Isotope analysis of water by means of near-infrared dual-wavelength diode laser spectroscopy

A novel diode laser spectrometer was developed using dual-wavelength multiplexing, ensuring ideal conditions for high-precision and simultaneous measurements of the 2H/1H, 17O/16O, and 18O/16O isotope ratios in water. A 1.4-µm diode laser probed a H16OH/HO2H line pair near 7198 cm-1, while a similar laser observed H16OH, H17OH, and H18OH ro-vibrational lines around 7183 cm-1, or a H16OH/H18OH line pair near 7200 cm–1. The 1-σ standard deviation is 0.2‰ for 18O/16O, and 0.5‰ for the 2H/1H and 17O/16O isotope ratios. Preliminary experiments with repeated injections of a natural abundance sample point to an accuracy of about 1‰ for all three isotope ratios in natural samples.

The ultrafast dynamics of aggregate excitons in water

In dit proefschrift wordt onderzoek aan aggregaten beschreven. Om uit te leggen wat aggregaten nu precies zijn, zal ik eerst een stukje basischemie moeten vertellen: een molecuul is de kleinste bouwsteen van een stof die alle karakteristieke eigenschappen van die stof nog bezit. Moleculen zijn zo klein dat ze nooit met het blote oog waarneembaar zijn. Als we voldoende van bepaalde kleurstofmoleculen oplossen in water, blijven ze niet afzonderlijk rondzweven maar vormen ze lange draden, zogenaamde aggregaten ... Zie: Samenvattin

Evaluation of Lifetimewool: 2008 national farmer survey results

Key components of the lifetimewool evaluation plan were two National producer surveys to quantify change in the knowledge, attitudes, skills and aspirations over the duration of the project. In 2005, 2032 wool producers were surveyed to establish a benchmark for ewe and pasture management practices, knowledge and willingness to change. At that time, 93% of those who were surveyed said that they were willing to be resurveyed in 2008 at the completion of the project. This has allowed lifetimewool to compare individual producers’ changes in practices, knowledge and willingness over the three years that the communication and adoption phase of the project was implemented. Overall, a total of 1295 producers provided feedback to both the 2005 and 2008 questionnaires, providing a large sample from which to draw conclusions on. This report shows what those changes have been

Choosing the best yielding wheat and barley variety under high crown rot

This paper reports on a three year series (2014-2016) of Western region based trials to provide WA grain growers experimental field evidence of the effect of crown rot on barley and wheat variety yields in local environmental conditions

Selection of dominant multi-exciton transitions in disordered linear J-aggregates

We show that the third-order optical response of disordered linear J-aggregates can be calculated by considering only a limited number of transitions between (multi-) exciton states. We calculate the pump-probe absorption spectrum resulting from the truncated set of transitions and show that, apart from the blue wing of the induced absorption peak, it agrees well with the exact spectrum.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, accepted to Journal of Luminescenc

Proximity sensors provide an accurate alternative for measuring maternal pedigree of lambs in Australian sheep flocks under commercial conditions

Context: Proximity sensors were used recently to determine the maternal pedigree of lambs on a small plot with high accuracy. If this accuracy is maintained under commercial grazing conditions, this method could be a useful alternative to improving genetic gain in sheep, including reproduction traits. Aims: To investigate using proximity sensors to determine the maternal pedigree of lambs and to define the level of interactions required to determine maternal pedigree confidently irrespective of differences in ewe age, lamb age, birth type, paddock size, flock size or stocking rate under commercial grazing conditions. Methods: We compared maternal pedigree determined using the proximity sensors to DNA profiling (n = 10 flocks) and lambing rounds (n = 16 flocks). Ewes (n = 7315) and lambs (n = 8058) were fitted with proximity sensors under normal grazing conditions for each property for 1–3 days. Flocks varied in ewe age (adults, hoggets and ewe lambs), lamb age (up to 100 days old, except for 1 flock), birth type (singles, multiples), paddock size (0.25–320 ha), flock size (37–420 lambs) and stocking rate (2–100 dry sheep equivalents/ha, except for 1 flock). Key results: An interaction ratio of >2 was required for a confident ewe–lamb match (ewe with the most interactions compared with the ewe with the second-most interactions for each lamb). Using this criterion, the average success of proximity sensors at matching a lamb to a ewe was 95% and the sensors were 97% accurate when compared with the pedigree results from lambing rounds or DNA. For lambs matched successfully, over 90% of this success was achieved in the first 7 h and over 99% in the first 20 h. While the success rate of matching a lamb to a ewe was not influenced significantly by ewe age, birth type, paddock size, flock size or stocking rate, the time to achieve sensor success was significantly quicker for singles than for twins and sensor accuracy was significantly higher for smaller paddocks with higher stocking rates. Conclusions: Our results showed that proximity sensors can establish maternal pedigree effectively and accurately across a range of conditions experienced on commercial properties. Implications: Private industry can now develop more cost-effective sensor technologies with greater confidence that will enhance recording of maternal pedigree and, hence, the rate of genetic gain across the sheep industry

Identification and functional characterisation of Complement Regulator Acquiring Surface Protein-1 of serum resistant Borrelia garinii OspA serotype 4

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>B. burgdorferi </it>sensu lato (sl) is the etiological agent of Lyme borreliosis in humans. Spirochetes have adapted themselves to the human immune system in many distinct ways. One important immune escape mechanism for evading complement activation is the binding of complement regulators Factor H (CFH) or Factor H-like protein1 (FHL-1) to Complement Regulator-Acquiring Surface Proteins (CRASPs).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrate that <it>B. garinii </it>OspA serotype 4 (ST4) PBi resist complement-mediated killing by binding of FHL-1. To identify the primary ligands of FHL-1 four CspA orthologs from <it>B. garinii </it>ST4 PBi were cloned and tested for binding to human CFH and FHL-1. Orthologs BGA66 and BGA71 were found to be able to bind both complement regulators but with different intensities. In addition, all CspA orthologs were tested for binding to mammalian and avian CFH. Distinct orthologs were able to bind to CFH of different animal origins.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>B. garinii </it>ST4 PBi is able to evade complement killing and it can bind FHL-1 to membrane expressed proteins. Recombinant proteins BGA66 can bind FHL-1 and human CFH, while BGA71 can bind only FHL-1. All recombinant CspA orthologs from <it>B. garinii </it>ST4 PBi can bind CFH from different animal origins. This partly explains the wide variety of animals that can be infected by <it>B. garinii</it>.</p