400 research outputs found
Thermo-alkali-stable catalases from newly isolated Bacillus sp. for the treatment and recycling of textile bleaching effluents
Three thermoalkaliphilic bacteria, which were grown at pH 9.3–10 and 60–65 °C were isolated out of a textile wastewater drain. The unknown micro-organisms were identified as thermoalkaliphilic Bacillus sp. Growth nditions were studied and catalase activities and stabilities compared. Catalases from Bacillus SF showed high stabilities at 60 °C and pH 9 (t1/2=38 h) and thus this strain was chosen for further investigations, such as electron microscopy, immobilization of catalase and hydrogen peroxide degradation studies. Degradation of hydrogen peroxide with an immobilized catalase from Bacillus SF enabled the reuse of the water for the dyeing process. In contrast, application of the free enzyme for treatment of bleaching effluents, caused interaction between the denaturated protein and the dye, resulting in reduced dye uptake, and a higher color difference of 1.3 ΔE* of dyed fabrics compared to 0.9 ΔE* when using the immobilized enzyme
Development and operational experience of magnetic horn system for T2K experiment
A magnetic horn system to be operated at a pulsed current of 320 kA and to
survive high-power proton beam operation at 750 kW was developed for the T2K
experiment. The first set of T2K magnetic horns was operated for over 12
million pulses during the four years of operation from 2010 to 2013, under a
maximum beam power of 230 kW, and protons were exposed to
the production target. No significant damage was observed throughout this
period. This successful operation of the T2K magnetic horns led to the
discovery of the oscillation phenomenon in 2013 by
the T2K experiment. In this paper, details of the design, construction, and
operation experience of the T2K magnetic horns are described.Comment: 22 pages, 40 figures, also submitted to Nuclear Instrument and
Methods in Physics Research,
Protein disulphide isomerase-assisted functionalization of keratin-based matrices
In living systems, protein disulphide isomerase
(PDI, EC 5.3.4.1) regulates the formation of new disulphide bonds in proteins (oxidase activity) and catalyzes the rearrangement of non-native disulphide bonds (isomerase
activity), leading proteins towards their native configuration.
In this study, PDI was used to attach cysteine-containing compounds (CCCs) onto hair, to enhance compound migration within hair fibre and to trigger protein release. A fluorescent (5(6)-TAMRA)-labelled keratin peptide was
incorporated into hair by using PDI. Similarly, PDI promoted the grafting of a cysteine-functionalized dye onto wool, as suggested by matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight results. These reactions were thought to involve oxidation of disulphide bonds between CCCs and
wool or hair cysteine residues, catalyzed by the oxidized PDI active site. On the other hand, PDI was demonstrated to enhance the migration of a disulphide bondfunctionalized
dye within the keratin matrix and trigger
the release of RNase A from wool fibres’ surface. These observations may indicate that an isomerisation reaction occurred, catalyzed by the reduced PDI active site, to
achieve the thiol-disulphide exchange, i.e. the rearrangement of disulphide bonds between CCCs and keratin.
The present communication aims to highlight promising biotechnological applications of PDI, derived from its almost unique properties within the isomerase family.We thank to FCT "Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia" (scholarship SFRH/BD/38363/2007) for providing Margarida Fernandes the grant for PhD studies
A Precise Determination of Electroweak Parameters in Neutrino-Nucleon Scattering
The NuTeV collaboration has extracted sin^2theta_W from the ratios of neutral
current to charged current neutrino and anti-neutrino cross-sections. Our
value, sin^2theta_W(on-shell)=0.2277+/-0.0013(stat)+/-0.0009(syst), is three
standard deviations above the standard model prediction. We also present a
model independent analysis of the same data.Comment: ReVTeX, 5 pp, 1fig; v2. revised SM prediction; v3. more sig. digits
in Eqns 6-7, fix error in Eqn
A Search for Electron Antineutrino Appearance at the 1 Scale
The MiniBooNE Collaboration reports initial results from a search for
oscillations. A signal-blind analysis was
performed using a data sample corresponding to protons on
target. The data are consistent with background prediction across the full
range of neutrino energy reconstructed assuming quasielastic scattering, MeV: 144 electron-like events have been observed in this
energy range, compared to an expectation of events. No
significant excess of events has been observed, both at low energy, 200-475
MeV, and at high energy, 475-1250 MeV. The data are inconclusive with respect
to antineutrino oscillations suggested by data from the Liquid Scintillator
Neutrino Detector at Los Alamos National Laboratory.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 table
A Search for Muon-neutrino to Electron-neutrino and Muon-antineutrino to Electron-antineutrino Oscillations at NuTeV
Limits on and oscillations
are extracted using the NuTeV detector with sign-selected and
\nub_\mu beams. In \nub_\mu mode, for the case of ,
is excluded, and for
, . The NuTeV data exclude the
high end of oscillations parameters
favored by the LSND experiment without the need to assume that the oscillation
parameters for and \nub are the same. We present the most stringent
experimental limits for
oscillations in the large region.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Letters, UR-164
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