Venerische Krankheiten: Redigirt von Prof. Neisser nd Dr. Schäffer in Breslau

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Der Verbleib kupferbasierter Fungizide in Weinbergböden: Eine Fallstudie der stabilen Kupfer-Isotopenverhältnisse und Elektronenspinresonanz von Calco- und Vertisolen in Soave (Italien)

Kupferbasierte Fungizide sind im Weinbau weit verbreitet und im biologischen Weinbau die einzig erlaubten Pestizide zur Bekämpfung von falschem Mehltau. Durch den intensiven, dauerhaften Gebrauch von Kupfer reichert sich dieser, mit wachsenden ökotoxikologischen Konsequenzen, in Weinbergböden an. In dieser Studie untersuchen wir den Verbleib von Kupfer in einem Calcosol und einem Vertisol aus Soave (Italien). Beide Böden werden seit über 50 Jahren mit Kupfer behandelt. Wir stellen Massenbilanzen auf und nutzen die innovative Kombination aus Messung stabiler Cu-Isotopenverhältnisse und Elektronenspinresonanzspektroskopie (ESR), um Einblicke in die biogeochemischen Mechanismen der Kupferbindung zu erlangen. Die untersuchten Böden weisen hohe exogene Kupfergehalte auf, welche eine Akkumulation der heutigen maximalen Behandlungsmenge über 50 Jahre überschreiten. Dies belegt, dass einmal sehr viel größere Mengen Cu im Weinbau verwendet wurden und dass ein Großteil dieses Kupfers in den jeweiligen Böden verbleibt. In Vertisolen fallen die Cu-Konzentrationen unter dem vertischen Horizont schnell auf die geogene Hintergrundkonzentration, wobei in Calcosolen dieser Abfall progressiver erfolgt. Isotopenverhältnisse unterscheiden sich zwischen den verschieden Bodentypen (δCu-65 zwischen 0.12 und 0.37 ‰), obwohl sie die gleiche Behandlung erfahren haben. Kupferisotope in Oberböden sind schwerer als in Unterböden und Citratextraktionen zeigen, dass mobiles Kupfer isotopisch schwerer ist als der Gesamtgehalt. Die Horizonte des Calcosols sind systematisch leichter als die des Vertisols, was auf unterschiedliche biogeochemische Bindungsmechanismen von Kupfer hinweist. Dies wird durch die ESR-Spektren bestätigt. In Oberböden zeigen sie eine Kupferbindung an organisches Material, wobei es im gesamten Bodenprofil Unterschiede in der Cu-Bindung zwischen den beiden Bodentypen gibt. Wenn jedoch Horizonte des Calcosols mit Säure entkalkt werden, nähren sich deren ESR-Spektren denen der Vertisole an, wohingegen letztere nicht auf eine Säurebehandlung reagieren. Somit wird gezeigt, dass in Calcosolen Karbonate an der Bindung von Kupfer beteiligt sind wobei in Vertisolen der vertische Horizont eine wichtige Rolle spielt. Darüber hinaus wird durch die analoge Variation von ESR-Spektren und Isotopenverhältnissen wird die Anwendbarkeit von Cu-Isotopenanalysen und ESR-Spektroskopie zur Aufklärung von biogeochemischen Prozessen in Böden demonstriert

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Quasar Catalog V. Seventh Data Release

We present the fifth edition of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Quasar Catalog, which is based upon the SDSS Seventh Data Release. The catalog, which contains 105,783 spectroscopically confirmed quasars, represents the conclusion of the SDSS-I and SDSS-II quasar survey. The catalog consists of the SDSS objects that have luminosities larger than M_i = -22.0 (in a cosmology with H_0 = 70 km/s/Mpc Omega_M = 0.3, and Omega_Lambda = 0.7) have at least one emission line with FWHM larger than 1000 km/s or have interesting/complex absorption features, are fainter than i > 15.0 and have highly reliable redshifts. The catalog covers an area of 9380 deg^2. The quasar redshifts range from 0.065 to 5.46, with a median value of 1.49; the catalog includes 1248 quasars at redshifts greater than four, of which 56 are at redshifts greater than five. The catalog contains 9210 quasars with i < 18; slightly over half of the entries have i< 19. For each object the catalog presents positions accurate to better than 0.1" rms per coordinate, five-band (ugriz) CCD-based photometry with typical accuracy of 0.03 mag, and information on the morphology and selection method. The catalog also contains radio, near-infrared, and X-ray emission properties of the quasars, when available, from other large-area surveys. The calibrated digital spectra cover the wavelength region 3800-9200 Ang. at a spectral resolution R = 2000 the spectra can be retrieved from the SDSS public database using the information provided in the catalog. Over 96% of the objects in the catalog were discovered by the SDSS. We also include a supplemental list of an additional 207 quasars with SDSS spectra whose archive photometric information is incomplete.Comment: Accepted, to appear in AJ, 7 figures, electronic version of Table 2 is available, see http://www.sdss.org/dr7/products/value_added/qsocat_dr7.htm

Estimating the burden of rubella virus infection and congenital rubella syndrome through a rubella immunity assessment among pregnant women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Potential impact on vaccination policy.

BACKGROUND: Rubella-containing vaccines (RCV) are not yet part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) vaccination program; however RCV introduction is planned before 2020. Because documentation of DRC's historical burden of rubella virus infection and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) has been minimal, estimates of the burden of rubella virus infection and of CRS would help inform the country's strategy for RCV introduction. METHODS: A rubella antibody seroprevalence assessment was conducted using serum collected during 2008-2009 from 1605 pregnant women aged 15-46years attending 7 antenatal care sites in 3 of DRC's provinces. Estimates of age- and site-specific rubella antibody seroprevalence, population, and fertility rates were used in catalytic models to estimate the incidence of CRS per 100,000 live births and the number of CRS cases born in 2013 in DRC. RESULTS: Overall 84% (95% CI 82, 86) of the women tested were estimated to be rubella antibody seropositive. The association between age and estimated antibody seroprevalence, adjusting for study site, was not significant (p=0.10). Differences in overall estimated seroprevalence by study site were observed indicating variation by geographical area (p⩽0.03 for all). Estimated seroprevalence was similar for women declaring residence in urban (84%) versus rural (83%) settings (p=0.67). In 2013 for DRC nationally, the estimated incidence of CRS was 69/100,000 live births (95% CI 0, 186), corresponding to 2886 infants (95% CI 342, 6395) born with CRS. CONCLUSIONS: In the 3 provinces, rubella virus transmission is endemic, and most viral exposure and seroconversion occurs before age 15years. However, approximately 10-20% of the women were susceptible to rubella virus infection and thus at risk for having an infant with CRS. This analysis can guide plans for introduction of RCV in DRC. Per World Health Organization recommendations, introduction of RCV should be accompanied by a campaign targeting all children 9months to 14years of age as well as vaccination of women of child bearing age through routine services

VASCo: computation and visualization of annotated protein surface contacts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Structural data from crystallographic analyses contain a vast amount of information on protein-protein contacts. Knowledge on protein-protein interactions is essential for understanding many processes in living cells. The methods to investigate these interactions range from genetics to biophysics, crystallography, bioinformatics and computer modeling. Also crystal contact information can be useful to understand biologically relevant protein oligomerisation as they rely in principle on the same physico-chemical interaction forces. Visualization of crystal and biological contact data including different surface properties can help to analyse protein-protein interactions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>VASCo is a program package for the calculation of protein surface properties and the visualization of annotated surfaces. Special emphasis is laid on protein-protein interactions, which are calculated based on surface point distances. The same approach is used to compare surfaces of two aligned molecules. Molecular properties such as electrostatic potential or hydrophobicity are mapped onto these surface points. Molecular surfaces and the corresponding properties are calculated using well established programs integrated into the package, as well as using custom developed programs. The modular package can easily be extended to include new properties for annotation. The output of the program is most conveniently displayed in PyMOL using a custom-made plug-in.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>VASCo supplements other available protein contact visualisation tools and provides additional information on biological interactions as well as on crystal contacts. The tool provides a unique feature to compare surfaces of two aligned molecules based on point distances and thereby facilitates the visualization and analysis of surface differences.</p

Transcription-replication conflicts: How they occur and how they are resolved

The frequent occurrence of transcription and DNA replication in cells results in many encounters, and thus conflicts, between the transcription and replication machineries. These conflicts constitute a major intrinsic source of genome instability, which is a hallmark of cancer cells. How the replication machinery progresses along a DNA molecule occupied by an RNA polymerase is an old question. Here we review recent data on the biological relevance of transcription-replication conflicts, and the factors and mechanisms that are involved in either preventing or resolving them, mainly in eukaryotes. On the basis of these data, we provide our current view of how transcription can generate obstacles to replication, including torsional stress and non-B DNA structures, and of the different cellular processes that have evolved to solve them

Quantifying system disturbance and recovery from historical mining-derived metal contamination at Brotherswater, northwest England

The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-016-9907-1Metal ore extraction in historical times has left a legacy of severe contamination in aquatic ecosystems around the world. In the UK, there are ongoing nationwide surveys of present-day pollution discharged from abandoned mines but few assessments of the magnitude of contamination and impacts that arose during historical metal mining have been made. We report one of the first multi-centennial records of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) fluxes into a lake (Brotherswater, northwest England) from point-sources in its catchment (Hartsop Hall Mine and Hogget Gill processing plant) and calculate basin-scale inventories of those metals. The pre-mining baseline for metal contamination has been established using sediment cores spanning the past 1,500 years and contemporary material obtained through sediment trapping. These data enabled the impact of 250 years of local, small-scale mining (1696 – 1942) to be quantified and an assessment of the trajectory towards system recovery to be made. The geochemical stratigraphy displayed in twelve sediment cores show strong correspondence to the documented history of metal mining and processing in the catchment. The initial onset in 1696 was detected, peak Pb concentrations (>10,000 µg g-1) and flux (39.4 g m-2 y-1) corresponded to the most intensive mining episode (1863-1871) and 20th century technological enhancements were reflected as a more muted sedimentary imprint. After careful evaluation, we used these markers to augment a Bayesian age-depth model of the independent geochronology obtained using radioisotope dating (14C, 210Pb, 137Cs and 241Am). Total inventories of Pb, Zn and Cu for the lake basin during the period of active mining were 15,415 kg, 5,897 kg and 363 kg, respectively. The post-mining trajectories for Pb and Zn project a return to pre-mining levels within 54-128 years for Pb and 75-187 years for Zn, although future remobilisation of metal-enriched catchment soils and floodplain sediments could perturb this recovery. We present a transferable paleolimnological approach that highlights flux-based assessments are vital to accurately establish the baseline, impact and trajectory of mining-derived contamination for a lake catchment

Harmful Elements in Estuarine and Coastal Systems

Estuaries and coastal zones are dynamic transitional systems which provide many economic and ecological benefits to humans, but also are an ideal habitat for other organisms as well. These areas are becoming contaminated by various anthropogenic activities due to a quick economic growth and urbanization. This chapter explores the sources, chemical speciation, sediment accumulation and removal mechanisms of the harmful elements in estuarine and coastal seawaters. It also describes the effects of toxic elements on aquatic flora and fauna. Finally, the toxic element pollution of the Venice Lagoon, a transitional water body located in the northeastern part of Italy, is discussed as a case study, by presenting the procedures adopted to measure the extent of the pollution, the impacts on organisms and the restoration activities