Adaption of a fragment analysis technique to an automated high-throughput multicapillary electrophoresis device for the precise qualitative and quantitative characterization of microbial communities

The analysis of microbial communities is of increasing importance in life sciences and bioengineering. Traditional techniques of investigations like culture or cloning methods suffer from many disadvantages. They are unable to give a complete qualitative and quantitative view of the total amount of microorganisms themselves, their interactions among each other and with their environment. Obviously, the determination of static or dynamic balances among microorganisms is of fast growing interest. The generation of species specific and fluorescently labeled 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) fragments by the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) technique is a suitable tool to overcome the problems other methods have. For the separation of these fragments polyacrylamide gel sequencers are preferred as compared to capillary sequencers using linear polymers until now because of their higher electrophoretic resolution and therefore sizing accuracy. But modern capillary sequencers, especially multicapillary sequencers, offer an advanced grade of automation and an increased throughput necessary for the investigation of complex communities in long-time studies. Therefore, we adapted a T-RFLP technique to an automated high-throughput multicapillary electrophoresis device (ABI 3100 Genetic Analysis) with regard to a precise qualitative and quantitative characterization of microbial communities.     

Longitudinal (1)H relaxation optimization in TROSY NMR spectroscopy

A general method to enhance the sensitivity of the multidimensional NMR experiments performed at high-polarizing magnetic field via the significant reduction of the longitudinal proton relaxation times is described. The method is based on the use of two vast pools of "thermal bath" 1H spins residing on hydrogens covalently attached to carbon and oxygen atoms in 13C,15N labeled and fully protonated or fractionally deuterated proteins to uniformly enhance longitudinal relaxation of the 1HN spins and concomitantly the sensitivity of multipulse NMR experiments. The proposed longitudinal relaxation optimization is implemented in the 2D [15N,1H]-LTROSY, 2D [15N,1H]-LHSQC and 3D LTROSY-HNCA experiments yielding the factor 2-2.5 increase of the maximal signal-to-noise ratio per unit time at 600 MHz. At 900 MHz, the predicted decrease of the 1HN longitudinal relaxation times can be as large as one order of magnitude, making the proposed method an important tool for protein NMR at high magnetic fields.     

Narrowing of spectral lines by energy pooling collisions in laser enhanced ionization spectroscopy

A remarkable narrowing of the Doppler profile of the calcium 4s ^{2 1} S ₀–4s4p ³ P ₁ line have been measured by laser enhanced ionization spectroscopy in a thermionic diode. By variation of the laser intensity and the calcium number density, and by analysis of the line profiles, there is evidence that energy pooling in higher states due to the collision of two and also three excited 4s4p ³ P ₁ atoms is responsible for the effect.     

Zero-field splitting of Mn2+ ions in tetragonal and rhombic symmetry. The effect of excited state contributions

Zero-field splitting parameters D and E are derived by a complete crystal field and spin-orbit interaction calculation for the d⁵ configuration in fields of tetragonal and rhombic symmetry. The differences as compared to the results of approximate calculations are due to the combined effect of excited states on the splitting of the ground state.     

2,4,6‐Trimethylphenyl isocyanide

The title compound, C₁₀H₁₁N, displays a crystallographic mirror plane that incorporates all the non‐H atoms, as well as the H atoms attached to the aromatic ring. The iso­cyano group is almost linear and shows an N[triple‐bond]C bond distance of 1.158 (3) Å.     

Current work at the Freie Universität Berlin

Measurements of the Stark-effect in ¹Σ-state diatomics have been extended to molecules with two strongly coupling nuclei.Rotational spectra of the ²Σ-radicals BaF, BaCl, SrF, SrCl, CaCl and CaBr have been obtained in the mm-wavelength region. Observation of transitions at lower frequencies requires the use of sensitive optical detection schemes. The new technique of “Microwave-Optical Polarization Spectroscopy” (MOPS) exceeds previous MODR-experiments by more than one order of magnitude both in sensitivity and resolution. Double resonance experiments in a molecular beam are the most promising tool for the measurement of dipole moments in these unstable molecules.     

A comparison of phototautomerism in different sites of free-base porphin (H2P) in n-alkane crystals

Selective laser-induced phototautomerism of free-base porphin in different n-alkanes (n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, nnonane, n-decane, n-undecane and n-dodecane) has been used to identify tautomer splittings in a number of sites in polycrystalline samples at 2 K. Pairs or lines arising from the two molecular orientations in each site can be reversibly transformed into each other. In the odd n-alkanes the occupation of different sites was not dependent on the rate at which the samples were frozen, but in the even n-alkanes metastable sites were only occupied following rapid quenching.     

Formation and reactions of metal-metal bonded heterobimetallic (C5H4PR2)-bridged (Zr-Ir) and (Zr-Rh) complexes: evidence for the participation of metal hydride intermediates

Treatment of the complexes [(C(5)H(4)PR(2))(2)Zr(CH(3))(2)](b: R = isopropyl; c: R = cyclohexyl) with the reagent HIr(CO)(PPh(3))(3) (2b) yield the heterobimetallic complexes [mu-C(5)H(4)PR(2))(2)(H(3)C-Zr-Ir(CO)(PPh(3)))] (4b, 4c) with evolution of methane. The reaction of the -PPh(2) substituted analogue with initially yields an intermediate [(H(3)C)(2)Zr(mu-C(5)H(4)PPh(2))(2)Ir(H)(CO)(PPh(3))] 5a, that still contains both methyl groups at zirconium and does not contain a metal-metal bond. At room temperature, the intermediate reacts further with methane formation to eventually yield the (Zr-Ir) complex 4a. The corresponding [mu-C(5)H(4)PR(2))(2)(H(3)C-Zr-Rh(CO)(PPh(3)))] complexes 3a (R = Ph) and 3b (R = isopropyl) react cleanly with isopropyl alcohol to liberate methane and yield the corresponding [mu-C(5)H(4)PR(2))(2)(Me(2)CHO-Zr-Rh(CO)(PPh(3)))] products (7a, 7b). Carefully monitoring the reaction of with Me(2)CHOH by NMR revealed that the Zr-Rh functionality is attacked first to give the intermediate [Me(Me(2)CHO)Zr([micro sign]-C(5)H(4)PR(2))(2)Rh(H)(CO)(PPh(3))] (6b). This intermediate then reacts further to cleave off methane and re-form the (Zr-Rh) metal-metal bond to yield the product 7b. The tetrametallic mu-oxo-(Zr-Rh) metallocene derivate 11a was obtained starting from the (Zr-Rh) complex 3a and it was characterized by X-ray diffraction. It may be that this reaction is also initiated by H-OH addition to the [Zr-Rh] metal-metal bond.     

Uncertainty principle for operators commuting with translations. II

Continuation of the authors' paper (RZhMat., 1980, 4B820). Convolution operators with semirational symbols (s.s.) are studied. Uniqueness theorems are proved for logarithmic potentials, as well as compatibility theorems for pairs of equations where K is a kernel with s.s., E is a sufficiently “sparse” subset of the line, f is an “unknown” function. Versions are considered of the “two constants theorem” of Hadamard, relating to uniqueness properties of operators with s.s.     

The two-phase structure of segmented block copoly(ether ester)

The annealing induced morphological changes in isotropic block copoly(etherester)s are investigated by small angle X-ray scattering methods. The observed results are consistent with a lamellar model which is comprised of a crystalline core of thickness 35 to 45 Å, a diffuse boundary zone of width 9 Å, and an amorphous layer which is varying strongly in thickness. The enhanced crystallinity of the samples annealed at higher temperatures is mainly due the lateral growth of the lamellae; the long period increases by not more than 20%. The scattering power of the samples is explained by means of an equivalent two-phase model in which the crystalline phase has the same structure as theα-form of poly(butylene terephthalate), whereas the amorphous phase is a mixture of the uncrystallized ester segments and the ether segments. The crystallinity determined from the scattering power is very much higher than that determined from thermoanalytical investigations.