Escherichia coli as a potential hydrocarbon conversion microorganism. Oxidation of aliphatic and aromatic compounds by recombinant E. coli in two-liquid phase (aqueous-organic) systems

The increased interest in the study of hydrocarbon utilizing microorganisms in recent years has been stimulated by the possibility of using their monooxygenases in the selective oxidation of aliphatic and aromatic compounds. As an example, long chain (>C16) n-alkanes are converted to dicarboxylic acids by yeast. This type of bioconversion is useful because the regioselective and stereospecific introduction of oxygen into unactivated organic substrates by classical synthetic chemistry remains very difficult. Zie: General Conclusion

Effects of octane on the fatty acid composition and transition temperature of Pseudomonas oleovorans membrane lipids during growth in two-liquid-phase continuous cultures

Growth of Pseudomonas oleovorans GPol in continuous culture containing a bulk n-octane phase resulted in changes of the fatty acid composition of the membrane lipids. Compared to citrate-grown cells, the ratio of C18 to C16 fatty acids and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids increased as a result of growth on octane. Trans-unsaturated fatty acids, which are rarely found in bacteria, were formed during continuous growth of P. oleovorans on octane. Moreover, the mean acyl chain length and unsaturated fatty acids also increased as the growth rates increased both in octane-grown and citrate-grown cells. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements of extracted lipids showed the transition temperature of membrane lipids from octane-grown cells increased from about 24°C to 32°C as the growth rate increased, whereas cells grown on citrate showed a constant transition temperature of about 6°C at all growth rates tested, indicating a decrease of membrane lipid fluidity in octane-grown cells. Because alkanes are known to increase bilayer fluidity by intercalating between lipid fatty acyl chains, the increased transition temperature of the lipids of cells grown on octane may be a physiological response of P. oleovorans to compensate for the direct effects of octane on its cellular membranes.

Patients' understanding of blood tests and attitudes to HIV screening in the emergency department of a Swiss teaching hospital: a cross-sectional observational study.

BACKGROUND: In Switzerland, patients may undergo "blood tests" without being informed what these are screening for. Inadequate doctor-patient communication may result in patient misunderstanding. We examined what patients in the emergency department (ED) believed they had been screened for and explored their attitudes to routine (non-targeted) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening. METHODS: Between 1st October 2012 and 28th February 2013, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted among patients aged 16-70 years old presenting to the ED of Lausanne University Hospital. Patients were asked: (1) if they believed they had been screened for HIV; (2) if they agreed in principle to routine HIV screening and (3) if they agreed to be HIV tested during their current ED visit. RESULTS: Of 466 eligible patients, 411 (88%) agreed to participate. Mean age was 46 ± 16 years; 192 patients (47%) were women; 366 (89%) were Swiss or European; 113 (27%) believed they had been screened for HIV, the proportion increasing with age (p ≤0.01), 297 (72%) agreed in principle with routine HIV testing in the ED, and 138 patients (34%) agreed to be HIV tested during their current ED visit. CONCLUSION: In this ED population, 27% believed incorrectly they had been screened for HIV. Over 70% agreed in principle with routine HIV testing and 34% agreed to be tested during their current visit. These results demonstrate willingness among patients concerning routine HIV testing in the ED and highlight a need for improved doctor-patient communication about what a blood test specifically screens for

Le People's Rule en Californie

Ce mémoire de master en SHS décrit les outils de démocratie directe en Californie à l'échelle de l'état, du comté et de la municipalité. Il replace l'initiative populaire, le référendum et le rappel dans le contexte institutionnel de l'état de Californie et en dresse les enjeux juridiques

Metropolitan dynamics and institutional fragmentation in the United States, 1950-2010

Since 1950, the United States have witnessed a change in their urban dynamics: the advent of the metropolis. Before, the border was clear between big industrial cities, and small rural communities. At the end of the 19th century, large urban centers started to suburbanize. A key property of American metropolitan areas is that they are institutionally fragmented. There is no metropolitan government with a policy monopole on the area. This fragmentation is the product on an increase in individual mobility and a multiplication of new local governments. In this paper, I will present an overview of the evolution of American metropolitan areas from 1950 to 2010. I will present the growing gap between the space individuals are experiencing in metropolitan areas—a growing space in which they are very mobile—and the space they are citizens of—a space that tends to decrease. There are geographical patterns of fragmentation. Metropolitan areas in the South or in the Great Lakes region tend to be less fragmented than areas in the Northeast or in the Central Midwest. How does this growing fragmentation affect political and civic engagement? There is a generational shift from political to civic engagement, and I will present here reasons and empirical clues why there might also be a spatial shift. Spatial institutional fragmentation may not simply and generally deter political engagement, but deter it only at certain scales and also foster civic engagement