Combining analytical and bioanalytical methods, a good understanding of the reaction mechanisms, the enzymes catalysing them and the organization of

the genes encoding them could be gained. First studies on the use of Sphingomonas sp. strain TTNP3 in wastewater treatment have been performed revealing promising results.”
“This study examined clinical characteristics and laboratory-measured impulsive behavior of adolescents engaging in either non-suicidal self-injury with (NSSI + SA: n = 25) or without (NSSI-Only; n = 31) suicide attempts. We hypothesized that adolescent with NSSI + SI would exhibit PF-562271 more severe clinical symptoms and higher levels of behavioral impulsivity compared to adolescents with NSSI-Only. Adolescents were recruited from an inpatient psychiatric hospital unit and the two groups

were compared on demographic characteristics, psychopathology, self-reported clinical ratings, methods of non-suicidal self-injury, and two laboratory impulsivity measures. Primary evaluations were conducted during psychiatric hospitalization, and a subset of those tested during hospitalization was retested 4-6 weeks after discharge. During hospitalization, NSSI + SA patients reported worse depression, hopelessness, and impulsivity on standard clinical measures, and demonstrated elevated impulsivity SB431542 on a reward-directed laboratory measure compared to NSSI-Only patients. In the follow-up analyses, depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and laboratory impulsivity were improved for both groups, but the NSSI+SA group still exhibited significantly more depressive symptoms,

hopelessness, and impulsivity than the NSSI-Only group. Risk assessments learn more for adolescents with NSSI + SA should include consideration not only of the severity of clinical symptoms but of the current level impulsivity as well. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.”
“Immobilizing enzymes can expand their applicability to continuous process operations and facilitates process intensification. An optimized formulation of immobilized biocatalysts is therefore of strategic interest in the field of industrial biotechnology. Nevertheless, biocatalyst formulation still largely relies on empirical approaches which lack effectiveness in the identification of optimum immobilization conditions.

In the present study, design of experiments, multiple linear regressions and modeling were used to screen, interpret and finally optimize crucial immobilization parameters. A laccase preparation from Coriolopsis polyzona MUCL38443 was immobilized via a sequential adsorption-crosslinking process on mesoporous silica particles. As a target variable, biocatalyst activity was doubled (similar to 280 U g(-1)) while dramatically reducing processing time (two hours instead of 26 hours) and reagent inputs (80 mM instead of 1 M glutaraldehyde (GLU)).