For soil-dwelling bacteria that usually live in a carbon-rich and nitrogen-poor environment, the ability to utilize chitin – the second most abundant polysaccharide on earth – is a decisive evolving ...advantage as it is a source for both elements. Streptomycetes are high-GC Gram-positive soil bacteria that are equipped with a broad arsenal of chitinase-degrading genes. These genes are induced when the streptomycetes sense the presence of chitooligosaccharides. Their expression is repressed as soon as more readily assimilated carbon sources become available. This includes for example glucose or N-acetylglucosamine, the monomer subunit of chitin. Historically, the first cis-acting elements involved in carbon regulation in streptomycetes were found more than a decade ago upstream of chitinase genes, but the transcriptional regulator had so far remained undiscovered. In this work, we show that these cis-acting elements consist of inverted repeats with multiple occurrences and are bound by the HutC/GntR type regulator DasR. We have therefore designated these sites as DasR-responsive elements (dre). DasR, which is also the repressor of the genes for the N-acetylglucosamine-specific phosphotransferase transport system, should therefore play a critical role in sensing the balance between the monomeric and polymeric forms of N-acetylglucosamine.
Superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) are being developed as X-ray detectors because they combine the high energy resolution of cryogenic detector technologies with the high count rate capabilities ...of athermal devices. We have built STJ spectrometers for chemical analysis of dilute samples by high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy at the synchrotron. The instruments use 36 pixels of 200 mum times 200 mum Nb-Al-AlOx-Al-Nb STJs with 165 nm thick Nb absorber films. They have achieved an energy resolution of ~ 10-20 eV FWHM for X-ray energies below 1 keV, and can be operated at a total count rate of ~ 10 6 counts/s. For increased user-friendliness, we have built a liquid-cryogen-free refrigerator based on a two-stage pulse tube cryocooler in combination with a two-stage adiabatic demagnetization stage. It holds the STJ detector at the end of a 40-cm-long cold finger, and attains the required operating temperature of ~ 0.3 K at the push of a button. We describe the instrument performance and present speciation measurements on Eu dopant activators in the novel scintillator material SrI 2 to illustrate the potential for STJ spectrometers at the synchrotron.
We report the direct measurement of the {sup 7}Be solar neutrino signal rate performed with the Borexino detector at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. The interaction rate of the 0.862 MeV ...{sup 7}Be neutrinos is 49{+-}3{sub stat}{+-}4{sub syst} counts/(day{center_dot}100 ton). The hypothesis of no oscillation for {sup 7}Be solar neutrinos is inconsistent with our measurement at the 4{sigma} C.L. Our result is the first direct measurement of the survival probability for solar {nu}{sub e} in the transition region between matter-enhanced and vacuum-driven oscillations. The measurement improves the experimental determination of the flux of {sup 7}Be, pp, and CNO solar {nu}{sub e}, and the limit on the effective neutrino magnetic moment using solar neutrinos.
The energy resolution of aluminum superconducting tunnel junctions (Al-STJs) has been improved by the introduction of a metallic buffer layer underneath the junction. When irradiated by 5.9
keV ...X-rays, a resolution of 12
eV (FWHM) was achieved for a junction size of 100×100
μm
2. A mobile refrigerator system allowed to characterize these devices at the PTB-beamlines of the electron storage rings Bessy I and Bessy II. They showed linear energy response in the range between 200
eV and 6.5
keV and a strong increase in reduced energy events if irradiated at X-ray energies below the Al absorption edge at 1.56
keV.
We report on the study of a new liquid scintillator target for neutrino interactions in the framework of the research and development program of the Borexino solar neutrino experiment. The ...scintillator consists of 1,2-dimethyl-4-(1-phenylethyl)-benzene (phenyl-o-xylylethane, PXE) as solvent and 1,4-diphenylbenzene (para-Terphenyl, p-Tp) as primary and 1,4-bis(2-methylstyryl)benzene (bis-MSB) as secondary solute. The density close to that of water and the high flash point makes it an attractive option for large scintillation detectors in general. The study focused on optical properties, radioactive trace impurities and novel purification techniques of the scintillator. Attenuation lengths of the scintillator mixture of 12
m at 430
nm were achieved after purification with an alumina column. A radiocarbon isotopic ratio of
C
14
/
C
12
=
9.1
×
10
-
18
has been measured in the scintillator. Initial trace impurities, e.g.
238U
at
3.2
×
10
-
14
g
/
g
could be purified to levels below
1
×
10
-
17
g
/
g
by silica gel solid column purification.
Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy with microcalorimeters Hollerith, C.; Wernicke, D.; Bühler, M. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
03/2004, Letnik:
520, Številka:
1-3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Shrinking feature sizes in semiconductor device production as well as the use of new materials demand innovation in device technology and material analysis. X-ray spectrometers based on ...superconducting sensor technology are currently closing the gap between fast energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and high-resolution wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS). This work reports on the successful integration of iridium/gold transition edge sensors in the first industrially used microcalorimeter EDS. The POLARIS microcalorimeter system is installed at the failure analysis lab FA5 at Infineon Technologies AG in Neuperlach (Munich) and is used in routine analysis.
Superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) are being developed as X-ray detectors because they combine the high energy resolution of cryogenic detector technologies with the high count rate capabilities ...of athermal devices. We have built STJ spectrometers for chemical analysis of dilute samples by high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy at the synchrotron. The instruments use 36 pixels of 200 {micro}m x 200 {micro}m Nb-Al-AlOx-Al-Nb STJs with 165 nm thick Nb absorber films. They have achieved an energy resolution of {approx}10-20 eV FWHM for X-ray energies below 1 keV, and can be operated at a total count rate of {approx}10{sup 6} counts/s. For increased user-friendliness, we have built a liquid-cryogen-free refrigerator based on a two-stage pulse tube cryocooler in combination with a two-stage adiabatic demagnetization stage. It holds the STJ detector at the end of a 40-cm-long cold finger, and attains the required operating temperature of {approx}0.3 K at the push of a button. We describe the instrument performance and present speciation measurements on Eu dopant activators in the novel scintillator material SrI{sub 2} to illustrate the potential for STJ spectrometers at the synchrotron.
High resolution, superconducting detectors allow energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) with energy resolution and energy threshold far beyond the levels obtained with semiconductor detectors. ...These cryogenic detectors are run at temperatures of less than 100 mK and combine the excellent energy resolution of wavelength dispersive X-ray spectrometry (WDX) with the fast, energy dispersive analysis of EDX. CSP cryogenic spectrometer's microcalorimeter type EDX cryodetectors are equipped with a mechanical cooling system that runs vibration free and allows completely automated operations on scanning electron microscopes (SEMs), field emission guns (FEGs) and transmission electron microscopes (TEMs). This detector type offers new opportunities in material analysis, especially when low excitation energies are applied or light elements are to be determined. Materials include Au thin film on Ir substrate, and titanium nitride.
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