Mark Barrow

Outside Millburn House

Big congratulations to Latifa Alostad who recently passed her viva and put in an excellent performance. A very well deserved #PhD on #FTICR #massspectrometry!

1 fully-funded #PhD CENTA #studentship arisen with a tight deadline for “home" (UK) students. #FTICR #massspectrometry projects amongst the list. Students may apply for more than one project of interest.

warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/life...

warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/life...

Tracking the history of polycyclic aromatic compounds in London through a River Thames sediment core and ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heteroatom-containing analogues, constitute an important e…

I'm very proud two group members have won prizes this week for #FTICR #massspectrometry! 1) Sam Mutto: runner-up poster prize for archaeological characterisation 2) Rory Downham: commendation for PhD thesis 3) Rory Downham: commendation for his paper www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Hmmm. Jasper. 😉

Consider me thoroughly jealous! I’ve been a couple of times. It’s an amazing place and always a lot of fun.

We’re witnessing big changes that we might not have expected even just a few months ago. Lots of momentum!

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Ah, cool! Good timing, it seems! 😁 We’ve had a few along related themes (influence of solvent, pH, flow rate, etc.) for different reasons. Choice of solvents also influences observation of protonated species (in addition to radical ions).

Solvent and Flow Rate Effects on the Observed Compositional Profiles and the Relative Intensities of Radical and Protonated Species in Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization Mass Spectrometry Sample preparation and instrument parameters have regularly been demonstrated to impact upon the observed results in atmospheric pressure photoionization, mass spectrometry (MS), and analytical techni...

Good that it has been useful and you didn’t lose everything over the needle position, then! On a related note, and not intended as a shameless self-plug, have you seen Mary’s paper on flow rates? Started with discussion in community about what people saw by APPI. pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Oh wow! That’s a lot of work… Yup, another variable but one that is less easy to control in a repeatable manner. There’s a lot to model and some parameters are dependent on each other. 😬

Haha, yes. Not breaking the graphite ferrule is the key concern. First thing to check is the transfer line (detached) and that liquid passes through. After that, if you can see through the union. Put together, that’s 90%+ of cases. Very occasionally you will see something at the top of the ferrule.

So concentration (aggregation), avoiding particulates, use of a filter, etc. all help. As for the needle position, once set up, we don’t need to vary it and will find nebulizing gas pressure influences things. They’re interlinked. 🙂

I will check with the group which ones we currently use and then get back to you. If you don’t hear from me shortly, give me a prod. We don’t usually have too many issues with the needle itself, most issues are with the union/ferrule area.

Yup! Removing and checking the line, sonicating the union, and sometimes clearing the graphite ferrule is not a lot of fun. A filter has turned out to be a good way of reduced situations like that. 😉

Ouch! Could try modifying sample prep (extractions, etc.) or can fit a filter to your transfer line to the zero dead volume union?

And you’re well ahead of me with followers and following! Might help if I actually posted, though… 🤣

Yes, exactly that! The lack of ads and weird stuff being rammed down my throat (regardless of muting and blocking on The Other Place to try to convince the algorithm) is a big relief! I resented rubbish and an agenda being pushed all the time, regardless of what I wanted.

The numbers seem to be increasing rapidly, which was the key (temporary?) shortcoming. The app feels much faster and smoother to me, and features are advancing quickly too. Add a Community Notes equivalent and I’d say the shift will accelerate.

It feels a very different place, doesn’t it?

I was sad to read this. I remember talking to him at a conference for the first time, seeing how he interacted with others at all levels, and thinking he was great.

Welcome aboard!

Congratulations to Rory Downham! Researchers with Warwick Chemistry and @britgeosurvey.bsky.social used ultrahigh resolution FTICR #massspectrometry to follow environmental history of Chiswick Eyot (River Thames, London). Article is Open Access. doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134605

“Your message has been stored in the cylindrical filing cabinet, as appropriate.”

Very true. Not many people can genuinely remember the names of all Nobel Prize winners in the past, say, 20 years. But good supervisors who nurture their group and truly look after people will be remembered. Former members will tell stories for many years, even after the supervisors have departed.

Start as you mean to go on. Sounds like a normal day already, unfortunately! 😬

You’re welcome! When’s the big move?

Many congratulations, Simon! 🥳

Deadline is Monday (22nd Jan) for these two #virology PDRA positions to be based in the lab studying coronavirus replication and virus-host interactions.

Deadline for funded PhD studentship 2 (RVFV interactome) is tomorrow (Sunday 21st Jan).

Sometimes on Wordle I need a button to ask “are you sure I know this word?” 😝

I can’t imagine how rough it has been. I can only hope the next five years will be much better for you.