Nitrate stable isotopes and major ions in snow and ice samples from four Svalbard sites

Increasing reactive nitrogen (N-r) deposition in the Arctic may adversely impact N-limited ecosystems. To investigate atmospheric transport of N-r to Svalbard, Norwegian Arctic, snow and firn samples were collected from glaciers and analysed to define spatial and temporal variations (1 10 years) in major ion concentrations and the stable isotope composition (delta N-15 and delta O-18) of nitrate (NO3-) across the archipelago. The delta N-15(NO3-) and delta O-18(NO3-) averaged -4 parts per thousand and 67 parts per thousand in seasonal snow (2010-11) and -9 parts per thousand and 74 parts per thousand in firn accumulated over the decade 2001-2011. East-west zonal gradients were observed across the archipelago for some major ions (non-sea salt sulphate and magnesium) and also for delta N-15(NO3-) and delta O-18(NO3-) in snow, which suggests a different origin for air masses arriving in different sectors of Svalbard. We propose that snowfall associated with long-distance air mass transport over the Arctic Ocean inherits relatively low delta N-15(NO3-) due to in-transport N isotope fractionation. In contrast, faster air mass transport from the north-west Atlantic or northern Europe results in snowfall with higher delta N-15(NO3-) because in-transport fractionation of N is then time-limited

The influence of the peptide chain on the kinetics and stability of microperoxidases.

Microperoxidases with increasing lengths of the peptide attached to the heme moiety have been isolated after proteolytic digestion of horse-heart cytochrome c (microperoxidases 6, 8, and 11) and of cytochrome c(550) from Thiobacillus versutus (microperoxidase 17). The different microperoxidases catalyze the H2O2-dependent para-hydroxylation of aniline relatively efficiently but are rapidly inactivated under turnover conditions. The horse-heart cytochrome-c-derived microperoxidases have identical values for V-max but show a decrease of the K-m for aniline and a higher stability when the attached peptide is longer. The kinetic constants obtained for microperoxidase 17, differ markedly from the microperoxidases derived from horse-heart cytochrome c. Possible factors underlying the observed differences are discussed.Macromolecular Biochemistr

Reactive nitrogen and sulphate wet deposition at Zeppelin Station, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

As a potent fertilizer, reactive nitrogen plays an important role in Arctic ecosystems. Since the Arctic is a nutrient-limited environment, changes in nitrogen deposition can have severe impacts on local ecosystems. To quantify the amount of nitrogen deposited through snow and rain events, precipitation sampling was performed at Zeppelin Station, Svalbard, from November 2009 until May 2011. The samples were analysed for , nss- and concentrations, and the deposition of single precipitation events was calculated using precipitation measurements taken at nearby Ny-Ålesund. The majority of observed events showed concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.1 mg L−1 N for and and from 0.02 to 0.3 mg L−1 S for nss-. The majority of calculated depositions ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 mg m−2 N for and and from 0.02 to 0.3 mg m−2 S for nss-. The budget was controlled by strong deposition events, caused by long-lasting precipitation episodes that lasted for several days and which had raised concentrations of nitrogen and sulphur. Three future scenarios of increasing precipitation in the Arctic were considered. The results showed that deposition is mainly controlled by the amount of precipitation, which leads to the conclusion that increased precipitation might cause increases in deposition of the same magnitude

Saccular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Patient Characteristics, Clinical Presentation, Treatment, and Outcomes in the Netherlands

Objective: The aim of this was to analyze differences between saccularshaped abdominal aortic aneurysms (SaAAAs) and fusiform abdominal aortic aneurysms (FuAAAs) regarding patient characteristics, treatment, and outcome, to advise a threshold for intervention for SaAAAs.Background: Based on the assumption that SaAAAs are more prone to rupture, guidelines suggest early elective treatment. However, little is known about the natural history of SaAAAs and the threshold for intervention is not substantiated.Methods: Observational study including primary repairs of degenerative AAAs in the Netherlands between 2016 and 2018 in which the shape was registered, registered in the Dutch Surgical Aneurysm Audit (DSAA). Patients were stratified by urgency of surgery; elective versus acute (symptomatic/ruptured). Patient characteristics, treatment, and outcome were compared between SaAAAs and FuAAAs.Results: A total of 7659 primary AAA-patients were included, 6.1% (n = 471) SaAAAs and 93.9% (n = 7188) FuAAAs. There were 5945 elective patients (6.5% SaAAA) and 1714 acute (4.8% SaAAA). Acute SaAAApatients were more often female (28.9% vs 17.2%, P = 0.007) compared with acute FuAAA-patients. SaAAAs had smaller diameters than FuAAAs, in elective (53.0mm vs 61 mm, P = 0.000) and acute (68mm vs 75 mm, P = 0.002) patients, even after adjusting for sex. In addition, 25.2% of acute SaAAA-patients presented with diameters <55mm and 8.4% <45 mm, versus 8.1% and 0.6% of acute FuAAA-patients (P = 0.000). Postoperative outcomes did not significantly differ between shapes in both elective and acute patients.Conclusions: SaAAAs become acute at smaller diameters than FuAAAs in DSAA patients. This study therefore supports the current idea that SaAAAs should be electively treated at smaller diameters than FuAAAs. The exact diameter threshold for elective treatment of SaAAAs is difficult to determine, but a diameter of 45mm seems to be an acceptable threshold.Vascular Surger

A search for rare B meson decays at the CERN S p anti-p S collider

We report on a search for the decays B0 --> mu+mu-, B --> mu+mu-X and B(d)0 --> mu+mu-K0*, which are expected to be rare if mediated by flavor changing neutral currents. Using data collected during the 1984-1989 CERN ppBAR Collider runs, the UA1 search was carried out using mu+mu- events with 3.9 mu+mu- of 8.3 x 10(-6), for B --> mu+mu-X of 5.0 x 10(-5), and for B(d)0 --> mu+mu-K0* of 2.3 x 10(-5). Implications for upper limits on the t-quark mass are discussed

Measurement of the ratio R = sigma(w) Br (W) ---> mu neutrino) / sigma(Z) Br (Z ---> mu mu) and gamma(W) total at the CERN proton - anti-proton collider

An analysis of W and Z boson production at UA1, using 4.66 pb-1 of data from the 1988 and 1989 CERN ppBAR Collider runs at square root of s = 0.63 TeV, yields R = sigma(w)Br(W --> mu-v)/sigma(z)Br(z --> mu-mu) = 10.4(-1.5)(+1.8)(stat.) +/- 0.8(syst). We find R = 9.5(-1.0)(+1.1)(stat. + syst.) when combining all available UA1 data, in both the electron and muon channel, taken in the period 1983-1989. In the framework of the standard model, the value of R is used to infer the total width of the W boson, I(w) (tot) = 2.18(-0.24)(+0.26) (exp.) +/- 0.04 (theory) GeV/c2

Limits on t quark decay into charged Higgs from a direct search at the CERN p anti-p collider

A search for t-quark decay into charged Higgs, t --> H+b, with the charged Higgs decaying via the H+ --> tau+nu-tau mode, has been done in proton-antiproton collisions at square root s = 0.63 TeV with the UA1 experiment. No evidence for this decay has been observed. Mass limits at 95% and 90% CL for the t-quark and the charged Higgs are presented. The results have also been interpreted in terms of the tan beta-parameter of a two-doublet Higgs sector

Two-jet mass distributions at the CERN proton-antiproton collider

Two-jet mass distributions have been measured as a function of centre-of-mass scattering angle for high-mass jet pairs produced in proton-antiproton collisions at the CERN collider operating at a centre-of-mass energy of 630 GeV. The agreement between QCD expectations and the experimental measurements has been used to place limits on the production cross section of an object X decaying into two jets. In particular we consider the existence of a massive colour octet of vector gauge bosons (axigluons). We exclude axigluons with a width ΛA &lt; 0.4mA and a mass mA in the range 150 &lt; mA &lt; 310 GeV/c2 (95% CL). © 1988