L’Iris des prés (Iris spuria) en Hesse

Die Wiesen-Schwertlilie (Iris spuria) war in Deutschland seit jeher nur in der nördlichen Oberrheinebene und Rheinhessen verbreitet. In Hessen reichte das bekannte Areal östlich des Rheins von den Bruderlöchern im Süden bis zur Mainspitze im Norden. Bekannter war vor allem der reiche Bestand im Naturschutzgebiet „Riedloch von Trebur“, über die übrigen Vorkommen gab es jedoch bislang keine umfassende Übersicht. Die vorliegenden Erhebungen zeigen, dass es auch außerhalb des Riedloches noch immer individuenstarke Restvorkommen gibt und durch Hilfsmaßnahmen in der Gemeinde Riedstadt konnten sogar neue Populationen begründet werden.The Blue Iris (Iris spuria) occurs in Germany only in the northern part of the upper Rhine valley and in Rhine-Hesse. The range in Hesse extends from the Kuehkopf area (Bruderloecher) in the south to the confluence of the Rhine and Main rivers in the north. The extensive population in the “Trebur Riedloch” nature conservation area is well known, but the distribution in other areas is less well understood. A survey conducted in 2006 revealed a surprisingly high number of sites where this species occurs, some of which had large populations. In Riedstadt, a reconstruction project for valley meadows was successful in establishing new populations.L’Iris des prés (Iris spuria) n’était en Allemagne répandue que dans la partie nord de la Plaine rhénane supérieure et en Hesse rhénane. En Hesse, à l’est du Rhin, l’aire qui était déjà connue s’étendait depuis les Bruderlöcher au sud jusqu’à la Pointe du Main (Mainspitze) au nord. En particulier la population la plus connue et la plus étendue se trouvait dans la réserve naturelle du Riedloch von Trebur, alors que, pour les autres, il n’existait pas de répertoire permettant une vue complète. Les relevés actuels montrent qu’il subsiste également en dehors du site du Riedloch des populations aux nombreux spécimens. Grâce à l’aide de la commune de Riedstadt, de nouvelles populations ont pu même être installées. Au nord de l’aire, aucun spécimen n’a pu être constaté

Dynamics of cathode-associated microbial communities and metabolite profiles in a glycerol-fed bioelectrochemical system

Electrical current can be used to supply reducing power to microbial metabolism. This phenomenon is typically studied in pure cultures with added redox mediators to transfer charge. Here, we investigate the development of a current-fed mixed microbial community fermenting glycerol at the cathode of a bioelectrochemical system in the absence of added mediators and identify correlations between microbial diversity and the respective product outcomes. Within 1 week of inoculation, a Citrobacter population represented 95 to 99% of the community and the metabolite profiles were dominated by 1,3-propanediol and ethanol. Over time, the Citrobacter population decreased in abundance while that of a Pectinatus population and the formation of propionate increased. After 6 weeks, several Clostridium populations and the production of valerate increased, which suggests that chain elongation was being performed. Current supply was stopped after 9 weeks and was associated with a decrease in glycerol degradation and alcohol formation. This decrease was reversed by resuming current supply; however, when hydrogen gas was bubbled through the reactor during open-circuit operation (open-circuit potential) as an alternative source of reducing power, glycerol degradation and metabolite production were unaffected. Cyclic voltammetry revealed that the community appeared to catalyze the hydrogen evolution reaction, leading to a +400-mV shift in its onset potential. Our results clearly demonstrate that current supply can alter fermentation profiles; however, further work is needed to determine the mechanisms behind this effect. In addition, operational conditions must be refined to gain greater control over community composition and metabolic outcomes

Mode of action of condensed-and gaseous-phase fire retardation in some phosphorus-modified polymethyl methacrylate-and polystyrene-based bulk polymers

The aspects of fire retardation in some phosphorus-modified polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polystyrene (PSt) polymers are reported in the present paper. Both additive and reactive strategies were employed to obtain the desired level of loading of the phosphorus-bearing compound/moiety (2 wt.% of P in each case). Test samples were obtained using bulk polymerization. The modifying compounds contained the P-atom in various chemical environments, as well as in an oxidation state of either III or V. With a view to gain an understanding of the chemical constitution of the gaseous products formed from the thermal decomposition of liquid additives/reactives, these materials were subjected to GC/MS analysis, whereas the decomposition of solid additives was detailed using the pyrolysis-GC/MS technique. Other investigations included the use of: Inductively-coupled Plasma/Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP/OES), solid-state NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. In the case of PMMA-based systems, it was found that the modifying phosphonate ester function, upon thermal cracking, produced ‘phosphorus’ acid species which initiated the charring process. In the case of solid additives, it is more likely that the resultant phosphorus-and/or oxygenated phosphorus-containing volatiles acted as flame inhibitors in the gaseous phase. With the PSt-based systems, a probable process involving the phosphorylation of the phenyl groups leading to crosslinking and char formation is feasible

Herausforderung Climate Engineering – Bewertung neuer Optionen für den Klimaschutz

[Einleitung] Der Begriff Climate Engineering (CE) fasst verschiedene Technologien zusammen, mit denen bewusst in das Klimasystem der Erde eingegriffen wird, um den anthropogenen Klimawandel zu begrenzen. Dabei lassen sich die CE-Technologien von den herkömmlichen Vermeidungs- und Anpassungsmaßnahmen durch die Tatsache abgrenzen, dass sie ansetzen, nachdem Treibhausgase in die Atmosphäre emittiert wurden, aber bevor es zu einer Anpassung an die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels kommt (Keith 2000). Sie können danach in zwei Gruppen eingeteilt werden, je nachdem ob sie eingesetzt werden, um die atmosphärische Treibhausgaskonzentration zu senken - und damit die Ursache des Klimawandels zurückzuführen - oder ob sie eingesetzt werden, um in die Strahlungsbilanz der Erde einzugreifen und damit die Symptome des Klimawandels abzumildern. Die Technologien der ersten Gruppe werden als Carbon Dioxid Removal (CDR)-Technologien und jene der anderen als Radiation Management (RM)-Technologien bezeichnet. Dabei ist Radiation Management der weitere Begriff, da sowohl Technologien zur direkten Beeinflussung der kurzwelligen (SRM) als auch der langwelligen (TRM) Strahlung beinhaltet sind. Entsprechend könnten Technologien zur ursächlichen Rückführung des Klimawandels eigentlich auch als Concentration Management bezeichnet werden, da theoretisch die atmosphärische Konzentration verschiedener Treibhausgase manipuliert werden könnte (Rickels et al. 2011: 41). Da aber derzeit nur die Konzentration von Kohlendioxid (CO2) beeinflusst wird, wird in der vorliegenden Studie der engere Begriff CDR verwendet. [...

Personal investment in Japan and the U.S.A.: A study of worker motivation,

The Inventory of Personal Investment (IPI) was administered to 522 Japanese and 746 American workers to compare their work motivation and self-concepts. Eleven subscales were formed based on the IPI model and were found through factor analysis to be appropriate for the samples in both countries. Discriminant analyses of scale scores by subjects' nationality, gender, occupational strata, and age are reported. Findings included: (1) Japanese and American workers sampled emphasized different aspects of meaning as they perceive work and self, (2) Japanese and American women sampled exhibited similar profiles to one another, as did the two male subsamples, and (3) motivational profiles for various age groupings differed between the two samples. The results are related to previous research on Japanese and American workers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30299/1/0000701.pd

Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Modeling in Pediatric Drug Development, and the Importance of Standardized Scaling of Clearance.

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PKPD) modeling is important in the design and conduct of clinical pharmacology research in children. During drug development, PKPD modeling and simulation should underpin rational trial design and facilitate extrapolation to investigate efficacy and safety. The application of PKPD modeling to optimize dosing recommendations and therapeutic drug monitoring is also increasing, and PKPD model-based dose individualization will become a core feature of personalized medicine. Following extensive progress on pediatric PK modeling, a greater emphasis now needs to be placed on PD modeling to understand age-related changes in drug effects. This paper discusses the principles of PKPD modeling in the context of pediatric drug development, summarizing how important PK parameters, such as clearance (CL), are scaled with size and age, and highlights a standardized method for CL scaling in children. One standard scaling method would facilitate comparison of PK parameters across multiple studies, thus increasing the utility of existing PK models and facilitating optimal design of new studies