Distribution of diatoms, chironomids and cladocera in surface sediments of thirty mountain lakes in south-eastern Switzerland

Abstract.: Surface sediments from 30 mountain lakes in south-eastern Switzerland (Engadine, Grisons) were analysed for subfossil diatom, chironomid, and cladoceran assemblages. Ordination techniques were used to identify relevant physical and chemical environmental parameters that best explain the distribution of these biota in the studied lakes. Diatom assemblage composition showed a strong relationship with physical (e.g., lake depth, temperature, organic content of surface sediments) and chemical variables (e.g., lake-water pH, alkalinity, silica concentration). The greatest variance in chironomid and cladoceran assemblages is explained by dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of lake water, temperature, and the organic content of surface sediments, all parameters which are highly correlated with lake elevation. Increasing lake depth is reflected in diatom and cladoceran assemblages by higher percentages of planktonic species, whereas chironomid assemblages in the deep Engadine lakes are characterised by a high proportion of lotic taxa. In contrast to similar studies in the Northern and Southern Alps, subfossil assemblages in the Engadine mountain lakes showed a strong relationship with DOC, which in these weakly buffered lakes is negatively correlated with altitude. According to our findings, chironomid and cladocera remains have a considerable potential as quantitative palaeotemperature indicators in the Engadine area. This potential is somewhat weaker for diatoms which seem to be more strongly influenced by water chemistry and lake bathymetr

Seasonal temperatures for the past ∼400years reconstructed from diatom and chironomid assemblages in a high-altitude lake (Lej da la Tscheppa, Switzerland)

We analysed a 42cm long sediment record from Lej da la Tscheppa, a high-altitude lake (2,616ma.s.l.) in the Upper Engadine valley (Switzerland) for subfossil diatoms, chironomids and pollen. The chronology of the top 21cm of the record was established using 210Pb analysis using a constant-rate-of-supply model, and validated with 137Cs measurements and the content of spheroidal carbonaceous particles. A tentative chronology for the lower part of the core was obtained through extrapolation of the sedimentation rates in the uppermost part of the record. Pollen assemblages in the record reflect regional changes in forestation and land-use patterns in the Upper Engadine valley and show no evidence of significant local human activity in the lake's catchment. Diatom assemblages record a distinct increase in planktonic taxa since the early 19th century, suggesting a decrease in the duration of ice-cover. In contrast, chironomid assemblages remained stable during a large part of the record. We applied an established chironomid-based July air temperature transfer function and a newly developed diatom-based spring air temperature transfer function to reconstruct past seasonal air temperature changes at Lej da la Tscheppa. The reconstructions indicate a diatom-inferred warming trend in spring temperatures during the past ca. 400years, whereas chironomid-inferred summer temperatures suggest a slight cooling trend. These biota-based reconstructions are in good agreement with the centennial-scale temperature trend in an independent reconstruction of regional temperatures in the Upper Engadine region based on instrumental records and documentary proxy evidence from the Alps. Our results suggest that, in high-altitude lakes, independent chironomid- and diatom-based seasonal temperature reconstruction is possible and can be successfully used to track seasonal temperature trend

Odderon and seven Pomerons: QCD Reggeon field theory from JIMWLK evolution

We reinterpret the JIMWLK/KLWMIJ evolution equation as the QCD Reggeon field theory (RFT). The basic "quantum Reggeon field" in this theory is the unitary matrix $R$ which represents the single gluon scattering matrix. We discuss the peculiarities of the Hilbert space on which the RFT Hamiltonian acts. We develop a perturbative expansion in the RFT framework, and find several eigenstates of the zeroth order Hamiltonian. The zeroth order of this perturbation preserves the number of $s$ - channel gluons. The eigenstates have a natural interpretation in terms of the $t$ - channel exchanges. Studying the single $s$ - channel gluon sector we find the eigenstates which include the reggeized gluon and five other colored Reggeons. In the two ($s$ - channel) gluon sector we study only singlet color exchanges. We find five charge conjugation even states. The bound state of two reggeized gluons is the standard BFKL Pomeron. The intercepts of the other Pomerons in the large $N$ limit are $1+\omega_P=1+2\omega$ where $1+\omega$ is the intercept of the BFKL Pomeron, but their coupling in perturbation theory is suppressed by at least $1/N^2$ relative to the double BFKL Pomeron exchange. For the $[27,27]$ Pomeron we find $\omega_{[27,27]}=2\omega+O(1/N)>2\omega$. We also find three charge conjugation odd exchanges, one of which is the unit intercept Bartels-Lipatov-Vacca Odderon, while another one has an interecept greater than unity. We explain in what sense our calculation goes beyond the standard BFKL/BKP calculation. We make additional comments and discuss open questions in our approach.Comment: 58 pages, 4 figures, Extended version. To appear in JHE

"Tumor-Sink-Effekt bei bildbasierten Biomarkern in der initialen FDG-PET/CT beim aggressiven Non-Hodgkin-Lymphom: Ergebnisse aus der multizentrischen OPTIMAL>60-Studie"

In dieser Arbeit wurden die bildbasierten Biomarker von 670 FDG-PET/CT-Aufnahmen von Patienten mit aggressiven NHL aus der OPTIMAL>60-Studienpopulation ausgewertet. In diesem Rahmen wurde der Einfluss der FDG-Verteilungszeit, der Lymphomlast und der Stoffwechsellage auf die bildbasierten Biomarker des Blut-Pool, der Leber und der Lymphom-Manifestationen untersucht. Außerdem wurde auf Standort-Effekte in Bezug auf die bildbasierten Biomarker untersucht. Daneben wurden Standort-Unterschiede bezüglich der PET/CT-assoziierten Parameter Patientengewicht, Aktivitätsdosis und FDG-Verteilungszeit analysiert. Anhand des IPI-Risikogruppenvergleichs wurde orientierend auf einen prognostischen Wert der bildbasierten Biomarker getestet

Nucleotide-Protectable Labeling of Sulfhydryl Groups in Subunit I of the ATPhase from Halobacterium Saccharovorum

A membrane-bound ATPase from the archaebacterium Halobacterium saccharovorum is inhibited by N-ethyl-maleimide in a nucleotide-protectable manner. When the enzyme was incubated with N-[C-14]jethylmaleimide, the bulk of radioactivity was as- sociated with the 87,000-Da subunit (subunit 1). ATP, ADP, or AMP reduced incorporation of the inhibitor. No charge shift of subunit I was detected following labeling with N-ethylmaleimide, indicating an electroneutral reaction. The results are consistent with the selective modification of sulfhydryl groups in subunit I at or near the catalytic site and are further evidence of a resemblance between this archaebacterial ATPase and the vacuolar-type ATPases

Comparison of Membrane ATPases from Extreme Halophiles Isolated from Ancient Salt Deposits

Halophilic microorganisms were isolated from Triassic and Permian salt deposits. Two were rods and grew as red colonies; another was a coccus and produced pink colonies. The rods lysed in solutions that lacked added sodium chloride. Growth of all isolates was inhibited by aphidicolin and their bulk proteins were acidic as judged from isoelectric focusing. Therefore, these organisms were tentatively identified as extreme halophiles. Whole cell proteins patterns of the isolates following gel electrophoresis were distinct and differed from those of representative type strains of halophilic bacteria. The membrane ATPases from the rods were similar to the enzyme from Halobacterium saccharovorum with respect to sub unit composition. enzymatic properties and immunological cross-reaction, but differed slightly in amino acid composition. If the age of the microbial isolated is similar to that of the salt deposits, they can be considered repositories of molecular information of great evolutionary interest

First clinical experience with a novel, mobile cone-beam CT system for treatment quality assurance in brachytherapy

Background and purpose On-site cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has gained in importance in adaptive brachytherapy during recent years. Besides treatment planning, there is increased need particularly for image-guidance during interventional procedures and for image-guided treatment quality assurance (QA). For this purpose, an innovative CBCT device was rolled out at our hospital as the first site worldwide. We present the first clinical images and experiences. Materials and methods The novel CBCT system is constructed of a 121 cm diameter ring gantry, and features a 43.2 × 43.2 cm 2 flat-panel detector, wireless remote-control via tablet-PC, and battery-powered maneuverability. Within the first months of clinical operation, we performed CBCT-based treatment QA for a total of 26 patients (8 with breast, 16 with cervix, and 2 with vaginal cancer). CBCT scans were analyzed regarding potential movements of implanted applicators in-situ during the brachytherapy course. Results With the presented device, treatment QA was feasible for the majority of patients. The CBCT scans of breast patients showed sufficient contrast between implanted catheters and tissue. For gynecologic patients, a distinct visualization of applicators was achieved in general. However, reasonable differentiations of organic soft tissues were not feasible. Conclusion The CBCT system allowed basic treatment QA measures for breast and gynecologic patients. For image-guidance during interventional brachytherapy procedures, the current image quality is not adequate. Substantial performance enhancements are required for intraoperative image-guidance.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Universitätsklinikum Erlangen (8546

Investigating the impact of breast positioning control on physical treatment parameters in multi-catheter breast brachytherapy

PurposeTo assess the effects of a workflow for reproducible patient and breast positioning on implant stability during high-dose-rate multi-catheter breast brachytherapy.MethodsThirty patients were treated with our new positioning control workflow. Implant stability was evaluated based on a comparison of planning-CTs to control-CTs acquired halfway through the treatment. To assess geometric stability, button–button distance variations as well as Euclidean dwell position deviations were evaluated. The latter were also quantified within various separated regions within the breast to investigate the location-dependency of implant alterations. Furthermore, dosimetric variations to target volume and organs at risk (ribs, skin) as well as isodose volume changes were analyzed. Results were compared to a previously treated cohort of 100 patients.ResultsWith the introduced workflow, the patient fraction affected by button–button distance variations > 5 mm and by dwell position deviations > 7 mm were reduced from 37% to 10% and from 30% to 6.6%, respectively. Implant stability improved the most in the lateral to medial breast regions. Only small stability enhancements were observed regarding target volume dosimetry, but the stability of organ at risk exposure became substantially higher. D0.2ccm skin dose variations > 12.4% and D0.1ccm rib dose variations > 6.7% were reduced from 11% to 0% and from 16% to 3.3% of all patients, respectively.ConclusionBreast positioning control improved geometric and dosimetric implant stability for individual patients, and thus enhanced physical plan validity in these cases.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (1041

Electromagnetic tracking (EMT) technology for improved treatment quality assurance in interstitial brachytherapy

Electromagnetic Tracking (EMT) is a novel technique for error detection and quality assurance (QA) in interstitial high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-iBT). The purpose of this study is to provide a concept for data acquisition developed as part of a clinical evaluation study on the use of EMT during interstitial treatment of breast cancer patients. The stability, accuracy, and precision of EMT-determined dwell positions were quantified. Dwell position reconstruction based on EMT was investigated on CT table, HDR table and PDR bed to examine the influence on precision and accuracy in a typical clinical workflow. All investigations were performed using a precise PMMA phantom. The track of catheters inserted in that phantom was measured by manually inserting a 5 degree of freedom (DoF) sensor while recording the position of three 6DoF fiducial sensors on the phantom surface to correct motion influences. From the corrected data, dwell positions were reconstructed along the catheter's track. The accuracy of the EMT-determined dwell positions was quantified by the residual distances to reference dwell positions after using a rigid registration. Precision and accuracy were investigated for different phantom-table and sensor-field generator (FG) distances. The measured precision of the EMT-determined dwell positions was ≤ 0.28 mm (95th percentile). Stability tests showed a drift of 0.03 mm in the first 20 min of use. Sudden shaking of the FG or (large) metallic objects close to the FG degrade the precision. The accuracy with respect to the reference dwell positions was on all clinical tables < 1 mm at 200 mm FG distance and 120 mm phantom-table distance. Phantom measurements showed that EMT-determined localization of dwell positions in HDR-iBT is stable, precise, and sufficiently accurate for clinical assessment. The presented method may be viable for clinical applications in HDR-iBT, like implant definition, error detection or quantification of uncertainties. Further clinical investigations are needed