German Energy and Decarbonization Scenarios: “Blind Spots” With Respect to Biomass-Based Carbon Removal Options

In 2019, the German government agreed on a Climate Protection Program intended to deliver its 2030 climate targets. Concrete measures, such as a carbon price, will be put in place as early as 2021. But how to plan beyond 2030? Scenarios can be powerful tools to envision the world in 20, 30, or 50 years, to describe pathways toward different visions of the future, and ultimately to investigate technology portfolios and policy options against their performance toward the achievement of a decarbonized future. This is why scenarios are especially popular with energy and climate scholars. In particular, scenarios with biomass-based carbon removal options (BCO2) can help to highlight how we may reach a net negative emission world. Hence, in this study, 66 energy and decarbonization scenario studies are systematically reviewed for Germany from the years 2002 to 2019 to assess how inclusive they are with regard to BCO2 concepts. The portfolio of BCO2 concepts within those scenarios is studied over time and a qualitative analysis of the scenario documentation is performed to identify the rationales for their inclusion or exclusion. The results indicate “blind spots” of the scenarios with regard to bioeconomy aspects, as biomass for material use is only sparsely covered. Likewise, only about 10% of the studies provide a framework for land use changes and corresponding emission accounting to adequately represent biomass-based negative emission technologies (NETs) in their assessments. The analysis for carbon capture and storage (CCS) further reveals the necessity of revisiting the public acceptance argument which has previously served so far for many studies as the ultimate, though not well-grounded deal-breaker. Based on the detected gaps and shortcomings in the current German scenario landscape, recommendations for a more transparent and holistic representation of BCO2 in the scenario framework are given

PLATO – Nachhaltige Förderung von Diamond Open Access in der Schweiz

Presentation at the conference „Wissenschaftsgeleitetes Open-Access-Publizieren“. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Bibliotheks- und Informations­wissen­schaft (IBI), September 26, 2023

Brr2 RNA helicase and its protein and RNA interactions

The dynamic rearrangements of RNA and protein complexes and the fidelity of pre-mRNA splicing are governed by DExD/H-box ATPases. One of the spliceosomal ATPases, Brr2, is believed to facilitate conformational rearrangements during spliceosome activation and disassembly. It features an unusual architecture, with two consecutive helicase-cassettes, each comprising a helicase and a Sec63 domain. Only the N-terminal cassette exhibits catalytic activity. By contrast, the C-terminal half of Brr2 engages in protein interactions. Amongst interacting proteins are the Prp2 and Prp16 helicases. The work presented in this thesis aimed at studying and assigning functional relevance to the bipartite architecture of Brr2 and addressed the following questions: (1) What role does the catalytically inert C-terminal half play in Brr2 function, and why does it interact with other RNA helicases? (2) Which RNAs interact with the different parts of Brr2? (1) In a yeast two-hybrid screen novel brr2 mutant alleles were identified by virtue of abnormal protein interactions with Prp2 and Prp16. Phenotypic characterization showed that brr2 C-terminus mutants exhibit a splicing defect, demonstrating that an intact C-terminus is required for Brr2 function. ATPase/helicase deficient prp16 mutants suppress the interaction defect of brr2 alleles, possibly indicating an involvement of the Brr2 C-terminus in the regulation of interacting helicases. (2) Brr2-RNA interactions were identified by the CRAC approach (in vivo Crosslinking and analysis of cDNA). Physical separation of the N-terminal and C-terminal portions and their individual analyses indicate that only the N-terminus of Brr2 interacts with RNA. Brr2 cross-links in the U4 and U6 snRNAs suggest a step-wise dissociation of the U4/U6 duplex during catalytic activation of the spliceosome. Newly identified Brr2 cross-links in the U5 snRNA and in pre-mRNAs close to 3’ splice sites are supported by genetic analyses. A reduction of second step efficiency upon combining brr2 and U5 mutations suggests an involvement of Brr2 in the second step of splicing. An approach now described as CLASH (Cross-linking, Ligation and Sequencing of Hybrids) identified Brr2 associated chimeric sequencing reads. The inspection of chimeric U2-U2 sequences suggests a revised secondary structure for the U2 snRNA, which was confirmed by phylogenentic and mutational analyses. Taken together these findings underscore the functional distinction of the N- and C-terminal portions of Brr2 and add mechanistic relevance to its bipartite architecture. The catalytically active N-terminal helicase-cassette is required to establish RNA interactions and to provide helicase activity. Conversely, the C-terminal helicase-cassette functions solely as protein interaction domain, possibly exerting regulation on the activities of interacting helicases and Brr2 itself

Architekturpsychologische Aspekte am Beispiel ausgewählter Bürohochhäuser der Wienarchitektur

Die vorliegende Diplomarbeit befasst sich mit der Wahrnehmung und dem Gefal-lenseindruck von sieben ausgewählten Wiener Bürohochhäusern. Dazu wurden im ersten Schritt alle relevanten Ansätze der Architekturwahrnehmung aus der Architek-turpsychologie und Architekturkommunikation gesammelt und diskutiert, um im zweiten Schritt aufbauend auf bisherigen Untersuchungen einen Online-Fragebogen zu entwickeln. Unter den 218 befragten Personen zeigte sich, dass die Tower unter-schiedliche Gefallenseindrücke und auch unterschiedliche Eigenschaftszuschreibungen hervorriefen. Die Faktorenanalyse erbrachte zweifaktorielle Lösungen; der 1. Faktor bestand bei allen Gebäuden aus den Items: interessant“, „schön“, „einladend“, „innovativ“ und „dynamisch“. Die erhobenen demografischen Variablen zeigten kei-nen Einfluss auf den Gefallenseindruck, auch kam es nicht zu Wechselwirkungseffek-ten. Personen, die das Gebäude benennen konnten, beurteilten es negativer als Per-sonen, die weder Kenntnisse über Namen, Ort, bewusste Betrachtung haben, noch je das Gebäude betreten haben.This recent study addressed the question whether and how apperception of seven Viennese high-rise office buildings is aroused and whether potential associations can be correlated to a person's previous knowledge. First of all it was necessary to collect and to discuss important theories of perception of architecture to generate a ques-tionnaire, which combined former findings with resent topics. 218 people participated in the survey. Results indicated no effect of demographic variables on the appercep-tion. Apart from that the influence of the variable “know tower” was negative. As such, present findings are congruent with those of other studies (Jernej, (2007); Neubauer (2006) und Hefler (2006). The powerful values are “dynamic”, “innovative”, “beautiful”, “interesting” and “welcoming”. From these results it can be concluded that there is no difference between the apperception of different Viennese office towers, even if they are planned with brand values

Mapping the Swiss Landscape of Diamond Open Access Journals: The PLATO Study on Scholar-Led Publishing

The main objective of the PLATO Study was to gain insight into the Platinum/Diamond open access publishing ecosystem in Switzerland through a mixed-method approach. The study consisted of three parts: First, bibliometric data were combined with inputs from Swiss open access publishers, institutional open access experts as well as information on journal websites to identify Swiss Diamond Open Access journals and their main characteristics. Second, seven semi-structured interviews with editors of select Diamond Open Access journals were conducted to generate a thorough understanding of their workflows, infrastructures, business models, challenges and opportunities. Third, based on the inputs from the interviews, three surveys were designed and sent to authors/reviewers, editors, and representatives of hosting and funding institutions of Swiss Diamond OA journals

Brr2p-mediated conformational rearrangements in the spliceosome during activation and substrate repositioning

Brr2p is one of eight RNA helicases involved in pre-mRNA splicing. Detailed understanding of the functions of Brr2p and other spliceosomal helicases has been limited by lack of knowledge of their in vivo substrates. To address this, sites of direct Brr2p–RNA interaction were identified by in vivo UV cross-linking in budding yeast. Cross-links identified in the U4 and U6 small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) suggest U4/U6 stem I as a Brr2p substrate during spliceosome activation. Further Brr2p cross-links were identified in loop 1 of the U5 snRNA and near splice sites and 3′ ends of introns, suggesting the possibility of a previously uncharacterized function for Brr2p in the catalytic center of the spliceosome. Consistent with this, mutant brr2-G858R reduced second-step splicing efficiency and enhanced cross-linking to 3′ ends of introns. Furthermore, RNA sequencing indicated preferential inhibition of splicing of introns with structured 3′ ends. The Brr2-G858Rp cross-linking pattern in U6 was consistent with an open conformation for the catalytic center of the spliceosome during first-to-second-step transition. We propose a previously unsuspected function for Brr2p in driving conformational rearrangements that lead to competence for the second step of splicing

A face de tiradentes na mídia e no livro didático: um estudo comparado sobre as percepções dos jovens alunos

Anais do II Seminário Seminário Estadual PIBID do Paraná: tecendo saberes / organizado por Dulcyene Maria Ribeiro e Catarina Costa Fernandes — Foz do Iguaçu: Unioeste; Unila, 2014Este trabalho é resultado de uma investigação em andamento que tem por objetivo comparar as diferentes representações e construções da imagem de Tiradentes na mídia, nos livros didáticos e na historiografia. O trabalho está sendo desenvolvido em três etapas. Na primeira etapa foi realizado um estudo comparativo entre a representação de Tiradentes em diferentes meios de divulgação em 2014. Na segunda etapa foi desenvolvido e aplicado um questionário aos alunos da 2° série do Ensino Médio sobre a representação da imagem de Tiradentes. Na terceira etapa é constituída pela análise dos resultados da investigação com os alunos das escolas vinculadas ao PIBID. Espera-se, como resultado, demonstrar aos estudantes que existem variadas interpretações sobre a imagem de Tiradentes e na maior parte das vezes construídas e desconstruídas no processo histórico, procurando com isso gerar uma consciência sobre a falsa concepção de verdade histórica propagad

Adding to Yersinia enterocolitica Gene Pool Diversity: Two Cryptic Plasmids from a Biotype 1A Isolate

We report the nucleotide sequence of two novel cryptic plasmids (4357 and 14 662 base pairs) carried by a Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A strain isolated from pork. As distinguished from most biotype 1A strains, this isolate, designated 07-04449, exhibited adherence to eukaryotic cells. The smaller plasmid pYe4449-1 carries five attributable open reading frames (ORFs) encoding the first CcdA/CcdB-like antitoxin/toxin system described for a Yersinia plasmid, a RepA-like replication initiation protein, and mobilizing factors MobA and MobC. The deduced amino acid sequences showed highest similarity to proteins described in Salmonella (CcdA/B), Klebsiella (RepA), and Plesiomonas (MobA/C) indicating genomic fluidity among members of the Enterobacteriaceae. One additional ORF with unknown function, termed ORF5, was identified with an ancestry distinct from the rest of the plasmid. While the C+G content of ORF5 is 38.3%, the rest of pYe4449-1 shows a C+G content of 55.7%. The C+G content of the larger plasmid pYe4449-2 (54.9%) was similar to that of pYe4449-1 (53.7%) and differed from that of the Y. enterocolitica genome (47.3%). Of the 14 ORFs identified on pYe4449-2, only six ORFs showed significant similarity to database entries. For three of these ORFs likely functions could be ascribed: a TnpR-like resolvase and a phage replication protein, localized each on a low C+G island, and DNA primase TraC. Two ORFs of pYe4449-2, ORF3 and ORF7, seem to encode secretable proteins. Epitope-tagging of ORF3 revealed protein expression at 4°C but not at or above 27°C suggesting adaptation to a habitat outside swine. The hypothetical protein encoded by ORF7 is the member of a novel repeat protein family sharing the DxxGN(x)nDxxGN motif. Our findings illustrate the exceptional gene pool diversity within the species Y. enterocolitica driven by horizontal gene transfer events