Next-generation sequencing of the V1-V2 and V3 variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene generated a total of 674,116 reads that described six distinct bacterial biofilm communities from both water meters and pipes. A high degree of reproducibility was demonstrated for the experimental and analytical work-flow by analyzing the communities present in parallel water meters, the rare occurrence of biolog

Particles, climate change, and health have thought-provoking interactions. Air pollution is one of the largest environmental problems concerning human health. On the other hand, aerosol particles can have a cooling effect on climate and a reduction of those emissions may result in an increased temperature globally, which in turn may have negative health effects. The objective of this work was to i

Network theory can be employed in two ways in archaeology: it can be used to analyse archaeological data, or it can be used to model a historical process for the purpose of simulating the data. This paper focuses on the first approach. In such analyses, similar archaeological contexts are often connected to form a similarity network. Similarity is treated as a proxy for social or causal relationsh

Is the cohomology of the classifying space of a p-compact group, with Noetherian twisted coefficients, a Noetherian module? In this paper we provide, over the ring of p-adic integers, such a generalization to p-compact groups of the Evens-Venkov theorem. We consider the cohomology of a space with coefficients in a module, and we compare Noetherianity over the p-adic integers, in the case when the

Increased anthropogenic pressures on coastal marine ecosystems in the last century are threatening their biodiversity and functioning. Global warming and increases in nutrient loadings are two major stressors affecting these systems. Global warming is expected to increase both atmospheric and water temperatures and increase precipitation and terrestrial runoff, further increasing organic matter an

To explore the possible influence of pre-eclampsia on cognitive outcome in children born very preterm after intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and abnormal umbilical artery blood flow.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to study the discomfort experienced by adolescents when answering questions in a survey about sexuality and sexual abuse and to investigate factors that may determine possible experience of discomfort. The research focused particularly on vulnerable adolescents-sexually abused and sexually inexperienced. METHOD: Adolescents in their final year of high school

Organic enrichment may deeply affect benthic nitrogen (N) cycling in macrophyte meadows, either promoting N loss or its recycling. This depends upon the plasticity of plants and of the associated microbial communities, as those surrounding the rhizosphere. Rates of denitrification, dissolved inorganic N fluxes and N uptake were measured in sediments vegetated by the submerged macrophyte Vallisneri

Polanyi’s concept of the ‘double movement’ is frequently interpreted as the opposition between the problematic and unsustainable dynamics of the market and the benign and normatively desirable reaction against this by ‘society’. This paper questions this dualistic interpretation of the double movement and undertakes a problematization of the Polanyian idea of social and environmental protection. I

Nanoconfined 2LiBH(4)-MgH2 is prepared by direct melt infiltration of bulk 2LiBH(4)-MgH2 into an inert nanoporous resorcinol-formaldehyde carbon aerogel scaffold material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping reveal homogeneous dispersion of Mg (from MgH2) and B (from LiBH4) inside the carbon aerogel scaffold. Moreover, nanoconfineme

Physical exercise is a cornerstone in the management of many neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, dementia, and stroke. However, much of its beneficial effects on improving motor functions and cognition as well as decreasing neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation are not yet well understood. The obvious limitations of studying the protective mechanisms behind exercise, for ex

Chemical sensitization is an adverse immunologic response to chemical substances, inducing hypersensitivity in exposed individuals. Identifying chemical sensitizers is of great importance for chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry, in order to prevent the use of sensitizers in consumer products. Historically, chemical sensitizers have been assessed mainly by in vivo methods, however, recen

We present the first ratio-based image segmentation method that allows imposing curvature regularity of the region boundary. Our approach is a generalization of the ratio framework pioneered by Jermyn and Ishikawa so as to allow penalty functions that take into account the local curvature of the curve. The key idea is to cast the segmentation problem as one of finding cyclic paths of minimal ratio

The effect of various nitrogen (N) sources, including riverine dissolved organic matter (DOM), nitrate, ammonium, and urea, on the growth and physiology of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum was compared in a batch culture experiment. P. minimum grew equally well in the presence of identical amounts of nitrate, ammonium, and urea. Approximately 18 to 20% of organic N bound to the DOM was bioa

Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate)/organically modified clay nanocomposites were prepared using different clay loadings and by varying the amount of organic modifier. The morphology of the nanocomposites was investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). SAXS results displayed intercalation of polymeric chains be

Bortezomib is a highly selective inhibitor of the 26S proteasome and has been approved for clinical use in the treatment of relapsing and refractory multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. Clinical trials are also underway to assess the role of bortezomib in several other human malignancies, including leukemia. However, the mechanism(s) by which bortezomib acts remain to be fully understood. He

Background: Major depression has traditionally been regarded as a neurochemical disease, but findings of a decreased hippocampal volume in patients with depression have turned the pathophysiological focus toward impairments in structural plasticity. The mechanisms of action of the most effective antidepressive treatment, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), still remains elusive, but recent animal res

A short sediment core from a local depression forming an intra basin on the Lomonosov Ridge, was retrieved during the Healy-Oden Trans-Arctic Expedition 2005 (HOTRAX). It contains a record of the Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 1-3 showing exceptionally high abundances of calcareous microfossils during parts of MIS 3. Based on radiocarbon dating, linear sedimentation rates of 7-9 cm/ka persist during