Observing and modeling long-term persistence of P. noctiluca in coupled complementary marine systems (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea and Messina Strait).

In the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Messina (MS) is a very peculiar area, connecting highly different regions and representing a privileged observatory for an early comprehension and assessment of ecosystems shifts. It is hypothesized that the outbreaks observed near the coast of many sites in the Mediterranean Sea may be the result of transport of permanent populations of P. noctiluca in pelagic waters to the coast, caused by specific hydrodynamic conditions.

Pool-Boiling Performance on Thin Metal Foils with Graphene-Oxide-Nanoflake Deposit.

The pool-boiling performance of water on thin metal foils with graphene-oxide deposition was studied. The boiling performance was evaluated both on fully coated surfaces, achieved by spin-coating, and surfaces with a laser-textured nucleation site, into which graphene oxide was added via drop-casting. During the experiments, a high-speed IR camera was used to obtain the transient temperature and heat-flux distribution.

STAR-VITAL, a Four Year Comprehensive Workplace Health Promotion Program: Study Design.

Premature death, chronic disease, and productivity loss can be reduced with the help of programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. Workplace health promotion programs have been shown to be an efficient way of improving employee health. These can also benefit employers by improving retention, reducing worker turnover, and lowering healthcare costs.

Metabolomic profiling of CHO fed-batch growth phases at 10, 100, and 1,000 L.

Established bioprocess monitoring is based on quick and reliable methods, including cell count and viability measurement, extracellular metabolite measurement, and the measurement of physicochemical qualities of the cultivation medium. These methods are sufficient for monitoring of process performance, but rarely give insight into the actual physiological states of the cell culture. However, understanding of the latter is essential for optimization of bioprocess development.

Comparative analysis of the ecosystems in the northern Adriatic Sea and the Inland Sea of Japan: Can anthropogenic pressures disclose jellyfish outbreaks?

A prominent increase in the moon jellyfish (genus Aurelia) populations has been observed since 1980 in two semi-enclosed temperate seas: the northern Adriatic Sea and the Inland Sea of Japan. Therefore, we reviewed long-term environmental and biotic data from the two Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites, along with the increase in the moon jellyfish occurrence to elucidate how these coastal seas shifted to the jellyfish-dominated ecosystems. The principal component analysis of atmospheric data revealed a simultaneous occurrence of similar climatic changes in the early 1980s; thereafter, air temperature increased steadily and precipitation decreased but became more extreme.

Metabolic Consequences of Infection of Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. "Modra frankinja" with Flavescence Dorée Phytoplasma.

Flavescence dorée, caused by the quarantine phytoplasma FDp, represents the most devastating of the grapevine yellows diseases in Europe. In an integrated study we have explored the FDp-grapevine interaction in infected grapevines of cv. "Modra frankinja" under natural conditions in the vineyard.

Bacterial community shift is induced by dynamic environmental parameters in a changing coastal ecosystem (northern Adriatic, northeastern Mediterranean Sea)--a 2-year time-series study.

The potential link between the microbial dynamics and the environmental parameters was investigated in a semi-enclosed and highly dynamic coastal system (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic Sea, NE Mediterranean Sea). Our comprehensive 2-year time-series study showed that despite the shallowness of this area, there was a significant difference between the surface and the bottom bacterial community structure. The bottom bacterial community was more diverse than the surface one and influenced by sediment re-suspension.

Characterization of CIM monoliths as enzyme reactors.

The immobilization of the enzymes citrate lyase, malate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase to CIM monolithic supports was performed. The long-term stability, reproducibility, and linear response range of the immobilized enzyme reactors were investigated along with the determination of the kinetic behavior of the enzymes immobilized on the CIM monoliths. The Michaelis-Menten constant K(m) and the turnover number k(3) of the immobilized enzymes were found to be flow-unaffected.

Application of Convective Interaction Media (CIM) disk monolithic columns for fast separation and monitoring of organic acids.

The separation of organic acids on the anion-exchange monolithic support, commercially available as Convective Interaction Media (CIM), is presented in this study. It is demonstrated that citric, isocitric, pyruvic, fumaric, malic, and alpha-ketoglutaric acid can be successfully separated using a CIM monolithic column of suitable user-adjustable length. The effect of the mobile phase composition on the separation is investigated.

Use of compact, porous units with immobilized ligands with high molecular masses in affinity chromatography and enzymatic conversion of substrates with high and low molecular masses.

Different ligands with high molecular masses are immobilized on compact, porous separation units and used for affinity chromatography. In subsequent experiments different enzymes are immobilized and used for converting substrates with low and high molecular masses. Disk or tube with immobilized concanavalin A (ConA) are used as model systems for lectin affinity chromatography.