Gelatinized starch/water dispersions with a water content of 70% w/w were studied in order to evaluate the influence of the incubation time at two fixed temperatures (6 and 37 degrees C) on the recrystallization behavior. The starch material was produced from waxy maize starch by acid hydrolysis followed by a mechanical treatment, i.e. a high pressure homogenization. Empirical models for the recry

The chemical activity of organic chemicals directs their diffusion and partitioning and is consequently crucial for their transport, distribution, and toxic effects. A silicone membrane equilibrator is introduced for measuring the chemical activity of nonpolar organic chemicals in lipid-rich samples: (I) A 6 m poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microtube (300 mum i.d., 640 mum o.d.) was placed in a sam

A cell-based biosensor system was designed for monitoring an anaerobic process for treatment of high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels in wastewater samples from a factory processing concentrated rubber latex. The BOD biosensor used immobilized mixed culture of microorganisms as the biological sensing element and an oxygen electrode as the transducer. The assay principle is based on the deter

The lubricating effect of styrene-dimethylsiloxane block copolymer films spin cast on Si wafers was found to increase with increasing size of the poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) block. Friction properties of symmetrical and close-to-symmetrical block copolymers were evaluated in contact with bromobutyl rubber in a plate-on-plate configuration. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the copolym

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene transduction of the brain using viral vectors in epileptogenic regions can effectively suppress seizures in animals, and is being considered as a promising alternative treatment strategy for epilepsy. Therefore, it is fundamental to understand the detailed mechanisms governing the release and action of transgene NPY in neuronal circuitries. Using whole-cell recordings fro

The substrate specificity of an alkaline protease, produced by Nesterenkonia sp. AL20 grown on chicken feather as the nutrient source, was assessed using oxidized insulin B-chain and derivatized peptide substrates. The initial cleavage of the. insulin chain was determined to be at Tyr(16) -Leu(17) and Tyr(26) -Thr(27), followed by Gln(4)-His(5), Phe(25)-Tyr(26) and Leu(15)-Tyr(16) bonds. An additi

Measurements on a semi-welded plate heat exchanger (PHE) and on various versions of the nickel-brazed PHE were performed in a large experimental refrigeration rig. Experiments were carried out with the refrigerant ammonia, which was completely evaporated in vertical upward flow in PHEs connected in a U-type manner. A multiple linear regression analysis produced three Nusselt number correlations fo

Background: Prospective studies have indicated that elevated blood glucose levels may be linked with increased cancer risk, but the strength of the association is unclear. We examined the association between blood glucose and cancer risk in a prospective study of six European cohorts. Methods and Findings: The Metabolic syndrome and Cancer project (Me-Can) includes cohorts from Norway, Austria, an

Special purpose service robots have already entered the market and their users homes. Also the idea of the general purpose service robot or personal robot companion is increasingly discussed and investigated. To probe human-robot interaction with a mobile robot in arbitrary domestic settings, we conducted a study in eight different homes. Based on previous results from laboratory studies we identi

In this study we investigate the NADPH-dependent stereoselective reduction of the bicyclic diketone bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2,6-dione (BCO2,6D) to the chiral ketoalcohol (1R,4S,6S)-6-hydroxybicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2-one (BCO2one6ol). Our aim was to develop a whole cell batch process for reduction of carbonyl substrates with (i) a high cosubstrate yield (formed product/consumed cosubstrate) and (ii) a hi

Shikimic acid, which is produced in the aromatic amino acid pathway in plants and microorganisms, is an industrially interesting chiral starting material for the synthesis of many chemical substances, e.g. the influenza medicine Tamiflu (R). When produced by genetically modified Escherichia coli it has previously been found that carbon-rich conditions (e.g. phosphate-limitation) favors production

The UV photodissociation (

Fatigue damage due to a special class of non-Gaussian broadband loadings is considered. Specifically, the loadings are considered to be non-monotonic transformation of stationary, Gaussian random processes. A linear damage accumulation rule is assumed and the rain-flow cycle counting method is considered. Analytical expressions are developed for estimating the expected rain-flow fatigue damage. Ea

BACKGROUND: The Palliative Medicine Unit at University Hospital of Trondheim, Norway, started an intervention programme that aims to enable patients to spend more time at home and die there if they prefer. Close cooperation was needed with the community health-care professionals, who acted as the principal formal caregivers, and a multidisciplinary consultant team coordinated the care. We did a cl

The structure of calerythrin, a prokaryotic 20 kDa calcium-binding protein has been determined by solution NMR spectroscopy. Distance, dihedral angle, J coupling, secondary chemical shift, residual dipolar coupling and radius of gyration restraints reveal four EF-hand motifs arranged in a compact globular structure. A tight turn in the middle of the amino acid sequence brings the two halves, each

In this paper we consider a Black and Scholes economy and investigate two approaches to hedging contingent claims. We show that the general Malliavin calculus approach can generate the classical Delta-hedging formula under weaker conditions.

Objective: To evaluate whether pregnancies with infants affected by congenital heart defects are associated with adverse obstetric and perinatal outcome. Study design: In a prospective population-based cohort study from Sweden (1992-2001), 6346 singleton pregnancies with infants affected by congenital heart defects were, after suitable adjustments, compared to all delivered women. Results: The pre

The feasibility of willow short rotation coppice (SRC) for energy production as a revaluation tool for severely radiocaesium-contaminated land was studied. The effects of crop age, clone and soil type on the radiocaesium. levels in the wood were assessed following sampling in 14 existing willow SRC fields, planted on radiocaesium-contaminated land in Sweden following Chernobyl deposition. There wa

Approximately 5% to 10% of melanoma may be hereditary in nature, and about 2% of melanoma can be specifically attributed to pathogenic germline mutations in cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A). To appropriately identify the small proportion of patients Who benefit most from referral to a genetics specialist for consideration of genetic testing for CDKN2A, We have reviewed available publi