Arthroskopische Befunde bei der chronischen Sprunggelenkinstabilität

Zusammenfassung: Die Beurteilung des Ausmaßes von Bandinstabilitäten des oberen Sprunggelenks (OSG) mittels klinischer und radiologischer Diagnostik fällt oft schwer. Umfang und Häufigkeit insbesondere der medialen Instabilität werden dabei häufig unterschätzt. Werden bei einer operativen Rekonstruktion nicht alle betroffenen Bänder eingeschlossen, können Instabilität und Beschwerden persistieren. In einer konsekutiven Serie von 281 chronisch instabilen Sprunggelenken (188Frauen, 93Männer, Alter 35,8 [15-61] Jahre) fand sich in 140Fällen (50%) eine Verletzung des Lig.deltoideum, und diese war in 103Fällen (37%) mit einer Verletzung der lateralen Bänder kombiniert. Eine isolierte laterale Instabilität lag in 121Fällen (43%) und eine isolierte mediale Instabilität in 38 Fällen (14%) vor. Die präoperative arthroskopische Untersuchung des Sprunggelenks hat sich als hilfreich erwiesen, den Umfang der ligamentären Insuffizienz sowie begleitende Schäden zu erkennen. Diese Informationen hätten meist auch mit aufwändigen bilddiagnostischen Maßnahmen nicht in diesem Ausmaß gewonnen werden können. Die Erkenntnisse aus der funktionellen Prüfung der medialen und lateralen Bandstrukturen erlauben dem Chirurgen, die notwendige operative Rekonstruktion optimal dem Verletzungsmuster anzupassen. Dies ist deshalb so wichtig, weil gezeigt werden konnte, dass die Sprunggelenkinstabilität nicht einer einzigen Entität entspricht, sondern eine hohe Variabilität aufweist. Obschon nicht in einer randomisierten Studie nachgewiesen, sind wir doch der Meinung, dass die präoperative Arthroskopie die Effizienz der operativen Behandlung der symptomatischen, konservativ erfolglos behandelten Instabilität des Sprunggelenks verbessert. Die arthroskopische Untersuchung wird deshalb dem Patienten Nutzen bringen, aber auch volkswirtschaftlich sinnvoll sei

Stochastic system dynamics modelling for climate change water scarcity assessment of a reservoir in the Italian Alps

Water management in mountain regions is facing multiple pressures due to climate change and anthropogenic activities. This is particularly relevant for mountain areas where water abundance in the past allowed for many anthropogenic activities, exposing them to future water scarcity. Here stochastic system dynamics modelling (SDM) was implemented to explore water scarcity conditions affecting the stored water and turbined outflows in the Santa Giustina (S. Giustina) reservoir (Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy). The analysis relies on a model chain integrating outputs from climate change simulations into a hydrological model, the output of which was used to test and select statistical models in an SDM for replicating turbined water and stored volume within the S. Giustina dam reservoir. The study aims at simulating future conditions of the S. Giustina reservoir in terms of outflow and volume as well as implementing a set of metrics to analyse volume extreme conditions.Average results on 30-year slices of simulations show that even under the short-term RCP4.5 scenario (2021-2050) future reductions for stored volume and turbined outflow are expected to be severe compared to the 14-year baseline (1999-2004 and 2009-2016; -24.9 % of turbined outflow and -19.9 % of stored volume). Similar reductions are expected also for the long-term RCP8.5 scenario (2041-2070; -26.2 % of turbined outflow and -20.8 % of stored volume), mainly driven by the projected precipitations having a similar but lower trend especially in the last part of the 2041-2070 period. At a monthly level, stored volume and turbined outflow are expected to increase for December to March (outflow only), January to April (volume only) depending on scenarios and up to +32.5 % of stored volume in March for RCP8.5 for 2021-2050. Reductions are persistently occurring for the rest of the year from April to November for turbined outflows (down to -56.3 % in August) and from May to December for stored volume (down to -44.1 % in June). Metrics of frequency, duration and severity of future stored volume values suggest a general increase in terms of low volume below the 10th and 20th percentiles and a decrease of high-volume conditions above the 80th and 90th percentiles. These results point at higher percentage increases in frequency and severity for values below the 10th percentile, while volume values below the 20th percentile are expected to last longer. Above the 90th percentile, values are expected to be less frequent than baseline conditions, while showing smaller severity reductions compared to values above the 80th percentile. These results call for the adoption of adaptation strategies focusing on water demand reductions. Months of expected increases in water availability should be considered periods for water accumulation while preparing for potential persistent reductions of stored water and turbined outflows. This study provides results and methodological insights that can be used for future SDM upscaling to integrate different strategic mountain socio-economic sectors (e.g. hydropower, agriculture and tourism) and prepare for potential multi-risk conditions

Conceptualizing community resilience to natural hazards - the emBRACE framework

Abstract. The level of community is considered to be vital for building disaster resilience. Yet, community resilience as a scientific concept often remains vaguely defined and lacks the guiding characteristics necessary for analysing and enhancing resilience on the ground. The emBRACE framework of community resilience presented in this paper provides a heuristic analytical tool for understanding, explaining and measuring community resilience to natural hazards. It was developed in an iterative process building on existing scholarly debates, on empirical case study work in five countries and on participatory consultation with community stakeholders, where the framework was applied and ground-tested in different contexts and for different hazard types. The framework conceptualizes resilience across three core domains: resources and capacities; actions; and learning. These three domains are conceptualized as intrinsically conjoined within a whole. Community resilience is influenced by these integral elements as well as by extra-community forces, comprising disaster risk governance and thus laws, policies and responsibilities on the one hand and on the other, the general societal context, natural and human-made disturbances and system change over time. The framework is a graphically rendered heuristic, which through application can assist in guiding the assessment of community resilience in a systematic way and identifying key drivers and barriers of resilience that affect any particular hazard-exposed community

Landslide mapping and monitoring by using radar and optical remote sensing: examples from the EC-FP7 project SAFER

This paper focuses on the Landslide Thematic services of the EU-funded FP7-SPACE project SAFER (Services and Applications For Emergency Response) for inventory mapping, monitoring and rapid mapping by using Earth Observation (EO). We exploited satellite Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA), and discuss example applications in South Tyrol and Abruzzo (Italy), Lower Austria (Austria), Lubietova (Slovakia) and the Kaohsiung County (Taiwan). These case studies showcase the significance of radar and optical EO data, InSAR and OBIA methods for landslide mapping and monitoring in different geological environments and during all phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, crisis and recovery

Computational Fluid Dynamics of Catalytic Reactors

Today, the challenge in chemical and material synthesis is not only the development of new catalysts and supports to synthesize a desired product, but also the understanding of the interaction of the catalyst with the surrounding flow field. Computational Fluid Dynamics or CFD is the analysis of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer and chemical reactions by means of computer-based numerical simulations. CFD has matured into a powerful tool with a wide range of applications in industry and academia. From a reaction engineering perspective, main advantages are reduction of time and costs for reactor design and optimization, and the ability to study systems where experiments can hardly be performed, e.g., hazardous conditions or beyond normal operation limits. However, the simulation results will always remain a reflection of the uncertainty in the underlying models and physicochemical parameters so that in general a careful experimental validation is required. This chapter introduces the application of CFD simulations in heterogeneous catalysis. Catalytic reactors can be classified by the geometrical design of the catalyst material (e.g. monoliths, particles, pellets, washcoats). Approaches for modeling and numerical simulation of the various catalyst types are presented. Focus is put on the principal concepts for coupling the physical and chemical processes on different levels of details, and on illustrative applications. Models for surface reaction kinetics and turbulence are described and an overview on available numerical methods and computational tools is provided

Response of a nitrite-reductase 3.1-kilobase upstream regulatory sequence from spinach to nitrate and light in transgenic tobacco.

In the present study the question was addressed of whether the nitrite-reductase (NIR-)promoter from spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), fused to a reporter gene (bacterial β-glucuronidase, GUS) and introduced into tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) responds to nitrate and light in accordance with spinach (donor) or in accordance with tobacco (host). The data obtained at the GUS enzyme level as well as at the transcript level allow an unambiguous answer to this question: GUS gene expression under the control of the NIR-promoter from spinach responds to nitrate and light in accordance with the host (tobacco). Expression of the promoter-less GUS gene was not induced by any treatment

Isolation of functional RNA from plant tissues rich in phenolic compounds.

A method for the isolation of RNA from different tissues of trees (seedlings, saplings, and adult trees) is described. Using this procedure it is possible to remove large amounts of disturbing polyphenolic compounds from nucleic acids. The method involves an acetone treatment of the freeze-dried and powdered plant material, the use of high salt concentrations in the extraction buffer and an aqueous two-phase system. These steps were combined with the conventional phenol/chloroform extraction and CsCl centrifugation. The method has been successfully applied to the isolation and purification of RNA from pine (Pinus sylvestris L. and Pinus mugo Turr.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L.), and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). The functional quality of RNA extracted by this procedure has been characterized by its uv spectrum, by agarose gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide staining, Northern blot hybridization, and in vitro translation