The effects of noise from combined traffic sources on annoyance: the case of interactions between rail and road noise (invited paper)

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Using geophysical surveys to test tracer-based storage estimates in headwater catchments

Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to Stian Bradford, Chris Gabrielli, and Julie Timms for practical and logistical assistance. The provision of transport by Iain Malcolm and Ross Glover of Marine Scotland Science was greatly appreciated. We also thank the European Research Council ERC (project GA 335910 VEWA) for funding through the VeWa project and the Leverhulme Trust for funding through PLATO (RPG-2014-016).Peer reviewedPostprin

Laser frequency stabilization to a single ion

A fundamental limit to the stability of a single-ion optical frequency standard is set by quantum noise in the measurement of the internal state of the ion. We discuss how the interrogation sequence and the processing of the atomic resonance signal can be optimized in order to obtain the highest possible stability under realistic experimental conditions. A servo algorithm is presented that stabilizes a laser frequency to the single-ion signal and that eliminates errors due to laser frequency drift. Numerical simulations of the servo characteristics are compared to experimental data from a frequency comparison of two single-ion standards based on a transition at 688 THz in 171Yb+. Experimentally, an instability sigma_y(100 s)=9*10^{-16} is obtained in the frequency difference between both standards.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, submitted to J. Phys.

A conservative pressure-correction scheme for transient simulations of reacting flows

AbstractAn algorithm is presented for numerical simulations of time-dependent low Mach number variable density flows with an arbitrary amount of scalar transport equations and a complex equation of state. The pressure-correction type algorithm is based on a segregated solution formalism. It is conservative and guarantees stable results, regardless of the difference in density between neighboring cells. Furthermore, states are predicted which exactly match the equation of state. In the one-dimensional example, considering non-premixed flames, a simplified flamesheet model is used to describe the combustion of fuel and oxidizer. We demonstrate that the predicted states exactly correspond to the equation of state. We illustrate the accuracy improvement due to higher order formulation and demonstrate grid convergence

The isolation from Saccharomyces cerevisiae of two antibacterial cationic proteins that inhibit malolactic bacteria

Substances with antibacterial activity were recovered from the extracellular medium and from the acidified cell extract of Saccharomyces cerevisiae R107 by binding onto a cation exchanger. The fraction eluted with NaOH contained two different antibacterial factors, one with the characteristics of lysozyme, the other apparently a small protein with a similar high pI.Die Isolierung von zwei bakteriziden, kationischen Proteinen aus Saccharomyces cerevisiae, die Bakterien des Säureabbaus hemmenSubstanzen mit bakterizider Wirkung wurden sowohl aus dem Kultursubstrat als auch aus angesäuertem Zellextrakt von Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rl07 mit Hilfe von Kationenaustauscher isoliert. Die mit NaOH eluierte Fraktion enthielt zwei unterschiedliche bakterizide Substanzen, eine mit Lysozymeigenschaften, die andere, ein kleines Protein, mit ähnlich hohem isoelektrischen Punkt

Adalimumab in the treatment of pediatric patients with chronic noninfectious anterior uveitis

Introduction: Adalimumab is established as an effective treatment for pediatric noninfectious uveitis refractory to methotrexate. However current use of the medication is empiric, according to fixed-dosing regimens and a significant proportion of patients will be nonresponsive or suboptimally responsive to adalimumab. Areas covered: There remains considerable scope to improve outcomes through tailoring treatment according to individual patient responsiveness. Monitoring of anti-drug antibodies and serum drug trough levels may assist in predicting which patients are likely to have a poor response to adalimumab and enable tailoring of regimens to individual patients. Expert opinion: We propose use of these biomarkers to individualize therapy in suboptimally responding patients, and present an algorithm of treatment escalation for pediatric noninfectious uveitis

Kinetic Characterization and X-ray Structure of a Mutant of Haloalkane Dehalogenase with Higher Catalytic Activity and Modified Substrate Range

Conversion of halogenated aliphatics by haloalkane dehalogenase proceeds via the formation of a covalent alkyl-enzyme intermediate which is subsequently hydrolyzed by water. In the wild type enzyme, the slowest step for both 1,2-dichloroethane and 1,2-dibromoethane conversion is a unimolecular enzyme isomerization preceding rapid halide dissociation. Phenylalanine 172 is located in a helix-loop-helix structure that covers the active site cavity of the enzyme, interacts with the Clβ of 1,2-dichloroethane during catalysis, and could be involved in stabilization of this helix-loop-helix region of the cap domain of the enzyme. To obtain more information about the role of this residue in dehalogenase function, we performed a mutational analysis of position 172 and studied the kinetics and X-ray structure of the Phe172Trp enzyme. The Phe172Trp mutant had a 10-fold higher kcat/Km for 1-chlorohexane and a 2-fold higher kcat for 1,2-dibromoethane than the wild-type enzyme. The X-ray structure of the Phe172Trp enzyme showed a local conformational change in the helix-loop-helix region that covers the active site. This could explain the elevated activity for 1-chlorohexane of the Phe172Trp enzyme, since it allows this large substrate to bind more easily in the active site cavity. Pre-steady-state kinetic analysis showed that the increase in kcat found for 1,2-dibromoethane conversion could be attributed to an increase in the rate of an enzyme isomerization step that preceeds halide release. The observed conformational difference between the helix-loop-helix structures of the wild-type enzyme and the faster mutant suggests that the isomerization required for halide release could be a conformational change that takes place in this region of the cap domain of the dehalogenase. It is proposed that Phe172 is involved in stabilization of the helix-loop-helix structure that covers the active site of the enzyme and creates a rigid hydrophobic cavity for small apolar halogenated alkanes.