Zwischen nationaler Selbstbehauptung und Kooperationssignalen: zur Einschätzung der neuen russischen Militärdoktrin

"Im Februar 2010 erschien die neue russische Militärdoktrin mit den politischen, strategischen und ökonomischen Leitlinien des russischen Militärs für die nächsten zehn bis fünfzehn Jahre. Sie wurde im Westen mit Spannung erwartet - und rief doch eher Enttäuschung hervor. Die NATO wird zur 'Hauptgefahr' für die russische Sicherheit deklariert, und Hinweise auf mögliche Verhandlungen über substrategische Kernwaffen fehlen völlig. Nach dem Kurswechsel der amerikanischen Außenpolitik unter Obama hatte man mehr Entgegenkommen erwartet. Die Autoren werfen einen genaueren Blick auf die Doktrin. Sie stoßen auf deutliche Signale der Kooperationsbereitschaft und entdecken mehr Übereinstimmungen mit westlichen Gefahren- und Risikoanalysen. Zudem enthält die Doktrin Hinweise auf interne Meinungsverschiedenheiten in der russischen Führung. Das könnte neue Verhandlungsspielräume eröffnen. Auch die Aufwertung des Instruments der Rüstungskontrolle und die Einschränkung möglicher nuklearer Einsatzszenarien im Vergleich zu vorangegangenen Doktrinen stützen die positivere Beurteilung der Autoren. Sie ermuntern die Bundesregierung ausdrücklich, sich im Bündnis auf der Basis der Doktrin für stärkere sicherheitspolitische Kooperation mit Russland einzusetzen." (Autorenreferat

Danger control programs cause tissue injury and remodeling.

Are there common pathways underlying the broad spectrum of tissue pathologies that develop upon injuries and from subsequent tissue remodeling? Here, we explain the pathophysiological impact of a set of evolutionary conserved danger control programs for tissue pathology. These programs date back to the survival benefits of the first multicellular organisms upon traumatic injuries by launching a series of danger control responses, i.e., 1. Haemostasis, or clotting to control bleeding; 2. Host defense, to control pathogen entry and spreading; 3. Re-epithelialisation, to recover barrier functions; and 4. Mesenchymal, to repair to regain tissue stability. Taking kidney pathology as an example, we discuss how clotting, inflammation, epithelial healing, and fibrosis/sclerosis determine the spectrum of kidney pathology, especially when they are insufficiently activated or present in an overshooting and deregulated manner. Understanding the evolutionary benefits of these response programs may refine the search for novel therapeutic targets to limit organ dysfunction in acute injuries and in progressive chronic tissue remodeling

Danger control programs cause tissue injury and remodeling.

Are there common pathways underlying the broad spectrum of tissue pathologies that develop upon injuries and from subsequent tissue remodeling? Here, we explain the pathophysiological impact of a set of evolutionary conserved danger control programs for tissue pathology. These programs date back to the survival benefits of the first multicellular organisms upon traumatic injuries by launching a series of danger control responses, i.e., 1. Haemostasis, or clotting to control bleeding; 2. Host defense, to control pathogen entry and spreading; 3. Re-epithelialisation, to recover barrier functions; and 4. Mesenchymal, to repair to regain tissue stability. Taking kidney pathology as an example, we discuss how clotting, inflammation, epithelial healing, and fibrosis/sclerosis determine the spectrum of kidney pathology, especially when they are insufficiently activated or present in an overshooting and deregulated manner. Understanding the evolutionary benefits of these response programs may refine the search for novel therapeutic targets to limit organ dysfunction in acute injuries and in progressive chronic tissue remodeling

Batch anaerobic digestion of banana waste - energy potential and modelling of methane production kinetics

Different fractions of banana (stalk, peel, and flesh) as well as the whole unpeeled banana were studied in a laboratory Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) assay. After completion of 35-day digestion at 37°C in 2L-reactors, specific methane yields reached 0.256, 0.322, 0.367 and 0.349 m³/kg VS (volatile solids) for stalk, peel, flesh, and unpeeled banana respectively. Considering the country of Uganda, East Africa, the collection of peels and stalks from banana production would yield a theoretical potential of about 60 GWh of electrical energy per year in biogas plants. In order to verify the suitability of banana fractions to the biogas process, their chemical composition was analyzed, and their methane production kinetics was estimated with exponential and logistic models. Banana peel was found to be easily degradable, and well suited for biogas production. Banana flesh had the fastest degradation rate of all banana fractions, and banana stalk had the slowest degradation rate, respectively. Methane production kinetics was fitted with first order and logistic models. The kinetics of methane production from banana flesh correlated well with a logistic model, but did not with exponential models. Alternately, methane production kinetics from banana stalk correlated well with exponential models, but did not with the logistic model. Methane production kinetics from banana peel did not correlate well with any model. Hence, the biochemistry of anaerobic processes may follow different patterns depending on substrate degradability, explaining the difficulty of finding a universal explanatory model of methane production kinetics in batch mode

Carbohydrate restricted diet in conjunction with metformin and liraglutide is an effective treatment in patients with deteriorated type 2 diabetes mellitus: Proof-of-concept study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic progressive disease. During the course of the disease intensive treatment is often necessary resulting in multiple interventions including administration of insulin. Although dietary intervention is highly recommended, the clinical results of the widely prescribed diets with low fat content and high carbohydrates are disappointing. In this proof-of-concept study, we tested the effect of dietary carbohydrate-restriction in conjunction with metformin and liraglutide on metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Forty patients with type 2 diabetes already being treated with two oral anti-diabetic drugs or insulin treatment and who showed deterioration of their glucose metabolism (i.e. HbA1c <it>></it>7.5), were treated. A carbohydrate-restricted diet and a combination of metformin and liraglutide were instituted, after stopping either insulin or oral anti-diabetic drugs (excluding metformin). After enrollment, the study patients were scheduled for follow-up visits at one, two, three and six months. Primary outcome was glycemic control, measured by HbA1c at six months. Secondary outcomes were body weight, lipid-profile and treatment satisfaction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty-five (88%) participants completed the study. Nearly all participating patients experienced a drop in HbA1c and body weight during the first three months, an effect which was maintained until the end of the study at six months. Seventy-one percent of the patients reached HbA1c values below 7.0%. The range of body weight at enrollment was extreme, reaching 165 kg as the highest initial value. The average weight loss after 6 months was 10%. Most patients were satisfied with this treatment. During the intervention no significant change of lipids was observed. Most patients who were on insulin could maintain the treatment without insulin with far better metabolic control.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Carbohydrate restriction in conjunction with metformin and liraglutide is an effective treatment option for patients with advanced diabetes who are candidates for instituting insulin or who are in need of intensified insulin treatment. This proof-of-principle study showed a significant treatment effect on metabolic control.</p

Controlled oxygen vacancy induced p-type conductivity in HfO{2-x} thin films

We have synthesized highly oxygen deficient HfO$_{2-x}$ thin films by controlled oxygen engineering using reactive molecular beam epitaxy. Above a threshold value of oxygen vacancies, p-type conductivity sets in with up to 6 times 10^{21} charge carriers per cm3. At the same time, the band-gap is reduced continuously by more than 1 eV. We suggest an oxygen vacancy induced p-type defect band as origin of the observed behavior.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

ESTIMATION OF CENTER OF MASS VELOCITY BY RIGHT POSTERIOR SPINE ILIAC LANDMARK DURING COUNTERMOVEMENT JUMP

When the impulse phase is proceeded by approach movement (e.g. volleyball spike jump), the vertical velocity of CoM at the beginning of the impulse phase must be known. To reduce the number of landmarks, the aim of this study was to verify the concordance between the velocity of CoM and the Right Posterior Spine Iliac at touchdown after flight phase. Ten female volleyball players of the first national volleyball league of Austria performed ten maximal CMJ without arm movement. Paired t-test was used to compare velocities between the two methods. No significant differences between the methods with maximal individual differences lower than 0.1m/s at touchdown could be found. If only the landing velocity at touchdown must be known, it seems to be sufficient to determine the velocity of Right Posterior Spine Iliac landmark