No / Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis-separated and excised haptoglobin alpha2-chain protein spots were subjected to in-gel digestion with trypsin. Previously unassigned peptide ion signals observed in mass spectrometric fingerprinting experiments were sequenced using the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-quadrupole ion trap-time of flight (MALDI-QIT-TOF) mass spectrometer and showed that the haptoglobin alpha-chain derivative under study was cleaved by trypsin unspecifically. Abundant cleavages occurred C-terminal to histidine residues at H23, H28, and H87. In addition, mild acidic hydrolysis leading to cleavage after aspartic acid residues at D13 was observed. The uninterpreted tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) spectrum of the peptide with ion signal at 2620.19 was submitted to database search and yielded the identification of the corresponding peptide sequence comprising amino acids (aa) aa65-87 from the haptoglobin alpha-chain protein. Also, the presence of a mixture of two tryptic peptides (mass to charge ratio m/z 1708.8; aa40-54, and aa99-113, respectively), that is caused by a tiny sequence variation between the two repeats in the haptoglobin alpha2-chain protein was resolved by MS/MS fragmentation using the MALDI-QIT-TOF mass spectrometer instrument. Advantageous features such as (i) easy parent ion creation, (ii) minimal sample consumption, and (iii) real collision induced dissociation conditions, were combined successfully to determine the amino acid sequences of the previously unassigned peptides. Hence, the novel mass spectrometric sequencing method applied here has proven effective for identification of distinct molecular protein structures.

La prise de conscience grandissante de la contamination des cours d'eau a entraîné l'établissement de réglementations de plus en plus strictes concernant les rejets urbains et la fixation d'objectifs de qualité à atteindre pour les milieux aquatiques. Cependant, l'échantillonnage ponctuel reste une limite importante dans l'estimation des flux de contaminants, et le besoin de suivis en continu est présent dans le milieu naturel et dans les réseaux d'assainissement urbains. Cette étude porte sur la quantification de la part des rejets urbains de l'agglomération grenobloise dans les flux totaux de matières en suspension (MES), nutriments (azote, phosphore), carbone organique et éléments traces métalliques (ETM) du milieu récepteur Isère (une rivière alpine). Ce travail s'est appuyé sur un réseau de mesures en continu de débits (Q) et de MES (par turbidimétrie) à l'amont et à l'aval de l'agglomération et sur une sonde spectrométrique à l'amont, associé à des campagnes de prélèvements réguliers et renforcés pendant les épisodes de crues. Des campagnes de mesures détaillées sur les principaux sous bassins du réseau d'assainissement ont été réalisées durant la période d'étude dans le cadre du schéma directeur d'assainissement de l'agglomération grenobloise. Le croisement de ces deux approches a permis de confronter les variations spatio-temporelles des MES, nutriments, carbone organique et ETM du réseau et du milieu récepteur en 2011 et 2012. Les flux sur ces deux années ont été établis afin de déterminer la contribution des rejets urbains dans les flux du milieu récepteur. La contamination en mercure a fait l'objet d'un suivi particulier du fait de la présence d'une source significative de mercure dans la région. Enfin, une réflexion sur l'amélioration des calculs de flux par l'utilisation de relations entre les ETM/carbone organique particulaire (COP) et un paramètre mesurable en continu (MES, Q) a été menée en parallèle de l'exploitation de ces résultats. Mots-clés : Matières en suspension ; Dynamique des flux ; Nutriments ; Eléments traces métalliques ; Mercure ; Rejets urbains (par temps de pluie et temps sec), sondes de turbidité et spectrométrique. / The growing awareness of the contamination of rivers has led to the establishment of more rigorous regulations related to urban waste, and to the setting of water quality objectives to be achieved for aquatic environment. However, grab sampling remains an important limitation for the estimation of contaminant flux, and the need for constant monitoring is present in both natural environment and urban sanitation. This study focuses on the quantification of the proportion of urban waste in the Grenoble area to the total flux of 1) suspended solids (TSS), 2) nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), 3) organic carbon and 4) metals trace element (MTE) of the receiving environment; the Isère (an alpine river). This work was supported by a network of continuous discharge measurements (Q) and TSS (turbidimetry), both upstream and downstream of Grenoble associated with regular sampling campaigns, with a higher measurement frequency during flood events. A spectrometric probe upstream was also placed upstream. Detailed measurement campaigns on major sub-basins of the sewerage network were performed during the study period as part of the sanitation master plan of Grenoble. The combination of these two approaches allowes to relate the spatio-temporal variations of TSS, nutrients, organic carbon and MTE in the urban water network of Grenoble and in the receiving environment (the Isère) for the years 2011 and 2012. Flows of the traced parameters have been established to determine the contribution of urban waste flows in the receiving environment, over these two years. Finally, a study on how to improve the flow calculations by the use of relations between MTE / particulate organic carbon (POC ) and a continuous measurable parameter (MES, Q ) was conducted in parallel with these results. Key words: suspended solids, Nutrients, metals trace element; Mercury; urban waste; turbidimetry and spectrometric probe

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T18:08:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Paula de Oliveira.pdf: 11086894 bytes, checksum: 428ff3baaac89e47e47de37f81ccdfc5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-16 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The main objective of this study was to verify the influence of the macronutrient phosphorus in the lead bioaccumulation process, using the living aquatic macrophyte Eicchornia crassipes. In addition, the removal capacity of lead ions and some nutrients such as P, K, Ca and Fe, by the E. crassipes was verified, obtaining also information on how these are distributed within two compartiments of the plant: roots and leaves. For this, a set of metal removal/bioaccumulation experiments, in batch mode, was performed for different concentration ranges of metal and nutrients in hydroponic conditions. Several 5 L growing solutions based on the set of macro and micronutrients specified by Clark as being adequate to cultivate plants in hydroponic conditions were prepared, containing a mixture of lead (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg L-1) and phosphorus (once, twice, four and eight times of 3,2 mg L-1) concentrations among other constant essential nutrient ones. At a greenhouse and using several 8 L containers approximately 80 g of living and healthy E. crassipes aquatic macrophytes were growded in each type of 5 L growing solution, restoring its former hydroponic and metal concentration condition at each two days time interval as well as monitoring the plant weight, the aqueous medium temperature and the pH values. After predefined collection time (2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 d), samples of growing solutions and plants were separated and measured some physico-chemical parameters and then stored in plastic bags for posterior analysis. Analysis of initial and residual concentrations of lead and nutrients available in the metal-doping Clark growing solutions as well as bioaccumalated metal concentrations in the dried plant samples (roots and leaves) were performed by SR-TXRF technique, except for phosphorus concentrations which were determined by a colorimetric method. According to the TXRF results, the adsorption/accumulation of lead ions in roots and leaves of the Eichhornia crassipes was slightly favoured by the presence of high phosphorus concentrations in the metal-doping Clark growing solutions. It can be noticed that the lead removal by roots is a quit process, occurring basically a high lead adsorption in the first days, whereas the lead bioaccumulation in leaves is a low process due to ocurr a low transportation rate of nutrients for aerial parts of the aquatic plant. Beside this, high lead concentrations in metal-doping Clark solutions have negatively influenced the accumulation of phosphorous in leaves as well as a low phosphorous adsorption in roots, suggesting that there is a detrimental effect on sorption and transport of phosphourous to the leaves by the presence of lead ions. On the other hand, it was observed a high systematically increasing of potassium concentration in roots whereas a reduction on potassium ones is occurring in leaves due to the presence of lead ions, suggesting that there is a migration process of potassium from leaves to roots. It could be occurring by different possible processes such as potassium complexation in roots or occupation of lead sites by potassium during the transportation of lead to aerial parts, reducing the potassium concentration in leaves. Further nutrient and metal adsorption/bioaccumulation experiments are necessary to understand better the translocation and accumulation process of nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium when lead ions are being adsorbed and transported within the internal structure of the aquatic plant. / O objetivo principal do trabalho foi verificar a influência do macronutriente fósforo no processo de bioacumulação do chumbo, utilizando a macrófita aquática Eicchornia crassipes viva. Além disso, verificou-se a capacidade de remoção de íons chumbo e alguns nutrientes como o P, K, Ca e Fe, pela E. crassipes, obtendo-se também informações de como estes são distribuídos dentro de dois compartimentos da planta: raízes e folhas. Para tanto, foi realizado um conjunto de experimentos de remoção/bioacumulação de metal, em batelada, para diferentes faixas de concentração de metal e nutrientes em condições hidropônicas. Foram preparadas várias soluções de cultivo com base no conjunto de macro e micronutrientes especificado por Clark como sendo adequado para cultivar plantas em condições de hidroponia, contendo uma mistura de chumbo (0, 5, 10, 15 e 20 mg L-1) e fósforo (uma, duas, quatro e oito vezes 3,2 mg L-1) entre outros nutrientes fundamentais em concentrações constantes. Em uma estufa e usando vários recipientes com capacidade de 8 L, aproximadamente 80 g da macrófita aquática E. crassipes viva e saudável, foram colocadas a crescer em 5 L de cada tipo de solução de crescimento, restaurando-se as condições iniciais hidropônicas e de concentração de metal a cada dois dias, bem como monitorando o peso da planta, a temperatura do meio aquoso e os valores de pH. Após o tempo de cultivo pré-definido (2, 4, 8, 16 e 32 d), amostras de solução de cultivo e planta foram separadas, medidos alguns parâmetros físico-químicos e armazenadas em sacos plásticos para posterior análise. Análises das concentrações inicial e residual de chumbo e de nutrientes disponíveis na solução de cultivo de Clark contendo metal, assim como concentrações de metal bioacumuladas nas amostras de planta seca (raízes e folhas), foram realizadas pela técnica SR-TXRF, exceto para as concentrações de fósforo, que foram determinadas por um método colorimétrico. De acordo com os resultados da TXRF, a adsorção/acumulação de íons de chumbo nas raízes e folhas da Eichhornia crassipes foi levemente favorecida pela presença de altas concentrações de fósforo nas soluções de cultivo de Clark contendo metal. Pode-se notar que a remoção de chumbo pelas raízes é um processo rápido, ocorrendo basicamente uma alta adsorção de chumbo nos primeiros dias, enquanto que a bioacumulação de chumbo nas folhas é um processo lento devido à ocorrência de uma baixa taxa de transporte de nutrientes para a parte aérea da planta aquática. Além disso, altas concentrações de chumbo na solução de Clark podem ter influenciado negativamente o acúmulo de fósforo nas folhas, bem como uma baixa adsorção de fósforo nas raízes, sugerindo que há uma relação prejudicial na adsorção de fósforo e seu transporte para as folhas pela presença de íons de chumbo. Por outro lado, observou-se um aumento sistemático na concentração de potássio nas raízes e redução na quantidade de potássio nas folhas devido à presença de íons de chumbo, sugerindo que há um processo de migração de potássio das folhas para as raízes. Isto pode ocorrer por diferentes processos, tais como a complexação de potássio nas raízes ou a ocupação de sítios de chumbo pelo potássio durante o transporte de metal para a parte aérea, reduzindo a concentração de potássio nas folhas. No entanto, são necessários mais experimentos de adsorção/bioacumulação de nutrientes e metal para melhor entendimento do processo de translocação e acumulação de nutrientes, como fósforo e potássio, quando íons de chumbo estão sendo adsorvidos e transportados dentro da estrutura interna da planta aquática.

Competitive metallurgical production is almost impossible without the knowledge of the chemical composition of manufactured and finished melt, or the produced product. With growing customer demands for product quality and product characteristics, increasing technology speed and increasing product purity, there is growing demand for analyzes of chemical composition. These demands are very often against each other, especially the increasing demands on the speed and accuracy of analyzes. Analytical requirements may not only apply to the test technique, but also to the quality of the sample, which is inseparable from it. What is recently seen as the biggest drawback, the new technology is trying to use as its main priority. This is undoubtedly true of atomic emission spectrometry.

The diploma thesis deals with determination of organic compounds in the tar. It is focussed on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, BTEX and n-alkanes. The tar samples were collected by Faculty of Mechanical Engineering BUT Brno during two days and under diferent conditions of biomass gasification. The samples were filtrated and refined using column chromatography on silicagel sorbent. Gas chromatography with mass detection was chosen to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection was chosen to determine BTEX and n-alkanes.

This master’s thesis is focused on optimizing of the analytical method for the determination of selected drugs - estrone, estradiole, ethynylestradiol, estriole, diethylstilestrole, norethindrone, mestranole and progestrone in wastewater using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Solid phase extraction (SPE) using Oasis HLB cartridges was chosen extraction method Different mobile phase, temperature, flow rates and mobil phase gradient were during the process of optimization. Samples of the wastewater were collectedat the inflow and outlow of the wastewater treatment plant in Břeclav and in University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno. Drugs were isolated from wastewater and preconcentrated using solid phase extraction (SPE) and determined by high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (HPLC/MS).

The sensitivity, speed, and reproducibility of modern mass spectrometers enable in-depth new functional looks into the cellular proteome. Thousands of proteins can be detected in a single sample. In Co-Fractionation Mass Spectrometry (CF-MS) method, the input sample is fractionated by any biochemical method of choice. The reduced complexity of each fractionated sample leads to better proteome coverage. The separation profiles provide functional information on the proteins. This application has been used to predict organelle localization based on co-purification with marker proteins. More recently, CF-MS is being used to measure the apparent masses and determine the localization of soluble or membrane-associated protein complexes. This Ph.D. dissertation focuses on the extension of the boundary of CF-MS application to learn how protein complex evolution and protein complex composition have been accomplished. In the first part of this dissertation, the data will be presented on the degree to which variation in protein oligomerization across plant species is present, how proteomics in phylogenetic analysis (phyloproteomics/evolutionary proteomics) helps understand the evolutionary changes, and how oligomerization drives neofunctionalization during plant evolution. The latter part will describe that CF-MS coupled with multiple orthogonal chromatographic separations increases the resolving power of the profiling technique, enabling the composition of protein complexes to be predicted in the subaleurone layers of rice endosperm. Lots of novel protein complexes involved in RNA binding protein, translation, and the tissue-species metabolism will be discussed.

<p>Canines can detect different diseases simply by smelling different biological sample types, including  urine,  breath  and  sweat.  This  has  led  researchers  to  try  and  discovery  unique  volatile  organic compound (VOC) biomarkers. The power of VOC biomarkers lies in the fact that one day they may be able to be utilized for noninvasive, rapid and accurate diagnostics at a point of care using  miniaturized  biosensors.  However,  the  identity  of  the  specific  VOC  biomarkers  must  be  demonstrated before designing and fabricating sensing systems. Through  an  extensive  series  of  experiments,  VOCs  in  urine  are  profiled  by  solid  phase  microextraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify biomarkers for breast cancer using murine models. The results from these experiments indicated that  unique  classes  of  urinary  VOCs,  primarily  terpene/terpenoids  and  carbonyls,  are  potential  biomarkers  of  breast  cancer.  Through  implementing  chemometric  approaches,  unique  panels  of  VOCs  were  identified  for  breast  cancer  detection,  identifying  tumor  location,  determining  the  efficacy of dopaminergic antitumor treatments, and tracking cancer progression. Other diseases, including COVID-19 and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) were also probed to identify volatile biomarkers present in breath samples.  VOC biomarker identification is an important step toward developing portable gas sensors, but  another  hurdle  that  exists  is  that  current  sensors  lack  selectivity  toward  specific  VOCs  of  interest.  Furthermore,  testing  sensors  for  sensitivity  and  selectivity  is  an  extensive  process  as  VOCs  must  be  tested  individually  because  the  sensors  do  not  have  modes  of  chromatographic  separation or compound identification. Another set of experiments is presented to demonstrate that SPME  fibers  can  be  coated  with  materials,  used  to  extract  standard  solutions  of  VOCs,  and  analyzed  by  GC-MS  to  determine  the  performance  of  various  gas  sensing  layers.  In  the  first  of  these  experiments,  polyetherimide  (PEI)  was  coated  onto  a  SPME  fiber  and  compared  to  commercial polyacrylate (PAA) fibers. The second experiment tuned the extraction efficiency of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) - carbon black (CB) composites and showed that they had higher sensitivity  for  urinary  VOC  extraction  relative  to  a  polydimethylsiloxane  (PDMS)  SPME  fiber.  These results demonstrate SPME GC-MS can rapidly characterize and tune the VOC adsorption capabilities of gas sensing layers. </p>

La diffraction des rayons X apparait comme une modalité prometteuse pour l'inspection non invasive de bagages. Par comparaison aux techniques traditionnelles d'imagerie par transmission, cette technique permet de révéler davantage d'informations caractéristiques sur les matériaux, comme les distances inter-réticulaires pour les matériaux cristallins ou la fonction d'interférence moléculaire pour les matériaux amorphes. La méthode de diffraction par énergie dispersive (EDXRD), qui travaille à angle fixe avec un faisceau polychromatique et un détecteur résolu en énergie, est plus particulièrement adaptée à la problématique de contrôle de bagages, car elle permet d'envisager une architecture parallélisée pour imager un bagage complet en un temps raisonnable. Les travaux proposés dans cette thèse ont donc pour but d'étudier un système EDXRD utilisant un détecteur spectrométrique CdZnTe multi pixels pour l'identification des matériaux illicites dans les bagages. Une première étape a consisté à prendre en main cette technique à la fois expérimentalement avec un banc de diffraction mis à disposition et théoriquement par le biais du développement d'un outil de simulation élaboré. La confrontation entre l'expérimentation et la simulation a permis de bien comprendre la physique d'un tel système et de mieux analyser ses faiblesses pour pouvoir les corriger. En nous appuyant sur ces deux outils, nous avons ensuite étudié et mis en oeuvre de nouveaux concepts pour améliorer les performances du système EDXRD, en termes de résolution, d'intensité et de stabilité des pics de diffraction. Ainsi, une architecture novatrice, s'appuyant sur un traitement des signaux transitoires délivrés par les détecteurs CdZnTe, est proposée afin d'améliorer le compromis entre la résolution des pics de diffraction et leur intensité. Cette architecture est basée sur la sur-pixellisation du détecteur par la méthode de localisation barycentrique et sur une adaptation géométrique du système collimateur/détecteur. Enfin, le problème d'instabilité des pics de diffraction, due à l'effet d'orientation des grains des matériaux cristallins, est également traité. / X-ray diffraction is becoming a prevailing technique for non invasive inspection of luggage. Compared to traditional techniques of transmission imaging, the diffraction technique can extract more characteristic information of materials, such as the Bragg peaks for crystalline materials or the molecular interference function for amorphous materials. The method of energy dispersive X Ray diffraction (EDXRD), which works at a fixed low scatter angle but with a polychromatic X-ray beam and a energy resolved detector, is particularly suited to the problem of luggage control as it allows parallelized architectures to inspect an entire object in a reasonable time. The work proposed in this thesis is to study an EDXRD system using a multi-pixelated CdZnTe detector to identify illicit materials in baggage. A first step has been to take control of this technique both experimentally with a diffraction bench and theoretically through the development of an elaborate simulation tool. The comparison between experiment and simulation has allowed to understand the physics of such a system and to better analyze its weaknesses to correct them. Relying on these two tools, we studied and implemented new concepts to improve performances of EDXRD systems, in terms of resolution, intensity and stability of the diffraction peaks. Thus, an innovative architecture, based on a dedicated treatment of transient signals delivered by the CdZnTe detectors, is proposed to significantly improve the compromise between the resolution of the diffraction peaks and their intensity. This architecture is based on an over-pixelation (1D) of the detector by an electronic positioning method and on a geometric adaptation of the system collimator/detector. The problem of instability of the diffraction peaks due to the effect of grain orientation in crystals is also handled.

In den vorliegenden Untersuchungen wurde das Ziel verfolgt die Nutzbarkeit des Milchinhaltsstoffes Laktose als praxistaugliche Managementhilfe zu prüfen. Die Primärdaten stammen aus drei israelischen Hochleistungsherden, über mehrere Laktationen erhoben. Der Parameter Laktosegehalt wurde in der Datenaufbereitung dahingehend geprüft, ob dieser zur Gesundheits- und Leistungsvorhersage ausreicht oder welche zusätzlichen Merkmale für die Verwendung in einem Prognose-Modell von Bedeutung sein könnten. Als leistungs- bzw. gesundheitsrelevante Ereignisse (Events) wurden Brunst, Diarrhoe, Endometritis, Fieber, Infektionen, Klauenerkrankungen, Mastitis, Stress, Stoffwechselstörungen sowie Verletzungen zugeordnet. Die Bewertung der Nützlichkeit einzelner Merkmale für die Prädiktion erfolgte anhand der Erkennungsraten. Zwei- und dreistufige Entscheidungsbäume wurden entwickelt, um diese Events zu identifizieren. Ein einzelnes Merkmal ist oft nicht ausreichend, weshalb verschiedene Kombinationen von Variablen analysiert wurden. Die wichtigste Erkenntnis der vorliegenden Arbeit besteht darin, dass der Abfall der Laktosekonzentration und Laktosemenge immer ein kritisches Ereignis darstellt. Das Hauptziel eines Gesundheitsmonitorings im Milchkuhbestand sollte deshalb darin bestehen, frühzeitig eine Stoffwechselüberlastung "sichtbar" oder "erkennbar" zu machen. Unabhängig davon, welche Erkrankung sich anbahnt, muss das Herdenmanagement darauf hinwirken, die Glukoseversorgungssituation des Einzeltieres zu verbessern. Aus der Analyse für die einzelnen Herden und Laktationen kann grundlegend abgeleitet werden, dass die Ergebnisse der Milchkontrolldaten, die im Zuge der datengestützten Herdenüberwachung erhoben wurden, sich verwenden lassen, um den Leistungs- und Gesundheitsstatus der Kühe im Laktationsverlauf einzuschätzen und zu prognostizieren. Die Verwendung von Informationen zum Laktosegehalt des Gemelks verbesserten in jedem Fall die Erkennungsraten. / The aim of the current studies was to investigate whether the milk ingredient lactose can be used as a practical support management. The primary data comes from three Israeli high-performance herds, collected over several lactations. In the data preparation, the parameter "lactose content" was examined to see whether it is sufficient for a health and performance prediction or whether additional features may be of importance for usage in a forecasting model. Oestrus, diarrhea, endometritis, fever, infections, hoof diseases, mastitis, stress, metabolic disorders, and injuries have been assigned to the performance- and/or health-affecting events. The usefulness of individual features for the prediction was evaluated on the basis of the recognition rates. Thus two- and three-level decision trees have been developed to identify these events. As one single feature is often insufficient, different combinations of variables were analyzed. The most important finding of this study is that the drop in the lactose concentration and lactose quantity always represents a critical event. The main objective of a health monitoring in the dairy herd should therefore be to make a metabolic overload "visible" or "recognisable" at an early stage. Whichever disease begins to take shape, the herd management must work on improving the glucose supply situation of the individual animal. In conclusion from the analysis of the individual herds and lactations it can be inferred that the results of the milk control data collected in the course of the data-based herd monitoring can be used in order to assess and to predict the performance and health status of the cows in the course of lactation. The use of information on the lactose content of the milk improved in any case the recognition rates.