Stepped-up development of accelerator mass spectrometry method for the detection of ^(60)Fe with the HI-13 tandem accelerator

The Moon provides a unique environment for investigating nearby astrophysical events such as supernovae.Lunar samples retain valuable information from these events,via detectable long-lived“fingerprint”radionuclides such as^(60)Fe.In this work,we stepped up the development of an accelerator mass spectrometry(AMS)method for detecting^(60)Fe using the HI-13tandem accelerator at the China Institute of Atomic Energy(CIAE).Since interferences could not be sufficiently removed solely with the existing magnetic systems of the tandem accelerator and the following Q3D magnetic spectrograph,a Wien filter with a maximum voltage of±60 kV and a maximum magnetic field of 0.3 T was installed after the accelerator magnetic systems to lower the detection background for the low abundance nuclide^(60)Fe.A 1μm thick Si_(3)N_(4) foil was installed in front of the Q3D as an energy degrader.For particle detection,a multi-anode gas ionization chamber was mounted at the center of the focal plane of the spectrograph.Finally,an^(60)Fe sample with an abundance of 1.125×10^(-10)was used to test the new AMS system.These results indicate that^(60)Fe can be clearly distinguished from the isobar^(60)Ni.The sensitivity was assessed to be better than 4.3×10^(-14)based on blank sample measurements lasting 5.8 h,and the sensitivity could,in principle,be expected to be approximately 2.5×10^(-15)when the data were accumulated for 100 h,which is feasible for future lunar sample measurements because the main contaminants were sufficiently separated.

Improved isochronous mass spectrometry with tune measurement

In conventional isochronous mass spectrometry(IMS)performed on a storage ring,the precision of mass measurements for short-lived nuclei depends on the accurate determination of the revolution times(T)of stored ions.However,the resolution of T inevitably deteriorates due to the magnetic rigidity spread of the ions,limiting the mass-resolving power.In this study,we used the betatron tunes Q(the number of betatron oscillations per revolution)of the ions and established a correlation between T and Q.From this correlation,T was transformed to correspond to a fixed Q with higher resolution.Using these transformed T values,the masses of ^(63)Ge,^(65)As,^(67)Se,and ^(71)Kr agreed well with the mass values measured using the newly developed IMS(Bρ-IMS).We also studied the systematics of Coulomb displacement energies(CDEs)and found that anomalous staggering in CDEs was eliminated using new mass values.This method of T transformation is highly effective for conventional IMS equipped with a single time-of-flight detector.

Mass Spectrometry-based Deep Coverage Proteome:Evaluation of Cellular Protein Extraction Methods

The current study comprehensively evaluates four different protein extraction methods based on urea,sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS),anionic surfactants(BT),and total RNA extractor(Trizol),aiming to optimize the sample preparation workflow for mass spectrometry-based proteomics.Using HeLa cells as an example,we found that the method employing the mass spectrometry-compatible surfactant BT reagent significantly reduces the total time consumed for protein extraction and minimizes protein losses during the sample preparation process.Further integrating the four protein extraction methods,we identified over 7000 proteins from HeLa cells without relying on pre-fractionation techniques,and 2990 of them were quantified using label-free quantification.It is worth noting that the BT and SDS methods demonstrate higher efficiency in extracting membrane proteins,while the Urea and Trizol methods are more effective in extracting proteins from nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions.In summary,this study provides a novel solution for deep proteome coverage,particularly in the context of cellular protein extraction,by integrating mass spectrometry-compatible surfactants with traditional extraction methods to effectively enhance protein identification numbers.

Bacterial Protein Profiling——Comparison of Three Mass Spectrometry Methodologies

Profiling the protein composition of bacteria is essential for understanding their biology,physiology and interaction with environment.Mass spectrometry has become a pivotal tool for protein analysis,facilitating the examination of expression levels,molecular masses and structural modifications.In this study,we compared the performance of three widely-used mass spectrometry methods,i.e.,matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization(MALDI)protein fingerprinting,top-down proteomics and bottom-up proteomics,in the profiling of bacterial protein composition.It was revealed that bottom-up proteomics provided the highest protein coverage and exhibited the greatest protein profile overlap between bacterial species.In contrast,MALDI protein fingerprinting demonstrated superior detection reproducibility and effectiveness in distinguishing between bacterial species.Although top-down proteomics identified fewer proteins than bottom-up approach,it complemented MALDI fingerprinting in the discovery of bacterial protein markers,both favoring abundant,stable,and hydrophilic bacterial ribosomal proteins.This study represents the most systematic and comprehensive comparison of mass spectrometry-based protein profiling methodologies to date.It provides valuable guidelines for the selection of appropriate profiling strategies for specific analytical purposes.This will facilitate studies across various fields,including infection diagnosis,antimicrobial resistance detection and pharmaceutical target discovery.

Determination of Ten Kinds of Alpha-2 Agonists Residues in Animal Derived Food by UHPLC-Triple Quadrupole/Composite Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry

[Objectives]The paper was to establish an ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/linear ion trap complex mass spectrometry for the determination of 10 kinds ofα2-receptor agonists in animal derived food.[Methods]The samples were extracted with sodium carbonate buffer solution and ethyl acetate,and analyzed by mass spectrometry after solid phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography separation.[Results]Ten kinds ofα2-receptor agonists showed a good linear relationship in the range of 1-100μg/mL,with the average recovery of over 69%and the relative standard deviation less than 8.32%.The detection limit of 10 kinds of α_(2)-receptor agonists was up to 1μg/kg.[Conclusions]The method has good selectivity and strong anti-interference ability,and can meet the requirements of 10 kinds ofα2-receptor agonists residues in animal derived food.

Research on the Upper Limit of Accuracy for Predicting Theoretical Tandem Mass Spectrometry

In recent years, numerous theoretical tandem mass spectrometry prediction methods have been proposed, yet a systematic study and evaluation of their theoretical accuracy limits have not been conducted. If the accuracy of current methods approaches this limit, further exploration of new prediction techniques may become redundant. Conversely, a need for more precise prediction methods or models may be indicated. In this study, we have experimentally analyzed the limits of accuracy at different numbers of ions and parameters using repeated spectral pairs and integrating various similarity metrics. Results show significant achievements in accuracy for backbone ion methods with room for improvement. In contrast, full-spectrum prediction methods exhibit greater potential relative to the theoretical accuracy limit. Additionally, findings highlight the significant impact of normalized collision energy and instrument type on prediction accuracy, underscoring the importance of considering these factors in future theoretical tandem mass spectrometry predictions.

Comprehensive characterization and detection of nut allergens in bakery foods using Q-TOF mass spectrometry and bioinformatics

Food allergy is a growing health issue worldwide and the demand for sensitive,robust and high-throughput analytical methods is rising.In recent years,mass spectrometry-based methods have been established for multiple food allergen detection.In the present study,a novel method was developed for the simultaneous detection of almond,cashew,peanut,and walnut allergens in bakery foods using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry.Proteins unique to these four ingredients were extracted,followed by trypsin digestion,quadrupole time-of-flight(Q-TOF)mass spectrometry and bioinformatics analysis.The raw data were processed by de-novo sequencing module plus PEAKS DB(database search)module of the PEAKS software to screen peptides specific to each nut species.The thermal stability and uniqueness of these candidate peptides were further verified using triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(QQQ-MS)in multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)mode.Each nut species was represented by four peptides,all of which were validated for label-free quantification(LFQ).Calibration curves were constructed with good linearity and correlation coefficient(r 2)greater than 0.99.The limits of detection(LODs)were determined to range from 0.11 to 0.31 mg/kg,and were compared with the reference doses proposed by Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling(VITAL).The recoveries of the developed method in incurred bakery food matrices ranged from 72.5%to 92.1%with relative standard deviations(RSD)of<5.2%.The detection of undeclared allergens in commercial bakery food samples confirmed the presence of these allergens.In conclusion,this method provides insight into the qualitative and quantitative detection of trace levels of nut allergens in bakery foods.

Study on Methanol Oxidation at Pt and PtRu Electrodes by Combining in situ Infrared Spectroscopy and Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry

Methanol oxidation reaction （MOR） at Pt and Pt electrode surface deposited with various amounts of Ru （denoted as PtxRuy, nominal coverage y is 0.17, 0.27, and 0.44 ML） in 0.1 mol/L HClO4＋0.5 mol/L MeOH has been studied under potentiostatic conditions by in situ FTIR spectroscopy in attenuated-total-reflection con guration and di erential electro-chemical mass spectrometry under controlled flow conditions. Results reveal that （i） CO is the only methanol-related adsorbate observed by IR spectroscopy at all the Pt and PtRu electrodes examined at potentials from 0.3 V to 0.6 V （vs. RHE）; （ii） at Pt0.56Ru0.44, two IR bands, one from CO adsorbed at Ru islands and the other from COL at Pt substrate are detected, while at other electrodes, only a single band for COL adsorbed at Pt is observed; （iii） MOR activity decreases in the order of Pt0.73Ru0.27〉Pt0.56Ru0.44〉Pt0.83Ru0.17〉Pt; （iv） at 0.5 V, MOR at Pt0.73Ru0.27 reaches a current e ciency of 50% for CO2 production, the turn-over frequency from CH3OH to CO2 is ca. 0.1 molecule/（site sec）. Suggestions for further improving of PtRu catalysts for MOR are provided.

Using Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to analyze differentially expressed brain polypeptides in scrapie strain 22L-infected BALB/c mice

Differentialiy expressed polypeptides in the brain of a BALB/c mouse model infected with scrapie strain 22L were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The results showed that 21 peptides were down-regulated, with peptides of mass-to-charge ratio 758.772 5 and mass-to-charge ratio 5 432.206 9, demonstrating the most significant decreases. These finding suggest that these peptides are candidate biomarkers and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of prion disease.

Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry for Microstructure and Pyrolysis Pathway of Polyester-Polyether Multiblock Copolymer

The composition and sequence distribution of monomeric units in polyester polyether multiblock copolymer were studied by pyrolysis? gas chromatography (PGC) and pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PGC/MS). PGC was applied to study the F t curve of the multiblock copolymer and PGC/MS was used to separate and identify the pyrolyzates. DTA experiment was used to study the decomposition temperature. The results show that the beginning point of elastomer’s decomposition was about 300?℃ and the decomposition temperature of most of the sample was 550?℃. Many pyrolyzates were produced because of the breaking of weak bonds in the sample. The possible microstructure was verified and the pyrolysis pathway of the copolymer was investigated.

Studies on Fragmentation Pathways of N-Ethoxy(phenyl) phosphoryl Amino Acids by Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The positive and negative ESI-MS/MS spectra of N-ethoxy（phenyl） phosphoryl amino acids（EPP-AA） were investigated by electrospray ionization（ESI） ion trap mass spectrometry. The fragmentation pathways of [ M ＋ Na]^＋ and [ M - H]^- ions are proposed and rationalized. The observation may have some potential applications in the interpretation of the MS/MS spectra of novel N-phosphoryl compounds. The complexity of MS/MS spectra of EPP-AA [ M ＋ Na]^＋ ions is decreased compared with that of N-dialkyloxyphosphoryl amino acid. Therefore, the new phosphonamidate method may be considered one of the superior methods that can be used in sequencing peptides and proteins extensively.

Analyzing Brazilian Driver’s License Authenticity by Easy Ambient Sonic-Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Fast and unequivocal methods of questioned document analysis are essential in forensic science. Here, a desorption/ionization technique, EASI-MS, was assessed for its ability to investigate questioned driver’s licenses (DL). Two suspects DL, displaying the same personal data in the proper fields (name and ID numbers), but with different individual photos, showing similar impressions on microscopic analysis, and authentic standards documents specimens were used as test cases. Profiles from authentic DL surface were dominated by a set of few minor ions, mainly from the plasticizers bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate and dibutylphthalate. The seized suspect counterfeit DL on points from personal data and photo were, however, dominated by abundant diagnostic ions of m/z 463, 507, 551, 595, 639, 683, which confirmed counterfeiting. Surfynol® and Nonoxynol-9®, which are common constituents of inkjet printing, were detected in the counterfeiting areas by high-accuracy EASI(+)-FT-ICR MS. The EASI-MS technique is shown therefore to offer an attractive tool for forensic investigation of questioned documents.

Determination on Heavy Metals Content of Achyranthes bidentata Blume. through Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)

[Objective] The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS)was constructed to determine the contents of lead,cadmium,mercury and arsenic in Archyranthes bidentata Blume.[Method]Under the optimum operation condition of ICP-MS,the samples were digested by microwave.The element 114In was taken as an internal standard element to compensate body effect and ICP-MS method was used to determine the contents of lead,cadmium,mercury and arsenic.[Result]For the determined elements,the correlation coefficient(r)of standard curve was over 0.9995 and recovery rate was from 96.7% to 106.4% while RSD was less than 11.2%.The result of determination showed that the heavy metal content in Archyranthes bidentata Blume.beyond standard was serious.[Conclusion]The constructed ICP-MS method with simple operation,rapid response,accuracy and high sensitivity in this experiment could be used for quality control of Chinese medicinal materials by detecting heavy metal contents in different Chinese medicinal materials from original places.

YPED: An Integrated Bioinformatics Suite and Database for Mass Spectrometry-based Proteomics Research

We report a significantly-enhanced bioinformatics suite and database for proteomics research called Yale Protein Expression Database（YPED） that is used by investigators at more than 300 institutions worldwide. YPED meets the data management, archival, and analysis needs of a high-throughput mass spectrometry-based proteomics research ranging from a singlelaboratory, group of laboratories within and beyond an institution, to the entire proteomics community. The current version is a significant improvement over the first version in that it contains new modules for liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry（LC–MS/MS） database search results, label and label-free quantitative proteomic analysis, and several scoring outputs for phosphopeptide site localization. In addition, we have added both peptide and protein comparative analysis tools to enable pairwise analysis of distinct peptides/proteins in each sample and of overlapping peptides/proteins between all samples in multiple datasets. We have also implemented a targeted proteomics module for automated multiple reaction monitoring（MRM）/selective reaction monitoring（SRM） assay development. We have linked YPED＇s database search results and both label-based and label-free fold-change analysis to the Skyline Panorama repository for online spectra visualization. In addition, we have built enhanced functionality to curate peptide identifications into an MS/MS peptide spectral library for all of our protein database search identification results.

Proteome analysis of round-headed and normal spermatozoa by 2-D fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry

Globozoospermia is a severe form of teratozoospermia characterized by round-headed spermatozoa with an absent acrosome, an aberrant nuclear membrane and midpiece defects. Globozoospermia is diagnosed by the presence of 100% round-headed spermatozoa on semen analysis, and patients with this condition are absolutely infertile. The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in protein expression between human round- headed and normal spermatozoa. Two-dimensional （2-D） fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis （DIGE） coupled with mass spectrometry （MS） was used in this study. Over 61 protein spots were analysed in each paired normal/round-headed comparison, using DIGE technology along with an internal standard. In total, 35 protein spots identified by tandem mass spectrometry （MS/MS） exhibited significant changes （paired t-test, P 〈 0.05） in the expression level between normal and round-headed spermatozoa. A total of nine proteins were found to be upregulated and 26 proteins were found to be downregulated in round-headed spermatozoa compared with normal spermatozoa. The differentially expressed proteins that we identified may have important roles in a variety of cellular processes and structures, including spermatogenesis, cell skeleton, metabolism and spermatozoa motility.

Quantification of trace amounts of impurities in high purity cobalt by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

A An analytical method using high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry （HR-ICP-MS） for rapid simultaneous determination of 24 elements （Be, Mg, A1, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn Sb, Ba, Pt, Au, and Pb） in high purity cobalt was described. Sample digestions were performed in closed microwave vessels using HNO3 and HCI. The matrix effects because of the presence of excess HCI and Co were evaluated. The usefulness of high mass resolution for overcoming some spectral interference was demonstrated. The optimum conditions for the determination were tested and discussed. The standard addition method was employed for quantitative analysis. The detection limits were 0.016-1.50 ].tg·g^-1, the recovery ratios were 92.2%-111.2%, and the RSD was less than 3.6%. The method was accurate, quick, and convenient. It was applied to the determination of trace impurities in high purity cobalt with satisfactory results.

Dissociative Electron Attachment to 1,2-Dichlorobenzene using Mass Spectrometry with Phosphor Screen

Anion mass spectrometry is developed on the basis of our home-made anion velocity map imaging apparatus. The Cl^-; product efficiency curve for dissociative electron attachment to 1,2-dichlorobenzene is obtained from 0.2 to 8 eV, meanwhile the sliced images of this anion are recorded at 1.2 and 6.0 eV corresponding to two peak positions of the product efficiency curve.

Detection of 36 antibiotics in coastal waters using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Among pharmaceuticals and personal care products released into the aquatic environment, antibiotics are of particular concern, because of their ubiquity and health effects. Although scientists have recently paid more attention to the threat of antibiotics to coastal ecosystems, researchers have often focused on relatively few antibiotics, because of the absence of suitable analytical methods. We have therefore developed a method for the rapid detection of 36 antibiotic residues in coastal waters, including tetracyclines （TCs）, sulfanilamides （SAs）, and quinolones （QLs）. The method consists of solid-phase extraction （SPE） and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS/MS） analysis, using electrospray ionization （ESI） in positive mode. The SPE was performed with Oasis HLB and Oasis MCX cartridges. Chromatographic separation on a Cr8 column was achieved using a binary eluent containing methanol and water with 0.1% formic acid. Typical recoveries of the analytes ranged from 67.4% to 109.3% at a fortification level of 100 ng/L. The precision of the method, calculated as relative standard deviation （RSD）, was below 14.6% for all the compounds. The limits of detection （LODs） varied from 0.45 pg to 7.97 pg. The method was applied to detemaine the target analytes in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea in Liaoning, China. Among the tested antibiotics, 31 were found in coastal ＇waters, with their concentrations between the LOD and 212.5 ng/L. These data indicate that this method is valid for analysis of antibiotics in coastal waters. The study first reports such a large number of antibiotics along the Yellow Sea coast of Liaoning, and should facilitate future comprehensive evaluation of antibiotics in coastal ecosystems

Screening potential mitochondria-targeting compounds from traditional Chinese medicines using a mitochondria-based centrifugal ultrafiltration/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method

Mitochondria regulate numerous crucial cell processes, including energy production, apoptotic cell death, oxidative stress, calcium homeostasis and lipid metabolism. Here, we applied an efficient mitochondria-based centrifugal ultrafiltration/liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry（LC/MS） method,also known as screening method for mitochondria-targeted bioactive constituents（SM-MBC）. This method allowed searching natural mitochondria-targeting compounds from traditional Chinese medicines（TCMs）, including Puerariae Radix（PR） and Chuanxiong Radix（CR）. A total of 23 active compounds were successfully discovered from the two TCMs extracts. Among these 23 hit compounds, 17 were identified by LC/MS, 12 of which were novel mitochondria-targeting compounds. Among these, 6 active compounds were analyzed in vitro for pharmacological tests and found able to affect mitochondrial functions. We also investigated the effects of the hit compounds on Hep G2 cell proliferation and on loss of cardiomyocyte viability induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation injury. The results obtained are useful for in-depth understanding of mechanisms underlying TCMs therapeutic effects at mitochondria level and for developing novel potential drugs using TCMs as lead compounds. Finally, we showed that SM-MBC was an efficient protocol for the rapid screening of mitochondria-targeting constituents from complex samples such as PR and CR extracts.

Determination of constituents of essential oil from Angelica sinensis by gas chromatographymass spectrometry

Gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled with chemometric resolution upon two- dimensional data was employed to analyze the constituents of essential oils of Angelica sinensis. Constituents in essential oils of Angelica sinensis root were identified by GC-MS with the help of subwindow factor analysis (SFA) method resolving two-dimensional original data into mass spectra and chromatograms. 76 of 97 separated constituents in essential oil of Angelica sinensis root were identified and quantified, and they account for about 91.36% of the total content. The results show that ligustilide, butylene phthalide, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, carvacrol, allo-ocimene,2,6,6-trimethylbicyclo-[3,1,1]hept-2-ene are the main constituents in essential oil of Angelica sinensis root.