Cruise Report RV Heincke HE560

The primary aim of this expedition was to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution, the ecology and physiology, as well as competition of co-occurring gadoid species (Atlantic cod, Polar cod, haddock) in the communities of Arctic and Atlantic influence around Svalbard. We sampled the benthic and pelagic communities (including plankton) on the shallow shelf regions of Svalbard to estimate the effects of climate change on Arctic ecosystems to obtain a picture of the entire system structure and function for a long-term monitoring program of the ‘Atlantification’ of the Svalbard region. We assessed the potential impact of changes in trophic interaction (predator-prey relations) of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Polar cod (Boreogadus saida), haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) and decapod crabs on the productivity and stability of benthic and pelagic communities in Arctic ecosystems, into which their distribution ranges now extend due to ocean warming. In addition to a stock assessment and distribution analysis of gadoid fish and decapod crabs, we aimed to obtain specimens of these species in the Atlantic and polar waters around Svalbard, which were transported alive back to Germany. Laboratory experiments under scenarios of climate change at the Alfred Wegener Institute then provided (and still provide) further insight into capacities for adaptation, performance and interaction of selected species of the Arctic ecosystem around Svalbard. The results will on the one hand be used in an international Norwegian-German project and the pan-Arctic data management system (Piepenburg et al. 2011), on the other hand they will flow into fisheries modelling at the University of Hamburg, the Thuenen Institute and socio-economic modelling approaches that build on the German ocean acidification project BIOACID (www.bioacid.de)

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

On Reduced Rickart Rings

Šī darba mērķis ir pētīt reducēto Rikarta gredzenu aksiomātiku, struktūru un dabisko (jeb Eibiena) sakārtojumu tajos. Rakstā [2] Rikarta gredzenos tika ieviestas fokālās operācijas. Pierādīju, ka fokāli Rikarta gredzeni, tas ir, Rikarta gredzeni, kuru signatūrā ietilpst fokālas operācijas, veido varietāti. Arī reducēto fokālo gredzenu klase izrādās varietāte. Pētīju arī greizo gandrīzrežģi, ko iegūst no reducēta Rikarta gredzena, definējot tajā greizo šķelšanas operāciju no [3]. Eibiena sakartojums sakrīt ar šī greizā gandrīzrežģa dabisko sakārtojumu. Aplūkoju stingro pusgrupu pusrežģi, ko var šādā gredzenā konstruēt, un pierādīju, ka katrs reducēts Rikarta gredzens kā greizs gandrīzrežģis ir izomorfs kādam funkciju greizajam gandrīzrežģim.The aim of this thesis is to study the axiomatics of reduced Rickart rings, their stucture and their natural (or Abian) order. Focal operation were introduced in Rickart rings in [2]. I prove that the class of focal Rickart rings, i.e. Rickart rings with focal operations added to their signature, is a variety. The class of reduced Rickart rings also turns out to be a variety. I also study the skew nearlattice which can be obtained from a reduced Rickart ring by introducing the skew meet operation from [3]. The natural order of this skew nearlattice coincides with Abian's order. I examine the strong semilattice of semigroups which can be constructed in such a ring, and I proved that every reduced Rickart ring as a skew nearlattice is isomorphic to some skew nearlattice of functions

One-sided star orders in Rickart involutive rings

Šajā darbā tiek pētīti divi vienpusēji zvaigznes sakārtojumi patvalļīgā Rikarta *-gredzenā. Aplūkošu kreiso zvaigznes sakārtojumu, kurš tika deifnēts [17], un vājo kreiso zvaigznes sakārtojumu, kru ir pieminējis Cīrulis [7]. Salīdzināju vienpusējos zvaigznes sakārtojumus ar labi zināmo (abpusējo) zvaigznes sakārtojumu, kā arī ar projekciju kopas sakārtojumu. Atradu ortogonalitāti, kas noteiktā nozīmē labi saskan ar kreiso zvaigznes sakārtojumu, un izmantojot Cīruļa rakstā [6] atrodamo rezultātu, ka kvaziortomodulāras kopas sākumnogriežņi ir ortomodulāri, pierādīju sākumnogriežņu ortomodularitāti kreisajam zvaigznes sakārtojumam. Viens no darba mērķiem bija ar atrast kādu sakārtojumu abos virzienos saglabājošu bijekciju starp patvaļīgu sākumnogriezni un kādu labāk pazīstamu kopu, lai tādā veidā, iespējams, tuvinātos kādam rezultātam, kas būtu līdzīgs Janovica teorēmai rakstā [16], kur vinš, izmantojot līdzīgu bijekciju, ir pierādījis, ka abpusējā zvaigznes sakārtojuma sākumnogriežņi ir režģi. Esmu atradusi kopu, kura ir Janovica izmantotās kopas tiešs analogs, bet bijekciju esmu atradusi starp sākumnogriezni un kādu šīs kopas sadalījumu.In this thesis I study two one-sided star orders in an arbitrary Rickart *-ring A. I will examine the left-star order , which was dened in [17], and the weak left-star order mentioned by Cīrulis in [7]. I compared the one-sided star orders with the well-known (both-sided) star order and with the order of the set of projections. I found an orthogonality which corresponds to in a certain way and, applying Cīrulis' result which states that the initial segments of any quasiorthomodular set are orthomodular (to be found in [6]), I prooved the orthomodularity of the initial segments for the left-star order. One of the thesis' objectives was to nd an order preserving (in both directions) bijection between an arbitrary initial segment and some better known set in order to maybe approach a result that resemble Janowitz's theorem in the paper [16], where he has used such a bijection to proove that the initial segments of the star order are lattices. I found a set that is a direct analogue of the set used by Janowitz. However, I found an order preserving bijection only between an initial segment and a partition of this set

Estimation of Scots pine bark biomass delivered to the wood industry in Northern Germany

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is the most widely distributed pine species in the world. In Germany, as in many other European countries, it is a very important species both culturally and economically. Few studies have focused on bark volumes being delivered to the wood industry together with the roundwood, being potentially a valuable resource for material or energetic utilization. Therefore, logs from six different forest sites were collected and bark variables including double bark thickness (DBT) in three different categories, diameter, and bark damage (as a degree of miss-DBT) in three different categories, diameter, and bark damage (as a degree of missing bark) were measured and analyzed in order to model bark volume (Vbark) and bark mass (Mbark). The correlation analysis using Pearson’s method showed that the highest correlation coefficients were observed from the correlation between DBT and Vbark, as well as between DBT and Mbark. Also, results demonstrated that with DBT greater than 20 mm, the percentage of Vbark exceeded 20%. Finally, different linear regression models were recommended to predict Vbark and Mbark based on the other variables. The results of this study can be used in different wood industries in order to predict bark volume and bark mass of e.g. truckloads or roundwood stacks

Permanent ectoplasmic structures in deep-sea benthic Cibicides and Cibicidoides taxa – long-term observations at in situ pressure

Deep-sea Cibicidoides pachyderma (forma mundulus) and related Cibicidoides spp. were cultured at in situ pressure for 1–2 d, or 6 weeks to 3 months. During that period, fluorescence analyses following BCECF-AM (2′,7′-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein acetoxymethyl ester) or calcein (bis[N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)aminomethyl]-fluorescein) labelling revealed a persisting cytoplasmic sheet or envelope surrounding the Cibicidoides tests. Thus, the Cibicidoides shell can be considered as an internal rather than an external cell structure. A couple of days to a week after being transferred into high-pressure aquaria and adjusted to a pressure of 115 bar, the foraminifera changed from a mobile to a more or less sessile living mode. During this quasi-sessile way of life, a series of comparably thick static ectoplasmic structures developed that were not resorbed or remodelled but, except for occasional further growth, remained unchanged throughout the experiments. Three different types of these permanent structures were observed. (a) Ectoplasmic “roots” were common in adult C. pachyderma, C. lobatulus, and C. wuellerstorfi specimens. In our experiments single ectoplasmic roots grew to a maximum of 700 times the individuals' shell diameter and were presumably used to anchor the specimen in an environment with strong currents. (b) Ectoplasmic “trees” describe rigid ectoplasmic structures directed into the aquarium's water body and were used by the foraminifera to climb up and down these ectoplasmic structures. Ectoplasmic trees have so far only been observed in C. pachyderma and enabled the tree-forming foraminifera to elevate itself above ground. (c) Ectoplasmic “twigs” were used to guide and hold the more delicate pseudopodial network when distributed into prevailing currents and were, in our experiments, also only developed in C. pachyderma specimens. Relocation of a specimen usually required it to tear apart and leave behind the rigid ectoplasmic structures and eventually also the envelope surrounding the test. Apparently, these rigid structures could not be resorbed or reused

Spectroscopic characterization of Venus at the single molecule level

Venus is a recently developed, fast maturating, yellow fluorescent protein that has been used as a probe for in vivo applications. In the present work the photophysical characteristics of Venus were analyzed spectroscopically at the bulk and single molecule level. Through time-resolved single molecule measurements we found that single molecules of Venus display pronounced fluctuations in fluorescence emission, with clear fluorescence on- and off-times. These fluorescence intermittencies were found to occupy a broad range of time scales, ranging from milliseconds to several seconds. Such long off-times can complicate the analysis of single molecule counting experiments or single-molecule FRET experiments.status: publishe

Severe Pulmonary Bleeding after Assist Device Implantation: Incidence, Risk Factors and Prognostic Impact

Background: Continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVAD) improve survival in patients with advanced heart failure but confer risk of bleeding complications. Whereas pathophysiology and risk factors for many bleeding complications are well investigated, the literature lacks reports about pulmonary bleeding. Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to assess incidence, risk factors, and clinical relevance of pulmonary bleeding episodes after LVAD implantation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed our institutional database of 125 consecutive patients who underwent LVAD implantation between 2008 and 2017. Demographic and clinical variables related to bleeding were collected. The primary endpoint was incidence of severe pulmonary bleeding (SPB). Results: Nine out of 125 patients suffered from SPB during the postoperative course (7.2%) 11 days after surgery in the median. None of them had a known history of lung disease or bleeding disorder. History of prior myocardial infarction (0% vWD. 42.2%, p = 0.012) and ischemic cardiomyopathy (25.0% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.046) were less frequent in the SBP group. Concomitant aortic valve replacement was more common in the group with SPB (33.3% versus 7.0%, p = 0.034). Surgical (blood loss 9950 vs. 3800 mL, p = 0.012) as well as ear-nose-throat (ENT) bleedings (33% vs. 4.6%, p = 0.015) were observed more frequently in patients with SPB. SPB was associated with a complicated postoperative course with a higher incidence of acute kidney failure (100% versus 36.7%, p = 0.001) and delirium (44.4% versus 14.8%, p = 0.045); a higher need for red blood cell (26 packs versus 7, p p = 0.002), and platelet transfusion (8 pools versus 1, p = 0.001); longer ventilation time (1206 versus 171 h, p = 0.001); longer ICU-stay (58 versus 13 days, p = 0.002); and higher hospital mortality (66.7% vs. 29%, p = 0.029). Conclusion: SPB is a rare but serious complication after LVAD implantation and is significantly associated with higher morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology and potential risk factors are unknown but may include coagulation disorders and frequent suctioning or empiric bronchoscopy causing airway irritation

Severe Pulmonary Bleeding after Assist Device Implantation: Incidence, Risk Factors and Prognostic Impact

Background: Continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVAD) improve survival in patients with advanced heart failure but confer risk of bleeding complications. Whereas pathophysiology and risk factors for many bleeding complications are well investigated, the literature lacks reports about pulmonary bleeding. Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to assess incidence, risk factors, and clinical relevance of pulmonary bleeding episodes after LVAD implantation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed our institutional database of 125 consecutive patients who underwent LVAD implantation between 2008 and 2017. Demographic and clinical variables related to bleeding were collected. The primary endpoint was incidence of severe pulmonary bleeding (SPB). Results: Nine out of 125 patients suffered from SPB during the postoperative course (7.2%) 11 days after surgery in the median. None of them had a known history of lung disease or bleeding disorder. History of prior myocardial infarction (0% vWD. 42.2%, p = 0.012) and ischemic cardiomyopathy (25.0% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.046) were less frequent in the SBP group. Concomitant aortic valve replacement was more common in the group with SPB (33.3% versus 7.0%, p = 0.034). Surgical (blood loss 9950 vs. 3800 mL, p = 0.012) as well as ear-nose-throat (ENT) bleedings (33% vs. 4.6%, p = 0.015) were observed more frequently in patients with SPB. SPB was associated with a complicated postoperative course with a higher incidence of acute kidney failure (100% versus 36.7%, p = 0.001) and delirium (44.4% versus 14.8%, p = 0.045); a higher need for red blood cell (26 packs versus 7, p < 0.001), fresh frozen plasma (18 units versus 6, p = 0.002), and platelet transfusion (8 pools versus 1, p = 0.001); longer ventilation time (1206 versus 171 h, p = 0.001); longer ICU-stay (58 versus 13 days, p = 0.002); and higher hospital mortality (66.7% vs. 29%, p = 0.029). Conclusion: SPB is a rare but serious complication after LVAD implantation and is significantly associated with higher morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology and potential risk factors are unknown but may include coagulation disorders and frequent suctioning or empiric bronchoscopy causing airway irritation