At-wavelength metrology facility for soft X-ray reflection optics.

A new Optics Beamline coupled to a versatile UHV reflectometer is successfully operating at BESSY-II. It is used to carry out at-wavelength characterization and calibration of in-house produced gratings and novel nano-optical devices as well as mirrors and multilayer systems in the UV and XUV spectral region. This paper presents most recent commissioning data of the beamline and shows their correlation with initial beamline design calculations. Special attention is paid to beamline key parameters which determine the quality of the measurements such as high-order suppression and stray light behavior. The facility is open to user operation.

The at-wavelength metrology facility for UV- and XUV-reflection and diffraction optics at BESSY-II.

A technology center for the production of high-precision reflection gratings has been established. Within this project a new optics beamline and a versatile reflectometer for at-wavelength characterization of UV- and XUV-reflection gratings and other (nano-) optical elements has been set up at BESSY-II. The Plane Grating Monochromator beamline operated in collimated light (c-PGM) is equipped with an SX700 monochromator, of which the blazed gratings (600 and 1200 lines mm(-1)) have been recently exchanged for new ones of improved performance produced in-house. Over the operating range from 10 to 2000 eV this beamline has very high spectral purity achieved by (i) a four-mirror arrangement of different coatings which can be inserted into the beam at different angles and (ii) by absorber filters for high-order suppression. Stray light and scattered radiation is removed efficiently by double sets of in situ exchangeable apertures and slits. By use of in- and off-plane bending-magnet radiation the beamline can be adjusted to either linear or elliptical polarization. One of the main features of a novel 11-axes reflectometer is the possibility to incorporate real life-sized gratings. The samples are adjustable within six degrees of freedom by a newly developed UHV-tripod system carrying a load up to 4 kg, and the reflectivity can be measured between 0 and 90° incidence angle for both s- and p-polarization geometry. This novel powerful metrology facility has gone into operation recently and is now open for external users. First results on optical performance and measurements on multilayer gratings will be presented here.

Effects of environmental pollutants on the reproduction and welfare of ruminants.

Anthropogenic pollutants comprise a wide range of synthetic organic compounds and heavy metals, which are dispersed throughout the environment, usually at low concentrations. Exposure of ruminants, as for all other animals, is unavoidable and while the levels of exposure to most chemicals are usually too low to induce any physiological effects, combinations of pollutants can act additively or synergistically to perturb multiple physiological systems at all ages but particularly in the developing foetus. In sheep, organs affected by pollutant exposure include the ovary, testis, hypothalamus and pituitary gland and bone. Reported effects of exposure include changes in organ weight and gross structure, histology and gene and protein expression but these changes are not reflected in changes in reproductive performance under the conditions tested. These results illustrate the complexity of the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds on the reproductive axis, which make it difficult to extrapolate between, or even within, species. Effects of pollutant exposure on the thyroid gland, immune, cardiovascular and obesogenic systems have not been shown explicitly, in ruminants, but work on other species suggests that these systems can also be perturbed. It is concluded that exposure to a mixture of anthropogenic pollutants has significant effects on a wide variety of physiological systems, including the reproductive system. Although this physiological insult has not yet been shown to lead to a reduction in ruminant gross performance, there are already reports indicating that anthropogenic pollutant exposure can compromise several physiological systems and may pose a significant threat to both reproductive performance and welfare in the longer term. At present, many potential mechanisms of action for individual chemicals have been identified but knowledge of factors affecting the rate of tissue exposure and of the effects of combinations of chemicals on physiological systems is poor. Nevertheless, both are vital for the identification of risks to animal productivity and welfare.

Laparoscopic management of appendiceal intussusception associated with villous adenocarcinoma.

The authors present a case of appendiceal intussusception, a rare finding that can be associated with appendiceal neoplasms. A 74-year-old woman with right lower quadrant abdominal pain was found to have an appendiceal intussusception associated with a villous adenocarcinoma and was managed with a laparoscopic assisted right hemicolectomy. This case is presented along with a review of the symptoms, diagnosis, classification, and appropriate management of this entity via laparoscopy.

Genetic length polymorphisms create size variation in proline-rich proteins of the cell wall.

Two genes, Prp1 and Prp2, encode proline-rich proteins that are found in different stages of developing seed coats, hypocotyls, and roots of soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.). PRP1 is found in young seed coats and PRP2 is found later during seed desiccation. In some soybean varieties, both proteins are smaller as determined by immunoblotting seed coat proteins separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It was found that Prp1 and Prp2 genes are linked to each other by testing seed coat protein extracts from an F2 population of a cross between the cultivar Richland, which exhibits the larger PRP proteins, and Blackhawk, which has the smaller PRP proteins. The Prp1 and Prp2 genes were separated by approximately 13% recombination. Simultaneous expression of soluble PRP2 polypeptides in the maternal seed coat and underlying aleurone layer of the embryo was found. The molecular basis for the size difference between the two varieties was examined using polymerase chain reaction to isolate the Prp genes from Blackhawk, the variety that exhibited the smaller proteins. Both of the genes from Blackhawk contained length polymorphisms that result in omission of some of the repeat units (pro pro val tyr lys) from the proteins. In Prp1, there were two separate deletions in different parts of the gene, each being two tandem repeats in length. In Prp2, there was only one deletion of two tandem repeats. These deletions occur within the coding regions in a manner that conserves the reading frame. The results are the first description of genetic variation in cell wall proteins and its molecular basis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)