A Study of Web Services Projects in the Financial Services Industry

This study examines the significance of technological, methodological, and business factors in contributing to the success of initial Web Services projects. Focusing on four case studies from the financial services sector, the authors' findings suggest that a strong focus on business factors is associated with successful Web Services strategies.     

Improving the performance of a quadrupole time-of-flight instrument for macromolecular mass spectrometry

We modified and optimized a first generation quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) 1 to perform tandem mass spectrometry on macromolecular protein complexes. The modified instrument allows isolation and subsequent dissociation of high-mass protein complexes through collisions with argon molecules. The modifications of the Q-TOF 1 include the introduction of (1) a flow-restricting sleeve around the first hexapole ion bridge, (2) a low-frequency ion-selecting quadrupole, (3) a high-pressure hexapole collision cell, (4) high-transmission grids in the multicomponent ion lenses, and (5) a low repetition rate pusher. Using these modifications, we demonstrate the experimental isolation of ions up to 12 800 mass-to-charge units and detection of product ions up to 38 150 Da, enabling the investigation of the gas-phase stability, protein complex topology, and quaternary structure of protein complexes. Some of the data reveal a so-far unprecedented new mechanism in gas-phase dissociation of protein oligomers whereby a tetramer complex dissociates into two dimers. These data add to the current debate whether gas-phase structures of protein complexes do retain some of the structural features of the corresponding species in solution. The presented low-cost modifications on a Q-TOF 1 instrument are of interest to everyone working in the fields of macromolecular mass spectrometry and more generic structural biology.     

Interaction of TLR4 and TLR8 in the Innate Immune Response against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

The interaction and crosstalk of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is an established pathway in which the innate immune system recognises and fights pathogens. In a single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) analysis of an Indian cohort, we found evidence for both TLR4-399T and TRL8-1A conveying increased susceptibility towards tuberculosis (TB) in an interdependent manner, even though there is no established TLR4 ligand present in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which is the causative pathogen of TB. Docking studies revealed that TLR4 and TLR8 can build a heterodimer, allowing interaction with TLR8 ligands. The conformational change of TLR4-399T might impair this interaction. With immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we precipitated TLR4 with TLR8-targeted antibodies, indicating heterodimerisation. Confocal microscopy confirmed a high co-localisation frequency of TLR4 and TLR8 that further increased upon TLR8 stimulation. The heterodimerisation of TLR4 and TLR8 led to an induction of IL12p40, NF-κB, and IRF3. TLR4-399T in interaction with TLR8 induced an increased NF-κB response as compared to TLR4-399C, which was potentially caused by an alteration of subsequent immunological pathways involving type I IFNs. In summary, we present evidence that the heterodimerisation of TLR4 and TLR8 at the endosome is involved in Mtb recognition via TLR8 ligands, such as microbial RNA, which induces a Th1 response. These findings may lead to novel targets for therapeutic interventions and vaccine development regarding TB.     

Recycling and Reshaping—E3 Ligases and DUBs in the Initiation of T Cell Receptor-Mediated Signaling and Response

T cell activation plays a central role in supporting and shaping the immune response. The induction of a functional adaptive immune response requires the control of signaling processes downstream of the T cell receptor (TCR). In this regard, protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation have been extensively studied. In the past decades, further checkpoints of activation have been identified. These are E3 ligases catalyzing the transfer of ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like proteins to protein substrates, as well as specific peptidases to counteract this reaction, such as deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). These posttranslational modifications can critically influence protein interactions by targeting proteins for degradation by proteasomes or mediating the complex formation required for active TCR signaling. Thus, the basic aspects of T cell development and differentiation are controlled by defining, e.g., the threshold of activation in positive and negative selection in the thymus. Furthermore, an emerging role of ubiquitination in peripheral T cell tolerance has been described. Changes in the function and abundance of certain E3 ligases or DUBs involved in T cell homeostasis are associated with the development of autoimmune diseases. This review summarizes the current knowledge of E3 enzymes and their target proteins regulating T cell signaling processes and discusses new approaches for therapeutic intervention.     

Regression-based cardiac motion prediction from single-phase CTA

State of the art cardiac computed tomography (CT) enables the acquisition of imaging data of the heart over the entire cardiac cycle at concurrent high spatial and temporal resolution. However, in clinical practice, acquisition is increasingly limited to 3-D images. Estimating the shape of the cardiac structures throughout the entire cardiac cycle from a 3-D image is therefore useful in applications such as the alignment of preoperative computed tomography angiography (CTA) to intra-operative X-ray images for improved guidance in coronary interventions. We hypothesize that the motion of the heart is partially explained by its shape and therefore investigate the use of three regression methods for motion estimation from single-phase shape information. Quantitative evaluation on 150 4-D CTA images showed a small, but statistically significant, increase in the accuracy of the predicted shape sequences when using any of the regression methods, compared to shape-independent motion prediction by application of the mean motion. The best results were achieved using principal component regression resulting in point-to-point errors of 2.3±0.5 mm, compared to values of 2.7±0.6 mm for shape-independent motion estimation. Finally, we showed that this significant difference withstands small variations in important parameter settings of the landmarking procedure.     

Functionality and yield of pectin extracted from Palmyra palm (Borassus aethiopum Mart) fruit

Large numbers of fruits from Palmyra palm (Borassus aethiopum Mart), a common, native tree of tropical regions, are underutilized and left to spoil. This work was conducted to assess pectin content of Palmyra palm fruit, and to develop a reliable protocol for pectin extraction. Yield and galacturonic acid content of Palmyra palm fruit soluble solids were investigated at various pH (natural pH of 5.2–5.5, 2.5, 7), time (30–120 min) and temperature (70 °C, 80 °C, 90 °C). Yield and galacturonic acid content of extracted soluble solids were strongly dependent (p < 0.0001) on temperature, time and pH of extraction and ranged from 47 to 149 g kg⁻¹ and 682 to 880 g kg⁻¹ dry weight, respectively. High galacturonic acid (808–852 g kg⁻¹) were obtained at 70 °C and 90 °C under natural pH; at 70 °C pH 7 and pH 2.5 at all temperatures studied. Analysis of pectin extracted at natural pH (30 min, 90 °C) revealed highly esterified pectin with good gelling and emulsifying properties. Production of galacturonic acid of more than 650 g kg⁻¹ dry weight indicates that Palmyra palm fruit could serve as an excellent raw material for industrial pectin production.     

Magnetic slip casting for dense and textured ceramics: A review of current achievements and issues

Ceramic materials are ubiquitous in technologies operating under high mechanical, thermal or chemical constrains. Research in ceramic processing aims at creating ceramics with properties that are still challenging to obtain, such as toughness, transparency, conductivity, among others. Magnetic slip casting is a process where an external magnetic field is used to createcontrolled texture in ceramics. Over the past 20 years of research on magnetic slip casting, dense and textured ceramics of multiple chemistry were found to exhibit enhanced properties. This paper reviews the progress in the field of magnetic slip casting, details the processing parameters and the textures obtained for a diverse range of compositions. The structural and functional properties of the magnetically textured slip casted and sintered ceramics are presented. This overview of the magnetic slip casting process allows to identify critical directions for future advancement in advanced technical ceramics.