Renewable energy as a solution to climate change: Insights from a comprehensive study across nations.

Without fundamentally altering how humans generate and utilise energy, there is no effective strategy to safeguard the environment. The motivation behind this study was to analyse the effectiveness of renewable energy in addressing climate change, as it is one of the most pressing global issues. This study involved the analysis of panel data covering 138 nations over a 27 year period, from 1995 to 2021, making it the latest addition to the existing literature.

In-droplet hydrogen-deuterium exchange to examine protein/peptide solution conformer heterogeneity.

Rationale: Many different structure analysis techniques are not capable of probing the heterogeneity of solution conformations. Here, we examine the ability of in-droplet hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) to directly probe solution conformer heterogeneity of a protein with mass spectrometry (MS) detection.

Methods: Two vibrating capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (cVSSI) devices have been arranged such that they generate microdroplet plumes of the analyte and D O reagent, which coalesce to form reaction droplets where HDX takes place in the solution environment.

Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization Augments Field-Free Ionization Techniques to Promote Conformer Preservation in the Gas-Phase for Intractable Biomolecular Ions.

Field-free capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (cVSSI) is evaluated for its ability to conduct native mass spectrometry (MS) experiments. The charge state distributions for nine globular proteins are compared using field-free cVSSI, field-enabled cVSSI, and electrospray ionization (ESI). In general, for both positive and negative ion mode, the average charge state () increases for field-free cVSSI with increasing molecular weight similar to ESI.

Characterizing Multidevice Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization for Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange to Enhance Compound Identification.

Multidevice capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (cVSSI) source parameters have been examined to determine their effects on conducting hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) experiments. Control experiments using select compounds indicate that the observed differences in mass spectral isotopic distributions obtained upon initiation of HDX result primarily from solution-phase reactions as opposed to gas-phase exchange. Preliminary studies have determined that robust HDX can only be achieved with the application of same-polarity voltage to both the analyte and the deuterium oxide reagent (DO) cVSSI devices.

Facile Improvement of Negative Ion Mode Electrospray Ionization Using Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization.

Electrospray ionization (ESI) is often affected by corona discharge when spraying 100% aqueous solutions as the voltage that induces discharge can be well below the onset voltage of ESI. As a result, it is especially challenging to perform native mass spectrometry in negative ion mode where 100% aqueous solution is preferred. Here we report a simple instrumentation method to improve the performance of ESI in negative ion mode based on capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization.

Rapid Solution-Phase Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange for Metabolite Compound Identification.

Rapid, solution-phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) is demonstrated as a means for distinguishing small-molecule metabolites. HDX is achieved using capillary vibrating sharp-edge spray ionization (cVSSI) to allow sufficient time for reagent mixing and exchange in micrometer-sized droplets. Different compounds are observed to incorporate deuterium with varying efficiencies resulting in unique isotopic patterns as revealed in the MS spectra.

Comparison of Peptide Ion Conformers Arising from Non-Helical and Helical Peptides Using Ion Mobility Spectrometry and Gas-Phase Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange.

The dominant gas-phase conformer of [M+3H] ions of the model peptide acetyl-PSSSSKSSSSKSSSSKSSSSK has been examined with ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), gas-phase hydrogen deuterium exchange (HDX), and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques. The [M+3H] peptide ions are observed predominantly as a relatively compact conformer type. Upon subjecting these ions to electron transfer dissociation (ETD), the level of protection for each amino acid residue in the peptide sequence is assessed.

Vibrating Sharp-edge Spray Ionization (VSSI) for voltage-free direct analysis of samples using mass spectrometry.

Rationale: The development of miniaturized and field portable mass spectrometers could not succeed without a simple, compact, and robust ionization source. Here we present a voltage-free ionization method, Vibrating Sharp-edge Spray Ionization (VSSI), which can generate a spray of liquid samples using only one standard microscope glass slide to which a piezoelectric transducer is attached. Compared with existing ambient ionization methods, VSSI eliminates the need for a high electric field (~5000 V·cm ) for spray generation, while sharing a similar level of simplicity and flexibility with the simplest direct ionization techniques currently available such as paper spray ionization (PSI) and other solid substrate-based electrospray ionization methods.

Gestational age and birth weight centiles of singleton babies delivered normally following spontaneous labor, in Southern Sri Lanka.

Aims: To estimate the gestational age and birth weight centiles of babies delivered normally, without any obstetric intervention, in women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies establishing spontaneous onset of labour.

Method: Consecutive women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies, attending the Academic Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit of the Teaching Hospital Mahamodara Galle, Sri Lanka, with confirmed dates and establishing spontaneous onset of labor and delivering vaginally between gestational age of 34 - 41 weeks, without any obstetric intervention , during the period September 2013 to February 2014 were studied. The gestational age at spontaneous onset of labor and vaginal delivery and the birth weights of the babies were recorded.

Cervical ripening with self administered iso sorbide mononitrate vaginally, in uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at 39 weeks gestation: a double blind randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Vaginal iso sorbide mononitrate (ISMN) is effective in pre induction cervical ripening in post dated pregnancies.

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness and acceptability of ISMN self-administered vaginally at home, in causing cervical ripening in uncomplicated singleton pregnancies at 39 weeks gestation.

Methods: Consecutive women with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies, presenting between 01 October 2013 and 31 March 2014, with a modified Bishop score (MBS) of < 5 at a gestational age (GA) of 273 days to the University Obstetric Unit of Teaching Hospital Mahamodera Galle, were allocated by stratified (primip/multip) block randomisation to self-administer vaginally at home every other day, five doses of 60 mg of sustained release form of ISMN (ISMN-SR); (n = 72, cases), or pyridoxine 10 mgs (n=72, controls), from GA 273 to 282 days.