Stratigraphy and pyrite geochemistry of the Lower–Upper Ordovician in the Lerhamn and Fågelsång-3 drill cores, Scania, Sweden

Arsenik är ett mycket giftigt ämne som finns i berg, mark och grundvatten, och är känt för att orsaka allvarliga hälsoeffekter. Neurologiska skador hos människan inträffar vid koncentrationer så låga som 100 μg/L, medan 1–3 mg/kg kroppsvikt As är en dödlig dos. Exponering för As kan leda till bland annat cell- och DNA-skador, ett antal sjukdomar och störningar samt olika typer av cancer. Höga As-koncentrationer kan uppstå i närvaro av sulfidmineral, såsom pyrit (FeS2). Diagenetisk pyrit finns vanligen i skiffer och bildades i stor omfattning under ordovicium, till följd av låga C/S-förhållanden. Förutom As så är pyrit även känt för att innehålla tungmetaller. En pilotstudie vid Lunds universitet visade med hjälp av XRF-analys en As-anomali med förhöjda koncentrationer i en ordovicisk skiffer från Lerhamnsborrningen i nordvästra Skåne. I denna uppföljningsstudie görs en mer detaljerad geokemisk analys med fokus på pyrit från Lerhamnsborrkärnan med hjälp av LA-ICP-MS, för högre precision och noggrannare resultat. En annan borrkärna (Fågelsång-3) med ordoviciska skiffrar från Fågelsångsområdet i sydvästra Skåne, används för en jämförelse av resultat. Förutom As så är även ett antal tungmetaller av intresse. Analyserna bekräftar höga koncentrationer av As och även höga halter av några tungmetaller (V, Cr, Co, Mo, Cd, Sb, W, Hg, Pb) i pyrit i båda borrkärnorna. Dock så observeras en tydlig As-anomali endast i Lerhamnsborrkärnan, med mycket höga halter omkring 40 m djup. Den genomsnittliga As-koncentrationen är ca 736 ppm i Lerhamnsborrkärnan och 268 ppm i Fågelsång-3-borrkärnan, med maximala värden på 17660 ppm respektive 2295 ppm. Det föreligger emellertid inga risker så länge dessa skifferlagerföljder inte utsätts för erosion och vittring. Däremot finns det en potentiell risk för lokal As-förorening av miljön om skiffer/pyrit med höga As-koncentrationer, särskilt från Lerhamn, exploateras och pyriten utsätts för oxidation. Pyriten skulle då brytas ned och As och tungmetaller frigöras.Arsenic is a very toxic element present in rocks, soils, and natural groundwater, and known to cause serious health effects. Neurological damage is known in humans to occur at concentrations as low as 100 μg/L, while 1–3 mg/kg of body weight As is a lethal dose. Exposure to As may lead to e.g. cellular injury and DNA damage, a number of diseases and disorders and several types of cancer. High concentrations of As can be produced in the presence of sulfide minerals, such as pyrite (FeS2). Diagenetic pyrite is commonly found in shale and formed at high rates during the Ordovician Period, favored by low C/S ratios. In addition to As, pyrite is also known to incorporate heavy metals. A pilot study at Lund University, using XRF-analysis, have shown an As-anomaly with elevated concentrations in an Ordovician shale from a drill core obtained in the Lerhamn area, northwestern Scania, southern Sweden. In this follow-up study a deeper geochemical analysis with focus on pyrite from the Lerhamn drill core is done using LA-ICP-MS, for high precision and accurate results. A second drill core (Fågelsång-3) retrieved from Ordovician shales in the Fågelsång area, south-west Scania, is also investigated for a comparison of the result. In addition to As a number of heavy metals are also of interest. The analytical results confirm high concentrations of As, including some of the heavy metals (V, Cr, Co, Mo, Cd, Sb, W, Hg, Pb), in both drill cores. However, a single significant As-anomaly is only observed in the Lerhamn drill core peaking at around 40 m depth. The average As concentration is approximately 736 ppm in the Lerhamn drill core and 268 ppm in the Fågelsång-3 drill core, with highest values ranging up to 17660 ppm and 2295 ppm, respectively. This study concludes that the relatively high As concentrations in the Lerhamn and Fågelsång shale is of no concern in its present location. However, there is a potential risk for local As-contamination of the environment if shale/pyrite with high As concentrations, in particular from Lerhamn, is exposed to surface conditions. The pyrite would readily oxidize, and As and heavy metals be released

Thefts Behind the Restoration of Dubrovnik After the Great Earthquake of 1667

Analysis of the court proceedings involving thefts of salvaged construction material in the Dubrovnik Republic between 21 June 1667 and end of 1676 allows an insight into the course of restoration on the Republic territory hit by the disastrous earthquake, providing useful data on the state of particular buildings, their location, owners and builders engaged in the reconstruction process. The article examines the impact of the government’s emergency measures on the reconstruction carried out in the urban area and on the postponed restoration of the villas in the countryside, as well as the shifts in the social perception of theft prevailing in the mentioned period. Analysis of the type of stolen construction material contributes to our knowledge of the distribution of earthquake damage on the entire Republic territory

An analysis of economic knowledge. Centralized vs. decentralized planning

This paper analyzes the early development of centralized vs. decentralized knowledge theory which led to the free market theory and away from centralized planning of markets. It further discusses the type and relevancy of information in executive decision making whilst emphasizing the role that compatibility and objectivity of information plays in a society. Some of the key issues questioned in this paper are that the combined knowledge of the society is much more appropriate in using it as a basis of decision making in markets than any particular knowledge possessed by a few individuals and certified by a particular authority. In addition to this, it is argued that the methods chosen to collect this information such as different accounting models, can play a significant role on results control and risk reductionArtykuł analizuje wczesny rozwój scentralizowanej vs zdecentralizowanej teorii wiedzy, która doprowadziła do teorii wolnego rynku dalekiej od centralnego planowania. Następnie dyskutowane są rodzaje i adekwatność informacji w procesie podejmowania decyzji przez menedżerów, z podkreśleniem roli jaką spójność i obiektywizm odgrywają w społeczeństwie. Niektóre z kluczowych problemów podejmowanych w artykule mówią o tym, że zbiorowa wiedza społeczna jest o wiele bardziej użyteczna jako baza dla podejmowania decyzji rynkowych niż szczególna wiedza posiadana przez nieliczne jednostki i certyfikowana przez autorytety. Dodatkowo wysuwane są argumenty, że metody wybrane do zbierania informacji, na przykład różne modele w księgowości, mogą odgrywać znaczącą rolę w kontrolowaniu wyników i redukcji ryzyk

Towards Uncovering the Role of Pre-fibrillar Oligomers of á-Synuclein in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson s disease (PD) is a progressive neuropathological disorder that is characterized by the presence of intra-cytoplasmic inclusions called Lewy Bodies (LBs). LBs represent insoluble protein aggregates with á-Synuclein (áS) as a major component. LBs also mark lesions found in a range of related disorders, collectively referred to as synucleinopathies. Recent studies suggest that pathogenesis could result from small pre-fibrillar intermediates of the aggregation pathway, i.e. soluble oligomers of misfolded á-Synuclein. So, it is not decided yet whether the soluble oligomers or the final products of the áS aggregation (i.e. the áS fibrils) are cause of the disease, meaning that the nature of pathogenic áS species is still unresolved. To understand the nature of pathogenic áS species and to investigate whether accumulation of soluble pre-fibrillar oligomers of áS is responsible for the increased neurotoxicity in PD, I have used rationally designed structural variants of áS with different aggregation properties and tested their biological properties in Drosophila melanogaster, which lacks an áS gene in the wild type genome. Two of the designed variants, TP-áS and A56P-áS, have a remarkably decreased propensity to aggregate, and they form more pre-fibrillar soluble oligomeric species in aggregation assays in vitro. In order to examine their biological effects in vivo, I have employed Drosophila as a tool to explore possible PD-like effects of the áS mutants. The áS mutant genes were inserted into the Drosophila genome. To avoid possible position effects affecting the expression of the individual transgenes, I used the phiC31 site-specific integration system. The site specific genomic integration of the áS gene and the different áS mutants permit to directly compare the effects of the different áS variants on various biological parameters such as longevity, climbing (negative geotactic and phototactic responses), sleep behavior and circadian rhythmicity that were used as sensitive readouts for neurotoxicity in response to áS activity expressed specifically in the Dopaminergic (DA) neurons. The results show that the TP-áS and A56P-áS mutants caused increased neurotoxicity as compared to wild type áS or expression of the bacterial lacZ gene serving as controls. Immunohistochemistry on adult fly brains confirm that neurotoxicity as revealed by the behavior tests correlates well with the degeneration of DA neurons in response to the expression of the áS variants. The data show that the pre-fibrillar oligomer-forming TP-áS mutant is most toxic among the áS variants. The results are consistent with the conclusion that pre-fibrillar oligomers of áS are high ly toxic pathogenic species in the neurodegeneration process associated with PD. Aside from supporting the hypothesis that the pre-fibrillar status of áS is already toxic for neurons, the Drosophila system presented here delivers a novel experimental system in which the non-motor aspects of PD, the mechanism of cellular action and likely even the efficacy of lead compounds leading to therapeutic drugs can be addressed

Gastrointestinal Pseudo-Obstruction: Report of a Patient with Postoperative Pseudo-Obstruction

Postoperative pseudo-obstruction is a rare state of protracted gastrointestinal paresis that may progress to paralysis without the presence of obstructive lesions. Pseudo -obstruction is usually, but not exclusively, associated with an abdominal operative procedure (laparotomy), however, it may occasionally occur following extra-abdominal operations. As differentiated from the usual, \u27physiologic\u27 postoperative paresis, pseudo-obstruction persists for more than 7 days. The pathogenesis of postoperative pseudo-obstruction is complex and as yet partially unknown. Whereas the \u27physiologic\u27 postoperative gastrointestinal paresis includes short-term functional cholinergic depression of the visceral organs, in pseudo-obstruction focal lesions in the region of Auerbach\u27s plexus, manifesting as visceral neuromyopathy, are involved. That is why the \u27physiologic\u27 postoperative paresis never transforms into paralytic ileus, while in pseudo-obstruction such a risk is potentially involved. The treatment for pseudo-obstruction is as a rule conservative. Surgical treatment (cecostomy) is rarely required. Colonoscopic decompresive suction is usually enough to eliminate the risk of colon rupture due to extensive distention by fast growing meteorism. A patient with postoperative pseudo-obstruction is presented

Gastrointestinal Pseudo-Obstruction: Report of a Patient with Postoperative Pseudo-Obstruction

Postoperative pseudo-obstruction is a rare state of protracted gastrointestinal paresis that may progress to paralysis without the presence of obstructive lesions. Pseudo -obstruction is usually, but not exclusively, associated with an abdominal operative procedure (laparotomy), however, it may occasionally occur following extra-abdominal operations. As differentiated from the usual, \u27physiologic\u27 postoperative paresis, pseudo-obstruction persists for more than 7 days. The pathogenesis of postoperative pseudo-obstruction is complex and as yet partially unknown. Whereas the \u27physiologic\u27 postoperative gastrointestinal paresis includes short-term functional cholinergic depression of the visceral organs, in pseudo-obstruction focal lesions in the region of Auerbach\u27s plexus, manifesting as visceral neuromyopathy, are involved. That is why the \u27physiologic\u27 postoperative paresis never transforms into paralytic ileus, while in pseudo-obstruction such a risk is potentially involved. The treatment for pseudo-obstruction is as a rule conservative. Surgical treatment (cecostomy) is rarely required. Colonoscopic decompresive suction is usually enough to eliminate the risk of colon rupture due to extensive distention by fast growing meteorism. A patient with postoperative pseudo-obstruction is presented

Settlement of Koprivnica – temporary demographic challenges

Tijekom posljednja dva desetljeća cijelu su Hrvatsku, pa i naselje Koprivnicu, zahvatili negativni demografski trendovi, izazvani ponajprije prirodnim padom, ali i sve intenzivnijim iseljavanjem mladog i fertilnog stanovništva u inozemstvo. Navedeni procesi i reakcije na njih potvrđuju pristup u kojem se stanovništvo ne smatra osnovnim resursom prostora i potencijalom svakog planiranja i revitalizacije. Zato su i Hrvatska i promatrana koprivnička populacija u sve nezavidnijem položaju. Budući je kretanje stanovništva demografski okvir prostornog planiranja i revitalizacijskog pristupa, u radu je za procjenu ukupnog stanovništva primijenjena matematička ekstrapolacija temeljena na podacima posljednjeg popisa stanovništva 2011. godine. Dominantni procesi sve više usmjeravaju suvremeni razvoj i negativno utječu na budućnost promatranog prostora pa time nameću nužnost predlaganja i postavljanja rješenja za izvjesniju razvojnu budućnost, zasnovanu na populacijskoj i revitalizacijskoj politici. Stoga rad daje poseban osvrt na revitalizacijsku politiku i revitalizacijske modele s domicilnom i imigracijskom populacijom.During the last two decades Croatia, including Koprivnica, has been affected by negative demographic trends which were caused by natural decline and growing migration of young and fertile population abroad. These processes and reactions confirm the approach in which the population is not considered as a basic resource of space and potential of planning and revitalization. That is the reason why the observed population of Croatia and the Koprivnica are in unenviable position. Since population trends are a demographic framework of spatial planning and revitalization approach, mathematical extrapolation has been used for the estimation of the total population based on the last census data from 2011. Dominant processes are increasingly oriented to the contemporary development and negatively influencing the future of the observed space, they are implying the necessity of proposing and setting up better solutions for specific developmental future, based on population and revitalization policies. Therefore, this paper gives a special review of the revitalization policies and models with the domicile and immigrant population

Enrichment of data in relational database with Linked Data resources

The goal of the master's thesis is to introduce a method that will define how to link relational schemas with the existing structured data sources on the Semantic Web. Our study is based on different methods of data integration, where we will focus on the technologies of the Semantic Web (RDF, RDF scheme, R2RML and OWL). More precisely, we developed a method that enables integration of data from a relational database (schema and instances) with existing structured data in RDF format - so called Linked Data (LOD) sources. The result of the master's thesis are therefore approach and method which determines the method of implementation of distributed queries; enrichment of schema and data from any relational database. The solution also enables us to produce and publish information in accordance with the recommendations published by Tim Berners-Lee in 2010 (five-star Linked Data format). The second part of master's thesis presents a prototype in the form of a tool. With this tool we have verified and evaluated method from the first part. There are variety of open source solutions that enable matching and enrichment of data, but such approaches work only with semantically less rich information (e.g. XML and CSV format). Our prototype is actually a complement and enhancement of LogMap tool - we named it LogMapFRI. It allows user to work with relational databases, which implicitly contain useful metadata. These metadata can be used to identify the context of the data in the database and thus relieve the user from integrating schemas manually. Being able to do just that and extension of syntactic approaches are in fact key improvements of LogMap and main contribution of our solution

The Time of Restoration: Looting Behind the Reconstruction of Dubrovnik Following the Great Earthquake of 1667

Uz pretpostavku da krađa građevinskog materijala znači i njegovu ugradnju, kazneni postupci od 21. lipnja 1667. do kraja 1676. godine omogućuju istraživanje tijeka obnove na prostorima Dubrovačke Republike pogođenima potresom, te pružaju niz podataka o konkretnim građevinama, njihovu smještaju, vlasnicima i majstorima koji su bili uključeni u radove. S obzirom na prioritet obnove Grada, analizira se utjecaj interventnih odluka Vlade na radove u Gradu, na odgođenu obnovu ladanjskih objekata, te na promjene u društvenom poimanju krađe u tom razdoblju. Analizom vrste ukradenog građevinskog materijala utvrđuju se minimalna oštećenja pojedinih građevina, a njihovim smještajem na karti pridonosi saznanjima o distribuciji štete od potresa na cijelom prostoru Republike.Based on the records of the Criminal Court dating from 21 June 1667 to the end of 1676, the research presented here is part of a broader study of the looting and thefts in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit the Dubrovnik area in 1667, which significantly altered the image of the city from manifold aspects: architectural, urban, sociological and anthropological. This article examines the court proceedings dealing with the construction works undertaken within restoration, involving thefts of salvaged construction material from the quake-ravaged sites or unused building material, illegal tree cutting in order to obtain timber for construction, various proceedings dealing with kilns, as well as with local and foreign builders and their construction sites. The analysis of the data provided by the claims helps pinpoint the scope and distribution of damage on the Republic territory, facilitates the mapping of quality forests, klačine (kilns) and villas, along with specific buildings, the extent of their damage, owners and builders who took part in their reconstruction. Assuming that the theft of construction material presupposes its reuse, general trends in the process of the restoration of Dubrovnik and the Republic are being established. Prompt restoration of the city nucleus was an essential prerequisite for the survival of the Republic while facing one of the greatest challenges in its history. Fully aware of this fact, Ragusan government gave priority to reconstruction over the observance of property law, which had far reaching consequences for the social understanding of property ownership and its violation. The authorities issued a series of emergency measures aimed mainly at reconstruction of the city, while the rest of the territory was set aside in this respect. Suspended restoration of the country residences led inevitably to their delapidation and recurrent devastations. The map of devastated and looted buildings, along with a list of their owners allows a rough positioning of certain houses in space. This further enables the study of residential distribution of specific social groups within the city nucleus which changed dramatically after the earthquake, and also provides an insight into the material damages in the outlying areas of the Dubrovnik Republic, of which we have had very scanty data so far. Information on the owners of the villas and the buildings themselves, their position in space, along with their construction status after the earthquake will prove useful to those investigating the architecture of the Dubrovnik country residences, one of the most valuable phenomena of the Croatian building heritage