We present the first measurements of absolute branching fractions of Ξc0 decays into Ξ−π+, ΛK−π+, and pK−K−π+ final states. The measurements are made using a dataset comprising (772±11)×106 BB¯ pairs ...collected at the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e+e− collider. We first measure the absolute branching fraction for B−→Λ¯c−Ξc0 using a missing-mass technique; the result is B(B−→Λ¯c−Ξc0)=(9.51±2.10±0.88)×10−4. We subsequently measure the product branching fractions B(B−→Λ¯c−Ξc0)B(Ξc0→Ξ−π+), B(B−→Λ¯c−Ξc0)B(Ξc0→ΛK−π+), and B(B−→Λ¯c−Ξc0)B(Ξc0→pK−K−π+) with improved precision. Dividing these product branching fractions by the result for B−→Λ¯c−Ξc0 yields the following branching fractions: B(Ξc0→Ξ−π+)=(1.80±0.50±0.14)%, B(Ξc0→ΛK−π+)=(1.17±0.37±0.09)%, and B(Ξc0→pK−K−π+)=(0.58±0.23±0.05)%. For the above branching fractions, the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. Our result for B(Ξc0→Ξ−π+) can be combined with Ξc0 branching fractions measured relative to Ξc0→Ξ−π+ to yield other absolute Ξc0 branching fractions.
A
bstract
We report a new measurement of the
e
+
e
−
→
ϒ(
nS
)
π
+
π
−
(
n
= 1
,
2
,
3) cross sections at energies from 10
.
52 to 11
.
02 GeV using data collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB ...asymmetric-energy
e
+
e
−
collider. We observe a new structure in the energy dependence of the cross sections; if described by a Breit-Wigner function its mass and width are found to be
M
=
10752.7
±
5.9
−
1.1
+
0.7
MeV
/
c
2
and
Γ
=
35.5
−
11.3
−
3.3
+
17.6
+
3.9
MeV, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. The global significance of the new structure including systematic uncertainty is 5.2 standard deviations. We also find evidence for the
e
+
e
−
→
ϒ (1
S
)
π
+
π
−
process at the energy 10
.
52 GeV, which is below the
B
B
¯
threshold.
Lipid biomarker analysis is a quantitative and sensitive method for the in situ analysis of microbial communities in environmental samples (e.g. soil, water, air). The one-phase modified Bligh and ...Dyer solvent extraction is a commonly used method for obtaining phospholipid fatty acid biomarkers used in such community analysis. This method, however, is relatively labor intensive and slow, often taking up to 24 h for the initial extraction. Using a pressurized hot solvent extractor, we have been able to extract lipid biomarkers from selected vegetative and/or sporulated biomass (
Escherichia coli,
Staphylococcus aureus,
Mycobacterium fortuitum,
Bacillus subtilis,
Saccharomyces cerevisiae and
Aspergillus niger) as well as from environmental samples collected from water, soil and air. Depending on sample type, the automated extraction procedure took ∼35–45 min per sample. Compared to the modified Bligh and Dyer extraction, phospholipid fatty acid lipid yields obtained using the pressurized hot solvent extraction were not significantly different for the vegetative biomass or water and soil samples (
P>0.05), but were significantly higher for the spores and the airborne biomass (
P<0.05 for both sample types). The advantage of using accelerated hot solvent extraction is that by increasing the speed and decreasing the labor involved, pressurized hot solvent extraction should enable the rapid and improved extraction of lipids from large numbers of environmental samples providing data essential for total microbial community analysis.
Analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified 16S rDNA fragments from environmental samples by denaturing gradients of chemicals or heat denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and ...thermal gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) within polyacrylamide gels is a popular tool in microbial ecology. Difficulties in acceptance of the technique and interpretation of the results remain, due to its qualitative nature. In this study we have addressed this problem by the construction and evaluation of a quantitative standard for incorporation into test DNA samples. The standard was based on a naturally occurring 16S rRNA gene carried by the X-endosymbiont of the psyllid Anomoneura mori, a γ-proteobacterium. This sequence is the most AT-rich 16S rDNA gene recovered from any cultured organism or environmental sample described to date, and a specifically amplified rDNA fragment denatured under exceptionally low stringency denaturing conditions. The native sequence was modified to incorporate perfect matches to the PCR primers used. The efficiency of amplification of this standard in comparison to a range of 16S rDNA sequences and the errors involved in enumerating template molecules under a range of PCR conditions are demonstrated and quantified. Tests indicated that highly accurate counts of released target molecules from a range of bacterial cells could be achieved in both laboratory mixtures and compost.
For oil spills in the open sea, operational experience has found that conventional response techniques, such as mechanical recovery, tend to remove only a small fraction of oil during major spills, a ...recent exception being the Mississippi River spill in Louisiana Spill Sci. Technol. Bull. 7 (2002) 155. By contrast, the use of dispersants can enable significant fractions of oil to be removed from the sea surface by dispersing the oil into the water column. It is thought that once dispersed the oil can biodegrade in the water column, although there is little information on the mechanism and rate of biodegradation. Two studies were undertaken on dispersion, microbial colonisation and biodegradation of Forties crude and Alaskan North Slope (ANS) oils under simulated marine conditions. The study using the Forties crude lasted 27 days and was carried out in conditions simulating estuarine and coastal conditions in waters around the UK (15 °C and in the presence of nutrients, 1 mg N-NO
3/l), while the ANS study simulated low temperature conditions typical of Prince William Sound (8 °C) and took place over 35 days. The results of both studies demonstrated microbial colonisation of oil droplets after 4 days, and the formation of neutrally buoyant clusters consisting of oil, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes. By day 16, the size of the clusters increased and they sank to the bottom of the microcosms, presumably because of a decrease in buoyancy due to oil biodegradation, however biodegradation of
n-alkanes was confirmed only in the Forties study. No colonisation or biodegradation of oil was noted in the controls in which biological action was inhibited. Oil degrading bacteria proliferated in all biologically active microcosms. Without dispersant, the onset of colonisation was delayed, although microbial growth rates and population size in ANS were greater than observed with the Forties. This difference reflected the greater droplet number seen with ANS at 8 °C than with Forties crude at 15 °C. Although these studies differed by more than one variable, complicating comparison, the findings suggest that dispersion (natural or chemical) changes the impact of the oil on the marine environment, potentially having important implications for management of oil spills in relation to the policy of dispersant use in an oil spill event.
The impact of pollution on soil microbial communities and subsequent bioremediation can be measured quantitatively in situ using direct, non‐culture‐ dependent techniques. Such techniques have ...advantages over culture‐based methods, which often account for less than 1% of the extant microbial community. In 1988, a JP‐4 fuel spill contaminated the glacio‐fluvial aquifer at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Michigan, USA. In this study, lipid biomarker characterization of the bacterial and eukaryotic communities was combined with polymerase chain reaction– denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR–DGGE) analysis of the eubacterial community to evaluate correlation between contaminant (JP‐4 fuel) concentration and community structure shifts. Vadose, capillary fringe and saturated zone samples were taken from cores within and up‐ and down‐gradient from the contaminant plume. Lipid biomarker analysis indicated that samples from within the plume contained increased biomass, with large proportions of typically Gram‐negative bacteria. Outside the plume, lipid profiles indicated low‐biomass microbial communities compared with those within the initial spill site. 16S rDNA sequences derived from DGGE profiles from within the initial spill site suggested dominance of the eubacterial community by a limited number of phylogenetically diverse organisms. Used in tandem with pollutant quantification, these molecular techniques should facilitate significant improvements over current assessment procedures for the determination of remediation end‐points.
We present the first measurements of absolute branching fractions of Ξ_{c}^{0} decays into Ξ^{-}π^{+}, ΛK^{-}π^{+}, and pK^{-}K^{-}π^{+} final states. The measurements are made using a dataset ...comprising (772±11)×10^{6} BBover ¯ pairs collected at the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB e^{+}e^{-} collider. We first measure the absolute branching fraction for B^{-}→Λover ¯_{c}^{-}Ξ_{c}^{0} using a missing-mass technique; the result is B(B^{-}→Λover ¯_{c}^{-}Ξ_{c}^{0})=(9.51±2.10±0.88)×10^{-4}. We subsequently measure the product branching fractions B(B^{-}→Λover ¯_{c}^{-}Ξ_{c}^{0})B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+}), B(B^{-}→Λover ¯_{c}^{-}Ξ_{c}^{0})B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→ΛK^{-}π^{+}), and B(B^{-}→Λover ¯_{c}^{-}Ξ_{c}^{0})B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→pK^{-}K^{-}π^{+}) with improved precision. Dividing these product branching fractions by the result for B^{-}→Λover ¯_{c}^{-}Ξ_{c}^{0} yields the following branching fractions: B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+})=(1.80±0.50±0.14)%, B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→ΛK^{-}π^{+})=(1.17±0.37±0.09)%, and B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→pK^{-}K^{-}π^{+})=(0.58±0.23±0.05)%. For the above branching fractions, the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic. Our result for B(Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+}) can be combined with Ξ_{c}^{0} branching fractions measured relative to Ξ_{c}^{0}→Ξ^{-}π^{+} to yield other absolute Ξ_{c}^{0} branching fractions.
We describe the synthesis of a series of oxy-substituted butenolide spiroacetals and spiro-N,O-acetals by oxidative spirocyclisation of 2-(4-hydroxy or 4-sulfonamido)butylfurans. The axial-equatorial ...preference of each oxy-substituent is investigated (NMR) by an acid-catalysed thermodynamic relay of configuration between the spiro- and oxy-centres. The axial site is preferred for most oxy-substituents at synthetically useful levels. The potential origins of this preference are discussed in terms of a stabilising gauche effect combined with the influence of solvation. These results have relevance to the synthesis of bis(acetylenic)enol ether spiroacetals including AL-1 and related compounds.
Within freshwater fishes, closely related species produce alarm cues that are chemically similar, leading to conserved antipredator responses. Similar conservation trends are predicted for species ...with geographically isolated populations. Here, we tested this hypothesis with the guppy (
Poecilia reticulata
Peters, 1859) from two populations within the Aripo River, Trinidad. Free-ranging guppies in the Lower Aripo (high-predation population) exhibited more risk-aversive inspection behaviour towards a fish predator model paired with the alarm cues of guppies collected from the same population versus a river water control. In comparison, when paired with the alarm cues of guppies from the Upper Aripo (low-predation population), the response was intermediate. In the laboratory, we tested Upper and Lower Aripo guppies to the alarm cues of the same or different Aripo River donors, Quaré River guppies (a high-predation population from a different drainage), or a water control. Both Upper and Lower Aripo River guppies exhibited the highest intensity response to donors from the same population and the lowest intensity response to Quaré River donors, with the response to different Aripo donors being intermediate. Collectively, these results demonstrate a trend of intraspecific conservation of chemical alarm cue production, leading to population-specific responses to conspecific cues.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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