Isocyanates are used mainly for manufacturing of polyurethane (PUR) foams, lacquers, elastomers and glues. The production of PUR exceeds 2 million tonnes per year and is increasing. Occupational exposure to isocyanates are associated with respiratory disorders. A method based on liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was developed for the simultaneous determination of isocyanates, aminoi

The complete mitochondrial genomes of two reptiles, the common iguana (Iguana iguana) and the caiman (Caiman crocodylus), were sequenced in order to investigate phylogenetic questions of tetrapod evolution. The addition of the two species allows analysis of reptilian relationships using data sets other than those including only fast-evolving species. The crocodilian mitochondrial genomes seem to h

The equilibrium self-diffusion of water contained within the porous structure of three different types of starch, viz. corn, wheat and potato starch was investigated. The samples were exposed to humid air until they reached a certain water content, the value of which was determined from the 1H NMR free induction decays. The water self-diffusion coefficient was determined by means of a pulsed-field

Catalysts belonging to the Mo-V-Nb-Te-O system have been prepared with both a slurry method and hydrothermal synthesis and were tested for propane and propylene ammoxidation to acrylonitrile. All samples were characterized with BET, XRD, ICP and XPS. The catalysts were found to consist of three phases, to which activity and selectivity correlations were made. The results indicate that both an orth

BACKGROUND: Previously we have found reduced levels of total serum calcium and 1,25(OH)2D3 despite an unaltered stimulated parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion 1 year after hemithyroidectomy. The present study was undertaken to elucidate the possible relationship between calcium homeostasis, thyroid hormones and bone resorption in a group of 45 consecutive patients subjected to hemithyroidectomy be

Many small proteins fold in a two-state manner, the rate-limiting step being the passage of the free-energy barrier separating the unfolded state from the native one. The free-energy barrier is, however, weak or absent for the fastest-folding proteins. Here a simple diffusion picture for such proteins is discussed. It is tested on a model protein that makes a three-helix bundle. Assuming the motio

Increasing restrictions on hazardous emissions combined with demands for good profitability from the operators in the energy market have contributed strongly to the development of innovations in which the emphasis is on low emissions and high efficiency. For gas turbine-based power plants, emission of NOx in particular is governed by stringent legislation. To meet these restrictions, most of the m

Urbanisation and industrialisation has led people spending more time indoors than ever before. Many buildings have small windows and contain large windowless spaces. Therefore, the natural daylight outdoors has to be replaced by light from artificial sources. If light affected vision only, this situation would be difficult enough. Since light also affects both well-being and health, the design of

General point interactions for the second derivative operator in one dimension are studied. In particular, cal PT-self-adjoint point interactions with the support at the origin and at points +/-l are considered. The spectrum of such non-Hermitian operators is investigated and conditions when the spectrum is pure real are presented. The results are compared with those for standard self-adjoint poin

Within the RISING (Rare ISotope INvestigations @ GSI) Collaboration at GSI, g factor measurements have been performed on isomeric states in neutron-rich isotopes approaching Sn-132 and in the neutron deficient Pb-region (the g-RISING campaign). We present the experimental technique and some typical aspects related to such studies on relativistic beams selected with the FRS fragment separator. Firs

The purpose of this study was to describe nurses' experiences of interactions with family members in intensive care units. Ten experienced Registered Nurses were interviewed, and the interview text was qualitatively analysed by its content. Nursing of families was experienced as an essential, necessary and demanding task, and no systematic assessment and intervention with families were talked abou

Objective: To evaluate the consumption of added fats and oils across the European centres and countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Design and setting: 24-Hour dietary recalls were collected by means of standardised computer-guided interviews in 27 redefined EPIC centres across 10 European countries. Subjects: From an initial number of

Matrilin-2 is a component of extracellular filamentous networks. To study the interactions by which it can be integrated into such assemblies, full-length and truncated forms of matrilin-2 were recombinantly expressed in HEK-293 cells and purified from conditioned medium. The recombinant proteins, when used in interaction assays, showed affinity to matrilin-2 itself, but also to other collagenous