Pigment geochemistry as chronological marker: The case of lead pigment in rock art in the Urrmarning 'Red Lily Lagoon' rock art precinct, western Arnhem Land

This paper presents selected results of an experimental study using portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) for the non-destructive analysis of rock art pigments in northern Australia. During two weeks of fieldwork in the dry season of 2011 at the Red Lily Lagoon area in western Arnhem Land, 32 rock art motifs in four rockshelter sites were analysed. A total of 640 analyses were undertaken, including of white, red, black, yellow and blue pigments from both early and contact art motifs. This paper discusses the geochemical analysis of one particular motif painted with black pigment. It was determined that processed metal lead was the most likely pigment base. Contrary to previous stylistic analysis that suggested the motif had an old age, our analysis suggests that the motif was painted within the last 200-300 years

Field Evaluation of a Rising Plate Meter to Estimate Herbage Mass in Austrian Pastures

Pasture management is an important topic for dairy farms with grazing systems. Herbage mass (HM) is a key measure, and estimations of HM content in pastures allow for informed decisions in pasture management. A common method of estimating the HM content in pastures requires manually collected grass samples, which are subjected to laboratory analysis to determine the dry matter (DM) content. However, in recent years, new methods have emerged that generate digital data and aim to expedite, facilitate and improve the measurement of HM. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of a rising plate meter (RPM) tool in a practical setting to estimate HM in Austrian pastures. With this study, we also attempted to answer whether the tool is ready for use by farmers with its default settings. This study was conducted on the teaching and research farm of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria. Data were collected from May to October 2021 in five different pastures. To evaluate the accuracy of the RPM tool, grass samples were collected and dried in an oven to extract their DM and calculate the HM. The HM obtained from the grass samples was used as the gold standard for this study. In total, 3796 RPM measurements and 203 grass samples yielding 49 measurement points were used for the evaluation of the RPM tool. Despite the differences in pasture composition, the averaged HM from the RPM tool showed a strong correlation with the gold standard (R2 = 0.73, rp = 0.86, RMSE = 517.86, CV = 33.67%). However, the results may not be good enough to justify the use of the tool, because simulations in economic studies suggest that the error of prediction should be lower than 15%. Furthermore, in some pastures, the RPM obtained poor results, indicating an additional need for pasture-specific calibrations, which complicates the use of the RPM tool

Если человечество не изменит концепцию своего развития, оно погибнет

Сложная современная политическая, социально-экономическая, межнациональная, религиозная и пр. ситуация в мире требует от интеллектуальной элиты и особенно от политиков, ученых обществоведов, экономистов сформировать и предложить новую концепцию развития мира.Складна сучасна політична, соціально-економічна, міжнаціональна, релігійна та ін. ситуація в суспільстві вимагає від інтелектуальної еліти і особливо від політиків, вчених суспільствознавців, економістів сформувати та запропонувати нову концепцію розвитку суспільства.Complicated modern political, socio-economic, international, religious and other situations in the world call on all the brainpower and especially policy-makers, scholars, social scientists, economists to elaborate and offer a new concept of the world development

Austrian Raw-Milk Hard-Cheese Ripening Involves Successional Dynamics of Non-Inoculated Bacteria and Fungi

Cheese ripening involves successional changes of the rind microbial composition that harbors a key role on the quality and safety of the final products. In this study, we analyzed the evolution of the rind microbiota (bacteria and fungi) throughout the ripening of Austrian Vorarlberger Bergkäse (VB), an artisanal surface-ripened cheese, by using quantitative and qualitative approaches. The real-time quantitative PCR results revealed that bacteria were more abundant than fungi in VB rinds throughout ripening, although both kingdoms were abundant along the process. The qualitative investigation was performed by high-throughput gene-targeted (amplicon) sequencing. The results showed dynamic changes of the rind microbiota throughout ripening. In the fresh products, VB rinds were dominated by Staphylococcus equorum and Candida. At early ripening times (14–30 days) Psychrobacter and Debaryomyces flourished, although their high abundance was limited to these time points. At the latest ripening times (90–160 days), VB rinds were dominated by S. equorum, Brevibacterium, Corynebacterium, and Scopulariopsis. Strong correlations were shown for specific bacteria and fungi linked to specific ripening periods. This study deepens our understanding of VB ripening and highlights different bacteria and fungi associated to specific ripening periods which may influence the organoleptic properties of the final products

The two-pore channel TPCN2 mediates NAADP-dependent Ca2+-release from lysosomal stores

Second messenger-induced Ca2+-release from intracellular stores plays a key role in a multitude of physiological processes. In addition to 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate (IP3), Ca2+, and cyclic ADP ribose (cADPR) that trigger Ca2+-release from the endoplasmatic reticulum (ER), nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) has been identified as a cellular metabolite that mediates Ca2+-release from lysosomal stores. While NAADP-induced Ca2+-release has been found in many tissues and cell types, the molecular identity of the channel(s) conferring this release remained elusive so far. Here, we show that TPCN2, a novel member of the two-pore cation channel family, displays the basic properties of native NAADP-dependent Ca2+-release channels. TPCN2 transcripts are widely expressed in the body and encode a lysosomal protein forming homomers. TPCN2 mediates intracellular Ca2+-release after activation with low-nanomolar concentrations of NAADP while it is desensitized by micromolar concentrations of this second messenger and is insensitive to the NAADP analog nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP). Furthermore, TPCN2-mediated Ca2+-release is almost completely abolished when the capacity of lysosomes for storing Ca2+ is pharmacologically blocked. By contrast, TPCN2-specific Ca2+-release is unaffected by emptying ER-based Ca2+ stores. In conclusion, these findings indicate that TPCN2 is a major component of the long-sought lysosomal NAADP-dependent Ca2+-release channel

Triglyceride matrices for controlled release. Characteristics for manufacturing and release - biocompatibility and erosion behavior

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction and Goals of the Thesis, page 7 Chapter 2: Materials and Methods, page 21 Chapter 3: Triglyceride Materials as Carrier for Proteins and Peptides � Extraction Methods for the Recovery and Determination of Residue Content, page 45 Chapter 4: Factors Influencing the Reslease from Triglyceride Matrices, page 55 Chapter 5: Biocompatibility and Erosion Behavior of Triglycerides and Blends with Cholesterol and Phospholipids, page 71 Chapter 6: Excipients for the Modification of Triglyceride Erosion � Influence on the in vitro Release from Triglyceride Matrices, page 83 Chapter 7: In vivo Investigation on the Erosion of Triglyceride Particles, page 101 Chapter 8: Programmable Implants � From Pulsatile to Controlled Release, page 113 Chapter 9: Summary and Conclusions, page 133 References: page 139 Appendices: page 155 List of Abbreviations: page 156 Curriculum vitae: page 158 List of Publications: page 159 Acknowledgements: page 16

Evaluation of an Accelerometer-Based Device for Testing the Softness of Bedding Materials Used for Livestock

Lying is a high priority behavior for dairy cows. As the quality of cubicles can influence their lying time, the interest in finding objective methods to assess the quality of floors has increased substantially over recent decades. This study aimed to evaluate a technical device for measuring elastic properties of floors for the application to bedding materials for cows. Ten different floor types were used: horse manure, recycled manure solids, bark mulch, sand, sawdust, and three different rubber mats. Horse manure and bark mulch were additionally tested with chopped straw as a top layer. Two devices of the same kind and two examiners were available for performing comparative measurements. Regression analyses and an ANOVA were conducted to compare the devices, examiners, and different surfaces. Most of the floors differed significantly from each other. Sawdust was the softest material, followed by sand and recycled manure solids. The agreement between the devices (Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) > 0.99, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rS) = 0.99) and examiners (CCC = 0.99, rS = 0.99) was almost perfect. These findings indicate that this device can be used as a new method for assessing the softness of bedding materials for dairy cows objectively