Prospective life cycle inventory datasets for conventional and hybrid-electric aircraft technologies

Hybrid-electric aircraft represent a promising solution for the urgent need to decarbonize short-haul flights and bolster aviation sustainability. Nevertheless, the realization of hybrid-electric aircraft demands rigorous environmental impact analysis, given the substantial investments, time, and research required for technology development. This study offers a comprehensive life cycle inventory spanning the years 2030, 2040, and 2050 for both conventional and hybrid-electric aircraft configurations. Our inventory datasets are meticulously constructed through a systematic approach, ensuring data harmonization by drawing upon scientific literature, industry expertise, and primary data sources. This extensive dataset encompasses all pertinent systems necessary to model the environmental footprint of flights covering distances ranging from 200 to 600 nautical miles, utilizing a 50-passenger aircraft with the ATR42 as a reference model. Additionally, we furnish supplemental data for end-of-life considerations and uncertainty analysis. The systems under examination include the airframe, powertrain, power electronics and drives, batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen onboard storage, airport infrastructure, and battery charging stations. Notably, the carbon footprint of conventional aircraft aligns with data from the ecoinvent v3.8 database; however, our provided datasets are more than tenfold more detailed and incorporate a forward-looking perspective. These meticulously curated life cycle inventories can be amalgamated to simulate the potential environmental ramifications of conventional aircraft powered by kerosene or alternative aviation fuels, hybrid-electric aircraft utilizing battery technology, and hybrid-electric aircraft employing hydrogen as a fuel in conjunction with batteries. In this context, our findings play a pivotal role in nurturing the development of technology roadmaps that prioritize environmental sustainability within the realm of regional aviation

Infektion primärer aviärer Zellen mit Toxoplasma gondii

Als Folgestufe der Monozyten sind Makrophagen wichtige Zielzellen im Verlauf von Infektionsgeschehen und damit Modell zur Untersuchung der Erreger-Wirt-Interaktion im Körper. Auch Toxoplasma (T.) gondii wurde bereits in zahlreichen Monozyten-Makrophagen (MM)-Kulturen untersucht, bisher jedoch nicht in aviären Systemen. Daher wurde ein Isolationsprotokoll etabliert, um ex vivo Primärkulturen aviärer MM aus Hühnerblut zu generieren. In den Primärkulturen wurde die Vermehrung von Tachyzoiten der Stämme ME49 (Typ II) und NED (Typ III) über 72 Stunden bei Kultivierungstemperaturen von 37°C bzw. 40°C unter sucht. Mittels einer qPCR (529bp-Fragment) konnte nach anfänglichem Absinken ein deutlicher Anstieg der Replikate detektiert werden, wobei die Vermehrungsrate zwischen den Temperaturen über den Gesamtzeitraum nicht deutlich divergierte. Für beide untersuchten T.-gondii-Stämme wurde eine unterschiedliche Vermehrungsrate beobachtet, wobei sich ME49 schneller vermehrte als NED, wodurch z. T. auch die Überlebensdauer der ME49-infizierten Zellkulturen verkürzt war. Demnach besitzt die MM-Fraktion eine putative Transportfunktion bei der initialen Verbreitung der Parasiten im Vogelorganismus, wie es für Säugerorganismen bereits beschrieben ist. Weitere Untersuchungen zur Vitalität der MM-Kultur im Infektionsverlauf sind vorgesehen. Zudem ist die genauere Untersuchung der Parasit-Wirtszell-Interaktion auf Ebene der Genexpression geplant. Ebenso sollen andere Zelltypen auf ihre Wirtszellfunktion getestet werden. Ziel der Untersuchungen ist das bessere Verständnis des Verlaufes einer T.-gondii-Infektion im Vogel

Experimental Toxoplasma gondii and Eimeria tenella co-infection in chickens

The widespread apicomplexan parasites Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and Eimeria tenella (E. tenella) are important pathogens with high prevalence in poultry. The aim of our study was the investigation of mutual influences in co-infected chickens, focusing on immune response and course of infection. Two separate trials were performed using in total 96 1-day-old chickens, divided into four study groups: group NC (negative control, uninfected), group PC-T (oral or intramuscular infection with T. gondii oocysts (trial 1) or tachyzoites (trial 2), respectively), group PC-E (oral infection with E. tenella (trial 1) or E. tenella and Eimeria acervulina (trial 2)), and group TE (co-infection). T. gondii and Eimeria infections were validated by different parameters, and cytokine expression in the gut and spleen was investigated. T. gondii-specific antibodies were detected earliest 4 days post infection (p.i.) by immunoblot and direct DNA detection was possible in 22.1% of all tissue samples from infected chickens. Eimeria spp. merogony seemed to be enhanced by co-infection with T. gondii, interestingly without marked differences in oocyst excretion between co-infected and Eimeria spp. mono-infected chickens. An increase of messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of Th1- (IFN-γ, IL-12, TNF-α) and Th2-related cytokines (IL-10) mainly in groups PC-E and TE was observed, however, without statistically significant differences between co-infection and single infection with Eimeria. In conclusion, most of the measurable immune response could be attributed to Eimeria infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on co-infection experiments of T. gondii with Eimeria spp. in chickens