPA CRL MS014: Analysis of Aldicarb, Bromadiolone, Carbofuran, Oxamyl and Methomyl in Water by Multiple Reaction Monitoring Liquid Chromatography / Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Method MS014 describes procedures for solvent extraction of aldicarb, bromadiolone, carbofuran, oxamyl and methomyl from water samples, followed by analysis using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS).

  2. Spin-Projected Matrix Product States: Versatile Tool for Strongly Correlated Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhendong; Chan, Garnet Kin-Lic

    2017-06-13

    , which are simple to implement with MPS. To illustrate the versatility of SP-MPS, we formulate algorithms for the optimization of ground and excited states, develop perturbation theory based on SP-MPS, and describe how to evaluate spin-independent and spin-dependent properties such as the reduced density matrices. We demonstrate the numerical performance of SP-MPS with applications to several models typical of strong correlation, including the Hubbard model, and [2Fe-2S] and [4Fe-4S] model complexes.

  3. Application of LC–MS/MS for quantitative analysis of glucocorticoids and stimulants in biological fluids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamshed Haneef

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Liquid chromatography tandem mass chromatography (LC–MS/MS is an important hyphenated technique for quantitative analysis of drugs in biological fluids. Because of high sensitivity and selectivity, LC–MS/MS has been used for pharmacokinetic studies, metabolites identification in the plasma and urine. This manuscript gives comprehensive analytical review, focusing on chromatographic separation approaches (column packing materials, column length and mobile phase as well as different acquisition modes (SIM, MRM for quantitative analysis of glucocorticoids and stimulants. This review is not meant to be exhaustive but rather to provide a general overview for detection and confirmation of target drugs using LC–MS/MS and thus useful in the doping analysis, toxicological studies as well as in pharmaceutical analysis. Keywords: LC–MS/MS, Ionization techniques, Glucocorticoids, Stimulants, Hyphenated techniques, Biological fluid

  4. MS Windows domēna darbstacijas migrācijas iespējas no MS Windows XP uz MS Windows 7.

    OpenAIRE

    Zariņš, Valdis

    2009-01-01

    Kvalifikācijas darbā tiek aprakstītas MS Windows domēna darbstacijas migrācijas iespējas no MS Windows XP uz MS Windows 7, kā servera operētājsistēmas izmantojot tādus Microsoft produktus, kā Microsoft Windows Server 2003 un Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Kvalifikācijas darba teorētiskaja daļā tiek apskatīti Microsoft Windows 7 priekšrocības un uzlabojumus gan no darbstacijas lietotāja , gan no darbstacijas administratora puses. Ir aprakstītas Microsoft Windows Server 2008 jauninājumu ie...

  5. Motor training programs of arm and hand in patients with MS according to different levels of the ICF: a systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Spooren Annemie IF

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The upper extremity plays an important role in daily functioning of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS and strongly influences their quality of life. However, an explicit overview of arm-hand training programs is lacking. The present review aims to investigate the training components and the outcome of motor training programs for arm and hand in MS. Methods A computerized systematic literature search in 5 databases (PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PEDro and Cochrane was performed using the following Mesh terms: Multiple Sclerosis, Rehabilitation, Physical Education and Training, Exercise, Patient-Centered Care, Upper Extremity, Activities of Daily Living, Motor Skills, Motor Activity, Intervention Studies and Clinical Trial. The methodological quality of the selected articles was scored with the Van Tulder Checklist. A descriptive analyses was performed using the PICO principle, including scoring of training components with the calculation of Hedges’g effect sizes. Results Eleven studies were eligible (mean Van Tulder-score = 10.82(SD2.96. Most studies reported a specific improvement in arm hand performance at the ICF level that was trained at. The mean number of training components was 5.5(SD2.8 and a significant correlation (r = 0.67; p  Conclusion Motor training programs (both at the ICF body function and activity level have shown to improve arm and hand performance in MS in which the value of the training specificity was emphasized. To optimize upper extremity training in MS the component ‘client-centred’ and ‘exercise progression’ may be important. Furthermore, given the importance attributed to the components ‘distribution based practice’, ‘feedback’ and ‘random practice’ in previous research in stroke patients, the use of these components in arm hand training should be explored in future research.

  6. LC-MS/MS法测定饮用水中4-叔丁基苯酚的含量%Determination of 4-tert-butylphenol in drinking water by LC-MS/MS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    丁可轩; 王雪平

    2017-01-01

    建立了液相色谱质谱法(LC-MS/MS)测定饮用水中4-叔丁基苯酚含量的方法.试样经HLB固相萃取柱富集,叔丁基醚萃取洗脱,丹酰氯衍生化后,采用BEIIC18色谱柱分离,三重四级杆质谱仪测定,外标法定量.结果表明:4-叔丁基苯酚在0.5~50.0 ng/mL范围内,具有良好的线性关系,相关系数R2为0.999 8;方法检出限为0.1 ng/mL;加标回收率为85.3%~97.4%,相对标准偏差为0.9%~5.5%.该方法检出限低,准确度高,精密度好.%A method for determination of 4-tert-butylphenol in drinking water by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is established.The sample is prepared by collecting in HLB solid phase extraction column,then being extracted and eluted by tert butyl ether,and then deriving through dansyl chloride,and finally being separated by BEH C18 chromatography column.The prepared sample is determined by the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer,and quantified by external standard method.The results show that the linear correlation coefficient R2 is 0.999 8 in the 4-tertbutylphenol concentration range of 0.5-50.0 ng/mL,indicating a good linear relation.The detection limit is 0.1 ng/mL.The standard recoveries are between 85.3% and 97.4%,and the relative standard deviation is between 0.9% and 5.5%.This detection method features with low detection limit,high accuracy and good precision.

  7. Measles IgG antibody index correlates with T2 lesion load on MRI in patients with early multiple sclerosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berit Rosche

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: B cells and humoral immune responses play an important role in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS. A characteristic finding in patients with MS is a polyspecific intrathecal B cell response against neurotropic viruses, specifically against measles virus, rubella virus, and varicella zoster virus, also known as an MRZ reaction (MRZR. Here, we correlated from the routine clinical diagnostics individual IgG antibody indices (AIs of MRZR with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI findings in patients with first MS diagnosis. METHODS/RESULTS: MRZR was determined in 68 patients with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS or early relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS. Absolute AI values for measles virus, rubella virus, and varicella zoster virus were correlated with T2 lesion load and gadolinium enhancing lesions on cerebral MRI (cMRI and cMRI combined with spinal MRI (sMRI. Measles virus AI correlated significantly with T2 lesion load on cMRI (p = 0.0312, Mann-Whitney U test and the sum of lesions on cMRI and sMRI (p = 0.0413. Varicella zoster virus AI also showed a correlation with T2 lesion load on cMRI but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.2893. CONCLUSION: The results confirm MRZR as part of the polyspecific immune reaction in MS with possible prognostic impact on MRI and clinical parameters. Furthermore, the data indicate that intrathecal measles virus IgG production correlates with disease activity on cMRI and sMRI in patients with early MS.

  8. Ascaroside expression in Caenorhabditis elegans is strongly dependent on diet and developmental stage.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatma Kaplan

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The ascarosides form a family of small molecules that have been isolated from cultures of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. They are often referred to as "dauer pheromones" because most of them induce formation of long-lived and highly stress resistant dauer larvae. More recent studies have shown that ascarosides serve additional functions as social signals and mating pheromones. Thus, ascarosides have multiple functions. Until now, it has been generally assumed that ascarosides are constitutively expressed during nematode development.Cultures of C. elegans were developmentally synchronized on controlled diets. Ascarosides released into the media, as well as stored internally, were quantified by LC/MS. We found that ascaroside biosynthesis and release were strongly dependent on developmental stage and diet. The male attracting pheromone was verified to be a blend of at least four ascarosides, and peak production of the two most potent mating pheromone components, ascr#3 and asc#8 immediately preceded or coincided with the temporal window for mating. The concentration of ascr#2 increased under starvation conditions and peaked during dauer formation, strongly supporting ascr#2 as the main population density signal (dauer pheromone. After dauer formation, ascaroside production largely ceased and dauer larvae did not release any ascarosides. These findings show that both total ascaroside production and the relative proportions of individual ascarosides strongly correlate with these compounds' stage-specific biological functions.Ascaroside expression changes with development and environmental conditions. This is consistent with multiple functions of these signaling molecules. Knowledge of such differential regulation will make it possible to associate ascaroside production to gene expression profiles (transcript, protein or enzyme activity and help to determine genetic pathways that control ascaroside biosynthesis. In conjunction with findings

  9. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Contact Us Newly Diagnosed If you or somone close to you has recently been diagnosed, access our MS information and resources. Start ... Room MS Prevalence Charitable Ratings Corporate Support Helpful Links ...

  10. MS in Your Relationships

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    ... MS Relationships Share this page Facebook Twitter Email Relationships MS poses additional challenges, but it also enriches ... when it is not. Keeping balance in your relationship When one person in a couple is affected ...

  11. Single-cell analysis by ICP-MS/MS as a fast tool for cellular bioavailability studies of arsenite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, S; López-Serrano, A; Mitze, H; Jakubowski, N; Schwerdtle, T

    2018-01-24

    Single-cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SC-ICP-MS) has become a powerful and fast tool to evaluate the elemental composition at a single-cell level. In this study, the cellular bioavailability of arsenite (incubation of 25 and 50 μM for 0-48 h) has been successfully assessed by SC-ICP-MS/MS for the first time directly after re-suspending the cells in water. This procedure avoids the normally arising cell membrane permeabilization caused by cell fixation methods (e.g. methanol fixation). The reliability and feasibility of this SC-ICP-MS/MS approach with a limit of detection of 0.35 fg per cell was validated by conventional bulk ICP-MS/MS analysis after cell digestion and parallel measurement of sulfur and phosphorus.

  12. Practical limitations of single particle ICP-MS in the determination of nanoparticle size distributions and dissolution: case of rare earth oxides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fréchette-Viens, Laurie; Hadioui, Madjid; Wilkinson, Kevin J

    2017-01-15

    The applicability of single particle ICP-MS (SP-ICP-MS) for the analysis of nanoparticle size distributions and the determination of particle numbers was evaluated using the rare earth oxide, La 2 O 3 , as a model particle. The composition of the storage containers, as well as the ICP-MS sample introduction system were found to significantly impact SP-ICP-MS analysis. While La 2 O 3 nanoparticles (La 2 O 3 NP) did not appear to interact strongly with sample containers, adsorptive losses of La 3+ (over 24h) were substantial (>72%) for fluorinated ethylene propylene bottles as opposed to polypropylene (size distributions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Electro-spray ionization - mass spectrometry (ESI/MS) and molecular modelling, two complementary approaches. Application to calixarenes; Electrospray - spectrometrie de masse (ESI/MS) et modelisation moleculaire, deux approches complementaires. Application aux calixarenes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Allain, F.; Virelizier, H.; Moulin, Ch. [CEA Saclay, Dept. des Procedes d' Enrichissement, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Lamare, V.; Dozol, J.F. [CEA Cadarache, Dept. d' Entreposage et de Stockage des Dechets, 13 - Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)

    2001-07-01

    The molecular dynamics simulation and the experimental results obtained by the ESI/MS technique have shown that the stability of the calixarene - alkaline cation complexes is dependent of the medium. Indeed, in solution, the calixarene presents a strong affinity for cesium whereas in gaseous phase, the strong affinity is for sodium. The stability of the [calixarene+Na]{sup +} complexes depends of the nature of the medium too; these two techniques having shown that the presence of a small quantity of water in the dilution solvent stabilizes the complex. At last, calixarenes with benzo groups on their crown have an affinity for sodium which is weak in solution but strong in gaseous phase. These different results show the excellent complementarity between the two techniques. (O.M.)

  14. An impulse-driven liquid-droplet deposition interface for combining LC with MALDI MS and MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, J Bryce; Li, Liang

    2006-03-01

    A simple and robust impulse-driven droplet deposition system was developed for off-line liquid chromatography matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (LC-MALDI MS). The system uses a solenoid operated with a pulsed voltage power supply to generate impulses that dislodge the hanging droplets from the LC outlet directly to a MALDI plate via a momentum transfer process. There is no contact between the LC outlet and the collection surface. The system is compatible with solvents of varying polarity and viscosity, and accommodates the use of hydrophobic and hydrophilic MALDI matrices. MALDI spots are produced on-line with the separation, and do not require further processing before MS analysis. It is shown that high quality MALDI spectra from 5 fmol of pyro-Glu-fibrinopeptide deposition after LC separation could be obtained using the device, indicating that there was no sample loss in the interface. To demonstrate the analytical performance of the system as a proteome analysis tool, a range of BSA digest concentrations covering about 3 orders of magnitude, from 5 fmol to 1 pmol, were analyzed by LC-MALDI quadrupole time-of-flight MS, yielding 6 and 57% amino acid sequence coverage, respectively. In addition, a complex protein mixture of an E. coli cell extract was tryptically digested and analyzed by LC-MALDI MS, resulting in the detection of a total of 409 unique peptides from 100 fractions of 15-s intervals.

  15. SWATH Mass Spectrometry Performance Using Extended Peptide MS/MS Assay Libraries*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jemma X.; Song, Xiaomin; Pascovici, Dana; Zaw, Thiri; Care, Natasha; Krisp, Christoph; Molloy, Mark P.

    2016-01-01

    The use of data-independent acquisition methods such as SWATH for mass spectrometry based proteomics is usually performed with peptide MS/MS assay libraries which enable identification and quantitation of peptide peak areas. Reference assay libraries can be generated locally through information dependent acquisition, or obtained from community data repositories for commonly studied organisms. However, there have been no studies performed to systematically evaluate how locally generated or repository-based assay libraries affect SWATH performance for proteomic studies. To undertake this analysis, we developed a software workflow, SwathXtend, which generates extended peptide assay libraries by integration with a local seed library and delivers statistical analysis of SWATH-quantitative comparisons. We designed test samples using peptides from a yeast extract spiked into peptides from human K562 cell lysates at three different ratios to simulate protein abundance change comparisons. SWATH-MS performance was assessed using local and external assay libraries of varying complexities and proteome compositions. These experiments demonstrated that local seed libraries integrated with external assay libraries achieve better performance than local assay libraries alone, in terms of the number of identified peptides and proteins and the specificity to detect differentially abundant proteins. Our findings show that the performance of extended assay libraries is influenced by the MS/MS feature similarity of the seed and external libraries, while statistical analysis using multiple testing corrections increases the statistical rigor needed when searching against large extended assay libraries. PMID:27161445

  16. LC-MS/MS Peptide Mapping with Automated Data Processing for Routine Profiling of N-Glycans in Immunoglobulins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Bhavana; Jiang, Xinzhao Grace; Chen, Louise; Zhang, Zhongqi

    2014-06-01

    Protein N-Glycan analysis is traditionally performed by high pH anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC), reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), or hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) on fluorescence-labeled glycans enzymatically released from the glycoprotein. These methods require time-consuming sample preparations and do not provide site-specific glycosylation information. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) peptide mapping is frequently used for protein structural characterization and, as a bonus, can potentially provide glycan profile on each individual glycosylation site. In this work, a recently developed glycopeptide fragmentation model was used for automated identification, based on their MS/MS, of N-glycopeptides from proteolytic digestion of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Experimental conditions were optimized to achieve accurate profiling of glycoforms. Glycan profiles obtained from LC-MS/MS peptide mapping were compared with those obtained from HPAEC, RPLC, and HILIC analyses of released glycans for several mAb molecules. Accuracy, reproducibility, and linearity of the LC-MS/MS peptide mapping method for glycan profiling were evaluated. The LC-MS/MS peptide mapping method with fully automated data analysis requires less sample preparation, provides site-specific information, and may serve as an alternative method for routine profiling of N-glycans on immunoglobulins as well as other glycoproteins with simple N-glycans.

  17. Human articular cartilage: in vitro correlation of MRI and histologic findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uhl, M.; Allmann, K.H.; Laubenberger, J.; Langer, M. [Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital of Freiburg (Germany); Ihling, C.; Tauer, U.; Adler, C.P. [Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Freiburg (Germany)

    1998-09-01

    The aim of our study was to correlate MRI with histologic findings in normal and degenerative cartilage. Twenty-two human knees derived from patients undergoing amputation were examined with 1.0- and 1.5-T MR imaging units. Firstly, we optimized two fat-suppressed 3D gradient-echo sequences. In this pilot study two knees were examined with fast imaging with steady precession (FISP) sequences and fast low-angle shot (FLASH, SPGR) sequence by varying the flip angles (40, 60, 90 ) and combining each flip angle with different echo time (7, 10 or 11, 20 ms). We chose the sequences with the best visual contrast between the cartilage layers and the best measured contrast-to-noise ratio between cartilage and bone marrow. Therefore, we used a 3D FLASH fat-saturated sequence (TR/TE/flip angle = 50/11 ms/40 ) and a 3D FISP fat-saturated sequence (TR/TE/flip angle = 40/10 ms/40 ) for cartilage imaging in 22 human knees. The images were obtained at various angles of the patellar cartilage in relation to the main magnetic field (0, 55, 90 ). The MR appearances were classified into five categories: normal, intracartilaginous signal changes, diffuse thinning (cartilage thickness < 3 mm), superficial erosions, and cartilage ulcers. After imaging, the knees were examined macroscopically and photographed. In addition, we performed histologic studies using light microscopy with several different stainings, polarization, and dark field microscopy as well as electron microscopy. The structural characteristics with the cartilage lesions were correlated with the MR findings. We identified a hyperintense superficial zone in the MR image which did not correlate to the histologically identifiable superficial zone. The second lamina was hypointense on MRI and correlated to the bulk of the radial zone. The third (or deep) cartilage lamina in the MR image seemed to represent the combination of the lowest portion of the radial zone and the calcified cartilage. The width of the hypointense second

  18. Human articular cartilage: in vitro correlation of MRI and histologic findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uhl, M.; Allmann, K.H.; Laubenberger, J.; Langer, M.; Ihling, C.; Tauer, U.; Adler, C.P.

    1998-01-01

    The aim of our study was to correlate MRI with histologic findings in normal and degenerative cartilage. Twenty-two human knees derived from patients undergoing amputation were examined with 1.0- and 1.5-T MR imaging units. Firstly, we optimized two fat-suppressed 3D gradient-echo sequences. In this pilot study two knees were examined with fast imaging with steady precession (FISP) sequences and fast low-angle shot (FLASH, SPGR) sequence by varying the flip angles (40, 60, 90 ) and combining each flip angle with different echo time (7, 10 or 11, 20 ms). We chose the sequences with the best visual contrast between the cartilage layers and the best measured contrast-to-noise ratio between cartilage and bone marrow. Therefore, we used a 3D FLASH fat-saturated sequence (TR/TE/flip angle = 50/11 ms/40 ) and a 3D FISP fat-saturated sequence (TR/TE/flip angle = 40/10 ms/40 ) for cartilage imaging in 22 human knees. The images were obtained at various angles of the patellar cartilage in relation to the main magnetic field (0, 55, 90 ). The MR appearances were classified into five categories: normal, intracartilaginous signal changes, diffuse thinning (cartilage thickness < 3 mm), superficial erosions, and cartilage ulcers. After imaging, the knees were examined macroscopically and photographed. In addition, we performed histologic studies using light microscopy with several different stainings, polarization, and dark field microscopy as well as electron microscopy. The structural characteristics with the cartilage lesions were correlated with the MR findings. We identified a hyperintense superficial zone in the MR image which did not correlate to the histologically identifiable superficial zone. The second lamina was hypointense on MRI and correlated to the bulk of the radial zone. The third (or deep) cartilage lamina in the MR image seemed to represent the combination of the lowest portion of the radial zone and the calcified cartilage. The width of the hypointense second

  19. Investigation of enrofloxacin residues in broiler tissues using ELISA and LC-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panzenhagen, Pedro Henrique N; Aguiar, Waldemir S; Gouvêa, Raquel; de Oliveira, Andréa M G; Barreto, Fabiano; Pereira, Virgínia L A; Aquino, Maria Helena C

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the efficiency of an enrofloxacin ELISA test kit to detect the presence of enrofloxacin residues in broiler tissues compared with LC-MS/MS. Broiler tissues from 72 samples consisting of 60 breast muscle, six pools of livers (500 g each) and six pools of kidneys (500 g each) were obtained from six different slaughterhouses. Breast muscle from 10 carcasses and pools of livers and kidneys from approximately 200 carcasses of the same flock were collected from each slaughterhouse. ELISA and HPLC were used to identify and quantify the contamination of the samples with enrofloxacin. A total of 72% of the analysed samples contained enrofloxacin residues detected by the ELISA and 22.2% were detected by LC-MS/MS. The mean values of enrofloxacin contamination found in chicken breast by ELISA and HPLC were 8.63 and 12.25 μg kg(-1), respectively. None of the samples exceeded the maximum limit of 100 μg kg(-1) by both methods set by the European Union as well as the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry. All positive samples for enrofloxacin residues detected by LC-MS/MS were also positive by ELISA. These data confirm the efficiency of the ELISA test, and suggest its use as a screening method for enrofloxacin residues in poultry tissues due to its quick results, low price and ease of applicability.

  20. Relationship between plasma and salivary melatonin and cortisol investigated by LC-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Faassen, Martijn; Bischoff, Rainer; Kema, Ido P

    2017-08-28

    Disturbance of the circadian rhythm has been associated with disease states, such as metabolic disorders, depression and cancer. Quantification of the circadian markers such as melatonin and cortisol critically depend on reliable and reproducible analytical methods. Previously, melatonin and cortisol were primarily analyzed separately, mainly using immunoassays. Here we describe the validation and application of a high-throughput liquid chromatography in combination with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the combined analysis of melatonin and cortisol in plasma and saliva. The LC-MS/MS method was validated according to international validation guidelines. We used this method to analyze total plasma, free plasma (as obtained by equilibrium dialysis) and saliva melatonin and cortisol in healthy adults. Validation results for plasma and saliva melatonin and cortisol were well within the international validation criteria. We observed no difference between saliva collected by passive drooling or Salivette. Moreover, we noted a significant difference in saliva vs. free plasma melatonin. We observed on average 36% (95% CI: 4%-60%) higher salivary melatonin levels in comparison to free plasma melatonin, suggestive of local production of melatonin in the salivary glands. The novel outcome of this study is probably due to the high precision of our LC-MS/MS assay. These outcomes illustrate the added value of accurate and sensitive mass spectrometry based methods for the quantification of neuroendocrine biomarkers.

  1. Analytical methods for multiresidue determination of sulfonamides and trimethoprim in meat and ground water samples by CE-MS and CE-MS/MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soto-Chinchilla, Jorge J; García-Campaña, Ana M; Gámiz-Gracia, Laura

    2007-11-01

    This paper presents two methods based on CZE-MS detection and CZE-MS/MS detection developed for the multiresidue determination of ten sulfonamides (sulfapyridine, sulfadoxin, sulfamethazine, sulfadimethoxine, sulfameter, sulfamerazine, sulfachlorpyridazine, sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfamethizole) and a potentiator, trimethoprim (TMP), whose contents are regulated by the EU Council Regulation no. 2377/90 in animal edible tissues. Experimental designs were employed to optimize the electrospray conditions. MS/MS experiments using an IT as analyzer operating in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode were carried out to achieve the minimum number of points according to the 2002/657/EC European Decision for unambiguous identification. The proposed procedures have been compared in terms of the performance characteristics and trueness. The limits of detection and quantification were in all cases lower than the maximum residue limits legislated for these compounds and the recoveries were satisfactory, being possible the application for their monitoring in foodstuff of animal origin and in environmental samples, allowing the determination of sulfonamides and TMP residues in meat and in superficial water in the low microg/L range.

  2. Diffusion abnormality maps in demyelinating disease: Correlations with clinical scores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onu, Mihaela; Roceanu, Adina; Sboto-Frankenstein, Uta; Bendic, Robert; Tarta, Eugen; Preoteasa, Florentin; Bajenaru, Ovidiu

    2012-01-01

    Background and purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been explored as a noninvasive tool to assess pathology in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, the correlation between classical MRI measures and physical disability is modest in MS. The diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) MRI technique holds particular promise in this regard. The present study shows brain regions where FA and individual diffusivities abnormalities are present and check their correlations with physical disability clinical scores. Methods: Eight patients and 12 matched healthy controls were recruited. The Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite was administered. For MR-DTI acquisitions, a Genesis Signa 1.5T MR system, an EP/SE scanning sequence, 25 gradient directions were used. Results: Tract Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) group comparisons showed reduced FA and increased individual diffusivities in several brain regions in patients. Significant correlations were found between FA and: EDSS, 9-HPT(NON)DOM and 25FW score; between λ 2 and: P100 (r and l), 9-HPT(NON)DOM and 25FW; between λ 3 and: 9-HPT(NON)DOM and 25FW score. Conclusions: Fractional anisotropy and individual radial diffusivities proved to be important markers of motor disabilities in MS patients when the disease duration mean and the disability scores values range are relatively high.

  3. Cross-validated stable-isotope dilution GC-MS and LC-MS/MS assays for monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) activity by measuring arachidonic acid released from the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoyl glycerol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kayacelebi, Arslan Arinc; Schauerte, Celina; Kling, Katharina; Herbers, Jan; Beckmann, Bibiana; Engeli, Stefan; Jordan, Jens; Zoerner, Alexander A; Tsikas, Dimitrios

    2017-03-15

    2-Arachidonoyl glycerol (2AG) is an endocannabinoid that activates cannabinoid (CB) receptors CB1 and CB2. Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inactivates 2AG through hydrolysis to arachidonic acid (AA) and glycerol, thus modulating the activity at CB receptors. In the brain, AA released from 2AG by the action of MAGL serves as a substrate for cyclooxygenases which produce pro-inflammatory prostaglandins. Here we report stable-isotope GC-MS and LC-MS/MS assays for the reliable measurement of MAGL activity. The assays utilize deuterium-labeled 2AG (d 8 -2AG; 10μM) as the MAGL substrate and measure deuterium-labeled AA (d 8 -AA; range 0-1μM) as the MAGL product. Unlabelled AA (d 0 -AA, 1μM) serves as the internal standard. d 8 -AA and d 0 -AA are extracted from the aqueous buffered incubation mixtures by ethyl acetate. Upon solvent evaporation the residue is reconstituted in the mobile phase prior to LC-MS/MS analysis or in anhydrous acetonitrile for GC-MS analysis. LC-MS/MS analysis is performed in the negative electrospray ionization mode by selected-reaction monitoring the mass transitions [M-H] - →[M-H - CO 2 ] - , i.e., m/z 311→m/z 267 for d 8 -AA and m/z 303→m/z 259 for d 0 -AA. Prior to GC-MS analysis d 8 -AA and d 0 -AA were converted to their pentafluorobenzyl (PFB) esters by means of PFB-Br. GC-MS analysis is performed in the electron-capture negative-ion chemical ionization mode by selected-ion monitoring the ions [M-PFB] - , i.e., m/z 311 for d 8 -AA and m/z 303 for d 0 -AA. The GC-MS and LC-MS/MS assays were cross-validated. Linear regression analysis between the concentration (range, 0-1μM) of d 8 -AA measured by LC-MS/MS (y) and that by GC-MS (x) revealed a straight line (r 2 =0.9848) with the regression equation y=0.003+0.898x, indicating a good agreement. In dog liver, we detected MAGL activity that was inhibitable by the MAGL inhibitor JZL-184. Exogenous eicosatetraynoic acid is suitable as internal standard for the quantitative determination

  4. The potential use of complex derivatization procedures in comprehensive HPLC-MS/MS detection of anabolic steroids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baranov, Pavel A; Appolonova, Svetlana A; Rodchenkov, Grigory M

    2010-10-01

    The use of two separate derivatization procedures with the formation of oxime (hydroxyl ammonium pretreatment) and picolinoyl (mixed anhydride method) derivates of anabolic steroids following HPLC-MS/MS analysis was proposed. The main product ions of obtained derivatives for 21 anabolic steroids were evaluated and fragmentation pathways were compared.The analysis of MS/MS spectra for underivatized steroids versus oxime or picolinoyl derivatives showed that in case of analytes containing conjugated double bonds in sterane core all of the observed MS/MS spectra contained abundant product ions of diagnostic value. The implementation of derivatization procedures to such compounds is useful for upgrading sensitivity or selectivity of the evaluated method. On the other hand, MS/MS spectra of underivatized and oxime analytes without conjugated double bonds in sterane core produce spectra with large amounts of low abundant product ions. Picolinoyl derivatives formation leads to highly specific spectra with product ions of diagnostic value coupled with sensitive and selective analysis at the same time. The intra- and inter-group comparison analysis revealed that fragmentation pathways for underivatized steroids and correspondent oxime derivatives are similar.The obtained oxime and picolinoyl derivatives provided 10-15 times higher ESI response in the HPLC-ESI-MS-selected reaction monitoring (SRM) when compared to those of underivatized molecules in positive HPLC-ESI-MS mode.Due to the laborious sample preparation we suggest to use the performed strategy for confirmation analysis purposes, metabolic studies or while the identification of new steroids or steroid-like substances. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Explosive force production during isometric squats correlates with athletic performance in rugby union players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tillin, Neale Anthony; Pain, Matthew Thomas Gerard; Folland, Jonathan

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the association between explosive force production during isometric squats and athletic performance (sprint time and countermovement jump height). Sprint time (5 and 20 m) and jump height were recorded in 18 male elite-standard varsity rugby union players. Participants also completed a series of maximal- and explosive-isometric squats to measure maximal force and explosive force at 50-ms intervals up to 250 ms from force onset. Sprint performance was related to early phase (≤100 ms) explosive force normalised to maximal force (5 m, r = -0.63, P = 0.005; and 20 m, r = -0.54, P = 0.020), but jump height was related to later phase (>100 ms) absolute explosive force (0.51 squats (33-67%; 0.001 squats was associated with athletic performance. Specifically, sprint performance was most strongly related to the proportion of maximal force achieved in the initial phase of explosive-isometric squats, whilst jump height was most strongly related to absolute force in the later phase of the explosive-isometric squats.

  6. Simultaneous quantification of endogenous and exogenous plasma glucose by isotope dilution LC-MS/MS with indirect MRM of the derivative tag.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Lingling; Wen, Chao; Li, Xing; Fang, Shiqi; Yang, Lichuan; Wang, Tony; Hu, Kaifeng

    2018-03-01

    Quantification of endogenous and exogenous plasma glucose can help more comprehensively evaluate the glucose metabolic status. A ratio-based approach using isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (ID LC-MS/MS) with indirect multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) of the derivative tag was developed to simultaneously quantify endo-/exogenous plasma glucose. Using diluted D-[ 13 C 6 ] glucose as tracer of exogenous glucose, 12 C 6 / 13 C 6 glucoses were first derivatized and then data were acquired in MRM mode. The metabolism of exogenous glucose can be tracked and the concentration ratio of endo/exo-genous glucose can be measured by calculating the endo-/exo-genous glucose concentrations from peak area ratio of specific daughter ions. Joint application of selective derivatization and MRM analysis not only improves the sensitivity but also minimizes the interference from the background of plasma, which warrants the accuracy and reproducibility. Good agreement between the theoretical and calculated concentration ratios was obtained with a linear correlation coefficient (R) of 0.9969 in the range of D-glucose from 0.5 to 20.0 mM, which covers the healthy and diabetic physiological scenarios. Satisfactory reproducibility was obtained by evaluation of the intra- and inter-day precisions with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 5.16%, and relative recoveries of 85.96 to 95.92% were obtained at low, medium, and high concentration, respectively. The method was successfully applied to simultaneous determination of the endo-/exogenous glucose concentration in plasma of non-diabetic and type II diabetic cynomolgus monkeys. Graphical Abstract The scheme of the proposed ratio-based approach using isotope dilution LC-MS/MS with indirect MRM of the derivative tag for simultaneous quantification of endogenous and exogenous plasma glucose.

  7. ESI MS/MS Study of Calix[4]arene Derivatives and their Metal Complexes

    OpenAIRE

    Benković, Tomislav; Tomišić, Vladislav; Frkanec, Leo; Galić, Nives

    2012-01-01

    The peptidocalixarenes 1–3 bearing tryptophan, phenylglycine and leucil units at the lower rim and their complexes with alkali-metal (Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+) and selected lanthanide cations (La3+, Ce3+, Eu3+, Yb3+) were analyzed by ESI MS. The influences of the solvent (acetonitrile, methanol, addition of formic acid or sodium acetate) and the calixarene:cation molar ratio on signal intensities were investigated. Comprehensive MS/MS analyses were performed of all singly and doubly charged ion...

  8. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... Programs and Events Living Well with MS Diet, Exercise & Healthy Behaviors Emotional Well-Being Spiritual Well-Being ... Events d Living Well with MS d Diet, Exercise & Healthy Behaviors Diet & Nutrition Exercise Heat & Temperature Sensitivity ...

  9. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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    Full Text Available ... bowel and bladder problems, and problems with cognition (learning and memory or information processing). People with progressive ... More The National MS Society is Here to Help Need More Information? We Are Here Our MS ...

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    Full Text Available ... working effectively. How does RRMS differ from progressive types of MS? While RRMS is defined by attacks ... forms of MS involve much less of this type of inflammation. People with RRMS tend to have ...

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    Full Text Available ... attacks of inflammation (relapses) in the CNS, progressive forms of MS involve much less of this type ... and memory or information processing). People with progressive forms of MS are more likely to experience gradually ...

  19. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)

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