Properties of Very Broad Line MgII Radio-Loud and Radio-Quiet Quasars

We perform an analysis of the properties of radio-loud (RL) and radio-quiet (RQ) quasars with MgII broad emission line (i-band magnitude ≤19.1 and z ≤1.9), selected from the parent sample of SDSS DR7 catalogue. For sources with full-width half maxima (FWHM) greater than 15,000 km s−1 (very broad line sample; VBL) we find the radio loud fraction (RLF) to be about 40%. To further investigate this result we compare the bolometric luminosity, optical continuum luminosity, black hole (BH) mass and Eddington ratios of our VBL sample of RL and RQ quasars. Our analysis shows that in our VBL sample space, RL quasars have higher luminosities and BH mass than RQ quasars. The similarity in the distribution of their covering fraction (CF) shows that there is no difference in dust distribution between VBL RL and RQ quasars and hence dust is not affecting our results. We also find that there is no correlation of RL quasar properties with optical continuum luminosity and BH mass.

High-speed Analysis of Large Sample Sets – How Can This Key Aspect of the Omics Be Achieved?

High-speed analysis of large (prote)omics sample sets at the rate of thousands or millions of samples per day on a single platform has been a challenge since the beginning of proteomics. For many years, ESI-based MS methods have dominated proteomics because of their high sensitivity and great depth in analyzing complex proteomes. However, despite improvements in speed, ESI-based MS methods are fundamentally limited by their sample introduction, which excludes off-line sample preparation/fractionation because of the time required to switch between individual samples/sample fractions, and therefore being dependent on the speed of on-line sample preparation methods such as liquid chromatography. Laser-based ionization methods have the advantage of moving from one sample to the next without these limitations, being mainly restricted by the speed of modern sample stages, i.e. 10 ms or less between samples. This speed matches the data acquisition speed of modern high-performing mass spectrometers whereas the pulse repetition rate of the lasers (>1 kHz) provides a sufficient number of desorption/ionization events for successful ion signal detection from each sample at the above speed of the sample stages. Other advantages of laser-based ionization methods include the generally higher tolerance to sample additives and contamination compared with ESI MS, and the contact-less and pulsed nature of the laser used for desorption, reducing the risk of cross-contamination. Furthermore, new developments in MALDI have expanded its analytical capabilities, now being able to fully exploit high-performing hybrid mass analyzers and their strengths in sensitivity and MS/MS analysis by generating an ESI-like stable yield of multiply charged analyte ions. Thus, these new developments and the intrinsically high speed of laser-based methods now provide a good basis for tackling extreme sample analysis speed in the omics.

On-line sample treatment coupled with atomic spectrometric detection for the determination of trace elements in natural waters

This review discusses the application of on-line strategies for sample treatment prior to atomic spectrometric detection.