Complete genome sequence of Mesorhizobium sophorae ICMP 19535T, a highly specific, nitrogen-fixing symbiont of New Zealand endemic Sophora spp

We report here the complete genome sequence of Mesorhizobium sophorae ICMP 19535T. This strain was isolated from Sophora microphylla root nodules and can nodulate and fix nitrogen with this host and also with Sophora prostrata, Sophora longicarinata, and Clianthus puniceus. The genome consists of 8.05 Mb

Diverse novel mesorhizobia nodulate New Zealand native Sophora species

Forty eight rhizobial isolates from New Zealand (NZ) native Sophora spp. growing in natural ecosystems were characterised. Thirty eight isolates across five groups showed greatest similarity to Mesorhizobium ciceri LMG 14989T with respect to their 16S rRNA and concatenated recA, glnll and rpoB sequences. Seven isolates had a 16S rRNA sequence identical to M. amorphae ATCC 19665T but showed greatest similarity to M. septentrionale LMG 23930T on their concatenated recA, glnll and rpoB sequences. All isolates grouped closely together for their nifH, nodA and nodC sequences, clearly separate from all other rhizobia in the GenBank database. None of the type strains closest to the Sophora isolates based on 16S rRNA sequence similarity nodulated Sophora microphylla but they all nodulated their original host. Twenty one Sophora isolates selected from the different 16S rRNA groupings produced N2-fixing nodules on three Sophora spp. but none nodulated any host of the type strains for the related species. DNA hybridisations indicated that these isolates belong to novel Mesorhizobium spp. that nodulate NZ native Sophora species

Analyzing Power Measurements in Medium-Energy Proton Scattering and the Spin-Dependence of the Optical Potential

Supported by the National Science Foundation and Indiana Universit

Magnetoinductance of Josephson junction array with frozen vortex diffusion

The dependence of sheet impedance of a Josephson junction array on the applied magnetic field is investigated in the regime when vortex diffusion between array plaquettes is effectively frozen due to low enough temperature. The field dependent contribution to sheet inductance is found to be proportional to f*ln(1/f), where f<<1 is the magnitude of the field expressed in terms of flux quanta per plaquette.Comment: 5 pages, no figure

Chemical and electrochemical synthesis of platinum black

We present electrochemical and chemical synthesis of platinum black at room temperature in aqueous and non-aqueous media. X-ray analysis established the purity and crystalline nature. The electron micrographs indicate that the nanostructures consist of platinum crystals that interconnect to form porous assemblies. Additionally, the electron micrographs of the platinum black thin layer, which was electrochemically deposited on different metallic and semiconductive substrates (aluminium, platinum, silver, gold, tin-cooper alloy, indium-tin-oxide, stainless steel, and copper), indicate that the substrate influences its porous features but not its absorbance characteristics. The platinum black exhibited a broad absorbance and low reflectance in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared regions. These characteristics make this material suitable for use as a high-temperature resistant absorber layer for the fabrication of microelectronics

Polarization in Medium-Energy Proton-Nucleus Elastic Scattering

This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grants PHY 76-84033A01, PHY 78-22774, and Indiana Universit

Search for Charge Symmetry Violation in n-p Scattering

This work was supported by National Science Foundation Grants PHY 76-84033A01, PHY 78-22774, and Indiana Universit

Reaction rate for two--neutron capture by 4^4He

Recent investigations suggest that the neutrino--heated hot bubble between the nascent neutron star and the overlying stellar mantle of a type--II supernova may be the site of the r--process. In the preceding $\alpha$--process building up the elements to $A \approx 100$, the $^4$He(2n,$\gamma$)$^6$He-- and $^6$He($\alpha$,n)$^9$Be--reactions bridging the instability gap at $A=5$ and $A=8$ could be of relevance. We suggest a mechanism for $^4$He(2n,$\gamma$)$^6$He and calculate the reaction rate within the $\alpha$+n+n approach. The value obtained is about a factor 1.6 smaller than the one obtained recently in the simpler direct--capture model, but is at least three order of magnitude enhanced compared to the previously adopted value. Our calculation confirms the result of the direct--capture calculation that under representative conditions in the $\alpha$--process the reaction path proceeding through $^6$He is negligible compared to $^4$He($\alpha$n,$\gamma$)$^9$Be.Comment: 13 pages, 4 postscript figures, to appear in "Zeitschrift f. Physik A", changed internet address and filename, the uuencoded postscript file including the figures is available at ftp://is1.kph.tuwien.ac.at/pub/ohu/twoneutron.u

Vector Correlators in Lattice QCD: methods and applications

We discuss the calculation of the leading hadronic vacuum polarization in lattice QCD. Exploiting the excellent quality of the compiled experimental data for the e^+e^- --> hadrons cross-section, we predict the outcome of large-volume lattice calculations at the physical pion mass, and design computational strategies for the lattice to have an impact on important phenomenological quantities such as the leading hadronic contribution to (g-2)mu and the running of the electromagnetic coupling constant. First, the R(s) ratio can be calculated directly on the lattice in the threshold region, and we provide the formulae to do so with twisted boundary conditions. Second, the current correlator projected onto zero spatial momentum, in a Euclidean time interval where it can be calculated accurately, provides a potentially critical test of the experimental R(s) ratio in the region that is most relevant for (g-2)mu. This observation can also be turned around: the vector correlator at intermediate distances can be used to determine the lattice spacing in fm, and we make a concrete proposal in this direction. Finally, we quantify the finite-size effects on the current correlator coming from low-energy two-pion states and provide a general parametrization of the vacuum polarization on the torus.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure files; corrected a factor 2 in Eq. (7) over the published versio

A large diversity of non-rhizobial endophytes found in legume root nodules in Flanders (Belgium)

We analysed the genetic properties of non-rhizobial root nodule endophytes (NRE) isolated from indigenous legumes in Flanders. In total, 654 isolates were obtained from 30 different plant species within the Faboideae legume subfamily. Partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed a large diversity of different taxa from the classes Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmibacteria, Flavobacteria and Sphingobacteria. Many of the isolates belonged to the genera Bacillus (17.9%) and Pseudomonas (15.9%). No symbiosis (nodC) or nitrogen fixation related genes (nifH) could be detected amongst the isolates, which indicate the endophytic nature of the bacteria. Statistical analysis grouped the investigated plant species into six clusters according to the presence of particular NRE. However, no correlations could be found within these six clusters towards plant tribes or ecoregions the plants had been sampled from. Cluster analysis of the ecoregions according to the presence of NRE, revealed correlations between bacterial genera and those areas. However, groups present in the ecoregions did not correlate with the groups present in the different plant clusters. When combining our previous study on rhizobial diversity recovered from the same sampling campaign (De Meyer etal., 2011) with the current study, 84.1% of the isolates belonged to the traditional rhizobia groups and only 15.9% were NRE. The Loamy ecoregion yielded the lowest number of culturable NRE (8.04%) and the Campine ecoregion the highest number (24.19%). The present study highlights the frequent presence of these NRE in root nodules. The occurrence of certain rhizobia was correlated with the presence of particular NRE, suggesting their presence may not be accidental, however their functions remain unclear at this point