Das Herbarium Adolf Becker im Pfarrarchiv Ober-Widdersheim

Das Herbarium des Pfarrers Adolf Becker, gesammelt zwischen 1833 und 1863, wurde nachbestimmt. Bei der Mehrzahl der etwa 200 mit Fundorten versehenen Belege handelt es sich um Kulturpflanzen, die vornehmlich in Parkanlagen von Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe und Okarben gesammelt wurden. Diese geben einen Eindruck von den erstaunlich reichhaltigen Bepflanzungen jener Zeit. 81 von uns als Wildpflanzen klassifizierte Arten wurden zumeist um Okarben gesammelt. Wegen ihres Rückganges oder aktuellen Fehlens sind die Belege von Apium graveolens, A. nodiflorum, Juncus gerardii, Nigella arvensis und Oenanthe fistulosa bemerkenswert.The identities of plants collected by the priest Adolf Becker between 1833 and 1863 were redetermined. The majority of the approximately 200 specimens for which collection site information is available are cultivated plants from parks in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Okarben. This collection reflects the remarkably diverse floral cultivation of the time. A total of 81 plants that we had classified as wild species originated mostly in the vicinity of Okarben. The specimens of Apium graveolens, A. nodiflorum, Juncus gerardii, Nigella arvensis, and Oenanthe fistulosa are noteworthy because they are currently either in decline or extinct.L'herbier du pasteur Adolf Becker, herborisé entre 1833 et 1863, a été soumis à une révision. La plupart des 200 échantillons environ dont la station est indiquée sont des plantes cultivées qui ont été récoltées surtout dans les parcs à Bad Homburg et Okarben. Elles donnent une impression de la richesse étonnante des plantations de cette époque. 81 espèces, classées comme étant spontanées, ont été récoltées dans les environs de Okarben. Parmi elles, il faut remarquer particulièrement Apium graveolens, A. nodiflorum, Juncus gerardii, Nigella arvensis et Oenanthe fistulosa car elles sont en régression actuellement ou disparues

Two new taxa of marcgraviastrum (marcgraviaceae) and a catalogue of colombian taxa of this genus1

A new species of Marcgraviastrum is validated, described, and illustrated. The new species is known only from the Colombian Guayana (Departments of Caquetá, Guaviare, and Vaupés). Its morphological relationships are discussed. Furthermore, a new combination into Marcgraviastrum is published. A checklist of the nine Colombian species of the genus is presented

Injection 3D Concrete Printing (I3DCP): Basic Principles and Case Studies

Today, the majority of research in 3D concrete printing focuses on one of the three methods: firstly, material extrusion; secondly, particle-bed binding; and thirdly, material jetting. Common to all these technologies is that the material is applied in horizontal layers. In this paper, a novel 3D concrete printing technology is presented which challenges this principle: the so-called Injection 3D Concrete Printing (I3DCP) technology is based on the concept that a fluid material (M1) is robotically injected into a material (M2) with specific rheological properties, causing material M1 to maintain a stable position within material M2. Different to the layered deposition of horizontal strands, intricate concrete structures can be created through printing spatially free trajectories, that are unconstrained by gravitational forces during printing. In this paper, three versions of this method were investigated, described, and evaluated for their potential in construction: A) injecting a fine grain concrete into a non-hardening suspension; B) injecting a non-hardening suspension into a fine grain concrete; and C) injecting a fine grain concrete with specific properties into a fine grain concrete with different properties. In an interdisciplinary research approach, various material combinations were developed and validated through physical experiments. For each of the three versions, first architectural applications were developed and functional prototypes were fabricated. These initial results confirmed both the technological and economic feasibility of the I3DCP process, and demonstrate the potential to further expand the scope of this novel technology

Methacholine challenge – Comparison of an ATS protocol to a new rapid single concentration technique

SummaryBronchial methacholine challenge is well established in asthma diagnostics and research. ATS guidelines propose a five step standard dosimeter (SDM) protocol with incremental concentrations of methacholine to calculate the concentration causing a 20% drop in FEV1 in an individual (PC20FEV1). In contrast, the aerosol provocation system (APS) by Viasys® automatically determines the administered dose of methacholine by measuring the effective nebulisation time and referring it to drug concentration and nebuliser power. Therefore, it offers a feasible and less time-consuming provocation procedure by applying incremental doses (PD20) of methacholine using a single concentration (16mg/mL methacholine, APS-SC). In this study we compared these two methods in 52 young adults (25±5.8 years). Following a screening visit, subjects were randomly assigned to undergo either SDM or APS-SC followed by the other method within 1 week. A close correlation between concentration and dosage causing a 20% fall of FEV1 was found (r=0.69, p<0.001).Using the ATS categorisation of bronchial responsiveness we interpreted the results of the APS-SC method as follows: PD20 methacholine<0.3mg as “moderate to severe BHR”, 0.3 – 0.6mg as “mild BHR”, 0.6 – 1.0mg as “borderline BHR”, and>1.0mg as “normal bronchial response”.We conclude that the five-step APS-SC is a suitable method, providing reliable results. In clinical practice the APS-SC is a timesaving procedure and less prone to errors since only one dilution of methacholine is necessary compared to the SDM

Digit Ratio (2D:4D) in Lithuania Once and Now: Testing for Sex Differences, Relations with Eye and Hair Color, and a Possible Secular Change

The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is a sexually dimorphic somatic trait and has been proposed as a biomarker for the organizational, i.e., permanent, effects of prenatal testosterone on the human brain. Accordingly, recent research has related 2D:4D to a variety of sex-dependent, hormonally influenced traits and phenotypes. The geographical variation in typical 2D:4D is marked and presently poorly understood. This study presents the first investigation into the 2D:4D ratio in a Baltic country. A contemporary sample of 109 Lithuanian men and women was compared with data from a historical sample of 100 Lithuanian men and women, collected and published in the 1880s and rediscovered only now. The findings included the following lines of evidence: (i) seen in an international perspective, the average 2D:4D in Lithuania is low; (ii) there was a sex difference in 2D:4D in the expected direction in both samples; (iii) a previously adduced hypothesis of an association of lighter eye and hair color with higher, i.e., more feminized, 2D:4D received no support in both samples; and (iv) the average 2D:4D in the contemporary sample was higher than in the historical sample. In view of a hypothesized increase in 2D:4D in modern populations, owing to increased environmental levels of endocrine disruptors such as xenoestrogens, this latter finding appears to be of particular notice. However, because finger- -length measurement methods differed across the samples, it cannot be safely ruled out that the apparent time trend in Lithuanian 2D:4D in truth is an artifact. The puzzling geographical pattern seen in the 2D:4D ratio and the question of possible time trends therein deserve further investigations

Vingt ans de coopération entra botanistes de l'Université J. W. Goethe, Francfort (Allemagne) et des universités ouest-africaines

Im Jahre 1989 begann die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Botanikern der Goethe Universität Frankfurt (Deutschland) und der Universität Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Einige Jahre später schloss sich die Universität Abomey-Calavi (Benin) dieser Zusammenarbeit an. Die vorliegende Arbeit gibt einen Überblick über die gemeinsamen Projekte, die daraus resultierenden Publikationen und Examens-, Diplom- und Doktorarbeiten sowie über weitere Ergebnisse dieser fruchtbaren Zusammenarbeit, an der mittlerweile auch Partner aus Elfenbeinküste, Niger und Senegal beteiligt sind.The year 1989 represents the starting point of the cooperation between botanists of the Goethe-University in Frankfurt (Germany) and of the University of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Some years later, the University of Abomey-Calavi (Benin) joined the cooperation. This paper gives an overview on joint projects, resulting publications and theses, and on other achievements of this fruitful cooperation, which meanwhile also comprises partners of Ivory Coast, Niger and Senegal.En 1989, des botanistes de l'Université Goethe à Francfort (Allemagne) et de l'Université Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) on commencé leur premier projet de coopération. Quelques années après, l'Université Abomey-Calavi (Bénin) est venue s'associer à leur coopération. Le présent travail donne un résumé des projets communs, en indiquant les publications, mémoires (de doctorat, diplôme et autres examens) et autres résultats provenant de cette féconde coopération, qui implique entre-temps aussi des partenaires du Cote d`Ivoir, du Niger et du Sénégal

Methacholine challenge in young children as evaluated by spirometry and impulse oscillometry

SummaryBackgroundIn young children, it is difficult to obtain a reproducible flow-volume curve throughout all stages of bronchial challenge. The forced oscillation technique (FOT) is especially established in paediatrics because this method does not require forced or maximal manoeuvres and is less cooperation-dependent than conventional spirometry.ObjectivesTo evaluate the association of spirometric and impulse oscillometric (IOS) indices in a short protocol for methacholine provocation.MethodsThe primary endpoint was the methacholine dose that caused a 20% decrease in FEV1 (PD−20FEV1) compared to baseline. Changes in respiratory resistance (Rrs5) and reactance (Xrs5) acquired by IOS were compared with FEV1.ResultsForty-eight children (5.3 ± 0.9 years) were challenged. The mean maximal reduction in FEV1 was 29.8% ± 14.7 (p < 0.0001), the mean increase in Rsr5 was 55.3% ± 31.7, and the mean decrease in Xrs5 was 0.37 kPa s L−1 ± 0.23 (p < 0.001). An increase in Rrs5 of 45.2% and a decrease in Xrs5 of 0.69 kPa s L−1 showed the optimal combination of sensitivity and specificity to detect a 20% reduction in FEV1 (0.72 and 0.73; 0.80 and 0.76, respectively), and the area under the ROC curve was 0.76 and 0.81, respectively (p < 0.005). In 28 patients with significant changes in FEV1 and Rsr5, the PD−20FEV1 was 0.48 mg methacholine ±0.59 and the PD+40Rrs5 was 0.28 mg methacholine ±0.45 (p = 0.03).ConclusionsA short protocol for methacholine challenge testing is feasible in young children. IOS detected 70–80% of patients who responded in spirometry. During the challenge, the Rrs5 response preceded the FEV1 response