Objectives. To characterize the chromosome-encoded metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) from the psychrophilic, marine fish-pathogenic bacterium Aliivibrio salmonicida LFI1238 and check for the presence of the gene in other Aliivibrio isolates both connected to the fish-farming industry and from the environment. Methods. The MBL gene was cloned and intracellularly expressed in Escherichia coli. Kinetic ...

Background: Previous studies have relied on international spirometry criteria to diagnose COPD in patients with lung cancer without considering the effect lung cancer might have on spirometric results. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of COPD and emphysema at the time of primary lung cancer diagnosis and to examine factors associated with survival. Materials and methods: Medical ...

This work investigates the ice over a PVC (polyvinyl chloride also known as ‘PVC’) surface as a two-layer laminate model. In this study, ice was frozen over a PVC surface and allowed to adhere. The built samples were tested experimentally in a four-point loading setup. The experimental results contain strain data gathered through data acquisition system using LabView® software. The data was collected ...

We report a methane sensor based on an integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometer, which is cladded by a styrene-acrylonitrile film incorporating cryptophane-A. Cryptophane-A is a supramolecular compound able to selectively trap methane, and its presence in the cladding leads to a 17-fold sensitivity enhancement. Our approach, based on 3 cm-long low-loss Si3N4 rib waveguides, results in a detection limit ...

Optical waveguides can be used to trap and transport micro-particles. The particles are held close to the waveguide surface by the evanescent field and propelled forward. We propose a new technique to lift and trap particles above the surface of the waveguides. This is made possible by a gap between two opposing, planar waveguides. The field emitted from each of the waveguide ends diverge fast, away ...

Abstract To investigate temporal patterns, pollution concentrations and the health effects of air pollutants in Beijing we carried out time-series analyses on daily concentrations of ambient air pollutants and daily numbers of outpatient visits for otolaryngology over 2 years (2011– 2012) to identify possible health effects of air pollutants. The results showed that PM10 was the major air ...

We give a generalization of Kung’s theorem on critical exponents of linear codes over a finite field, in terms of sums of extended weight polynomials of linear codes. For all i=k+1,…,ni=k+1,…,n, we give an upper bound on the smallest integer m such that there exist m codewords whose union of supports has cardinality at least i.

High-resolution swath-bathymetry data from inner Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, reveal characteristic landform assemblages formed during and after surges of tidewater glaciers, and provide new insights into the dynamics of surging glaciers. Glacier front oscillations and overriding related to surge activity lead to the formation of overridden moraines, glacial lineations of two types, terminal moraines, ...

To a matroid M with n edges, we associate the so-called facet ideal F(M)⊂k[x1,…,xn] , generated by monomials corresponding to bases of M. We show that when M is a graph, the Betti numbers related to an ℕ0-graded minimal free resolution of F(M) are determined by the Betti numbers related to the blocks of M. Similarly, we show that the higher weight hierarchy of M is determined by the weight hierarchies ...

We have investigated the biotechnological potential of Arctic marine bacteria for their ability to produce a broad spectrum of cold-active enzymes. Marine bacteria exhibiting these features are of great interest for both fundamental research and industrial applications. Macrobiota water and sediment samples have been collected during 2010 and 2011expeditions around the Lofoten and Svalbard islands. ...