Die Netzwerkstruktur der Buchhaltung als Grundlage des risikoorientierten Prüfungsansatzes

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The 4-loop beta-function in the 2D Non-Abelian Thirring model, and comparison with its conjectured "exact" form

Recently, B. Gerganov, A. LeClair and M. Moriconi [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86 (2001) 4753] have proposed an "exact" (all orders) beta-function for 2-dimensional conformal field theories with Kac-Moody current-algebra symmetry at any level k, based on a Lie group G, which are perturbed by a current-current interaction. This theory is also known as the Non-Abelian Thirring model. We check this conjecture with an explicit calculation of the beta-function to 4-loop order, for the classical groups G= SU(N), SO(N) and SP(N). We find a contribution at 4-loop order, proportional to a higher-order group-theoretical invariant, which is incompatible with the proposed beta-function in all possible regularization schemes.Comment: 26 pages, 24 figures, latex2

Anwendungen von Glyphosat im deutschen Ackerbau – Betriebliche Aspekte

Glyphosat ist der in Deutschland am häufigsten eingesetzte herbizide Wirkstoff. Trotz eines hohen Stellenwertes in verschiedenen ackerbaulichen Situationen ist die agronomische Bedeutung des Wirkstoffes im Nicht-GVO-Ackerbau nach wie vor wenig erforscht. Aufgrund dessen ist im Winter 2014/2015 eine umfangreiche Erhebung unter konventionell wirtschaftenden landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben durchgeführt worden. Auf Basis der Umfrageergebnisse konnte mithilfe einer Cluster-Analyse ermittelt werden, wie sich Betriebstypen hinsichtlich der Glyphosatanwendungen unterscheiden. Eine Veranschaulichung von sieben verschiedenen Clustern erlaubt einen differenzierten Einblick in ackerbauliche Betriebsstrukturen. Die Betriebstypen unterscheiden sich vor allem bezüglich der Wahl zwischen konservierender und wendender Bodenbearbeitung. Analog zu dieser Differenzierung gestaltet sich auch die Intensität der Glyphosatanwendungen. Zusätzlich wird sichtbar, dass sich Cluster mit einem höheren Glyphosat-Anwendungsumfang durch einen geringeren Arbeitskräftebesatz, mehr Ackerfläche und/oder einem verstärkten Zwischenfruchtanbau charakterisieren lassen. Des Weiteren geben Betriebsgruppen mit einem intensiveren Glyphosateinsatz eher an, diesen Wirkstoff zum Resistenzmanagement zu benötigen. Die Einschätzungen der befragten Landwirte bezüglich der betriebswirtschaftlichen Bedeutung von Glyphosat variieren je nach Betriebstyp. Mithilfe der Betriebscluster können die wichtigsten Anwendungssituationen von Glyphosatherbiziden im Ackerbau weiter betriebswirtschaftlich analysiert und Szenarien für Folgenabschätzungen gebildet werden.Uses of glyphosate in German arable farming – operational aspectsGlyphosate is the most frequently used herbicide active ingredient in Germany. Studies regarding its usage in non-GMO arable farming are still rare even though it plays an important role in several agronomic situations. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive survey, which was carried out among conventional German farms in Winter 2014/2015. Based on the results of this survey we analyzed via cluster analysis how types of farms differ in terms of glyphosate usage. An illustration of seven clusters allows deep insights into arable farm structures. The farm types can be distinguished regarding their tillage system and similar to this differentiation also concerning their intensity of glyphosate application. Furthermore, it becomes obvious that farm clusters with a higher level of glyphosate usage are characterized by a lower number of labourers per hectare, more arable land and/or enhanced cover cropping. Moreover, groups of farmers who rely more on glyphosate are more likely to state that they need glyphosate for herbicide resistance management. Farmers’ assessments of the economic importance of glyphosate usage vary depending on the type of farm. By means of the farm clusters, the most important situations of glyphosate usage can be further analyzed economically and scenarios for impact assessments can be made

Anwendungen von Glyphosat im deutschen Ackerbau – Herbologische und ackerbauliche Aspekte

In einer deutschlandweiten Befragung wurden Daten von 2026 Betrieben zu Glyphosatanwendungen, persönlichen Einschätzungen und betrieblichen Rahmenbedingungen erhoben. Nach einer Prüfung auf Vollständigkeit und Plausibilität wurden ca. 1700 Betriebe im Detail ausgewertet. Es wurden Nichtanwender, Weniganwender und Vielanwender von Glyphosat unterschieden. Letztere wenden Glyphosat auf > 20 % der Ackerfläche an. Charakteristisch für diese letztgenannten Betriebe sind ein großer Anteil pflugloser Bewirtschaftung, ein niedriger Arbeitskräftebesatz sowie eine überdurchschnittliche Betriebsgröße. Wurzelunkräuter sind weniger als Grund für Glyphosatanwendungen anzusehen als vielmehr Unkrautpopulationen, die mit den übrigen Herbiziden als schwer bekämpfbar angesehen werden. Nichtanwender und Anwender unterscheiden sich deutlich hinsichtlich ihrer Einschätzung des Nutzens von Glyphosat sowie der Einstellung zum Glyphosat-Anwendungsumfang in der Landwirtschaft. Uses of glyphosate in German arable farming – aspects of weed management and arable practiceData on glyphosate use, personal attitudes and farm characteristics were collected in a Germany-wide inventory from 2026 farms. About 1700 farms could be analyzed in detail. Categories of glyphosate users were split into: non-users, low proportion users and high proportion users. The latter apply glyphosate on > 20% of their arable land are characterized by a high amount of non-inversion tillage, low labor effort and aboveaverage farm size. Perennial weeds play a less important role for glyphosate use than managing weed populations that are regarded as less susceptible to regular herbicides. Non-users and users of glyphosate differ in their attitude towards the benefits of glyphosate and the amount of glyphosate use in agriculture

Diversity of Antibiotic-Active Bacteria Associated with the Brown Alga Laminaria saccharina from the Baltic Sea

Bacteria associated with the marine macroalga Laminaria saccharina, collected from the Kiel Fjord (Baltic Sea, Germany), were isolated and tested for antimicrobial activity. From a total of 210 isolates, 103 strains inhibited the growth of at least one microorganism from the test panel including Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as a yeast. Most common profiles were the inhibition of Bacillus subtilis only (30%), B. subtilis and Staphylococcus lentus (25%), and B. subtilis, S. lentus, and Candida albicans (11%). In summary, the antibiotic-active isolates covered 15 different activity patterns suggesting various modes of action. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities >99%, 45 phylotypes were defined, which were classified into 21 genera belonging to Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that four isolates possibly represent novel species or even genera. In conclusion, L. saccharina represents a promising source for the isolation of new bacterial taxa and antimicrobially active bacteria

Mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet from 1992 to 2018

In recent decades, the Greenland Ice Sheet has been a major contributor to global sea-level rise1,2, and it is expected to be so in the future3. Although increases in glacier flow4–6 and surface melting7–9 have been driven by oceanic10–12 and atmospheric13,14 warming, the degree and trajectory of today’s imbalance remain uncertain. Here we compare and combine 26 individual satellite measurements of changes in the ice sheet’s volume, flow and gravitational potential to produce a reconciled estimate of its mass balance. Although the ice sheet was close to a state of balance in the 1990s, annual losses have risen since then, peaking at 335 ± 62 billion tonnes per year in 2011. In all, Greenland lost 3,800 ± 339 billion tonnes of ice between 1992 and 2018, causing the mean sea level to rise by 10.6 ± 0.9 millimetres. Using three regional climate models, we show that reduced surface mass balance has driven 1,971 ± 555 billion tonnes (52%) of the ice loss owing to increased meltwater runoff. The remaining 1,827 ± 538 billion tonnes (48%) of ice loss was due to increased glacier discharge, which rose from 41 ± 37 billion tonnes per year in the 1990s to 87 ± 25 billion tonnes per year since then. Between 2013 and 2017, the total rate of ice loss slowed to 217 ± 32 billion tonnes per year, on average, as atmospheric circulation favoured cooler conditions15 and as ocean temperatures fell at the terminus of Jakobshavn Isbræ16. Cumulative ice losses from Greenland as a whole have been close to the IPCC’s predicted rates for their high-end climate warming scenario17, which forecast an additional 50 to 120 millimetres of global sea-level rise by 2100 when compared to their central estimate

Secondary Metabolites of Marine Microbes: From Natural Products Chemistry to Chemical Ecology

Marine natural products (MNPs) exhibit a wide range of pharmaceutically relevant bioactivities, including antibiotic, antiviral, anticancer, or anti-inflammatory properties. Besides marine macroorganisms such as sponges, algae, or corals, specifically marine bacteria and fungi have shown to produce novel secondary metabolites (SMs) with unique and diverse chemical structures that may hold the key for the development of novel drugs or drug leads. Apart from highlighting their potential benefit to humankind, this review is focusing on the manifold functions of SMs in the marine ecosystem. For example, potent MNPs have the ability to exile predators and competing organisms, act as attractants for mating purposes, or serve as dye for the expulsion or attraction of other organisms. A large compilation of literature on the role of MNPs in marine ecology is available, and several reviews evaluated the function of MNPs for the aforementioned topics. Therefore, we focused the second part of this review on the importance of bioactive compounds from crustose coralline algae (CCA) and their role during coral settlement, a topic that has received less attention. It has been shown that certain SMs derived from CCA and their associated bacteria are able to induce attachment and/or metamorphosis of many benthic invertebrate larvae, including globally threatened reef-building scleractinian corals. This review provides an overview on bioactivities of MNPs from marine microbes and their potential use in medicine as well as on the latest findings of the chemical ecology and settlement process of scleractinian corals and other invertebrate larvae

Gender differences in the use of cardiovascular interventions in HIV-positive persons; the D:A:D Study

Peer reviewe

Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases

The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs) can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e. iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference