Classes of organic molecules targeted by a methanogenic microbial consortium grown on sedimentary rocks of various maturities.

Organic-rich shales are populated by methanogenic consortia that are able to degrade the fossilized organic matter into methane gas. To identify the organic fraction effectively degraded, we have sequentially depleted two types of organic-rich sedimentary rocks, shale, and coal, at two different maturities, by successive solvent extractions to remove the most soluble fractions (maltenes and asphaltenes) and isolate kerogen. We show the ability of the consortia to produce methane from all rock samples, including those containing the most refractory organic matter, i.

Near-peer teaching in a required third-year clerkship.

Students who teach less experienced students within the same educational program are known as near-peer teachers. A number of studies have shown that near-peers are effective teachers in preclinical courses such as anatomy and physical examination. We hypothesized that near-peers could also be effective teachers in a clinical clerkship.

Assessment of a motivational interviewing curriculum for year 3 medical students using a standardized patient case.

Objective: We sought to evaluate a year 3 motivational interviewing (MI) curriculum using a standardized patient case.

Methods: The 2-h small group MI curriculum included a didactic presentation followed by interactive role plays. During a clinical skills assessment at the end of year 3 the MI skills of 80 students who had participated in the curriculum were compared with those of 19 students who had not participated.

Combining steam injection with hydraulic fracturing for the in situ remediation of the unsaturated zone of a fractured soil polluted by jet fuel.

A steam injection pilot-scale experiment was performed on the unsaturated zone of a strongly heterogeneous fractured soil contaminated by jet fuel. Before the treatment, the soil was stimulated by creating sub-horizontal sand-filled hydraulic fractures at three depths. The steam was injected through one hydraulic fracture and gas/water/non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) was extracted from the remaining fractures by applying a vacuum to extraction wells.

Spatial distribution of jet fuel in the vadoze zone of a heterogeneous and fractured soil.

The goal of the present work is to screen and evaluate all available data before selecting and testing remediation technologies on heterogeneous soils polluted by jet fuel. The migration pathways of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in the subsurface relate closely with soil properties. A case study is performed on the vadoze zone of a military airport of north-west Poland contaminated by jet fuel.

Teaching brief motivational interviewing to Year three medical students.

Objectives: In 2005, the authors developed and tested a curriculum to teach Year 3 Yale University medical students a behaviour change counselling approach called 'brief motivational interviewing' (BMI). Brief motivational interviewing is a patient-centred approach designed to promote changes in patient behaviour within the time constraints imposed by a busy medical practice.

Methods: Standardised patients/instructors delivered the curriculum within a single 2-hour training episode using a teaching acronym called 'CHANGE' to promote the students' learning.

Teaching pre-clinical medical students an integrated approach to medical interviewing: half-day workshops using actors.

Teaching medical students to integrate patient-centered skills into the medical interview is challenging. Longitudinal training requires significant curricular and faculty time. Unsupervised students risk harm if they uncover and inappropriately manage psychosocial issues in actual patients.

Efficiency of defined strains and of soil consortia in the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures.

The microbiological characteristics of the bacterial degradation of mixtures of five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), phenanthrene, fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene, were investigated. Three pure bacterial strains using one or several of these PAH as carbon sources were selected. The interactions between PAH during the degradation of PAH pairs by each of these strains were studied and their effects on the kinetics and the balance of degradation were characterised.

[Gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors in human breast cancer tissue].

Analogues of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) are presently being investigated for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Although their effects are thought to be mediated via the suppression of gonadotropins and gonadal steroids, they could possibly also act directly on the tumour. The binding of a GnRH-agonist to membrane fractions of 97 primary human breast carcinomas was investigated.