Cloning, purification and comparative characterization of two digestive lysozymes from Musca domestica larvae

cDNA coding for two digestive lysozymes (MdL1 and MdL2) of the Musca domestica housefly was cloned and sequenced. MdL2 is a novel minor lysozyme, whereas MdL1 is the major lysozyme thus far purified from M. domestica midgut. MdL1 and MdL2 were expressed as recombinant proteins in Pichia pastoris, purified and characterized. The lytic activities of MdL1 and MdL2 upon Micrococcus lysodeikticus have an acidic pH optimum (4.8) at low ionic strength (μ = 0.02), which shifts towards an even more acidic value, pH 3.8, at a high ionic strength (μ = 0.2). However, the pH optimum of their activities upon 4-methylumbelliferyl N-acetylchitotrioside (4.9) is not affected by ionic strength. These results suggest that the acidic pH optimum is an intrinsic property of MdL1 and MdL2, whereas pH optimum shifts are an effect of the ionic strength on the negatively charged bacterial wall. MdL2 affinity for bacterial cell wall is lower than that of MdL1. Differences in isoelectric point (pI) indicate that MdL2 (pI = 6.7) is less positively charged than MdL1 (pI = 7.7) at their pH optima, which suggests that electrostatic interactions might be involved in substrate binding. In agreement with that finding, MdL1 and MdL2 affinities for bacterial cell wall decrease as ionic strength increases.FAPESPCNP

On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR

Phase- coherent comparison of two optical frequency standards over 146 km using a telecommunication fiber link

We have explored the performance of two "dark fibers" of a commercial telecommunication fiber link for a remote comparison of optical clocks. The two fibers, linking the Leibniz University of Hanover (LUH) with the Physi-kalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig, are connected in Hanover to form a total fiber length of 146 km. At PTB the performance of an optical frequency standard operating at 456 THz was imprinted to a cw trans-fer laser at 194 THz, and its frequency was transmitted over the fiber. In order to detect and compensate phase noise related to the optical fiber link we have built a low-noise optical fiber interferometer and investigated noise sources that affect the overall performance of the optical link. The frequency stability at the remote end has been measured using the clock laser of PTB's Yb+ frequency standard operating at 344 THz. We show that the frequency of a frequency-stabilized fiber laser can be transmitted over a total fiber length of 146 km with a relative frequency uncertainty below 1E-19, and short term frequency instability given by the fractional Allan deviation of sy(t)=3.3E-15/(t/s)

Efeito do porta-enxerto e da época de poda na duração das fases fenológicas e no acúmulo de graus-dia pela videira 'Niagara Rosada'

It was evaluated the influence of rootstocks 'IAC 766', 'IAC 572', 'IAC 313', 'IAC 571-6' and 'Ripária do Traviú' and the pruning periods in the duration of phenological stages and in the accumulation of degree-days on grape 'Niagara Rosada' .The experiment was conducted in Louveira, SP. The treatments consisted of five rootstocks and three times of pruning, the experimental design being used in a completely randomized split plot with five replications, and plots represented by rootstocks and the subplots were pruning. After pruning the grapevine, were realized evaluations for phenological stages, using the criterion of Eichhon e Lorenz (1984). ). In three seasons of pruning, based on phenological stages, it was calculated the length of the periods: pruning to budding, pruning to the beginning of the flowering, pruning to the beginning of fruiting, pruning to beginning of ripening of the bunches, pruning the beginning of the harvest. Taking as a basis the cycle length of the vine and the average daytime temperatures, it was calculated the accumulation of degree-days. Data were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey test at 5% significance level. It was obtained in the summer pruning the reduction in duration of the phenological stages of 'Niagara Rosada' grafted on the rootstock 'Ripária Traviú'. The longer duration of the cycle and accumulation of degree-day of 'Niagara Rosada' cultivar were obtained with the rootstocks 'IAC 572' and 'IAC 313' pruning in the winter.Avaliaram-se a influência dos porta-enxertos 'IAC 766', 'IAC 572', 'IAC 313', 'IAC 571-6' e 'Ripária do Traviú' e da época de poda na duração dos estádios fenológicos e no acúmulo de graus-dia pela videira 'Niagara Rosada'. O experimento foi realizado em Louveira-SP. Os tratamentos consistiram na combinação de cinco porta-enxertos e três épocas de poda, sendo utilizado o delineamento experimental em blocos inteiramente casualizados, com parcelas subdivididas e cinco repetições, sendo as parcelas representadas pelos porta-enxertos,e as subparcelas, pelas épocas de poda. Após a poda da videira, foram realizadas avaliações dos estádios fenológicos, utilizando-se do critério de Eichhon e Lorenz (1984). Nas três épocas de poda, baseado nos estádios fenológicos, calculou-se a duração dos períodos: poda ao início da brotação; poda ao pleno florescimento; poda ao início da frutificação; poda ao início da maturação dos cachos, e poda à colheita. Tomando-se por base a duração do ciclo da videira e as temperaturas médias diárias, calculou-se o acúmulo de graus-dia. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e teste Tukey, a 5% de significância. Obteve-se, na poda de verão, redução na duração dos estádios fenológicos da videira 'Niagara Rosada' enxertada sobre o porta-enxerto 'Ripária do Traviú. A maior duração do ciclo e do acúmulo de graus-dia da cultivar Niagara Rosada foi obtida com os porta-enxertos 'IAC 572' e 'IAC 313' nas podas de inverno.Universidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Ciências agronômicas Departamento de HorticulturaInstituto Agronômico de Campinas Centro APTA FrutasUniversidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Ciências agronômicas Departamento de Horticultur

Relationship of edge localized mode burst times with divertor flux loop signal phase in JET

A phase relationship is identified between sequential edge localized modes (ELMs) occurrence times in a set of H-mode tokamak plasmas to the voltage measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region. We focus on plasmas in the Joint European Torus where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds, during which ELMs are observed in the Be II emission at the divertor. The ELMs analysed arise from intrinsic ELMing, in that there is no deliberate intent to control the ELMing process by external means. We use ELM timings derived from the Be II signal to perform direct time domain analysis of the full flux loop VLD2 and VLD3 signals, which provide a high cadence global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux. Specifically, we examine how the time interval between pairs of successive ELMs is linked to the time-evolving phase of the full flux loop signals. Each ELM produces a clear early pulse in the full flux loop signals, whose peak time is used to condition our analysis. The arrival time of the following ELM, relative to this pulse, is found to fall into one of two categories: (i) prompt ELMs, which are directly paced by the initial response seen in the flux loop signals; and (ii) all other ELMs, which occur after the initial response of the full flux loop signals has decayed in amplitude. The times at which ELMs in category (ii) occur, relative to the first ELM of the pair, are clustered at times when the instantaneous phase of the full flux loop signal is close to its value at the time of the first ELM