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This paper describes the participatory process of developing and implementing a prototype model aimed at supporting the Integrated Sustainability Assessment of water resources and policy options at different scales. The model - called the World Cellular Model (WCM) focuses on the representation of agents’ behaviours and their systemic relationships with their environment. This is achieved by exami
This thesis deals with the methodological advances of diagnostic PCR including reliability of PCR and pre-PCR processing of food and feed samples. Diagnostic PCR has been greatly improved by the introduction of the second generation of PCR, so-called real-time PCR. Automated closed-tube quantitative real-time PCR favours the analysis of food-borne pathogenic bacteria. However, in common with conve
GHRS observations of chemically peculiar stars have initiated a new project for calculating atomic properties of heavy elements (Z approximate to 80). The method used is based on large-scale, fully relativistic MCDF, and the data involve accurate gf-values, hyperfine structure parameters, and relative isotope shifts.
This thesis presents a study of advanced analytical techniques, for the characterization of actinide particles originating from the non-peaceful use of nuclear technology and from international inspections of the nuclear fuel cycle associated with non-proliferation agreements. The thesis is based on five papers, which will be referred to by Paper I-V in the text. Individual particle analysis has s
Mucosal Toll-like receptors (TLRs) respond to pathogens, but remain inert to the indigenous flora, suggesting that the TLRs can receive pathogen-specific signals. For example, TLR4 signalling is activated in CD14-negative epithelial cells by P-fimbriated, uropathogenic Escherichia coli, but not by lipopolysaccharide. The fimbriae use glycosphingolipids as recognition receptors and there is release
The main concern about the technology for the production of hydrogen and transport fuels by biomass gasification is the presence of contaminants (H2S, tars, fly ash, alkali, and heavy metals, ammonia) that are poisonous for the catalysts used for upgrading the biomass-generated gas. The impact of the main contaminants on a Ni/MgAl(O) reforming catalyst was studied in a laboratory environment, by e
We compare different procedures for combining fixed-order tree-level matrix-element generators with parton showers. We use the case of W-production at the Tevatron and the LHC to compare different implementations of the so-called CKKW and MLM schemes using different matrix-element generators and different parton cascades. We find that although similar results are obtained in all cases, there are i
Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s have been functionalised with alkyl side chains carrying phosphonic acid and bis(phosphonic acid) in order to investigate their properties as membrane materials. The phosphonated and bisphosphonated polymers were synthesised via lithiation of poly(arylene ether sulfone)s, followed by reactions with triethyl 3-phosphonopropionate and tetraisopropyl vinylidenediphosphona
Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are potent mutagens/carcinogens to which humans are frequently exposed through the consumption of cooked meat and fish food. The effect of normal intake of HCAs and their role in the aetiology of human cancer is unknown. To some extent, limitations of the existing analytical methods in monitoring the low levels of HCAs in biological samples have hindered obtaining conclu
A Yersinia PCR-Compatible Enrichment (YPCE) medium was developed, which removes the necessity for sample pretreatment before PCR-based detection of Yersinia enterocolitica. The medium was designed through a sequence of independent screening and factorial design experiments to study the PCR inhibition and growth characteristics of medium components. The compatibility of the YPCE medium was evaluate
Bruchid beetles in the genus Zabrotes are important pests of field and stored beans all around the world and cause enormous economical losses in Mexico and Central America. Native parasitoids have been successfully used to suppress infestations by bruchid beetles in Africa, but few studies have assessed their potential to reduce seed damage in the New World and no successful biological control pro
A lab-on-a-chip device that enables positioning of single or small ensembles of cells on an aperture in close proximity to a mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) modified sensing electrode has been developed and characterized. The microchip was used for the detection of Ca(2+)-dependent quantal catecholamine exocytosis from single as well as small assemblies of rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. The frequ
The helicity dependence of the (γ) over right arrow(p) over right arrow -->ppi(0) reaction has been measured for the first time in the photon-energy range from 550 to 790 MeV. The experiment, performed at the Mainz microtron MAMI, used a 4pi -detector system, a circularly polarized, tagged photon beam, and a longitudinally polarized frozen-spin target. These data are predominantly sensitive to the
Micrometer-sized enzyme grids were fabricated on gold surfaces using a novel method based on a flow-through microdispenser. The method involves dispensing very small droplets of enzyme solution (similar to 100 pL) during the concomitant relative movement of a gold substrate with respect to the nozzle of a microdispenser, resulting in enzyme patterns with a line width of similar to 100 mum. Differe
The incidence of allergy is steadily increasing, but the molecular mechanisms involved in the allergic immune response are still not fully understood. In particular, further investigations focusing on dendritic cells, which are central in orchestrating the immune response, are needed. The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of myeloid leukaemia-derived cell lines, such as KG-1,
An integrated cell cultivation and protein product separation process was developed using a new type of supermacroporous polyacrylamide gel, called cryogel (pAAm-cryogel) support matrix. Human fibrosarcoma HT1080 and human colon cancer HCT116 cell lines were used to secrete urokinase (an enzyme of immense therapeutic utility) into the culture medium. The secreted protein was isolated from the circ
The feasibility and scalability of extraction in detergent-based aqueous two-phase systems for the separation of proteins from culture broth is demonstrated. At the same time the large-scale production of a fusion protein and the influence of cultivation scale on the efficiency of separation were investigated. An amphiphilic fusion protein EGIcore-HFBI was chosen, consisting of the catalytic core
