74 research outputs found
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Effects of Chromium(VI) and Chromium(III) on Desulfovibrio vulgaris Cells
Desulfovibrio vulgaris ATCC 29579 is a well studied sulfate reducer that has known capabilities of reducing heavy metals and radionuclides, like chromium and uranium. Cultures grown in a defined medium (i.e. LS4D) had a lag period of approximately 40 h when exposed to 50 μMof Cr(VI). Substrate analysis revealed that although chromium is reduced within the first 5 h, growth does not resume for another 35 h. During this time, small amounts of lactate are still utilized but the reduction of sulfate does not occur. Sulfate reduction occurs concurrently with the accumulation of acetate approximately 40 h after inoculation, when growth resumes. Similar amounts of hydrogen are produced during this time compared to hydrogen production by cells not exposed to Cr(VI); therefore an accumulation of hydrogen cannot account for the utilization of lactate. There is a significant decrease in the carbohydrate to protein ratio at approximately 25 h, and this result indicated that lactate is not converted to glycogen. Most probable number analysis indicated that cell viability decreased steadily after inoculation and reached approximately 6 x 104 cells/ml 20 h post-chromium exposure. Regeneration of reducing conditions during chromium exposure does not induce growth and in fact may make the growth conditions even more unfavorable. This result suggested that an increase in Eh was not solely responsible for the decline in viability. Cell pellets collected 10 h after chromium-exposure were unable to resume growth when suspended into fresh medium. Supernatants from these pellets were able to support cell growth upon re- inoculation. D. vulgaris cells treated with a non-dose dependent addition of ascorbate at the same time of Cr(VI) addition did not enter a lag period. Ascorbate added 3 h post-Cr(VI) exposure did not prevent the growth lag. These results indicated that Desulfovibrio utilized lactate to reduce Cr(VI) without the reduction of sulfate, that the decline in cell viability and cell growth was most likely a consequence of Cr(III), and that an organic ligand could protect D. vulgaris cells from Cr(III) toxicity. Lactate consumption decoupled from sulfate reduction in the presence of Cr(VI) could provide organic carbon for organo- Cr(III) complexes
The Guaymas Basin Subseafloor Sedimentary Archaeome Reflects Complex Environmental Histories
We explore archaeal distributions in sedimentary subseafloor habitats of Guaymas Basin and the adjacent Sonora Margin, located in the Gulf of California, México. Sampling locations include (1) control sediments without hydrothermal or seep influence, (2) Sonora Margin sediments underlying oxygen minimum zone water, (3) compacted, highly reduced sediments from a pressure ridge with numerous seeps at the base of the Sonora Margin, and (4) sediments impacted by hydrothermal circulation at the off-axis Ringvent site. Generally, archaeal communities largely comprise Bathyarchaeal lineages, members of the Hadesarchaea, MBG-D, TMEG, and ANME-1 groups. Variations in archaeal community composition reflect locally specific environmental challenges. Background sediments are divided into surface and subsurface niches. Overall, the environmental setting and history of a particular site, not isolated biogeochemical properties out of context, control the subseafloor archaeal communities in Guaymas Basin and Sonora Margin sediments
Observation of a new Xi(b) baryon
The first observation of a new b baryon via its strong decay into Xi(b)^-
pi^+ (plus charge conjugates) is reported. The measurement uses a data sample
of pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC,
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.3 inverse femtobarns. The known
Xi(b)^- baryon is reconstructed via the decay chain Xi(b)^- to J/psi Xi^- to
mu^+ mu^- Lambda^0 pi^-, with Lambda^0 to p pi^-. A peak is observed in the
distribution of the difference between the mass of the Xi(b)^- pi^+ system and
the sum of the masses of the Xi(b)^- and pi^+, with a significance exceeding
five standard deviations. The mass difference of the peak is 14.84 +/- 0.74
(stat.) +/- 0.28 (syst.) MeV. The new state most likely corresponds to the
J^P=3/2^+ companion of the Xi(b).Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Measurement of the charge ratio of atmospheric muons with the CMS detector
This is the pre-print version of this Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 ElsevierWe present a measurement of the ratio of positive to negative muon fluxes from cosmic ray interactions in the atmosphere, using data collected by the CMS detector both at ground level and in the underground experimental cavern at the CERN LHC. Muons were detected in the momentum range from 5 GeV/c to 1 TeV/c. The surface flux ratio is measured to be 1.2766 \pm 0.0032(stat.) \pm 0.0032 (syst.), independent of the muon momentum, below 100 GeV/c. This is the most precise measurement to date. At higher momenta the data are consistent with an increase of the charge ratio, in agreement with cosmic ray shower models and compatible with previous measurements by deep-underground experiments
Measurements of inclusive W and Z cross sections in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV
This is the pre-print version of the Published Article, which can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 Springer VerlagMeasurements of inclusive W and Z boson production cross sections in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV are presented, based on 2.9 inverse picobarns of data recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC. The measurements, performed in the electron and muon decay channels, are combined to give sigma(pp to WX) times B(W to muon or electron + neutrino) = 9.95 \pm 0.07(stat.) \pm 0.28(syst.) \pm 1.09(lumi.) nb and sigma(pp to ZX) times B(Z to oppositely charged muon or electron pairs) = 0.931 \pm 0.026(stat.) \pm 0.023(syst.) \pm 0.102(lumi.) nb. Theoretical predictions, calculated at the next-to-next-to-leading order in QCD using recent parton distribution functions, are in agreement with the measured cross sections. Ratios of cross sections, which incur an experimental systematic uncertainty of less than 4%, are also reported
First measurement of hadronic event shapes in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV
This is the Pre-Print version of the Article - Copyright @ 2011 ElsevierHadronic event shapes have been measured in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV, with a data sample collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 inverse picobarns. Event-shape distributions, corrected for detector response, are compared with five models of QCD multijet production
Search for microscopic black hole signatures at the Large Hadron Collider
This is the Pre-Print version of the Article. The official published paper can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 ElsevierA search for microscopic black hole production and decay in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV has been conducted by the CMS Collaboration at the LHC, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35 inverse picobarns. Events with large total transverse energy are analyzed for the presence of multiple high-energy jets, leptons, and photons, typical of a signal expected from a microscopic black hole. Good agreement with the expected standard model backgrounds, dominated by QCD multijet production, is observed for various final-state multiplicities. Limits on the minimum black hole mass are set, in the range 3.5 -- 4.5 TeV, for a variety of parameters in a model with large extra dimensions, along with model-independent limits on new physics in these final states. These are the first direct limits on black hole production at a particle accelerator.This work is supported by the FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of
Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and
CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH
(Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF and WCU
(Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC
(Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTD (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss
Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)
Measurement of dijet angular distributions and search for quark compositeness in pp collisions at √s=7TeV
Dijet angular distributions are measured over a wide range of dijet invariant masses in pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV, at the CERN LHC. The event sample, recorded with the CMS detector, corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 36 pb(-1). The data are found to be in good agreement with the predictions of perturbative QCD, and yield no evidence of quark compositeness. With a modified frequentist approach, a lower limit on the contact interaction scale for left-handed quarks of Lambda(+) = 5.6 TeV (Lambda(-) = 6.7 TeV) for destructive (constructive) interference is obtained at the 95% confidence level
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Final Report Construction of Whole Genome Microarrays, and Expression Analysis of Desulfovibrio vulgaris cells in Metal-Reducing Conditions
We continue to utilize the oligonucleotide microarrays that were constructed through funding with this project to characterize growth responses of Desulfovibrio vulgaris relevant to metal-reducing conditions. To effectively immobilize heavy metals and radionuclides via sulfate-reduction, it is important to understand the cellular responses to adverse factors observed at contaminated subsurface environments (e.g., nutrients, pH, contaminants, growth requirements and products). One of the major goals of the project is to construct whole-genome microarrays for Desulfovibrio vulgaris. First, in order to experimentally establish the criteria for designing gene-specific oligonucleotide probes, an oligonucleotide array was constructed that contained perfect match (PM) and mismatch (MM) probes (50mers and 70mers) based upon 4 genes. The effects of probe-target identity, continuous stretch, mismatch position, and hybridization free energy on specificity were examined. Little hybridization was observed at a probe-target identity of <85% for both 50mer and 70mer probes. 33 to 48% of the PM signal intensities were detected at a probe-target identity of 94% for 50mer oligonucleotides, and 43 to 55% for 70mer probes at a probe-target identity of 96%. When the effects of sequence identity and continuous stretch were considered independently, a stretch probe (>15 bases) contributed an additional 9% of the PM signal intensity compared to a non-stretch probe (< 15 bases) at the same identity level. Cross-hybridization increased as the length of continuous stretch increased. A 35-base stretch for 50mer probes or a 50-base stretch for 70mer probes had approximately 55% of the PM signal. Mismatches should be as close to the middle position of an oligonucleotide probe as possible to minimize cross-hybridization. Little cross-hybridization was observed for probes with a minimal binding free energy greater than -30 kcal/mol for 50mer probes or -40 kcal/mol for 70mer probes. Based on the experimental results, a set of criteria were suggested for the design of gene-specific and group-specific oligonucleotide probes, and these criteria should provide valuable information for the development of new software and algorithms for microarray-based studies. Secondly, in order to empirically determine the effect of probe length on signal intensities, microarrays with oligonucleotides of different lengths were used to monitor gene expression at a whole genome level. To determine what length of oligonucleotide is a better alternative to PCR-generated probes, the performance of oligonucleotide probes was systematically compared to that of their PCR-generated counterparts for 96 genes from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in terms of overall signal intensity, numbers of detected genes, specificity, sensitivity and differential gene expression under experimental conditions. Hybridizations conducted at 42 C, 45 C, 50 C, and 60 C indicated that good sensitivities were obtained at 45 C for oligonucleotide probes in the presence of 50% formamide, under which conditions specific signals were detected by both PCR and oligonucleotide probes. Signal intensities increased as the length of oligonucleotide probes increased, and the 70mer oligonucleotide probes produced similar signal intensities and detected a similar number of ORFs compared to the PCR probes. cDNA, 70mer, 60mer and 50mer arrays had detection sensitivities at 5.0, 25, 100 and 100 ng of genomic DNA, or an approximately equivalent of 1.9 x 10{sup 6}, 9.2 x 10{sup 6}, 3.7 x 10{sup 7} and 3.7 x 10{sup 7} copies, respectively when the array was hybridized with genomic DNA. To evaluate differential gene expression under experimental conditions, S. oneidensis MR-1 cells were exposed to low or high pH conditions for 30 and 60 min, and the transcriptional profiling detected by oligonucleotide probes (50mer, 60mer, and 70mer) was closely correlated with that detected by the PCR probes. The results demonstrated that 70mer oligonucleotides can achieve the most comparable performance with PCR-generated probes. We have analyzed expression data as D. vulgaris transitioned during electron donor depletion. As the cells transitioned from exponential to stationary-phase a majority of the down-expressed genes were involved in translation and transcription, and this trend continued in the remaining time points. Interestingly, most phage-related genes were up-expressed at the onset of stationary-phase. This result suggested that nutrient depletion may impact community dynamics and DNA transfer mechanisms of sulfate-reducing bacteria via phage cycle. The putative feoAB system (in addition to other presumptive iron metabolism genes) was significantly up-expressed, and suggested the possible importance of Fe{sup 2+} acquisition under metal-reducing conditions. Namely, that iron availability should be considered when sulfate-reducing conditions are stimulated in the subsurface for heavy metal reduction
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