The phenomenon of national identities, always a key issue in the modern history of Bohemian Jewry, was particularly complex because of the marginal differences that existed between the available ...choices. Considerable overlap was evident in the programs of the various national movements and it was possible to change one's national identity or even to opt for more than one such identity without necessarily experiencing any far-reaching consequences in everyday life. Based on many hitherto unknown archival sources from the Czech Republic, Israel and Austria, the author's research reveals the inner dynamic of each of the national movements and maps out the three most important constructions of national identity within Bohemian Jewry - the German-Jewish, the Czech-Jewish and the Zionist. This book provides a needed framework for understanding the rich history of German- and Czech-Jewish politics and culture in Bohemia and is a notable contribution to the historiography of Bohemian, Czechoslovak and central European Jewry.
We investigated the seasonal variation of gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) of periphyton biomass in three post-mining lakes in the Czech Republic. These lakes were established as part of ...recultivation efforts after coal mining activities and resulted in a unique series of anthropogenic oligotrophic lakes of gradual successional age. Periphyton is ubiquitous in aquatic habitats and performs numerous environmental functions such as nutrient cycling and self-purifying of aquatic ecosystems. Well-developed periphyton mat can be formed within a few weeks, so it can quickly become the dominant of littoral zone of newly established lakes. In studied post-mining lakes, the highly developed periphytic community covers the littoral zone of each lake to the depth of 2m (Bešta et al. 2022, Konopáčová et al. 2023) Fig. 1.
We aimed to shed some new light on the processes controlling the dynamics of primary productivity in oligotrophic lakes. The accurate estimation of primary productivity is crucial for understanding the functioning of aquatic ecosystems, as primary productivity serves as the primary source of autochthonous carbon in these systems. In addition to phytoplankton, periphyton can significantly contribute to primary productivity in littoral zones, known for their high productivity and biodiversity. Conducting
in situ
measurements provides the most accurate means of inferring the metabolic activity of primary producers in littoral zones.
We conducted detailed seasonal
in-situ
periphyton gross primary production (GPP) measurements in three post-mining lakes with different successional ages (Čapková et al. 2022). GPP and NPP of periphytic biomass were determined using direct
in-situ
measurement of O
2
fluxes. O
2
production and consumption were measured over 5 hours of
in-situ
light and dark gas-tight glass bottle incubation. Bottles were filled with the lake water from the corresponding depth, and a similar amount of periphytic biomass was enclosed Fig. 2. We used the Fibox3 fibre-optic oxygen meter coupled with a PSt3 oxygen sensor (PreSens, Regensburg, DE) to measure changes in O
2
concentration. The O
2
fluxes were normalized to periphytic biomass in each bottle (measured as total organic carbon). Data were corrected for O
2
concentration changes in dark and light gas-tight bottles containing lake water without periphytic communities.
This setup enabled us to monitor online oxygen flux, therefore, insights into metabolic activities. The primary productivity was measured in real-time, allowing us to capture the quantitative effect of various environmental drivers on periphyton productivity, i.e. phosphorus concentration and light intensity, as they are known to play significant roles in primary productivity.
We showed that the primary production of periphyton mats exhibited seasonal variations, with higher productivity observed in spring compared to other seasons. This observation could be attributed to the occurrence of winter/spring upwelling events and vertical mixing, which resupply nutrients from the deeper strata. Furthermore, the physiological activity of periphyton was strongly influenced by the seasonal changes in light intensity, temperature, and nutrient concentration.
We provided the first insight into the seasonal variation of primary productivity of the periphyton assemblage dominating the littoral zone of newly established post-mining lakes. We stress the importance of periphyton in aquatic ecosystems, particularly in anthropogenic oligotrophic lakes.
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), proteins secreted by the bacteria genus
Clostridium, represent a group of extremely lethal toxins and a potential bioterrorism threat. As the current therapeutic ...options are of a predominantly prophylactic nature and cannot be used
en masse, new strategies and ultimately potential treatments are desperately needed to combat any widespread release of these neurotoxins. In these regards, our laboratory has been working on developing new alternatives to treat botulinum intoxication through the development of inhibitors of the light chain proteases, the etiological agent which causes BoNT intoxication. Such a strategy has required the construction of two high-throughput screens and small molecule non-peptidic libraries; excitingly, inhibitors of the BoNT/A protease have been uncovered and are being optimized via structure activity relationship studies.
The synthesis and SAR of a series of novel hydroxamate BoNT/A inhibitors is reported.
Botulinum neurotoxins are the most toxic proteins currently known. Based on a recently identified potent lead ...structure, 2,4-dichlorocinnamic acid hydroxamate, herein we report on the structure–activity relationship of a series of hydroxamate BoNT/A inhibitors. Among them, 2-bromo-4-chlorocinnamic acid hydroxamate, 2-methyl-4-chlorocinnamic acid hydroxamate, and 2-trifluoromethyl-4-chlorocinnamic acid hydroxamate displayed comparable inhibitory activity to that of the lead structure.
The development of a sensitive, yet reliable assay for the analysis of botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) inhibitors is described; using this assay a new protease inhibitor was characterized and found ...to be one of the most potent inhibitors reported to date.
Diaries, testimonies and memoirs of the Holocaust often include at least as much on the family as on the individual. Victims of the Nazi regime experienced oppression and made decisions embedded ...within families. Even after the war, sole survivors often described their losses and rebuilt their lives with a distinct focus on family. Yet this perspective is lacking in academic analyses.
In this work, scholars from the United States, Israel, and across Europe bring a variety of backgrounds and disciplines to their study of the Holocaust and its aftermath from the family perspective. Drawing on research from Belarus to Great Britain, and examining both Jewish and Romani families, they demonstrate the importance of recognizing how people continued to function within family units—broadly defined—throughout the war and afterward.
...gehorten zum Bekanntenkreis dieser Unternehmer nicht nur lokale Grosen wie Frantisek Palacky und sein Schwiegersohn Frantisek Ladislav Rieger, sondern auch Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich ...Heine und Rahel Varnhagen. Sie widerspricht der gangigen Interpretation der Nobilitierung als einem Akt, in dem die judische Elite die individuelle Emanzipation der allgemeinen vorgezogen habe. The Politics of Ethnic Survival: Germans in Prague, 1861- 1914.
Understanding what determines the high elevation limits of trees is crucial for predicting how tree lines may shift in response to climate change. Tree line formation is commonly explained by a ...low‐temperature restriction of meristematic activity (sink limitation) rather than carbon assimilation (source limitation). In arid mountains, however, trees face simultaneously low temperature and drought, both potentially restricting their growth and thus setting range limits. However, the mechanisms of tree line formation in high arid mountains are largely unknown.
We studied Myricaria elegans, one of the world’s highest growing winter‐deciduous woody species, endemic to the arid Himalayas. We hypothesized that the upper elevation limit of Myricaria is associated with low temperatures during the early growing season affecting earlywood formation, while later in the season drought is constraining earlywood maturation and latewood formation.
To test this hypothesis, we studied the quantitative anatomy of tree rings at different developmental stages across the entire species elevation range (3,200–4,400 m). We also explored daily stem increment and rehydration rates, seasonal dynamics of non‐structural carbohydrates and stable C isotopes as a proxy for possible drought constraints.
Both earlywood and latewood increments decreased towards the tree line, while NSC in leaves, twigs and stem sapwood did not change, indicating a sink limitation as a main driver of the tree line. At tree line, low temperatures restricted earlywood formation more than latewood formation. Tree line individuals had—compared to individuals from lower elevations—smaller and fewer earlywood vessels, frequent frost rings and shorter periods with positive daily increments, but comparable night‐time stem rehydration rates and latewood density. All these results suggest a sink limitation as a main mechanism behind the tree line formation in high arid mountains.
In the arid Himalayas, the tree line is set by the drastic growth reduction (sink limitation) caused by low temperature and short growing season under otherwise sufficient carbon and water supply. At the tree line, spring freezing and high summer temperatures further constrain annual stem increment. The mean 6.9°C temperature during the growing season places the Myricaria tree line within the thermal range of other high elevation tree lines worldwide and supports a common mechanism of alpine tree line formation.
A plain language summary is available for this article.
Plain Language Summary
Measuring the in situ primary productivity of periphyton during the growing season gradient can elucidate the quantitative effect of environmental drivers (mainly phosphorus concentration and light ...intensity) and species composition on primary productivity. Primary productivity is mainly driven by light intensity, temperature, availability of nutrients, and distribution of the ionic species of the carbonate system in the respective depths of the euphotic zone. It is a complex system that is very difficult to simulate in the laboratory. This cheap, transportable, and easy-to-build floating barge allows measuring the primary productivity accurately-directly under the actual natural conditions. The methodology is based on measuring the primary productivity in real time using noninvasive oxygen sensors integrated into tightly sealed glass jars, enabling online oxygen flux monitoring and providing new insights into metabolic activities. Detailed seasonal in situ measurements of gross primary productivity of microbial mats (or other benthic organisms) can improve current knowledge of the processes controlling primary productivity dynamics in lentic waters.
Tissue factor (TF), a rate-limiting enzyme cofactor in activating coagulation, is highly expressed in a wide spectrum of human tumor and tumor stromal cells. Using TF-deficient cancer cells and a ...conditional TF-knockout mouse model, we show that TF expressed by cancer cells, but not by the host stromal cells, plays a critical role in tumor growth. In the tumor microenvironment, serum coagulation factors are readily extravasated and therefore lead to continuous TF-mediated activation of coagulation proteases. To target this highly specific cascade of serine proteases, we used both a TF:VIIa inhibitor and doxorubicin-based prodrugs that are selectively activated by TF:FVIIa, FXa, and thrombin. Treatment with the TF:FVIIa inhibitor led to growth retardation in breast tumor models. In contrast, treatment with the prodrug eliminated primary tumor cells and lung metastases without apparent toxicity. Our findings offer preclinical proof of principle that targeting the coagulation cascade that is activated in the tumor microenvironment can be a highly effective approach for cancer therapy.
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