As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, in spring 2020 numerous protective measures were taken in Germany and all over the world. This has changed our everyday life and our mobility considerably. It ...is in question whether and how the pandemic and the lockdown have impacted transport mode use, attitudes towards transport modes and the ownership of individual mobility options during the lockdown period. In order to shed light on these essential aspects of transport policy, we carried out a representative travel survey in Germany during the strictest period of lockdown in the beginning of April. We have analysed overall and individual changes in transport mode usage and attitudes towards transport modes, focussing on the bicycle, the car and public transport. Also, the changes in the perception of individual mobility options with a focus on car-free households were investigated. Our results indicate that public transport lost ground during the particularly restricted period of lockdown while individual modes of transport, especially the private car, became more important. Our findings are highly relevant for transport policy when developing measures for expanding the possibilities for sustainable individual transport and developing concepts that strengthen public transport. These aspects are key for achieving a sustainable transport system in the medium- and long-term despite the coronavirus pandemic.
•We conducted a representative travel survey during the particularly restricted period of lockdown in Germany.•Fewer people had the public transport and the bicycle in their choice set; the share of car users remained stable.•Respondents felt less comfortable using public transport during the lockdown while the car showed a “feel-good” factor.•One third of the members of car-free households miss having a car in the corona pandemic.
The Ruhr Foundation was established 25 years ago as a public-private partnership by bringing together three libraries and an archive. The foundation's purpose then, as well as now, is to document the ...history and present of the Ruhr region and to preserve and make its historical library holdings available to the public.
The gold standard to obtain pressure-volume relations (PVR) of the heart, the conductance technology (PVRCond), is rarely used in children. PVR can also be obtained by 3D-echocardiography volume data ...combined with simultaneously measured pressure data by a mini pressure-wire (PVR3DE). We sought to investigate the feasibility of both methods in patients with univentricular hearts and to compare them, including hemodynamic changes.
We studied 19 patients (age 2-29 years). PVR3DE and PVRCond were assessed under baseline conditions and stimulation with dobutamine.
Obtaining PVR3DE was successful in all patients. Obtaining PVRCond was possible in 15 patients during baseline (79%) and in 12 patients under dobutamine (63%). Both methods showed that end-systolic elastance (Ees) and arterial elastance (Ea) increased under dobutamine and that Tau showed a statistically significant decrease. Intraclass correlation (95% confidence interval) showed moderate to good agreement between methods: Ees: 0.873 (0.711-0.945), Ea: 0.709 (0.336-0.873), Tau: 0.867 (0.697-0.942). Bland-Altman analyses showed an acceptable bias with wider limits of agreement: Ees: 1.63 mmHg/ml (-3.83-7.08 mmHg/ml), Ea: 0.53 mmHg/ml (-5.23-6.28 mmHg/ml), Tau: -0,76 ms (-10.73-9.21 ms).
Changes of PVR-specific parameters under dobutamine stimulation were reflected in the same way by both methods. However, the absolute values for these parameters could vary between methods and, therefore, methods are not interchangeable. Obtaining PVR3DE in a single ventricle was easier, faster and more successful than PVRCond. PVR3DE provides a promising and needed alternative to the conductance technology for the assessment of cardiac function in univentricular hearts.
The effects of the 1990s reforms to the electoral system of Japan's House of Representatives have been among the most frequently discussed topics in political science research on the country. These ...reforms saw the replacement of a hitherto single nontransferable vote (SNTV) system by a mixed-member majoritarian (MMM) system with a strong Single Member District (SMD) and a weaker Proportional Representation (PR) component. Many studies have suggested that the reforms may have had significant impact on the strategies of political parties. Generally, SMD systems have been widely thought to favor larger parties, while PR systems are more beneficial to small and medium-sized parties. On the content side, larger parties seeking control of the government would try to win the support of large numbers of floating voters by campaigning on universal/programmatic policy appeals, as opposed to particularistic interests. In contrast, smaller parties would cater towards their core supporters’ preferences. Previous studies have noted that the old SNTV system in Japan had produced results similar to PR systems (Reed 2003). Japan's electoral reform may have thus changed the strategy of large parties, which would need to win more seats in the SMDs to gain (or hold onto) power, while smaller parties have continued to try and win seats via the PR tier. Therefore, the reform provides valuable research material in so far as we can simultaneously observe different effects by the SMD and the PR systems on parties of different sizes.
Nanomaterial engineering provides an important technological advance that offers substantial benefits for applications not only in the production and processing, but also in the packaging and storage ...of food. An expanding commercialization of nanomaterials as part of the modern diet will substantially increase their oral intake worldwide. While the risk of particle inhalation received much attention, gaps of knowledge exist regarding possible adverse health effects due to gastrointestinal exposure. This problem is highlighted by pigment-grade titanium dioxide (TiO
), which confers a white color and increased opacity with an optimal particle diameter of 200-300 nm. However, size distribution analyses showed that batches of food-grade TiO
always comprise a nano-sized fraction as inevitable byproduct of the manufacturing processes. Submicron-sized TiO
particles, in Europe listed as E 171, are widely used as a food additive although the relevant risk assessment has never been satisfactorily completed. For example, it is not possible to derive a safe daily intake of TiO
from the available long-term feeding studies in rodents. Also, the use of TiO
particles in the food sector leads to highest exposures in children, but only few studies address the vulnerability of this particular age group. Extrapolation of animal studies to humans is also problematic due to knowledge gaps as to local gastrointestinal effects of TiO
particles, primarily on the mucosa and the gut-associated lymphoid system. Tissue distributions after oral administration of TiO
differ from other exposure routes, thus limiting the relevance of data obtained from inhalation or parenteral injections. Such difficulties and uncertainties emerging in the retrospective assessment of TiO
particles exemplify the need for a fit-to-purpose data requirement for the future evaluation of novel nano-sized or submicron-sized particles added deliberately to food.
Introduction
The global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a great impact on all areas of the everyday life, including travel behaviour. Various measures that focus on restricting social ...contacts have been implemented in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Understanding how daily activities and travel behaviour change during such global crisis and the reasons behind is crucial for developing suitable strategies for similar future events and analysing potential mid- and long-term impacts.
Methods
In order to provide empirical insights into changes in travel behaviour during the first Coronavirus-related lockdown in 2020 for Germany, an online survey with a relative representative sample for the German population was conducted a week after the start of the nationwide contact ban. The data was analysed performing descriptive and inferential statistical analyses.
Results and Discussion
The results suggest in general an increase in car use and decrease in public transport use as well as more negative perception of public transport as a transport alternative during the pandemic. Regarding activity-related travel patterns, the findings show firstly, that the majority of people go less frequent shopping; simultaneously, an increase in online shopping can be seen and characteristics of this group were analysed. Secondly, half of the adult population still left their home for leisure or to run errands; young adults were more active than all other age groups. Thirdly, the majority of the working population still went to work; one out of four people worked in home-office. Lastly, potential implications for travel behaviour and activity patterns as well as policy measures are discussed.
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae and higher eukaryotes, the loading of the replicative helicase MCM2-7 onto DNA requires the combined activities of ORC, Cdc6, and Cdt1. These proteins load MCM2-7 in an ...unknown way into a double hexamer around DNA. Here we show that MCM2-7 recruitment by ORC/Cdc6 is blocked by an autoinhibitory domain in the C terminus of Mcm6. Interestingly, Cdt1 can overcome this inhibitory activity, and consequently the Cdt1-MCM2-7 complex activates ORC/Cdc6 ATP-hydrolysis to promote helicase loading. While Cdc6 ATPase activity is known to facilitate Cdt1 release and MCM2-7 loading, we discovered that Orc1 ATP-hydrolysis is equally important in this process. Moreover, we found that Orc1/Cdc6 ATP-hydrolysis promotes the formation of the ORC/Cdc6/MCM2-7 (OCM) complex, which functions in MCM2-7 double-hexamer assembly. Importantly, CDK-dependent phosphorylation of ORC inhibits OCM establishment to ensure once per cell cycle replication. In summary, this work reveals multiple critical mechanisms that redefine our understanding of DNA licensing.
► A Cdt1 interaction with MCM2-7 alleviates an autoinhibitory activity in Mcm6 ► OCM establishment occurs fast, while MCM2-7 double-hexamer formation is slow ► Both Orc1 and Cdc6 ATP-hydrolysis promote Cdt1 release and OCM formation ► The OCM represents a platform for double-hexamer assembly
The development of nano-materials is viewed as one of the most important technological advances of the 21st century and new applications of nano-sized particles in the production, processing, ...packaging or storage of food are expected to emerge soon. This trend of growing commercialization of engineered nano-particles as part of modern diet will substantially increase oral exposure. Contrary to the proven benefits of nano-materials, however, possible adverse health effects have generally received less attention. This problem is very well illustrated by nano-structured synthetic amorphous silica (SAS), which is a common food additive since several decades although the relevant risk assessment has never been satisfactorily completed. A no observed adverse effect level of 2500 mg SAS particles/kg body weight per day was derived from the only available long-term administration study in rodents. However, extrapolation to a safe daily intake for humans is problematic due to limitations of this chronic animal study and knowledge gaps as to possible local intestinal effects of SAS particles, primarily on the gut-associated lymphoid system. This uncertainty is aggravated by digestion experiments indicating that dietary SAS particles preserve their nano-sized structure when reaching the intestinal lumen. An important aspect is whether food-borne particles like SAS alter the function of dendritic cells that, embedded in the intestinal mucosa, act as first-line sentinels of foreign materials. We conclude that nano-particles do not represent a completely new threat and that most potential risks can be assessed following procedures established for conventional chemical hazards. However, specific properties of food-borne nano-particles should be further examined and, for that purpose, in vitro tests with decision-making cells of the immune system are needed to complement existing in vivo studies.
Since Prime Minister Abe’s return to power in 2012, there has been an ongoing discussion about whether and if so to what extent the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had drifted to the ‘right’. This ...article argues that it is important to distinguish between conservative and neoliberal policy appeals, as those two ideologies often clash with each other, despite being united under the casual ‘right’ banner. Using a newly coded, comprehensive database of LDP election platforms dating back to the 1950s, the analysis presented here shows that electoral reform alone cannot explain the development of these policy appeals since the 1990s. By comparing the LDP to its center-right counterparts in Western countries, I show that external shocks such as the Oil Crisis and the end of the Cold War have influenced neoliberal and conservative policy pledges in Japan and elsewhere. While these trends are similar, the LDP has placed a comparatively lower priority on conservative, and even more so neoliberal policy appeals. The article argues that this is due to the continued relevance of particularistic policy appeals, which are less important in the US, Germany or Great Britain.
In recent years, charge transport in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has shifted into the focus of scientific research. In this context, systems with efficient through-space charge transport pathways ...resulting from
-stacked conjugated linkers are of particular interest. In the current manuscript, we use density functional theory-based simulations to provide a detailed understanding of such MOFs, which, in the present case, are derived from the prototypical Zn
(TTFTB) system (with TTFTB
corresponding to tetrathiafulvalene tetrabenzoate). In particular, we show that factors such as the relative arrangement of neighboring linkers and the details of the structural conformations of the individual building blocks have a profound impact on bandwidths and charge transfer. Considering the helical stacking of individual tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) molecules around a screw axis as the dominant symmetry element in Zn
(TTFTB)-derived materials, the focus, here, is primarily on the impact of the relative rotation of neighboring molecules. Not unexpectedly, changing the stacking distance in the helix also plays a distinct role, especially for structures which display large electronic couplings to start with. The presented results provide guidelines for achieving structures with improved electronic couplings. It is, however, also shown that structural defects (especially missing linkers) provide major obstacles to charge transport in the studied, essentially one-dimensional systems. This suggests that especially the sample quality is a decisive factor for ensuring efficient through-space charge transport in MOFs comprising stacked
-systems.
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