Free-range grazing by large herbivores in degraded large-scale dry sandy grassland-heathland ecosystems

Free-range grazing by large herbivores combined with one-time mowing of over-aged heathlands offers an excellent management tool to maintain and enhance biodiversity in degraded large scale, low productive, semi-open dry sandy grassland-heathland ecosystems. Grazing improves habitat quality, supports typical species communities and represses invasive species

Biogeochemie, Fluide, Gashydrate und Paläoklima des Schwarzen Meers = Biogeochemistry, fluids, gas hydrates and paleo climate of the Black Sea : Istanbul, Trabzon, Istanbul ; Forschungsschiff Meteor, Reise Nr. M72 ; 07.02.2007 – 04.06.2007

Das Schwarze Meer ist das größte anoxische Meeresbecken der Erde. Hohe biologische Produktion in der Deckschicht und ein tiefer anoxischer Wasserkörper unterhalb der Chemokline in 100-150 m Wassertiefe füh-ren zu einzigartigen Bedingungen für mikrobielles Leben, geochemische Kreis-läufe und Sedimentationsprozesse. Gas- und Fluidemissionen aus verschiedenen geolo-gischen Formationen wie z.B. Methanaus-tritt entlang der Schelfkante oder Ausstoß von kohlenwasserstoffhaltigen Fluiden aus Schlammvulkanen in Tiefseeregionen lie-fern ein einzigartiges Umfeld für die Erfor-schung von geologischen Tiefenprozessen, geochemischen Kreisläufen, mikrobiellen Habitaten und den kontrollierenden Bedin-gungen für mikrobielle Schlüsselprozesse der Elementkreisläufe in einer permanent anoxischen Welt. Fahrtabschnitt M72/1 untersucht unter der Leitung von Dr. R. Seifert geochemische Kreisläufe und mikrobielles Leben an akti-ven Gasquellen innerhalb der Statbilitäts-zone von Gashydrat ab ca. 700 m Wasser-tiefe im Paläo-Djnepr-Gebiet. Der anschlie-ßende Fahrtabschnitt M 72/2 findet im Rahmen des EU-Projekts HERMES und des deutschen Geotechnologien-Projekts MUMM II unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. A. Boetius statt und untersucht die Kontrol-len und Mechanismen der mikrobiellen Transporte und Umsätze chemischer Ele-mente an Methanquellen auf der Schelfkante und an Fluidaustritten von Schlammvulka-nen. Als Aktivität eines weiteren Geotech-nologienprojekts METRO widmet sich Fahrtabschnitt M 72/3 unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. G. Bohrmann der Erforschung von Herkunft, Verteilung und Dynamik von Methan und Gashydraten in Sedimenten sowie der Untersuchung von Methanflüssen von den Sedimenten in die Wassersäule. Anschließend wird Fahrtabschnitt M 72/4seismische Untersuchungen der Migrationswege von Fluiden in den tiefen Unter-gründen des Djnepr-seep-Systems und der Schlammvulkane im Sorokin Trog unter der Leitung von Dr. J. Bialas vornehmen. Den Abschluss bildet Fahrtabschnitt M 72/5 un-ter der Leitung von Dr. C. Borowski mit Untersuchungen der geochemischen und mikrobiellen Prozesse in der geschichteten Wassersäule und in Sedimenten um die Chemokline wie in den tiefen anoxischen Becken. Die Reise M 72 wird am 07. Februar 2007 in Istanbul (Türkei) beginnen und am 04. Juni 2007 ebenfalls in Istanbul enden.The Black Sea is the largest anoxic basin on earth. High biological productivity in the oxygenated surface waters and a deep anoxic water body below the chemocline at 100–150 m water depth provide unique conditions for anaerobic microbial life, geochemical cycling and sedimentation processes which make the present day Black Sea a modern type locality for TOC-rich sedimentation and element cycling processes in the geological past. Hydrocarbon emissions from various geological settings such as methane gas seepage along large stretches of the shelf break and fluid discharges from mud volcanoes in deep-sea regions provide unique environmental conditions for studying geological subsurface processes, geochemical cycling, microbial habitats and controls on microbial key processes for element cycling in a permanent anoxic world. Geochemical cycling and microbial life at active gas seeps located in the stability zone of gas hydrates below 700 m water depth in the paleo Dnepr area will be investigated by leg M 72/1 with Dr. R. Seifert as a chief scientist. In the frame of the EU project HERMES and the German “Geotechnologies” project MUMM II, leg M 72/2 with Prof. Dr. A. Boetius as a chief scientist will focus on the controls and mechanisms of chemical element transport and breakdown by seep microbiota at shelf break gas seeps and fluid discharges of mudvolcanoes in the Sorokin Trough. As an activity of another “Geotechnologies” project METRO, leg M 72/3 with Prof. Dr. G. Bohrmann as a chief scientist will study in various geological settings, mainly of the eastern Black Sea, the origins, distributions and dynamics of methane and gas hydrates in sediments and also methane fluxes from the sediment to the water column. This will be followed by seismic investigations of fluid migration pathways in the subsurface of Sorokin Trough mud volcanoes and the paleo-Dnepr seepage system during M 72/4 with Dr. J. Bialas as a chief scientist. The final leg M 72/5 with Dr. C. Borowski as a chief scientist will lead to various areas in the western and eastern Black Sea and will focus on geochemical and microbiological processes in the stratified water column and in sediments around the chemocline and in the anoxic basins. Cruise M 72 will start on 07th February in Istanbul (Turkey) and end on 04th June again in Istanbul

Bis(hydrogen l-glutamato)palladium(II)

In the title compound, [Pd(C5H8NO4)2], the Pd(II) atom is coordinated by two O atoms and two N atoms of two N,O-chelating hydrogen l-glutatmate ligands in a square–planar geometry with the N and O atoms in a mutually trans arrangement. The complex units are embedded in a network of N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions that stabilize the three-dimensional crystal structure. The strongest hydrogen bonds are formed between the γ-COOH untis of adjacent glutamate ligands, leading to dimers of the type R 2 2(8) with O⋯O separations of 2.640 (6) Å

Sanierung Altlastenstandort Freital-Saugrund: Erfahrungen bei der Altlastensanierung und Entwicklung des Revitalisierungsgebietes Freital-Saugrund: Rückblick und Perspektive

Das Revitalisierungsgebiet Freital-Saugrund ist gekennzeichnet durch stoffliche und radiologische Belastungen industrieller, bergbaulicher und kommunaler Herkunft. Die mehr als 20 Teilflächen wurden entsprechend der gesetzlichen Grundlagen erkundet, bewertet und größtenteils saniert. In der Broschüre ist die erfolgreiche Sanierung des Gebietes dargestellt. Daraus wurden Perspektiven und verallgemeinerbare Erkenntnisse abgeleitet. Zielgruppe dieser Veröffentlichung sind interessierte Bürger des Gebietes, die Eigentümer der Flächen, die zuständigen Behörden und fachlich Interessierte. Redaktionsschluss: 14.06.201

Long-Term Oncological Efficacy of Retroperitoneoscopic Radical Nephrectomy of Localized Renal Cell Cancer pT1-3 (≤12 cm)

Investigation of oncological efficacy in retroperitoneoscopic radical nephrectomy (RRN) of patients with localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Consecutive patients undergoing RRN for localized stage pT1-3 RCC in 2 tertiary care centers in Switzerland were evaluated. Excellent long-term oncological efficacy was found. Our long-term follow-up validates the survival outcome from comparable literature after conventional open or laparoscopic radical nephrectomy

Elimusertib has anti-tumor activity in preclinical patient-derived pediatric solid tumor models

The small molecule inhibitor of ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related protein (ATR), elimusertib, is currently being tested clinically in various cancer entities in adults and children. Its preclinical anti-tumor activity in pediatric malignancies, however, is largely unknown. We here assessed the preclinical activity of elimusertib in 38 cell lines and 32 patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models derived from common pediatric solid tumor entities. Detailed in vitro and in vivo molecular characterization of the treated models enabled the evaluation of response biomarkers. Pronounced objective response rates were observed for elimusertib monotherapy in PDX, when treated with a regimen currently used in clinical trials. Strikingly, elimusertib showed stronger anti-tumor effects than some standard of care chemotherapies, particularly in alveolar rhabdomysarcoma PDX. Thus, elimusertib has strong preclinical anti-tumor activity in pediatric solid tumor models, which may translate to clinically meaningful responses in patients

Impairment of Immunoproteasome Function by β5i/LMP7 Subunit Deficiency Results in Severe Enterovirus Myocarditis

Proteasomes recognize and degrade poly-ubiquitinylated proteins. In infectious disease, cells activated by interferons (IFNs) express three unique catalytic subunits β1i/LMP2, β2i/MECL-1 and β5i/LMP7 forming an alternative proteasome isoform, the immunoproteasome (IP). The in vivo function of IPs in pathogen-induced inflammation is still a matter of controversy. IPs were mainly associated with MHC class I antigen processing. However, recent findings pointed to a more general function of IPs in response to cytokine stress. Here, we report on the role of IPs in acute coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) myocarditis reflecting one of the most common viral disease entities among young people. Despite identical viral load in both control and IP-deficient mice, IP-deficiency was associated with severe acute heart muscle injury reflected by large foci of inflammatory lesions and severe myocardial tissue damage. Exacerbation of acute heart muscle injury in this host was ascribed to disequilibrium in protein homeostasis in viral heart disease as indicated by the detection of increased proteotoxic stress in cytokine-challenged cardiomyocytes and inflammatory cells from IP-deficient mice. In fact, due to IP-dependent removal of poly-ubiquitinylated protein aggregates in the injured myocardium IPs protected CVB3-challenged mice from oxidant-protein damage. Impaired NFκB activation in IP-deficient cardiomyocytes and inflammatory cells and proteotoxic stress in combination with severe inflammation in CVB3-challenged hearts from IP-deficient mice potentiated apoptotic cell death in this host, thus exacerbating acute tissue damage. Adoptive T cell transfer studies in IP-deficient mice are in agreement with data pointing towards an effective CD8 T cell immune. This study therefore demonstrates that IP formation primarily protects the target organ of CVB3 infection from excessive inflammatory tissue damage in a virus-induced proinflammatory cytokine milieu