Identifying the source of unknown microcystin genes and predicting microcystin variants by comparing genes within uncultured cyanobacterial cells

While multiple phylogenetic markers have been used in the culture independent study of microcystin producing cyanobacteria, in only a few instances have multiple markers been studied within individual cells, and in all cases these studies have been conducted with cultured isolates. Here, we isolate and evaluate large DNA fragments (\u3e 6 kb) encompassing two genes involved in microcystin biosynthesis (mcyA2 and mcyB1) and use them to identify the source of gene fragments found in water samples. Further investigation of these gene loci from individual cyanobacterial cells allowed for improved analysis of the genetic diversity within microcystin producers as well as a method to predict microcystin variants for individuals. These efforts have also identified the source of the novel mcyA genotype previously termed Microcystis-like that is pervasive in the Laurentian Great Lakes and predict the microcystin variant(s) that it produces

Irradiation of benzene molecules by ion-induced and light-induced intense fields

Benzene, with its sea of delocalized $\pi$-electrons in the valence orbitals, is identified as an example of a class of molecules that enable establishment of the correspondence between intense ion-induced and laser-light-induced fields in experiments that probe ionization dynamics in temporal regimes spanning the attosecond and picosecond ranges.Comment: 4 ps figure

Seasonal Gene Expression and the Ecophysiological Implications of Toxic Microcystis aeruginosa Blooms in Lake Taihu

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms represent an increasing threat to freshwater resources globally. Despite increased research, the physiological basis of how the dominant bloom-forming cyanobacteria, Microcystis spp., proliferate and then maintain high population densities through changing environmental conditions is poorly understood. In this study, we examined the transcriptional profiles of the microbial community in Lake Taihu, China at 9 stations sampled monthly from June to October in 2014. To target Microcystis populations, we collected metatranscriptomic data and mapped reads to the M. aeruginosa NIES 843 genome. Our results revealed significant temporal gene expression patterns, with many genes separating into either early or late bloom clusters. About one-third of genes observed from M. aeruginosa were differentially expressed between these two clusters. Conductivity and nutrient availability appeared to be the environmental factors most strongly associated with these temporal gene expression shifts. Compared with the early bloom season (June and July), genes involved in N and P transport, energy metabolism, translation, and amino acid biosynthesis were down-regulated during the later season (August to October). In parallel, genes involved in regulatory functions as well as transposases and the production of microcystin and extracellular polysaccharides were up-regulated in the later season. Our observation indicates an eco-physiological shift occurs within the Microcystis spp. transcriptome as cells move from the rapid growth of early summer to bloom maintenance in late summer and autumn

Anisotropic flow of charged hadrons, pions and (anti-)protons measured at high transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=2.76 TeV

The elliptic, $v_2$, triangular, $v_3$, and quadrangular, $v_4$, azimuthal anisotropic flow coefficients are measured for unidentified charged particles, pions and (anti-)protons in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Results obtained with the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods are reported for the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ at different collision centralities and as a function of transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, out to $p_{\rm T}=20$ GeV/$c$. The observed non-zero elliptic and triangular flow depends only weakly on transverse momentum for $p_{\rm T}>8$ GeV/$c$. The small $p_{\rm T}$ dependence of the difference between elliptic flow results obtained from the event plane and four-particle cumulant methods suggests a common origin of flow fluctuations up to $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$. The magnitude of the (anti-)proton elliptic and triangular flow is larger than that of pions out to at least $p_{\rm T}=8$ GeV/$c$ indicating that the particle type dependence persists out to high $p_{\rm T}$.Comment: 16 pages, 5 captioned figures, authors from page 11, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/186

Centrality dependence of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN=2.76\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}} = 2.76 TeV

The inclusive transverse momentum ($p_{\rm T}$) distributions of primary charged particles are measured in the pseudo-rapidity range $|\eta|<0.8$ as a function of event centrality in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm{NN}}}=2.76$ TeV with ALICE at the LHC. The data are presented in the $p_{\rm T}$ range $0.15<p_{\rm T}<50$ GeV/$c$ for nine centrality intervals from 70-80% to 0-5%. The Pb-Pb spectra are presented in terms of the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm{AA}}$ using a pp reference spectrum measured at the same collision energy. We observe that the suppression of high-$p_{\rm T}$ particles strongly depends on event centrality. In central collisions (0-5%) the yield is most suppressed with $R_{\rm{AA}}\approx0.13$ at $p_{\rm T}=6$-7 GeV/$c$. Above $p_{\rm T}=7$ GeV/$c$, there is a significant rise in the nuclear modification factor, which reaches $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx0.4$ for $p_{\rm T}>30$ GeV/$c$. In peripheral collisions (70-80%), the suppression is weaker with $R_{\rm{AA}} \approx 0.7$ almost independently of $p_{\rm T}$. The measured nuclear modification factors are compared to other measurements and model calculations.Comment: 17 pages, 4 captioned figures, 2 tables, authors from page 12, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/284

Measurement of charm production at central rapidity in proton-proton collisions at s=2.76\sqrt{s} = 2.76 TeV

The $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections of the prompt (B feed-down subtracted) charmed mesons D$^0$, D$^+$, and D$^{*+}$ in the rapidity range $|y|<0.5$, and for transverse momentum $1< p_{\rm T} <12$ GeV/$c$, were measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis exploited the hadronic decays D$^0 \rightarrow$K$\pi$, D$^+ \rightarrow$K$\pi\pi$, D$^{*+} \rightarrow$D$^0\pi$, and their charge conjugates, and was performed on a $L_{\rm int} = 1.1$ nb$^{-1}$ event sample collected in 2011 with a minimum-bias trigger. The total charm production cross section at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and at 7 TeV was evaluated by extrapolating to the full phase space the $p_{\rm T}$-differential production cross sections at $\sqrt{s} = 2.76$ TeV and our previous measurements at $\sqrt{s} = 7$ TeV. The results were compared to existing measurements and to perturbative-QCD calculations. The fraction of cdbar D mesons produced in a vector state was also determined.Comment: 20 pages, 5 captioned figures, 4 tables, authors from page 15, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/307

Particle-yield modification in jet-like azimuthal di-hadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 2.76 TeV

The yield of charged particles associated with high-$p_{\rm T}$ trigger particles ($8 < p_{\rm T} < 15$ GeV/$c$) is measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV relative to proton-proton collisions at the same energy. The conditional per-trigger yields are extracted from the narrow jet-like correlation peaks in azimuthal di-hadron correlations. In the 5% most central collisions, we observe that the yield of associated charged particles with transverse momenta $p_{\rm T}> 3$ GeV/$c$ on the away-side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the near-side a moderate enhancement of 20-30% is found.Comment: 15 pages, 2 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 10, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/350

South Atlantic Interbasin Exchanges of Mass, Heat, Salt and Anthropogenic Carbon

The exchange of mass, heat, salt and anthropogenic carbon (Cant) between the South Atlantic, south of 24°S, and adjacent ocean basins is estimated from hydrographic data obtained during 2008-2009 using an inverse method. Transports of anthropogenic carbon are calculated across the western (Drake Passage), eastern (30°E) and northern (24°S) boundaries. The freshwater overturning transport of 0.09 Sv is southward, consistent with an overturning circulation that exports freshwater from the North Atlantic, and consistent with a bistable Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC), under conditions of excess freshwater perturbation. At 30°E, net eastward Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) transport, south of the Subtropical Front, is compensated by a 15.9±2.3 Sv westward flow along the Antarctic boundary. The region as a whole is a substantial sink for atmospheric anthropogenic carbon of 0.51±0.37 PgC yr-1, of which 0.18±0.12 PgC yr-1 accumulates and is stored within the water column. At 24°S, a 20.2 Sv meridional overturning is associated with a 0.11 PgC yr-1 Cant overturning. The remainder is transported into the Atlantic Ocean north of 24°S (0.28±0.16 PgC yr-1) and Indian sector of Southern Ocean (1.12±0.43 PgC yr-1), having been enhanced by inflow through Drake Passage (1.07±0.44 PgC yr-1). This underlines the importance of the South Atlantic as a crucial element of the anthropogenic carbon sink in the global oceans

Measurement of gamma gamma -> p p-bar production at Belle

A high precision study of the process gamma gamma -> p p-bar has been performed using a data sample of 89/fb collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB e+e- collider. The cross section of p p-bar production has been measured at two-photon center-of-mass (c.m.) energies between 2.025 and 4.0 GeV and in the c.m. angular range of |cos(theta^*)| eta_c -> p p-bar is observed and the product of the two-photon width of the eta_c and its branching ratio to p p-bar is determined.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, Fig.1 added, accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.