Sökresultat

Soil artificially contaminated with fluorene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and benz[a]anthracene was inoculated with the wood-rotting fungi Pleurotus ostreatus and Antrodia vaillantii. During 12 weeks of incubation, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation and the formation of persistent degradation products were monitored by chemical analysis. In addition, the effect on the indigenous soil bact

The division of responsibilities between specialized and primary health care for children with chronic illness is unclear. The utilization and perceptions of primary and specialized care were examined by means of a questionnaire mailed to the parents of all chronically ill children and a randomly selected control group. No difference in sociodemographic variables of responders (70%) and nonrespond

Tourism is largely dependent on climatic and natural resources. For example, "warmer'' climates generally constitute preferred environments for recreation and leisure, and natural resources such as fresh water, biodiversity, beaches or landscapes are essential preconditions for tourism. Global environmental change threatens these foundations of tourism through climate change, modifications of glob

This paper presents a study of the pH dependence of the activity and stability of a set of family 11 xylanases for which X-ray structures are available, using the PROPKA approach. The xylanases are traditionally divided into basic and acidic xylanases, depending on whether the catalytic acid is hydrogen bonded to an Asn or Asp residue. Using X-ray structures, the predicted pH values of optimal act

Jawless fishes (Agnatha; lampreys and hagfishes) most closely resemble the earliest stage in vertebrate evolution and lamprey-like animals already existed in the Lower Cambrian [about 540 million years ago (MYA)]. Agnathans are thought to have separated from the main vertebrate lineage at least 500 MYA. Hagfishes have primitive eyes, but the eyes of adult lampreys are well-developed. The southern

HbA1C is the stable glucose adduct to the N-terminal group of the beta-chain of HbA0. The measurement of HbA1c in human blood is most important for the long-term control of the glycaemic state in diabetic patients. Because there was no internationally agreed reference method the IFCC Working Group on HbA1c Standardization developed a reference method which is here described. In a first step haemog

The lung proteome is a dynamic collection of specialized proteins related to pulmonary function. Many cells of different derivations, activation states, and levels of maturity contribute to the changing environment, which produces the lung proteome. Inflammatory cells reacting to environmental challenge, for example from allergens, produce and secrete proteins which have profound effects on both r

The ages of the oldest stars in the Galaxy indicate when star formationbegan, and provide a minimum age for the Universe. Radioactive dating ofmeteoritic material and stars relies on comparing the present abundanceratios of radioactive and stable nuclear species to the theoreticallypredicted ratios of their production. The radioisotope ²³²Th(half-life 14Gyr) has been used to date Galact

The runoff from and the water balance of a thin extensive green roof with sedum-moss have been studied. The soil cover is about 3 cm underlain by a thin drainage layer. The water balance is determined on a monthly basis. The runoff from the green roof is much reduced compared to runoff from hard roofs because of evapotranspiration. The annual runoff is rather close to that of natural river basins.

Among birds, falcons are high-performance flyers, in many cases adapted for aerial hunting and hence suitable targets for investigating limits to flight performance. Using an optical range finder, we measured flight tracks of Eleonoras falcon (Falco eleonorae), a species breeding in the Mediterranean region and specialised for hunting autumn passage bird migrants, when commuting between their nest

In order to clarify the mechanism of the selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia over a V2O5(WO3)/TiO2 commercial SCR catalyst, measurements were made on the reaction rate, r(NO), as a function of partial pressure of nitric oxide, P-NO, partial pressure of ammonia, P-NH3, and partial pressure of oxygen, P-O2, from 513 to 553 K under steady-state conditions. The adsorption of NO

Background: Natural antibodies specific for phosphorylcholine (anti-PC) have been implicated as protective factors in atherosclerosis. We herein determined the relationship between IgM anti-PC and incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: We studied 349 incident cases (200 men) of first events of CVD (coronary heart disease (CHD; n = 203 or ischemic stroke; n = 146) and 693 age- and sex-

The results are presented of a detailed plant macrofossil analysis of a C-14 dated Holocene organic sequence from a sub-Antarctic island, South Georgia. In the peat infilling of a rock basin 31 bryophyte species and many of the principal species of the present-day angiosperm flora, associated with bog communities, have been identified. The zonation of the bryophytes and the seeds and fruits shows

Background The summarized importance of haemostatic and metabolic variables (insulin, lipids including lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] and leptin) in predicting first myocardial infarction, as well as possible interactions among these variables, have not been reported. Design A prospective case-control study nested within the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort. Methods Sixty-two men diagnosed with

The ability to propagate under anaerobic conditions is an essential and unique trait of brewer's or baker's yeast ( Saccharomyces cervisiae). To understand the evolution of facultative anaerobiosis we studied the dependence of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis, more precisely the fourth enzymic activity catalysed by dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODase), on the enzymes of the respiratory chain in s

We report a 40 year record of eutrophication and hypoxia on an estuarine ecosystem and its recovery from hypereutrophication. After decades of high inorganic nutrient concentrations and recurring anoxia and hypoxia, we observe a paradoxical increase in chlorophyll-a concentrations with decreasing nutrient inputs. We hypothesise that algal growth was inhibited due to hypereutrophication, either by

Background: Scientific reviewing is a voluntary process to determine if a manuscript deserves publication. REVIEW means: Responsibly Evaluate, Verify and Improve the manuscript, Educate the authors and editors, and Weigh your expert opinion against the submitted work. Provide your review in a respectful, unbiased and timely manner. Review Methods: Make sure editors know about your willingness to r

An easy and cost-effective method to manufacture a robust conductive graphite coating for nanospray mass spectrometry (nESI-MS) and capillary electrophoresis (CE)-nESI-MS is described. The method involves graphite coating of a tube sleeve, into which the nESI emitter is inserted and connected to a transfer capillary, instead of coating the actual emitter. The coating, made of graphite from a penci