The paper reports a study involving the use of Halomonas boliviensis, a moderate halophile, for co-production of compatible solute ectoine and biopolyester poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) in a process comprising two fed-batch cultures. Initial investigations on the growth of the organism in a medium with varying NaCl concentrations showed the highest level of intracellular accumulation of ectoine (0

Background: Quadrupole moments of excited nuclear states are important observables for geometrically interpreting nuclear structure in terms of deformed shapes, although data are scarce and sometimes ambiguous, in particular, in neutron-rich nuclides. Purpose: A measurement was performed for determining the spectroscopic quadrupole moment of the 2(1)(+) state of Ba-140 in order to clarify the char

A spectroscopic investigation of the gamma decays from excited states in Er-159 has been performed to study the changing structural properties exhibited as ultrahigh spins (I > 60 (h) over bar) are approached. The nucleus of Er-159 was populated by the reaction Cd-116(Ca-48, 5n gamma) at a beam energy of 215 MeV, and the resulting gamma decays were studied using the Gammasphere spectrometer. New r

Objective. Natural autoantibodies (NAAs) against MPO exist in normal human plasma. In the current study, the immune characteristics of MPO-NAA and MPO-ANCA were examined and compared with the aim to investigate the pathogenesis of MPO-ANCA. Methods. MPO-NAAs were affinity purified from normal plasma of five healthy blood donors and one batch of IVIG. MPO-ANCAs were purified from plasma of 10 patie

Nursing has come a long way since the days of Florence Nightingale and even though no consensus exists it would seem reasonable to assume that caring still remains the inner core, the essence of nursing. In the light of the societal, contextual and political changes that have taken place during the 21st century, it is important to explore whether these might have influenced the essence of nursing.

Thin films of titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc) have been adsorbed on InSb(1 1 1) (3 x 3) and InSb(1 0 0) c(8 x 2) surfaces and studied with respect to their electronic structure using photoemission (PES), density functional theory (DFT) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The interface chemical interaction is weak in both cases; no adsorbate induced surface band bending is observed and the ener

Approaches exploiting trait distribution extremes may be used to identify loci associated with common traits, but it is unknown whether these loci are generalizable to the broader population. In a genome-wide search for loci associated with the upper versus the lower 5th percentiles of body mass index, height and waist-to-hip ratio, as well as clinical classes of obesity, including up to 263,407 i

Aquaporin-9 (AQP9) is a membrane protein channel that is permeable to a range of small solutes, including glycerol, urea and nucleobases. Expression of AQP9 in normal brain is limited, while widespread AQP9 expression has previously been reported in human glioblastoma. However, the specific cellular expression of AQP9 in glioblastoma remains unclear. In this study, we have examined microarrays to

In the post-genomic era, it has become evident that genetic changes alone are not sufficient to understand most disease processes including pancreatic cancer. Genome sequencing has revealed a complex set of genetic alterations in pancreatic cancer such as point mutations, chromosomal losses, gene amplifications and telomere shortening that drive cancerous growth through specific signaling pathways

Whole strawberries were vacuum infused with cryoprotectants to improve their freezing tolerance. The strawberries were infused with 12 g/100 g trehalose solution; 0.2 g/100 g cold-acclimated wheatgrass solution (AWWE) containing antifreeze protein (AFP) or combination of 12 g/100 g trehalose with 0.2 g/100 g AWWE under vacuum for 14 mm. The fruits were frozen in liquid nitrogen and thawed at room

The angle-resolved resonant Auger spectrum of Xe is investigated with a record high meV energy resolution in the kinetic energy region of 34.45-39.20 eV at hv = 65.110 eV, corresponding to the resonant excitation of the Auger Xe* 4d(5/2)(-1)6p state. New lines have been observed and assigned in the spectra. The results of previous measurements concerning energies, intensities and angular distribut

The biogenicity of ancient morphological microfossil-like objects can be established by linking morphological (e.g. cell remnants and extracellular polymeric matrix) and chemical (e.g. isotopes, biomarkers and biominerals) evidence indicative of microorganisms or microbial activity. We have developed a non-destructive micro-analytical ion beam system capable of measuring with high spatial resoluti

In 2012 a Swedish project was initiated to study and document the archaeological remains at Gebel el Silsila, located about 65 km north of Aswan and 130 km south of Luxor. Mission director Dr. Maria Nilsson of Lund University summarizes the results of the first three seasons.