Linking the proteins--elucidation of proteome-scale networks using mass spectrometry

Proteomes are intricate. Typically, thousands of proteins interact through physical association and post-translational modifications (PTMs) to give rise to the emergent functions of cells. Understanding these functions requires one to study proteomes as "systems" rather than collections of individual protein molecules. The abstraction of the interacting proteome to "protein networks" has recently gained much attention, as networks are effective representations, that lose specific molecular details, but provide the ability to see the proteome as a whole. Mostly two aspects of the proteome have been represented by network models: proteome-wide physical protein-protein-binding interactions organized into Protein Interaction Networks (PINs), and proteome-wide PTM relations organized into Protein Signaling Networks (PSNs). Mass spectrometry (MS) techniques have been shown to be essential to reveal both of these aspects on a proteome-wide scale. Techniques such as affinity purification followed by MS have been used to elucidate protein-protein interactions, and MS-based quantitative phosphoproteomics is critical to understand the structure and dynamics of signaling through the proteome. We here review the current state-of-the-art MS-based analytical pipelines for the purpose to characterize proteome-scale networks.     

Effects of chloride,thiocyanate and sulphate salts on β‐lactoglobulin–pectin associative complexes

Protein–polysaccharide complexes are used to improve protein stability and encapsulate high‐value ingredients, yet the influence of different salts on their formation has not been investigated. Using light scattering and turbidimetry, effects of chloride, sulphate and thiocyanate salts on β‐lactoglobulin and pectin complexes (protein/pectin ratio = 2:1 and 4:1) were determined in relation to effects of pH and ionic strength. Effects of anions on complex formation were significant at 25 mmol kg^?1 added ionic strength. Cation effects were not significant. At 100 mmol kg^?1 ionic strength, pH of complex formation increased with sulphate salts (pH 5.1) relative to chloride and thiocyanate salts (pH 4.9), while pH of coacervation increased with sulphate salts (pH 4.7) and decreased with thiocyanate salts (pH 4.4) relative to chloride salts (pH 4.6). Pure β‐lactoglobulin stability was otherwise reduced with thiocyanate salts below pH 5, implying a significant effect of pectin interactions.     

The Devil Is in the Definitions

Problem: Traditional American zoning separates land uses, yet many urbanists and contemporary planners argue that bringing mixed use back to the American city is the key to restoring its vibrancy.

Purpose: This article compares the American and the German approaches to regulating land use.

Methods: I derive my conclusions from a review of German federal and local regulatory documents, and interviews I conducted in the German city of Stuttgart.

Results and conclusions: The U.S. zoning approach assumes that each land use district is suitable for only a single type of human activity, such as residential, commercial, or industrial use; whereas in Germany the prevailing principle is that each land use district is suitable for multiple types of activity, and most districts end up in mixed uses. Thus, despite some nominal similarities in the land use categories employed in both countries, the zoning methods are in fact starkly different.

Takeaway for practice: The German zoning system, which commonly mixes the land uses, challenges deeply engrained assumptions that underlie standard U.S. zoning, and it may offer useful alternatives for zoning reform.     

Development of efficient production routes based on strip casting for advanced high strength steels for crash-relevant parts

Twin roll strip casting can be an effective alternative to produce high manganese TWIP steel, which provides extraordinary mechanical properties. In the work presented, 1.5–3 mm thin hot strips with up to 30 wt% manganese were produced directly from the melt and further processed to cold strip. An adapted thermo-mechanical treatment, consisting of cold rolling with or without subsequent annealing, enables to adjust different material states, such as recrystallised or strengthened state, and thus to tailor the mechanical properties. As an example for the superior crash behaviour of high manganese TWIP steels, dynamic crash tests were carried out using cold rolled Fe–29Mn–0.3C steel in different material states.     

Belgrade, Serbia

Few cities in Europe have a history as dramatic and tumultuous as that of the Serbian capital of Belgrade. The gracious “White City,” which rises spectacularly along the banks of the Danube and the Sava River, has been the site of wars, conquests and rapidly changing fortunes for much of its thousands-years long history. Belgrade suffered heavy destruction under both World Wars, and it has the unfortunate distinction of being the only European capital to be bombed at the end of the 20th century. Its modern history is marked by abrupt shifts in political status: from a capital of a relatively small nation-state, to a center of a larger and prosperous multi-national federation, to a capital of a nation-state once again. These shifts parallel the changing geopolitical position of Serbia/Yugoslavia in Europe. In this City Profile, I present the evolution of the built environment of Belgrade in five historic stages: ancient/medieval/Ottoman, early modern, communist, transitional, and contemporary. I show how each period left a distinct spatial imprint on Belgrade’s fabric. Finally, I discuss some contemporary challenges and opportunities in planning Belgrade’s future.     

Hot Workability of as‐Cast High Manganese‐High Carbon Steels

In order to produce new high Mn‐high C austenitic steels (R_m>700 MPa), different tests and methods were used to determine a suitable window of process parameters. In‐situ melting hot tensile tests and hot compression tests were carried out to investigate the hot ductility, fracture characteristics and flow behaviour during continuous casting and hot deformation of 3 steels with Mn and C contents between 9‐23% and 0.6‐0.9%, respectively. The results show that these steels are susceptible to interdendritic fracture at high temperatures. Decreasing Mn content improves the reduction of area at high temperatures to 60% or more. Hot deformation loads for processing the investigated steels are not higher in comparison to the stainless steel 1.4301.     

Virtual prototyping for high density packaging systems

Very early in an electronic design cycle the physical buildup of a system, such as bonding method, substrate technology, and number of layers, needs to be chosen before any layout is performed. But when developing high density systems, a huge number of technology choices are available, each having impact on various aspects of the system performance. This paper describes virtual prototyping as a method for systematically analyzing and choosing the suitable buildups and selecting one of them in a cost-performance analysis for implementation and layout. Unlike former design advisors, our method analyzes several possibilities in parallel, allowing for a better design space exploration. The framework is implemented in the Java based tool JavaCAD, JavaCAD manages the different buildups and provides a size/layer count estimation for all first level interconnect/packages on various substrate technologies. It calculates the component footprints, analyzes the routing with as few data as available and allows cost estimation of all feasible buildups. The benefits of our approach are illustrated in the design of a 9:4 satellite switch operating at 2.4 GHz     

Diagnostic and confirmation strategies in trait hypothesis testing.

The role of diagnostic and confirmation strategies in trait hypothesis testing is examined. The present studies integrate theoretical and empirical work on qualitative differences among traits with the hypothesis-testing literature. Ss tested trait hypotheses from 2 hierarchically restrictive trait dimensions: introversion–extraversion and honesty–dishonesty. In Study 1, Ss generated questions to test trait hypotheses, and diagnosticity was theoretically defined (e.g., questions associated with nonrestrictive ends of trait dimensions). In Study 2, Ss selected questions from an experimenter-provided list in which diagnosticity was empirically defined. In Study 3, Ss chose between 2 equally diagnostic questions. In each of the studies, Ss showed a primary preference for diagnostic information and a secondary preference for confirmatory information. Ss' preference for diagnostic information suggests that they prefer to ask the most informative questions. The explanation for the confirmation bias is less obvious, and possible reasons for this effect are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving the thickness accuracy of cold rolled narrow strip by piezoelectric roll gap control at high rolling speed

Particularly in fast rolling mills, conventional actuators reach their dynamic limits, when longitudinal thickness variations of the incoming strip shall be reduced with high accuracy by model-predictive roll gap control. Accordingly, the applicability of highly dynamic piezoelectric actuators in combination with electromechanical spindles and a high frequency precision measurement of the thickness in front of the roll gap was examined. Rolling tests in a cold rolling mill for narrow slit strips show that this novel concept is suitable to provide the required dynamic actuation especially at high rolling speed.