Total aortic arch replacement under intermittent pressure-augmented retrograde cerebral perfusion

Kitahori, Kawata, Takamoto et al. described the effectiveness of a novel protocol for retrograde cerebral perfusion that included intermittent pressure augmentation for brain protection in a canine model. Based on their report, we applied this novel technique clinically. Although the duration of circulatory arrest with retrograde cerebral perfusion was long, the patient recovered consciousness soon after the operation and had no neurological deficit. Near-infrared oximetry showed recovery of intracranial blood oxygen saturation every time the pressure was augmented

Notch-Fatigue Properties of Advanced TRIP-Aided Bainitic Ferrite Steels

To develop a transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP)-aided bainitic ferrite steel (TBF steel) with high hardenability for a common rail of the next generation diesel engine, 0.2 pct C-1.5 pct Si-1.5 pct Mn-0.05 pct Nb TBF steels with different contents of Cr, Mo, and Ni were produced. The notch-fatigue strength of the TBF steels was investigated and was related to the microstructural and retained austenite characteristics. If Cr, Mo, and/or Ni were added to the base steel, then the steels achieved extremely higher notch-fatigue limits and lower notch sensitivity than base TBF steel and the conventional structural steels. This was mainly associated with (1) carbide-free and fine bainitic ferrite lath structure matrix without proeutectoid ferrite, (2) a large amount of fine metastable retained austenite, and (3) blocky martensite phase including retained austenite, which may suppress a fatigue crack initiation and propagation.ArticleMETALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A-PHYSICAL METALLURGY AND MATERIALS SCIENCE. 43A(11):4129-4136 (2012)journal articl

Once the shovel hits the ground : Evaluating the management of complex implementation processes of public-private partnership infrastructure projects with qualitative comparative analysis

Much attention is being paid to the planning of public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects. The subsequent implementation phase – when the contract has been signed and the project ‘starts rolling’ – has received less attention. However, sound agreements and good intentions in project planning can easily fail in project implementation. Implementing PPP infrastructure projects is complex, but what does this complexity entail? How are projects managed, and how do public and private partners cooperate in implementation? What are effective management strategies to achieve satisfactory outcomes? This is the fi rst set of questions addressed in this thesis. Importantly, the complexity of PPP infrastructure development imposes requirements on the evaluation methods that can be applied for studying these questions. Evaluation methods that ignore complexity do not create a realistic understanding of PPP implementation processes, with the consequence that evaluations tell us little about what works and what does not, in which contexts, and why. This hampers learning from evaluations. What are the requirements for a complexity-informed evaluation method? And how does qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) meet these requirements? This is the second set of questions addressed in this thesis

Modellhafte Erarbeitung eines oekologisch begruendeten Sanierungskonzeptes kleiner Fliessgewaesser am Beispiel der Hunte. T. 8 Heuschreckenfauna im Huntegebiet. Abschlussbericht

Available from TIB Hannover: QN 116(8) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEBundesministerium fuer Forschung und Technologie (BMFT), Bonn (Germany)DEGerman

Aquatic Plant Dynamics in Lowland River Networks: Connectivity, Management and Climate Change

The spatial structure and evolution of river networks offer tremendous opportunities to study the processes underlying metacommunity patterns in the wild. Here we explore several fundamental aspects of aquatic plant biogeography. How stable is plant composition over time? How similar is it along rivers? How fast is the species turnover? How does that and spatial structure affect our species richness estimates across scales? How do climate change, river management practices and connectivity affect species composition and community structure? We answer these questions by testing twelve hypotheses and combining two spatial surveys across entire networks, a long term temporal survey (21 consecutive years), a trait database, and a selection of environmental variables. From our river reach scale survey in lowland rivers, hydrophytes and marginal plants (helophytes) showed contrasting patterns in species abundance, richness and autocorrelation both in time and space. Since patterns in marginal plants reflect at least partly a sampling artefact (edge effect), the rest of the study focused on hydrophytes. Seasonal variability over two years and positive temporal autocorrelation at short time lags confirmed the relatively high regeneration abilities of aquatic plants in lowland rivers. Yet, from 1978 to 1998, plant composition changed quite dramatically and diversity decreased substantially. The annual species turnover was relatively high (20%–40%) and cumulated species richness was on average 23% and 34% higher over three and five years respectively, than annual survey. The long term changes were correlated to changes in climate (decreasing winter ice scouring, increasing summer low flows) and management (riparian shading). Over 21 years, there was a general erosion of species attributes over time attributed to a decrease in winter ice scouring, increase in shading and summer low flows, as well as a remaining effect of time which may be due to an erosion of the regional species pool. Temporal and spatial autocorrelation analyses indicated that long term hydrophyte biomonitoring, for the Water Framework Directive in lowland rivers, may be carried out at 4–6 years intervals for every 10 km of rivers. From multi-scale and abundance-range size analyses evidence of spatial isolation and longitudinal connectivity was detected, with no evidence of stronger longitudinal connectivity (fish and water current propagules dispersal) than spatial isolation (bird, wind and human dispersal) contrary to previous studies. The evidence for longitudinal connectivity was rather weak, perhaps resulting from the effect of small weirs. Further studies will need to integrate other aquatic habitats along rivers (regional species pool) and larger scales to increase the number of species and integrate phylogeny to build a more eco-evolutionary approach. More mechanistic approaches will be necessary to make predictions against our changing climate and management practices