Deletion of the alpha-synuclein locus in a subpopulation of C57BL/6J inbred mice

Background  

The presynaptic protein α-synuclein is involved in a range of neurodegenerative diseases. Here we analyze potential compensatory mechanisms in α-synuclein null mutant mice. Furthermore, the findings reveal problems that may be associated with inbred mouse strains.     

J/psi production in Indium-Indium collisions at 158 GeV/nucleon

The NA60 experiment studies muon pair production at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. In this Letter we report on a precision measurement of J/psi in In-In collisions. We have studied the J/psi centrality distribution, and we have compared it with the one expected if absorption in cold nuclear matter were the only active suppression mechanism. For collisions involving more than approximately 80 participant nucleons, we find that an extra suppression is present. This result is in qualitative agreement with previous Pb-Pb measurements by the NA50 experiment, but no theoretical explanation is presently able to coherently describe both results.     

Systematic study of impact parameter dependent K-vacancy probabilities in near symmetric gas- and solid-target collision systems

K-vacancy production probabilitiesP _K (b) were measured with gas and solid targets byK-x-ray particle coincidences (impact parameterb is determined by the particle detection angle) in the region of light (Z _P ?Z _T ?10) up to intermediate heavy (Z _P ?Z _T ?36) collision systems. The measuredP _K (b) reveal a very strong difference in shape between solid and gas targets independent ofZ. Only theP _K (b) measured with gas targets and those measured with solid targets at very small impact parameters show reasonable good agreement with the 2pπ _x-2pσ rotational coupling model. At largeb theP _K (b) from solid targets are strongly influenced by a multiple collision effect, where projectileL-vacancies seem to be produced in collisions beforeK-vacancy production. However, this effect cannot be understood just by a two collision process whereL-vacancy production and 2pπ _x-2pσ rotational coupling occurs in consecutive collisions.     

Development of a high-pressure ion-exchange system for rapid preparative separations of trans-uranium elements

In the course of ion-exchange separations of highly active solutions, the radiolysis gives rise to considerable disturbances and deteriorated separation results. On the example of²⁴¹Am/²⁴²Cm separations some results of radiolysis investigations for Dowex 50X8 are briefly shown, and experiences with the choice of parameters of a high-pressure column system are described for several examples.     

Fission of238U induced by136Xe for energies close to the Coulomb barrier

Excitation functions and angular distributions have been measured for fission of²³⁸U induced by¹³⁶Xe ions with bombarding energies between 4.5 and 5.9 MeV/N. Structures expected theoretically as characteristic for Coulomb fission have not been observed. The Q-value of ?(7.5±1.0) MeV measured for bombarding energies below 4.7MeV/N, however, appears to be compatible with inelastic scattering (e.g. Coulomb excitation) rather than subcoulomb transfer followed by fission. The total kinetic energy of deep inelastic events at 5.9 MeV/N is consistent with the current knowledge about mass diffusion, but also (for the highest excitation energies) with a fast fission process in the presence of the projectile.     

Quality assurance in pesticide residue analysis

Summary During the last few years, the Working Group Pesticide Residues of the Food Chemistry and Forensic Chemistry Division of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (German Chemical Society) has organised six laboratory performance tests on the analysis of pesticide residues in which numerous laboratories were involved. In these tests the choice of the analytical methods for the examination of fats or vegetable substrates was free. Organochlorine pesticides in concentrations of over 0.01 mg/kg were mostly readily identified, whereas in the analysis of organophosphorus residues often only the classic compounds (parathion, diazinon, etc.) were reported. Many a false positive result could have been avoided by using more adequate methods for confirmatory analysis. The quantitative results, however, were generally quite reliable and were mostly within the official acceptable dispersion range. It can be concluded that the performance of a residue laboratory is by no means constant, and that it is necessary to assess regularly the quality of the analytical results by participating in such interlaboratory tests.

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Qualitätssicherung bei Rückstandsanalysen von PflanzenschutzmittelnErfahrungen aus Ringversuchen