The concept of green infrastructure has been recently taken up by the European Commission for ensuring the provision of ecosystem services (ESS). It aims at the supply of multiple ESS in a given ...landscape, however, the effects of a full suite of management options on multiple ESS and landscape multifunctionality have rarely been assessed. In this paper we use European floodplain landscapes as example to develop an expert based qualitative conceptual model for the assessment of impacts of landscape scale interventions on multifunctionality. European floodplain landscapes are particularly useful for such approach as they originally provided a high variety and quantity of ESS that has declined due to the strong human impact these landscapes have experienced. We provide an overview of the effects of floodplain management options on landscape multifunctionality by assessing the effects of 38 floodplain management interventions on 21 relevant ESS, as well as on overall ESS supply. We found that restoration and rehabilitation consistently increased the multifunctionality of the landscape by enhancing supply of provisioning, regulation/maintenance, and cultural services. In contrast, conventional technical regulation measures and interventions related to extraction, infrastructure and intensive land use cause decrease in multifunctionality and negative effects for the supply of all three aspects of ESS. The overview of the effects of interventions shall provide guidance for decision makers at multiple governance levels. The presented conceptual model could be effectively applied for other landscapes that have potential for a supply of a high diversity of ESS.
Metal Enrichment Processes Schindler, S.; Diaferio, A.
Space science reviews,
02/2008, Letnik:
134, Številka:
1-4
Journal Article
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Odprti dostop
There are many processes that can transport gas from the galaxies to their environment and enrich the environment in this way with metals. These metal enrichment processes have a large influence on ...the evolution of both the galaxies and their environment. Various processes can contribute to the gas transfer: ram-pressure stripping, galactic winds, AGN outflows, galaxy-galaxy interactions and others. We review their observational evidence, corresponding simulations, their efficiencies, and their time scales as far as they are known to date. It seems that all processes can contribute to the enrichment. There is not a single process that always dominates the enrichment, because the efficiencies of the processes vary strongly with galaxy and environmental properties.
Serine proteases play key roles in many biological processes and are associated with several human diseases such as thrombosis or cancer. During the search for selective inhibitors of serine ...proteases, a family of linear peptides named the aeruginosins was discovered in marine cyanobacteria. We herein report an entry route into the synthetically challenging core fragment of these natural products. Starting from the common oxabicyclic building block 11, we accessed the octahydroindole core of the aeruginosins, exemplified by the total synthesis of microcin SF608 (2). Key to the synthetic strategy is a highly efficient nucleophilic opening of an oxabicyclo2.2.1heptane producing the hydroindole motif of microcin SF608. Moreover, during the synthetic efforts we have observed an unusual regioselective epoxide reduction. Detailed experimental studies of this reaction led us to propose a mechanistic rationale involving intramolecular hydrogen atom delivery by a carbamate NH group to control the regioselectivity of the homolytic epoxide cleavage.
Expect the unexpected! An entry route to the aeruginosin protease inhibitors is reported and showcased on the total synthesis of microcin SF608 (see scheme). Detailed experimental studies of an unusual regioselective epoxide reduction observed during this synthesis suggests a mechanistic rationale for this transformation involving intramolecular hydrogen atom delivery by a carbamate NH to direct the regioselectivity of the homolytic epoxide cleavage.
Context. The hot gas that fills the space between galaxies in clusters is rich in metals. In their large potential wells, galaxy clusters accumulate metals over the whole cluster history and hence ...retain important information on cluster formation and evolution. Aims. We use a sample of five cool core clusters to study the distribution of metals in the ICM. We investigate whether the X-ray observations yield good estimates for the metal mass and whether the heavy elements abundances are consistent with a certain relative fraction of SN Ia to SNCC. Methods. We derived detailed metallicity maps of the clusters from XMM - Newton observations and used them as a measure for the metal mass in the ICM. We determined radial profiles for several elements, and using population synthesis and chemical enrichment models, we studied the agreement between the measured abundances and the theoretical yields. Results. We show that the distribution of metals show a lot of inhomogeneities even in relaxed clusters. Using metal maps usually gives a metal mass 10–30% higher than the metal mass computed using a single extraction region, so it is expected that most previous metal mass determination have underestimated metal mass. The abundance ratio of α-elements to Fe, even in the central parts of clusters, are consistent with an enrichment thanks to the combination of SN Ia and SNCC.
Hypothalamus enlargement in mood disorders Schindler, S.; Schmidt, L.; Stroske, M. ...
Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica,
January 2019, 2019-01-00, 20190101, Letnik:
139, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Objective
The purpose of this study was to determine, in vivo, whether the hypothalamus volume is reduced in patients with mood disorders.
Methods
The cross‐sectional study included 20 unmedicated ...(MDDu) and 20 medicated patients with major depressive disorder, 21 patients with bipolar disorder, and 23 controls. Twenty of the controls were matched to the MDDu. Seven Tesla, T1‐weighted magnetic resonance images were acquired and processed using methods specifically developed for high‐precision volumetry of the hypothalamus.
Results
An overall group difference was observed for the left hypothalamus volume corrected for intracranial volume. Planned contrasts identified that the left hypothalamus was approximately 5% larger in each patient group compared with the control group. A paired t‐test with the 20 matched pairs of MDDu and controls and without correction for covariates confirmed the larger left hypothalamus volume in MDDu.
Conclusions
Contrary to our expectations, the hypothalamus volume was increased in patients with uni‐ and bipolar affective disorders. The effect was left‐sided and independent of medication status or statistical correction for covariates. Supported by emerging evidence that the stress response may be related to structural and functional asymmetry in the brain, our finding suggests a crucial role of the hypothalamus in mood disorders.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has entertained scientific minds since the Weber brothers provided biomechanical insight into the importance of the ACL in maintaining normal knee kinematics. ...Robert Adams described the first clinical case of ACL rupture in 1837 some 175 years to date, followed by Mayo-Robson of Leeds who performed the first ACL repair in 1895. At that time, most patients presented late and clinicians started to appreciate signs and symptoms and disabilities associated with such injuries. Hey Groves of Bristol provided the initial description of an ACL reconstruction with autologous tissue graft in 1917, almost as we know it today. His knowledge and achievements were, however, not uniformly appreciated during his life time. What followed was a period of startling ingenuity which created an amazing variety of different surgical procedures often based more on surgical fashion and the absence of a satisfactory alternative than any indication that continued refinements were leading to improved results. It is hence not surprising that real inventors were forgotten, good ideas discarded and untried surgical methods adopted with uncritical enthusiasm only to be set aside without further explanation. Over the past 100 years, surgeons have experimented with a variety of different graft sources including xenograft, and allografts, whilst autologous tissue has remained the most popular choice. Synthetic graft materials enjoyed temporary popularity in the 1980 and 1990s, in the misguided belief that artificial ligaments may be more durable and better equipped to withstand stresses and strains. Until the 1970s, ACL reconstructions were considered formidable procedures, often so complex and fraught with peril that they remained reserved for a chosen few, never gaining the level of popularity they are enjoying today. The increasing familiarity with arthroscopy, popularised through Jackson and Dandy, and enhancements in surgical technology firmly established ACL reconstruction as a common procedure within the realm of most surgeons’ ability. More recently, the principle of anatomic ACL reconstruction, aiming at the functional restoration of native ACL dimensions and insertion sites, has been introduced, superseding the somewhat ill-advised concept of isometric graft placement. Double-bundle reconstruction is gaining in popularity, and combined extra- and intra-articular procedures are seeing a revival, but more accurate and reliable pre- and post-operative assessment tools are required to provide customised treatment options and appropriate evaluation and comparability of long-term results. Modern ACL surgery is united in the common goal of re-establishing joint homoeostasis with normal knee kinematics and function which may ultimately assist in reducing the prevalence of post-operative joint degeneration. This review hopes to provide an insight into the historical developments of ACL surgery and the various controversies surrounding its progress.
Level of evidence
V
.
Submicron-sized silicon oxycarbide (SiCO) spheres were prepared by using a 2-step acid/base catalyzed sol–gel process of triethoxyphenylsilane (PhTES) with subsequent carbonization at 1000 °C under ...an argon atmosphere. To prevent the organosilica spheres from sintering during heating, small amounts of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) were cocondensed with carbosilane. The resulting SiCO material retains the spherical morphology (average particle diameter of around 200–300 nm) of the organosilica material upon heating in contrast to the SiCO obtained from pure PhTES or from the cocondensation of PhTES with methyltriethoxysilane (MTES). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements of the SiCO spheres revealed an absolute carbon content of 41 wt%, which is only slightly lower than the carbon content of the SiCO obtained from pure PhTES with 46 wt%. Together with the O/Si ratio, we determined the following composition for the SiCO spheres: SiC 0.3 O 1.4 + 2.89C free . In order to elucidate the potential of the material as an anode material for sodium and lithium ion batteries, galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements were conducted and compared to the other SiCO materials. For the lithium system, capacities as high as 858 mA h g −1 at a lower current of 50 mA g −1 have been achieved. The spheres show significantly improved rate capability compared to the other SiCO samples. For instance, the material delivers reversible capacities of around 500 mA h g −1 at a specific current of 500 mA g −1 . It is noteworthy that the spheres show the highest first cycle coulombic efficiency (73%) compared to the other SiCO materials (down to 51%) prepared throughout this work, which might be attributed to the higher material utilization due to the nanoscopic morphology. The SiCO nanostructure also significantly improved the sodium insertion properties compared to bulk SiCO. For the SiCO spheres we obtained a promising high reversible capacity of 200 mA h g −1 at a lower current of 25 mA g −1 (1st cycle efficiency of 47%). When increasing the current to 200 mA g −1 , the material still delivered 111 mA h g −1 .
Aims. We investigate the effect of ram pressure stripping (RPS) on several simulations of merging pairs of gas-rich spiral galaxies. We are concerned with the changes in stripping efficiency and the ...time evolution of the star formation rate. Our goal is to provide an estimate of the combined effect of merging and RPS compared to the influence of the individual processes. Methods. We make use of the combined N-body/hydrodynamic code GADGET-2. The code features a threshold-based statistical recipe for star formation, as well as radiative cooling and modeling of galactic winds. In our simulations, we vary mass ratios between 1:4 and 1:8 in a binary merger. We sample different geometric configurations of the merging systems (edge-on and face-on mergers, different impact parameters). Furthermore, we vary the properties of the intracluster medium (ICM) in rough steps: the speed of the merging system relative to the ICM between 500 and 1000 km s-1, the ICM density between 10-29 and 10-27 g cm-3, and the ICM direction relative to the mergers’ orbital plane. Ram pressure is kept constant within a simulation time period, as is the ICM temperature of 107 K. Each simulation in the ICM is compared to simulations of the merger in vacuum and the non-merging galaxies with acting ram pressure. Results. Averaged over the simulation time (1 Gyr) the merging pairs show a negligible 5% enhancement in SFR, when compared to single galaxies under the same environmental conditions. The SFRs peak at the time of the galaxies first fly-through. There, our simulations show SFRs of up to 20 M⊙ yr-1 (compared to 3 M⊙ yr-1 of the non-merging galaxies in vacuum). In the most extreme case, this constitutes a short-term (<50 Myr) SFR increase of 50 % over the non-merging galaxies experiencing ram pressure. The wake of merging galaxies in the ICM typically has a third to half the star mass seen in the non-merging galaxies and 5% to 10% less gas mass. The joint effect of RPS and merging, according to our simulations, is not significantly different from pure ram pressure effects.
We report abundances of elements from 26Fe to 34Se in the cosmic radiation measured during fifty days of exposure of the Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (TIGER) balloon-borne instrument. These ...observations add support to the concept that the bulk of cosmic ray acceleration takes place in OB associations, and they further support cosmic ray acceleration models in which elements present in interstellar grains are accelerated preferentially compared with those found in interstellar gas.
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