Retention of contaminants and its controlling factors in constructed and semi-natural floodplain soils in urban river systems

The retention of floods is one of the most relevant ecosystem function of urban floodplains, which is often improved by the construction of retention ponds and other water management measures. Retention ponds are connected to the river in a direct or a parallel arrangement and can be constructed as dry or wet retention pond under normal run-off conditions. Carbon sequestration, nutrient and contaminant regulation and recreation are further important ecosystem functions provided by the floodplain soils. However, with ongoing urbanization these ecosystem functions are significantly endangered. In our study we analyze the soil-based ecosystem functions of two river catchments in the City of Hamburg. The presentation will focus on the retention of contaminants in sediments and soils of eleven retention ponds and ten flooded areas within one catchment. The amount and concentrations of contaminants will be analyzed and compared between the retention ponds and flooded areas. Furthermore, controlling factors on the contaminant amount and concentration like grain size distribution, land-use within the headwaters and others will be investigated. Finally, we will give an assessment on the current contaminant retention in this specific urban catchment area

Spontaneous emission of non-dispersive Rydberg wave packets

Non dispersive electronic Rydberg wave packets may be created in atoms illuminated by a microwave field of circular polarization. We discuss the spontaneous emission from such states and show that the elastic incoherent component (occuring at the frequency of the driving field) dominates the spectrum in the semiclassical limit, contrary to earlier predictions. We calculate the frequencies of single photon emissions and the associated rates in the "harmonic approximation", i.e. when the wave packet has approximately a Gaussian shape. The results agree well with exact quantum mechanical calculations, which validates the analytical approach.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

ANTHROPOMETRIC PROFILE, BODY COMPOSITION AND VERTICAL JUMP SCORE IN BOXERS AND SWIMMERS

Background. Vertical jump test (VJT) is used in some sport disciplines to evaluate an individual’s lower extremity power. However, VJT data is unavailable in young Indian boxers and swimmers.Objective. The given study was aimed to evaluate the VJT, anthropometric profile and body composition in young male Indian swimmers and boxers and compare the data with sedentary control group. The study also explored the relationship of VJT with anthropometric parameters and different components of body composition in the studied groups.Methods. Male boxers (n=40), swimmers (n=40) and sedentary subjects (n=40) with similar socio-economic background with age ranging between 21 and 25 years were sampled for the study from Kolkata, India. Body composition was determined by skinfold measurements and VJT was evaluated by Sargent Jump Test.Results. One way ANOVA shows significant (p<0.001) difference in body mass, %fat, total body fat (TF), lean body mass (LBM) and VJT score in boxers, swimmers and sedentary groups. Significant positive correlation of LBM with VJT score was associated with a greater jumping height in swimmers. On the other hand, VJT had significant negative (p<0.05) correlation with sum of all the skinfolds, individual skinfold and total fat in both athlete group as well as in the sedentary group.Conclusion. Significant intergroup difference was found in the studied parameters. VJT scores obtained in all the groups were well comparable. Higher value of body %fat imposed the unfavourable effect towards achieving higher jumping height mainly in sedentary group.KEY WORDS: VJT, boxers, swimmers, %fat, LBM

Local-Ansatz Approach with Momentum Dependent Variational Parameters to Correlated Electron Systems

A new wavefunction which improves the Gutzwiller-type local ansatz method has been proposed to describe the correlated electron system. The ground-state energy, double occupation number, momentum distribution function, and quasiparticle weight have been calculated for the half-filled band Hubbard model in infinite dimensions. It is shown that the new wavefunction improves the local-ansatz approach (LA) proposed by Stollhoff and Fulde. Especially, calculated momentum distribution functions show a reasonable momentum dependence. The result qualitatively differs from those obtained by the LA and the Gutzwiller wavefunction. Furthermore, the present approach combined with the projection operator method CPA is shown to describe quantitatively the excitation spectra in the insulator regime as well as the critical Coulomb interactions for a gap formation in infinite dimensions.Comment: To be published in Phys. Soc. Jpn. 77 No.11 (2008

Depletion of a Bose-Einstein condensate by laser-iduced dipole-dipole interactions

We study a gaseous Bose-Einstein condensate with laser-induced dipole-dipole interactions using the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov theory within the Popov approximation. The dipolar interactions introduce long-range atom-atom correlations, which manifest themselves as increased depletion at momenta similar to that of the laser wavelength, as well as a "roton" dip in the excitation spectrum. Surprisingly, the roton dip and the corresponding peak in the depletion are enhanced by raising the temperature above absolute zero.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

IRX-2, a Novel Immunotherapeutic, Enhances Functions of Human Dendritic Cells

Background: In a recent phase II clinical trial for HNSCC patients, IRX-2, a cell-derived biologic, promoted T-cell infiltration into the tumor and prolonged overall survival. Mechanisms responsible for these IRX-2-mediated effects are unknown. We hypothesized that IRX-2 enhanced tumor antigen-(TA)-specific immunity by up-regulating functions of dendritic cells (DC). Methodology/Principal Findings: Monocyte-derived DC obtained from 18 HNSCC patients and 12 healthy donors were matured using IRX-2 or a mix of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 ("conv. mix"). Multicolor flow cytometry was used to study the DC phenotype and antigen processing machinery (APM) component expression. ELISPOT and cytotoxicity assays were used to evaluate tumor-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). IL-12p70 and IL-10 production by DC was measured by Luminex® and DC migration toward CCL21 was tested in transwell migration assays. IRX-2-matured DC functions were compared with those of conv. mix-matured DC. IRX-2-matured DC expressed higher levels (p<0.05) of CD11c, CD40, CCR7 as well as LMP2, TAP1, TAP2 and tapasin than conv. mix-matured DC. IRX-2-matured DC migrated significantly better towards CCL21, produced more IL-12p70 and had a higher IL12p70/IL-10 ratio than conv. mix-matured DC (p<0.05 for all). IRX-2-matured DC carried a higher density of tumor antigen-derived peptides, and CTL primed with these DC mediated higher cytotoxicity against tumor targets (p<0.05) compared to the conv. mix-matured DC. Conclusion: Excellent ability of IRX-2 to induce ex vivo DC maturation in HNSCC patients explains, in part, its clinical benefits and emphasizes its utility in ex vivo maturation of DC generated for therapy. © 2013 Schilling et al

siRNA Targeted to p53 Attenuates Ischemic and Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury

Proximal tubule cells (PTCs), which are the primary site of kidney injury associated with ischemia or nephrotoxicity, are the site of oligonucleotide reabsorption within the kidney. We exploited this property to test the efficacy of siRNA targeted to p53, a pivotal protein in the apoptotic pathway, to prevent kidney injury. Naked synthetic siRNA to p53 injected intravenously 4 h after ischemic injury maximally protected both PTCs and kidney function. PTCs were the primary site for siRNA uptake within the kidney and body. Following glomerular filtration, endocytic uptake of Cy3-siRNA by PTCs was rapid and extensive, and significantly reduced ischemia-induced p53 upregulation. The duration of the siRNA effect in PTCs was 24 to 48 h, determined by levels of p53 mRNA and protein expression. Both Cy3 fluorescence and in situ hybridization of siRNA corroborated a short t½ for siRNA. The extent of renoprotection, decrease in cellular p53 and attenuation of p53-mediated apoptosis by siRNA were dose- and time-dependent. Analysis of renal histology and apoptosis revealed improved injury scores in both cortical and corticomedullary regions. siRNA to p53 was also effective in a model of cisplatin-induced kidney injury. Taken together, these data indicate that rapid delivery of siRNA to proximal tubule cells follows intravenous administration. Targeting siRNA to p53 leads to a dose-dependent attenuation of apoptotic signaling, suggesting potential therapeutic benefit for ischemic and nephrotoxic kidney injury

Laser-induced nonresonant nuclear excitation in muonic atoms

Coherent nuclear excitation in strongly laser-driven muonic atoms is calculated. The nuclear transition is caused by the time-dependent Coulomb field of the oscillating charge density of the bound muon. A closed-form analytical expression for electric multipole transitions is derived and applied to various isotopes; the excitation probabilities are in general very small. We compare the process with other nuclear excitation mechanisms through coupling with atomic shells and discuss the prospects to observe it in experiment.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure