Special species of Burmese amber are highly valued within the gemological market due to their fancy optical characteristics. However, some ordinary misidentified as precious species, which has disrupted consumers’ purchasing behavior and order. In this study, seven (golden, golden-blue, blood-tea, black-tea, green-tea, brownish-red, ‘chameleon’ amber) were collected investigated. By using conve...

RNA editing at adenosine 1012 (amber/W site) in the antigenomic RNA of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) allows two essential forms of the viral protein, hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg), to be synthesized from a single open reading frame. Editing at the amber/W site is thought to be catalyzed by one of the cellular enzymes known as adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs). In vitro, the enzymes AD...

The terpenoid compositions of the Late Cretaceous Xixia amber from Central China and the middle Miocene Zhangpu amber from Southeast China were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to elucidate their botanical origins. The Xixia amber is characterized by sesquiterpenoids, abietane and phyllocladane type diterpenoids, but lacks phenolic abietanes and labdane derivatives. The ...

A strain of Escherichia coli harboring the drug resistance plasmid RP1 was treated with the mutagen N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, and mutants were isolated in which ampicillin resistance had been lost due to an amber mutation in the plasmid. One of these mutants was again treated, and a strain was isolated in which tetracycline resistance was also lost due to an amber mutation in...

A new fossil species of Dryinidae (Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea) from upper Eocene Rovno amber (Ukraine) is described: Bocchus rex sp. nov. It compared with two other known European amber: B. primaevus Martins & Melo Baltic and schmalhauseni Perkovsky, Olmi, Vasilenko, Capradossi Guglielmino amber. key to the Cretaceous Paleogene presented. The Dryininae are most common representatives in all ...

In a former study in patients with severe chronic airflow obstruction (CAO), (forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) ranging from 350-910 ml), we concluded that daily oral corticosteroids might slow down the progression of disease. The results of the present long-term (14-20 yr) study on 139 non-allergic patients with less severe CAO (FEV1 greater than or equal to 1200 ml, FEV1 as a perc...

The uniquely human ability to use language not only allows for effective communication but may also provide necessary grounding for certain cognitive activities (e. Researchers have suggested that words may make abstract notions more tangible, allowing for the formation of concepts that are easier to interpret and manipulate (Clark, 2006), or that words provide additional processing power while...

Herbivore effects on diversity and succession were often studied in plants, but not in cryptogams. Besides direct herbivore effects on cryptogams, we expected indirect effects by changes in competitive interactions among cryptogams. Therefore, we conducted a long-term gastropod exclusion experiment testing for grazing effects on epiphytic cryptogam communities. We estimated the grazing damage, ...

It is well-known experimentally and theoretically that surface ligands provide additional pathways for energy relaxation in colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). They increase the rate of inelastic charge-phonon scattering and provide trap sites for the charges. We show that, surprisingly, ligands have the opposite effect on elastic electron-phonon scattering. Our simulations demonstrate ...

Observers commonly report that time seems to have moved in slow motion during a life-threatening event. It is unknown whether this is a function of increased time resolution during the event, or instead an illusion of remembering an emotionally salient event. Using a hand-held device to measure speed of visual perception, participants experienced free fall for 31 m before landing safely in a ne...