Gender-specific hearing loss in German adults aged 18 to 84 years compared to US-American and current European studies.

Introduction: From an epidemiological point of view, the increase of pure-tone hearing thresholds as one aspect of biological ageing is moderated by societal factors. Since health policies refer to empirical findings, it is reasonable to replicate population-based hearing surveys and to compare estimates for different birth cohorts from the same regions or, conversely, for the same birth cohorts from different regions.

Methods: We pooled data from two independent cross-sectional German studies conducted between 2008 and 2012 and including 3105 adults.

Enrichment-free analysis of anionic micropollutants in the sub-ppb range in drinking water by capillary electrophoresis-high resolution mass spectrometry.

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) used for water analysis is not ideal for the analysis of highly polar and ionic contaminants because of low retention. Capillary electrophoresis (CE), on the other hand, is perfectly suited for the separation of ionic compounds but rarely applied in environmental analysis due to the weak concentration sensitivity when coupled to mass spectrometry (MS). However, novel interface designs and MS technology strongly improve the sensitivity.

Heat Treatments and Critical Quenching Rates in Additively Manufactured Al-Si-Mg Alloys.

Laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) has significantly gained in importance and has become one of the major fabrication techniques within metal additive manufacturing. The fast cooling rates achieved in LPBF due to a relatively small melt pool on a much larger component or substrate, acting as heat sink, result in fine-grained microstructures and high oversaturation of alloying elements in the α-aluminum. Al-Si-Mg alloys thus can be effectively precipitation hardened.

Novel Small Molecules Targeting the Intrinsically Disordered Structural Ensemble of α-Synuclein Protect Against Diverse α-Synuclein Mediated Dysfunctions.

The over-expression and aggregation of α-synuclein (αSyn) are linked to the onset and pathology of Parkinson's disease. Native monomeric αSyn exists in an intrinsically disordered ensemble of interconverting conformations, which has made its therapeutic targeting by small molecules highly challenging. Nonetheless, here we successfully target the monomeric structural ensemble of αSyn and thereby identify novel drug-like small molecules that impact multiple pathogenic processes.

Förster resonance energy transfer-what can we learn and how can we use it?

The present manuscript gives a short overview on Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) of molecular interactions in the nanometre range. First, its principle is described and a short historical overview is given. Subsequently some principal methods and applications of FRET sensing and imaging are described (with some emphasis on fluorescence lifetime imaging, FLIM), and finally two innovative FRET techniques are presented in more detail.

Online mass spectrometry of CE (SDS)-separated proteins by two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis.

Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) is the fundamental technique for protein separation by size. Applying this technology in capillary format, gaining high separation efficiency in a more automated way, is a key technology for size separation of proteins in the biopharmaceutical industry. However, unequivocal identification by online mass spectrometry (MS) is impossible so far, due to strong interference in the electrospray process by SDS and other components of the SDS-MW separation gel buffer.

Laser-assisted optoporation of cells and tissues - a mini-review.

Laser microbeam techniques are presented, which permit the introduction of molecules or small particles into living cells. Possible mechanisms - including photochemical, photothermal and opto-mechanical interactions (ablations) - are induced by continuous wave (cw) or pulsed lasers of different wavelength, power, and mode of operation. Laser-assisted optoporation permits the uptake of fluorescent dyes as well as DNA plasmids for cell transfection, and, in addition to its broad application to cultivated cells, may have some clinical potential.

Clinical benefit of wideband-tympanometry: a pediatric audiology clinical study.

Purpose: Wideband-tympanometry (WBT) could give more informative data about the tympanic condition than the conventional tympanometry. In the actual literature, the clinical profit of wideband-tympanometry in pediatric audiological settings is not well evaluated. The aim of this study was to analyze the additional clinical benefit.

Application of a robotic THz imaging system for sub-surface analysis of ancient human remains.

We used a robotic-based THz imaging system to investigate the sub-surface structure of an artificially mummified ancient Egyptian human left hand. The results obtained are compared to the results of a conventional CT and a micro-CT scan. Using such a robotic THz system promises new insights into the sub-surface structure of human remains.

Modulation of the electroosmotic mobility using polyelectrolyte multilayer coatings for protein analysis by capillary electrophoresis.

Successive multiple ionic-polymer layers (SMIL) coatings have been often used in capillary electrophoresis due to their simplicity to implement and regenerate. However, the performances of the separation are strongly dependent on the nature of the polyelectrolyte partners used to build the SMIL coating. In this work, we investigate new couples of polyelectrolytes that were not tested before: namely, polybrene (PB), quaternized diethylaminoethyl dextran (DEAEDq) and ε-poly(lysine) (ε-PLL), as polycations, in combination with poly(acrylic acid), dextran sulfate, poly(styrenesulfonate), poly(methacrylic acid) and poly(l-lysine citramide), as polyanions.

Combining TIR and FRET in Molecular Test Systems.

Pharmaceutical agents or drugs often have a pronounced impact on protein-protein interactions in cells, and in particular, cell membranes. Changes of molecular conformations as well as of intermolecular interactions may affect dipole-dipole interaction between chromophoric groups, which can be proven by measuring the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). If these chromophores are located within or in close proximity to the plasma membrane, they are excited preferentially by an evanescent electromagnetic wave upon total internal reflection (TIR) of an incident laser beam.

Heart-cut nano-LC-CZE-MS for the characterization of proteins on the intact level.

Multidimensional separation techniques play an increasingly important role in separation science, especially for the analysis of complex samples such as proteins. The combination of reversed-phase liquid chromatography in the nanoscale and CZE is especially beneficial due to their nearly orthogonal separation mechanism and well-suited geometries/dimensions. Here, a heart-cut nano-LC-CZE-MS setup was developed utilizing for the first time a mechanical 4-port valve as LC-CE interface.

Capillary zone electrophoresis coupled to drift tube ion mobility-mass spectrometry for the analysis of native and APTS-labeled N-glycans.

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) based on electrophoretic mobility in the liquid phase and ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) based on mobilities in the gas phase are both powerful techniques for the separation of complex samples. Protein glycosylation is one of the most common post-translational modifications associated with a wide range of biological functions and human diseases. Due to their high structural variability, the analysis of glycans still represents a challenging task.

Recent advances in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry: Instrumentation, methodology and applications.

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) offers fast and high-resolution separation of charged analytes from small injection volumes. Coupled to mass spectrometry (MS), it represents a powerful analytical technique providing (exact) mass information and enables molecular characterization based on fragmentation. Although hyphenation of CE and MS is not straightforward, much emphasis has been placed on enabling efficient ionization and user-friendly coupling.

Analysis of the 3D microstructure of experimental cathode films for lithium-ion batteries under increasing compaction.

Unlabelled: It is well known that the microstructure of electrodes in lithium-ion batteries has an immense impact on their overall performance. The compaction load during the calendering process mainly determines the resulting morphology of the electrode. Therefore, NCM-based cathode films from uncompacted (0 MPa) to most highly compacted (1000 MPa) were manufactured, which corresponds to global porosities ranging from about 50% to 18%.

Retinal nerve fiber bundle trajectories in Chinese myopic eyes: Comparison with a Caucasian based mathematical model.

Previously we developed a mathematical model for describing the retinal nerve fiber bundle (RNFB) trajectories in the human retina. The model was based on Caucasian eyes that were not selected regarding refraction. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of the RNFB trajectories in Chinese myopic eyes.

Characterization of a nanoflow sheath liquid interface and comparison to a sheath liquid and a sheathless porous-tip interface for CE-ESI-MS in positive and negative ionization.

Coupling of capillary electrophoresis to electrospray mass spectrometry still remains challenging and a topic of research to find the best interface regarding sensitivity, robustness, and ease of use. Here, a nanoflow sheath liquid interface for CE-ESI-MS is presented and compared to both a standard triple-tube sheath liquid and a porous-tip sheathless interface for three groups of analytes. The nanoflow sheath liquid interface with a separation capillary inserted into a glass emitter was initially characterized to facilitate optimization and method development.

Characterization of degeneration phenomena in lithium-ion batteries by combined microscopic techniques.

The application of detector strategies in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) correlated with computer tomography (CT) and light microscopy (LM) delivered unique new insights in degeneration effects of lithium-ion batteries. There we exemplary studied reference, cycled and storage cells. High-resolution SEM permit to visualize a coating on top of the cathode material of the treated cells for the first time, which also connects the conductive additives and battery active material.

Two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry (CE-CE-MS): coupling MS-interfering capillary electromigration methods with mass spectrometry.

Electromigration separation techniques often demand certain compounds in the electrolyte to achieve the required selectivity and efficiency. These compounds, including the electrolyte itself, ampholytes, polymeric compounds for sieving, complexing agents, tensides, etc. are often non-volatile.

Coupling imaged capillary isoelectric focusing with mass spectrometry using a nanoliter valve.

Imaged capillary isoelectric focusing (iCIEF) is a powerful separation technique applied frequently for the analysis of biotherapeutics. However, direct mass spectrometric characterization is usually not possible. Here, focused peaks from an iCIEF system are transferred to a four-port nanoliter valve where peaks of interest are cut and transferred directly (flow injection) or via capillary zone electrophoresis to electrospray mass spectrometry.

An analysis of anterior scleral shape and its role in the design and fitting of scleral contact lenses.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the shape of the anterior sclera by measuring the sagittal height and corneoscleral transition angles in the four cardinal and four oblique segments of the eye.

Materials And Methods: In this study, 78 normal eyes of 39 subjects were evaluated. The sagittal height, corneoscleral angle and scleral angle were measured at three chord lengths (10.

On the Anisotropic Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser-Melted Stainless Steel.

The thorough description of the peculiarities of additively manufactured (AM) structures represents a current challenge for aspiring freeform fabrication methods, such as selective laser melting (SLM). These methods have an immense advantage in the fast fabrication (no special tooling or moulds required) of components, geometrical flexibility in their design, and efficiency when only small quantities are required. However, designs demand precise knowledge of the material properties, which in the case of additively manufactured structures are anisotropic and, under certain circumstances, inhomogeneous in nature.

Two-dimensional capillary zone electrophoresis-mass spectrometry for the characterization of intact monoclonal antibody charge variants, including deamidation products.

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) is a powerful tool that is progressively being applied for the separation of monoclonal antibody (mAb) charge variants. Mass spectrometry (MS) is the desired detection method concerning identification of mAb variants. In biopharmaceutical applications, there exist optimized and validated electrolyte systems for mAb variant quantification.

Axial tomography in live cell laser microscopy.

Single cell microscopy in a three-dimensional (3-D) environment is reported. Cells are grown in an agarose culture gel, located within microcapillaries and observed from different sides after adaptation of an innovative device for sample rotation. Thus, z -stacks can be recorded by confocal microscopy in different directions and used for illustration in 3-D.