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Biomedical subjects

Nicolas Garnier

Publications and source records attributed to Nicolas Garnier.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

224 nm Deep-UV laser for native fluorescence, a new opportunity for biomolecules detection.

A new highly sensitive and compact 224 nm laser-induced native fluorescence (LINF) detector was developed using a new generation of deep-UV laser and an innovating elliptical flow cell. The use of deep-UV excitation at 224 nm allows to achieve fluorescence detection of an important range of molecules containing a single aromatic ring. The LINF detector was first evaluated in liquid chromatography. An improvement of a factor 500 over a conventional fluorimeter is reached with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.5 pmole for ibuprofen. LODs were in the nanomole range for phenylalanine and in the picomole range for tyrosine and tryptophan. The LINF detector is able to detect the same levels of peptides concentrations as an ESI-ion trap spectrometer used in scan mode. In this application, LINF outperforms the UV detection at 214 or 254 nm and could be used with different additives with no noticeable effect on the detection.

Amino Acids↗

euHCVdb: the European hepatitis C virus database.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome shows remarkable sequence variability, leading to the classification of at least six major genotypes, numerous subtypes and a myriad of quasispecies within a given host. A database allowing researchers to investigate the genetic and structural variability of all available HCV sequences is an essential tool for studies on the molecular virology and pathogenesis of hepatitis C as well as drug design and vaccine development. We describe here the European Hepatitis C Virus Database (euHCVdb, http://euhcvdb.ibcp.fr), a collection of computer-annotated sequences based on reference genomes. The annotations include genome mapping of sequences, use of recommended nomenclature, subtyping as well as three-dimensional (3D) molecular models of proteins. A WWW interface has been developed to facilitate database searches and the export of data for sequence and structure analyses. As part of an international collaborative effort with the US and Japanese databases, the European HCV Database (euHCVdb) is mainly dedicated to HCV protein sequences, 3D structures and functional analyses.

Databases, Protein↗

Optical manipulation of microscale fluid flow.

A novel optical method is used both to probe and to control dynamics in experiments on the spreading of microscale liquid films over solid substrates. The flow is manipulated by thermally induced surface-tension gradients that are regulated by controlling the absorption of light in the substrate. This approach permits, for the first time, the measurement of the dispersion relation for the well-known contact line instability; the measurements are compared with theoretical predictions from the slip model for spreading films. The experiments also demonstrate the use of feedback control to suppress instability. These results show that optical control can provide dynamically reconfigurable manipulations of fluid flow, thereby suggesting a general approach for constructing reprogrammable microfluidic devices.

Journal Article↗

Characterization of archaeological beeswax by electron ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

To better detect and identify beeswax in ancient organic residues from archaeological remains, we developed a new analytical methodology consisting of the analysis of (i) the trimethylsilylated organic extract by GC/MS and (ii) the crude extract by ESI-MS. Selective scanning modes, such as SIM or MRM, permit separate quantification of each chemical family (fatty acids, monoesters, monohydroxyesters, and diesters) and allow an improvement in sensitivity and selectivity, allowing the crude extract to be treated without further purification. GC/MS (SIM) was revealed to be a powerful method for the detection of components, with a detection limit down to a total lipid extract in the range of approximately 50 ng in a complex matix, such as archaeological degraded material, whereas ESI-MS/MS is instead used for the detection of nonvolatile biomarkers. Identification by GC/MS (SIM) and ESI-MS/ MS (MRM) of more than 50 biomarkers of beeswax in an Etruscan cup at the parts-per-million level provides the first evidence for the use of this material by the Etruscans as fuel or as a waterproof coating for ceramics.

Animals↗

Convective and absolute Eckhaus instability leading to modulated waves in a finite box.

We report an experimental study of the secondary modulational instability of a one-dimensional nonlinear traveling wave in a long bounded channel. Two qualitatively different instability regimes involving fronts of spatiotemporal defects are linked to the convective and absolute nature of the instability. Both transitions appear to be subcritical. The spatiotemporal defects control the global mode structure.

Journal Article↗