Degradation of Baku oil, refinery products (diesel fuel, kerosene, and gasoline), and some individual aromatic hydrocarbons (toluene, p-xylene, and ethylbenzene) by micromycete cultures isolated from Caspian Sea water and coastal soil near the Apsheron peninsula was studied. The intensity of biodegradation of crude oil and petroleum products with micromycetes was determined by measuring carbon dio

Estramustine (EM), a complex between estradiol-17 beta and nornitrogen mustard, is commonly used in the treatment of prostatic cancer. The exact mechanism of action is unknown but has previously been considered to be mediated through non-DNA targets, specifically with the mitotic spindle, and to be related to the intact EM complex. In the present study, using different cell-systems (monocyte phago

Background Estimation of skin diseases in the community is challenging because we do not easily have access to the nonhealthcare-seeking population. A potential tool is a questionnaire asking for self-reported skin complaints. Such an instrument has not yet been developed. Objectives To validate a simple instrument assessing skin morbidity in the general adult population, to predict clinical skin

Objective: To study whether transient hyperglycemia adversely affects cerebral energy metabolism in patients with severe traumatic brain lesions. Design and setting: Prospective, nonrandomized study in the neurosurgical intensive care unit of a university hospital. Patients: 108 patients treated for severe traumatic brain lesions. Interventions: All patients were treated according to neurosurgical

Ultimatum proposals and dictator donations are studied when proposers can choose,the income and sex of the responder. Responder attributes generated strong effects in the selection decisions; subjects preferred to send proposals to low-income responders and female responders were much more popular than males. Hence, signals of income and sex appear to be important in deciding with whom to bargain.

Objectives: To examine if a low level of psychosocial resources in early pregnancy is associated with the occurrence of prolonged tabour. Study design: A cross sectional study of 644 women expecting their first child. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire at their first antenatal visit, measuring psychosocial resources defined as social network and support, work-related psychosocial

Epistemic uncertainty is an unavoidable attribute which is present in criminal investigations and could affect negatively the effectiveness of the process. A cyber-crime investigation involves a potentially large number of individuals and groups who need to communicate, share and make decisions across many levels and boundaries. This paper presents an approach adopting elements of the Strategic Sy

Polyamines are organic cations, which are considered essential for normal cell cycle progression. This view is based on results from numerous studies using a variety of enzyme inhibitors or polyamine analogues interfering with either the metabolism or the physiological functions of the polyamines. However, the presence of non-specific effects may be hard to rule out in such studies. In the present

The condensation of DNA by poly(amido amine) dendrimers of generation 1, 2, and 4 has been followed by time-resolved cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). The recorded images show that significant morphological rearrangement occurs for DNA condensed with the lower generation dendrimers leading to the formation of toroidal aggregates. Higher charge density dendrimers, on the other

The dynamics of particle formation were investigated for a diffusion-like ethylene flame containing a cooling metal plate on which particles condensed. Small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering techniques were combined to follow size- and structural changes of the soot particles using a new detector. The high dynamic range allowed continuous monitoring from the gas to the condensed phase of the

Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) typically presents with red blood cell aplasia that usually manifests in the first year of life. The only gene currently known to be mutated in DBA encodes ribosomal protein S19 (RPS19). Previous studies have shown that the yeast RPS19 protein is required for a specific step in the maturation of 40S ribosomal subunits. Our objective here was to determine whether the h

Excited states have been observed in the N=Z-2 odd-odd nucleus Mn-48 for the first time. Through comparison with the structure of V-48, a first high-spin study of an odd-odd mirror pair has been achieved. Differences between the T=1 analogue states in this pair have been interpreted in terms of Coulomb effects, with the aid of shell-model calculations in the full pf valence space. Unlike other mir

Reception of partially correlated fields by two closely coupled electrical dipoles is discussed as a function of load impedances and open-circuit correlations. Two local maxima of the power may be achieved for two different load impedances, but in those cases the output correlations are high. Choosing the loads to give zero output correlations is possible for almost any real-valued open-circuit co

Light is both the energy source and the dominant signalling input for photosynthetic organisms. Accordingly, up to 30–50% of the genes expressed in plant leaves are directly or indirectly regulated by light, and virtually all aspects of plant metabolism support photosynthesis, depend upon the products of photosynthesis or are affected by photosynthesis-related changes in metabolite levels. Though

Muscarinic receptor stimulation and activation of protein kinase C cause an increase in fosB and junB transcripts in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. In this study, the effect of long-term ethanol exposure on these events was investigated. Carbachol-stimulated fosB and junB expression was elevated in ethanol-exposed cells compared with control cells. The potentiation was time- and dose-dependent