Evidence of a new particle with mass ∼125 GeV decaying into a pair of tau leptons at the Large Hadron Collider spurs interest in ascertaining its spin in this channel. Here we present a comparative ...study between spin-0 and spin-2 nature of this new particle, using spin correlations and decay product directions. The TauSpinner algorithm is used to re-weight distributions from
sample to simulate a spin-2 state exchange. The method is based on supplementing the Standard Model matrix elements with those arising from presence of a new interaction. Studies with simulated samples demonstrate the discrimination power between these spin hypotheses based on data collected at the Large Hadron Collider.
This manuscript outlines the lifelong battle with severe stuttering and describes a new modality of effective amelioration of the disorder from the standpoint of a university professor and researcher ...in the field of stuttering. Childhood reactions to stuttering are discussed, along with the educational and vocational impact of stuttering. Ongoing therapy was received throughout the formative years and into adulthood, emphasizing reduced rates of speech. The use of Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) was found to induce fluent speech, but was considered only as a tool for decreasing the speech rate to achieve fluency. When fluency under DAF was discovered to be possible at faster speech rates, the possibility that the use of DAF and other forms of altered auditory feedback could themselves have an inhibitory effect on stuttering, without concomitant rate reduction was investigated. An In-The-Canal (ITC) fluency-enhancing device was used that provided DAF and Frequency Altered Feedback (FAF) to produce more fluent speech. After 10 months of use, the author was relatively free from stuttering. Speech was natural sounding, relatively spontaneous and unlaboured with an absence of fear. However, further testing (that is currently underway at various centres) is necessary before generalizations can be made.
Electric field, light wavelength and excitation intensity characteristics of photoconduction have been measured in a diamine derivative (TPD) serving as a common hole-transporting material in organic ...light emitting diodes. Single layer TPD structures, Quartz/ITO/TPD/Al and Quartz/Al/TPD/Al, have been excited trough a quartz substrate. At wavelengths longer than ≈370
nm and at low excitation levels, the photocurrent is due to singlet exciton-induced injection of electrons at the cathodes. Good agreement with experiment is provided by solving the diffusion equation for the excitons and applying the 1D-Onsager model of geminate recombination of electrons with their image countercharge in the electrode. A bulk generated (hole) photocurrent is shown to dominate with excitation energies (hν) well in excess of 3.2
eV, i.e.
λ
⩽
350
nm, and in the whole spectral range applied for moderate and high excitation intensities.
The genome of Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 contains two genes, rpf1 and rpf2, encoding proteins with similarities to the essential resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) of Micrococcus luteus. ...Both the Rpf1 (20.4 kDa) and Rpf2 (40.3 kDa) proteins share the so-called Rpf motif, a highly conserved protein domain of approximately 70 amino acids, which is also present in Rpf-like proteins of other gram-positive bacteria with a high G+C content of the chromosomal DNA. Purification of the C. glutamicum Rpf2 protein from concentrated supernatants, SDS-PAGE and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry identified modified Rpf2 variants with increased or reduced mobility when compared with the calculated size of Rpf2. A Western blot-based enzyme immunoassay demonstrated glycosylation of the Rpf2 variants with higher molecular masses. Galactose and mannose were identified as two components of the oligosaccharide portion of the Rpf2 glycoprotein by capillary gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The Rpf2 protein was localized on the surface of C. glutamicum with the use of immuno-fluorescence microscopy. C. glutamicum strains with defined deletions in the rpf1 or rpf2 gene or simultaneous deletions in both rpf genes were constructed, indicating that the rpf genes are neither individually nor collectively essential for C. glutamicum. The C. glutamicum rpf double mutant displayed slower growth and a prolonged lag phase after transfer of long-stored cells into fresh medium. The addition of supernatant from exponentially growing cultures of the rpf double mutant, the wild type or C. glutamicum strains with increased expression of the rpf1 or rpf2 gene significantly reduced the lag phase of long-stored wild-type and rpf single mutant strains, but addition of purified His-tagged Rpf1 or Rpf2 did not. In contrast, the lag phase of the C. glutamicum rpf double mutant was not affected upon addition of these culture supernatants.
Streptomyces albus
J1074 is one of the most popular chassis for heterologous expression of actinobacterial biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Considerable efforts are invested into understanding all ...the physiological and genetic aspects of secondary metabolism of J1074 in order to maximize the expression of heterologous BGCs. It has to be noted that the J1074 genome itself is home to numerous (>20) BGCs, whose expression varies widely. Therefore, the identification of the factors limiting the expression of J1074 BGCs might help improve this strain for heterologous expression purposes. As first steps towards this goal, herein we describe the secondary metabolome of J1074 in liquid medium SG2, previously shown by us to support the production of antibacterial and antifungal compounds. We compare the results of metabolomic studies with the transcriptome of J1074 in SG2 after 60 h of growth. Results of our studies are discussed in the context of current knowledge on the J1074 transcriptome and metabolome data.
DNA affinity chromatography with the promoter region of the Corynebacterium glutamicum pck gene, encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, led to the isolation of four transcriptional regulators, ...i.e., RamA, GntR1, GntR2, and IolR. Determination of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity of the ΔramA, ΔgntR1 ΔgntR2, and ΔiolR deletion mutants indicated that RamA represses pck during growth on glucose about 2-fold, whereas GntR1, GntR2, and IolR activate pck expression about 2-fold irrespective of whether glucose or acetate served as the carbon source. The DNA binding sites of the four regulators in the pck promoter region were identified and their positions correlated with the predicted functions as repressor or activators. The iolR gene is located upstream and in a divergent orientation with respect to a iol gene cluster, encoding proteins involved in myo-inositol uptake and degradation. Comparative DNA microarray analysis of the ΔiolR mutant and the parental wild-type strain revealed strongly (>100-fold) elevated mRNA levels of the iol genes in the mutant, indicating that the primary function of IolR is the repression of the iol genes. IolR binding sites were identified in the promoter regions of iolC, iolT1, and iolR. IolR therefore is presumably subject to negative autoregulation. A consensus DNA binding motif (5′-KGWCHTRACA-3′) which corresponds well to those of other GntR-type regulators of the HutC family was identified. Taken together, our results disclose a complex regulation of the pck gene in C. glutamicum and identify IolR as an efficient repressor of genes involved in myo-inositol catabolism of this organism.
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