Apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is regulated by a number of inhibitory or stimulatory factors. In addition to the pro- and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, there is also a family of inhibitors of apoptosis protein (IAP). Survivin, a member of this IAP family, is selectively upregulated in most tumours. The objective of the present study was, therefore, to investigate the pr...

Microcalorimetry, plate count and PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were employed to investigate microbial diversity and activity in soils from the Red Soil Experimental Station of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hunan Province, China, where a wheat-corn rotation with 12 fertilization treatments was established in 1990. Fertilization greatly increased microbial bi...

Seasonal trends in littertall and potential mineral return were studied in two cork-oak forest sites in the northeastern Iberian peninsula. The estimated average litter production was 3.9 Mg.ha -1 .year for one site and 4.6 Mg.ha -1 .year for the other; these figures are similar to those reported for holm-oak (Quercus ilex) forests in the same area. Seasonal litterfall patterns were typical of ...

Mineral analysis of forage from a nitrogen (N) fertilizer, field study produced unexpectedly high iron (Fe) concentrations which were correlated with the N fertilizer level (r2=.92) and the percentage N in the forage (r2 =.94). The high Fe values were presumed to be associated with dust on the leaves. The objective of this study was to determine the level of soil contamination on the forage sam...

Microbial-mediated decomposition and nutrient mineralization are major drivers of forest productivity. As landscape-scale fuel reduction treatments are being implemented throughout the fire-prone western United States of America, it is important to evaluate operationally how these wildfire mitigation treatments alter belowground processes. We quantified these important belowground components be...

Operative fixation is the treatment of choice for a rupture of the distal tendon of biceps. A variety of techniques have been described including transosseous sutures and suture anchors. The poor quality of the bone of the radial tuberosity might affect the load to failure of the tendon repair in early rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to determine the loads to failure of different tech...

Low soil fertility and high weed infestation are the main culprits for the declining maize production inWestern Kenya. Technology packages to address these constraints exist, but their effectiveness is likely to be influenced by variability in soil types and farm management practices in the region. Trials were conducted during the 2008/2009 cropping seasons to investigate the nutrient use e...

BACKGROUND Bone graft procedures have been used commonly in buco-maxillo-facial surgery. For this reason, many researchers have evaluated the bone substitutes. PURPOSE The present study evaluated soft and hard tissue reactions to two different hydroxyapatites HAs (synthetic HA and natural HA) and bioactive glass implanted into the sockets immediately after extraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS ...

The soil C, N, P and K content of agricultural soil were measured over the last 4 decades in NE Catalonia (NE Spain). Plant-available P and K increased by ca 109 and 105% respectively and total N decreased by 30%. The increases in plant-available P content are in accordance with the increasingly used pig slurry being very rich in P, and with P tendency to be retained in soils, since it is less ...

Effects of simulated nitrogen (N) deposition on soil net nitrogen mineralization (NNM) were examined in situ during two growing seasons, using the resin-core technique in the semiarid meadow steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. The aim of this study is to clarify the effect of N levels (0, 10, and 20 kg N ha-1yr-1) and forms (NH4+ and NO3-) on soil mineral N and NNM. Our results showed that N level...