....................................................................................................................................v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 CE...

....................................................................................................................................v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 CE...

Far-UV echelle spectroscopy of the radio-quiet QSO H1821+643 (zem=0.297), obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) at approximately 7 km s-1 resolution, reveals four definite O vi absorption-line systems and one probable O vi absorber at 0.15<zabs<0.27. The four definite O vi absorbers are located near galaxies and are highly displaced from the quasar in redshift; these are...

background : hexavalent chromium ( cr (vi)) is an important contaminant in surface and groundwater and its removal from contaminated water and wastewater has received interest in recent years. this study aimed to explain the removal process of cr (vi) from aqueous solution using nano hydroxyapatite (n-hap) as an adsorbent material. methods: cr (vi) removal experiments with the prepared n-hap we...

Moraxella catarrhalis is a Gram-negative human mucosal commensal and pathogen. It is a common cause of exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). During the process of infection, host colonization correlates with recognition of host molecular patterns. Importantly, in COPD patients with compromised epithelial integrity the underlying extracellular matrix is exposed and provid...

Variational inference (VI) combined with data subsampling enables approximate posterior inference with large data sets for otherwise intractable models, but suffers from poor local optima. We first formulate a deterministic annealing approach for the generic class of conditionally conjugate exponential family models. This algorithm uses a temperature parameter that deterministically deforms the...

Collagen type VI is a subepithelial extracellular matrix component in airways and an adhesive substrate for oral pathogens [Bober et al.: J Innate Immun 2010;2:160-166]. Here, we report that collagen VI displays a dose-dependent antimicrobial activity against group A, C, and G streptococci by membrane disruption in physiological conditions. The data disclose previously unrecognized aspects of t...