Das Kluftsystem im Bereich des Naturdenkmals "Saurierfährten Münchehagen"

The joints at the site of the dinosaur tracks in Muenchehagen form a conspicuous rhomboid pattern in a widely exposed bedding surface of the local quarry. An approximately west-trending set of joints is radially orientated with regard to the shape of the Rehburg salt pillow indicating a genetic relation to salt flow. The second set of joints trends approximately NW and is associated with arrays of dextral shear joints. Its formation is attributed to salt pillow formation and/or a regional deformation plan. This deformation plan presumably existed during the Alpine orogeny. The preservation potential of the dinosaur tracks is considerably decreased by the joint System.Die Klüfte im Bereich des Naturdenkmals „Saurierfährten Münchehagen" bilden auf der örtlichen Steinbruchsohle ein auffälliges, rautenförmiges Muster. Eine etwa westlich streichende Kluftschar ist radial um den durch Salzkissenbildung entstandenen Rehburger Sattel angeordnet, so daß ihre Genese in Zusammenhang mit der Salzwanderung gesehen wird. Die Entstehung der zweiten Kluftschar, die etwa nordwestlich streicht und von dextralen Scherkluftstaffeln begleitet wird, läßt sich auf die Salzkissenbildung beziehungsweise einen regionalen Beanspruchungsplan zurückführen, der vermutlich während der Alpenorogenese bestand. Das Erhaltungspotential der im Naturdenkmal aufgeschlossenen Fährtenplatte wird durch das Kluftsystem erheblich verringert

Earthquake-induced deformation structures in lake deposits: A Late Pleistocene to Holocene paleoseismic record for Central Switzerland

Zusammenfassung.: In den bis zu 15,000 Jahre alten Sedimenten von vier Seen in der Zentralschweiz wurden Spuren von drei starken historischen und mindestens sieben prähistorischen Erdbeben gefunden. Der Schweizer Erdbebenkatalog der letzten 1000 Jahre verzeichnet in der Zentralschweiz drei grössere Erdbeben mit Magnituden zwischen Mw=5.7 und Mw = 6.2 (1964 AD Alpnach, 1774 AD Altdorf, 1601 AD Unterwalden) sowie ein katastrophales Mw = 6.9 Ereignis in Basel im Jahre 1356 AD. Zur Bestimmung der Wiederkehrraten dieser starken Erdbeben wurden mit Hilfe von hochauflösender Seismik und Sedimentkernanalysen paläoseismische Untersuchungen in vier verschiedenen Seen in der Zentralschweiz durchgeführt (Lungerer See, Baldegger See, Seelisberg Seeli und Vierwaldstätter See). In Abhängigkeit von der Geometrie des Seebeckens, des Sedimenttyps und der lokalen Bodenerschütterung treten während eines Erdbebens grosse subaquatische Rutschungen oder kleine in-situ Deformationsstrukturen auf. Die Spuren der historischen Erdbeben zeigen, dass Seesedimente nur ab einer Magnitude von Mw>5.7 und bei einer lokalen Bodenerschütterung der Intensität ≥ VII deformiert werden. Mindestens sechs prähistorische Erdbeben in der Zentralschweiz (Epizentrum und Magnitude ähnlich wie beim Mw=6.2 Unterwalden Erdbeben), sowie ein starkes prähistorisches Erdbeben in der Baselregion (Magnitude ähnlich wie beim Mw = 6.9 Basel Erdbeben) konnten anhand der Art und regionalen Verteilung der Deformationsstrukturen bestimmt werden. Darüber hinaus gibt es Hinweise auf ein weiteres Ereignis in der Nähe von Basel und vier weitere Ereignisse in der Zentralschweiz. Im Vergleich zum Mittleren Holozän scheint die Erdbebenhäufigkeit in der Zentralschweiz erhöht während des Spätpleistozäns/Frühholozäns und während der letzten 4000 Jahre. Dies kann einerseits auf isostatische Ausgleichsbewegungen nach dem Abschmelzen des Eises vor 15,000 Jahren, sowie auf eine periodische Aktivierung einer alpinen seismogenen Zone in jüngerer Zeit zurückgeführt werde

The Pheno- and Genotypic Characterization of Porcine Escherichia coli Isolates

Escherichia (E.) coli is the main causative pathogen of neonatal and post-weaning diarrhea and edema disease in swine production. There is a significant health concern due to an increasing number of human infections associated with food and/or environmental-borne pathogenic and multidrug-resistant E. coli worldwide. Monitoring the presence of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolates is essential for sustainable disease management in livestock and human medicine. A total of 102 E. coli isolates of diseased pigs were characterized by antimicrobial and biocide susceptibility testing. Antimicrobial resistance genes, including mobile colistin resistance genes, were analyzed by PCR and DNA sequencing. The quinolone resistance-determining regions of gyrA and parC in ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates were analyzed. Clonal relatedness was investigated by two-locus sequence typing (CH clonotyping). Phylotyping was performed by the Clermont multiplex PCR method. Virulence determinants were analyzed by customized DNA-based microarray technology developed in this study for fast and economic molecular multiplex typing. Thirty-five isolates were selected for whole-genome sequence-based analysis. Most isolates were resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline. Twenty-one isolates displayed an ESBL phenotype and one isolate an AmpC β-lactamase-producing phenotype. Three isolates had elevated colistin minimal inhibitory concentrations and carried the mcr-1 gene. Thirty-seven isolates displayed a multi-drug resistance phenotype. The most predominant β-lactamase gene classes were blaTEM-1 (56%) and blaCTX-M-1 (13.71%). Mutations in QRDR were observed in 14 ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates. CH clonotyping divided all isolates into 51 CH clonotypes. The majority of isolates belonged to phylogroup A. Sixty-four isolates could be assigned to defined pathotypes wherefrom UPEC was predominant. WGS revealed that the most predominant sequence type was ST100, followed by ST10. ST131 was detected twice in our analysis. This study highlights the importance of monitoring antimicrobial resistance and virulence properties of porcine E. coli isolates. This can be achieved by applying reliable, fast, economic and easy to perform technologies such as DNA-based microarray typing. The presence of high-risk pathogenic multi-drug resistant zoonotic clones, as well as those that are resistant to critically important antibiotics for humans, can pose a risk to public health. Improved protocols may be developed in swine farms for preventing infections, as well as the maintenance and distribution of the causative isolates

The Pheno- and Genotypic Characterization of Porcine Escherichia coli Isolates

Escherichia (E.) coli is the main causative pathogen of neonatal and post-weaning diarrhea and edema disease in swine production. There is a significant health concern due to an increasing number of human infections associated with food and/or environmental-borne pathogenic and multidrug-resistant E. coli worldwide. Monitoring the presence of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolates is essential for sustainable disease management in livestock and human medicine. A total of 102 E. coli isolates of diseased pigs were characterized by antimicrobial and biocide susceptibility testing. Antimicrobial resistance genes, including mobile colistin resistance genes, were analyzed by PCR and DNA sequencing. The quinolone resistance-determining regions of gyrA and parC in ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates were analyzed. Clonal relatedness was investigated by two-locus sequence typing (CH clonotyping). Phylotyping was performed by the Clermont multiplex PCR method. Virulence determinants were analyzed by customized DNA-based microarray technology developed in this study for fast and economic molecular multiplex typing. Thirty-five isolates were selected for whole-genome sequence-based analysis. Most isolates were resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline. Twenty-one isolates displayed an ESBL phenotype and one isolate an AmpC β-lactamase-producing phenotype. Three isolates had elevated colistin minimal inhibitory concentrations and carried the mcr-1 gene. Thirty-seven isolates displayed a multi-drug resistance phenotype. The most predominant β-lactamase gene classes were blaTEM-1 (56%) and blaCTX-M-1 (13.71%). Mutations in QRDR were observed in 14 ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates. CH clonotyping divided all isolates into 51 CH clonotypes. The majority of isolates belonged to phylogroup A. Sixty-four isolates could be assigned to defined pathotypes wherefrom UPEC was predominant. WGS revealed that the most predominant sequence type was ST100, followed by ST10. ST131 was detected twice in our analysis. This study highlights the importance of monitoring antimicrobial resistance and virulence properties of porcine E. coli isolates. This can be achieved by applying reliable, fast, economic and easy to perform technologies such as DNA-based microarray typing. The presence of high-risk pathogenic multi-drug resistant zoonotic clones, as well as those that are resistant to critically important antibiotics for humans, can pose a risk to public health. Improved protocols may be developed in swine farms for preventing infections, as well as the maintenance and distribution of the causative isolates

Lake sediments as natural seismographs: A compiled record of Late Quaternary earthquakes in Central Switzerland and its implication for Alpine deformation

Central Switzerland lies tectonically in an intraplate area and recurrence rates of strong earthquakes exceed the time span covered by historic chronicles. However, many lakes are present in the area that act as natural seismographs: their continuous, datable and high-resolution sediment succession allows extension of the earthquake catalogue to pre-historic times. This study reviews and compiles available data sets and results from more than 10 years of lacustrine palaeoseismological research in lakes of northern and Central Switzerland. The concept of using lacustrine mass-movement event stratigraphy to identify palaeo-earthquakes is showcased by presenting new data and results from Lake Zurich. The Late Glacial to Holocene mass-movement units in this lake document a complex history of varying tectonic and environmental impacts. Results include sedimentary evidence of three major and three minor, simultaneously triggered basin-wide lateral slope failure events interpreted as the fingerprints of palaeoseismic activity. A refined earthquake catalogue, which includes results from previous lake studies, reveals a non-uniform temporal distribution of earthquakes in northern and Central Switzerland. A higher frequency of earthquakes in the Late Glacial and Late Holocene period documents two different phases of neotectonic activity; they are interpreted to be related to isostatic post-glacial rebound and relatively recent (re-)activation of seismogenic zones, respectively. Magnitudes and epicentre reconstructions for the largest identified earthquakes provide evidence for two possible earthquake sources: (i) a source area in the region of the Alpine or Sub-Alpine Front due to release of accumulated north-west/south-east compressional stress related to an active basal thrust beneath the Aar massif; and (ii) a source area beneath the Alpine foreland due to reactivation of deep-seated strike-slip faults. Such activity has been repeatedly observed instrumentally, for example, during the most recent magnitude 4.2 and 3.5 earthquakes of February 2012, near Zug. The combined lacustrine record from northern and Central Switzerland indicates that at least one of these potential sources has been capable of producing magnitude 6.2 to 6.7 events in the past

Earthquake-induced deformation structures in lake deposits: A Late Pleistocene to Holocene paleoseismic record for Central Switzerland

ISSN:0012-9402ISSN:1420-912

Gene expression analysis of hiPSC lines indicated mostly low mRNA expression of activating and inhibitory NK receptor ligands.

<p>(A) The expression of the indicated genes was tested by qPCR in PBMCs, K562 cells and three hiPSC lines (D1-iPSC4, D2-iPSC1, and D3-iPSC3). For the hiPSC lines and K562 cells means ± SEM of Δct values (ct target gene [tg] minus ct housekeeping gene [hkg]) of three biological replicates are shown. Negative values indicated a higher expression of the target gene than the housekeeping gene. Therefore, an inverted scale is shown. At the left side, genes encoding for ligands of activating NK receptors and <i>ICAM1</i> are shown. In the middle part classical and non-classical HLA class I genes, <i>B2M</i>, and the HLA class II gene <i>DRA</i> are shown. In the right part, genes involved in antigen processing in the HLA class I pathway are grouped. Genes not expressed in the iPSC lines (ct > 30) are marked by Ø. (B) The gene expression in the iPSC lines is shown as relative expression compared to PBMCs. (C) The gene expression in the hiPSC lines is shown as relative expression compared to K562 cells.</p

Human iPSC lines were killed by purified and IL-2-activated NK cells of various donors but allogeneic effector cells were more efficient than autologous NK cells.

<p>(A) NK cells were stimulated for four days with IL-2 (200 U/ml) and used as effector cells against the reference target cell line K562 in ⁵¹Cr-release assays. Each individual test was done in triplicates. The means of specific lysis and the standard error of the mean (SEM) at different effector:target (E:T) ratios (16:1 to 0.25:1) are shown to summarize these experiments. The numbers of individual experiments (n) are indicated in the figure. (B) A summary of means of specific lysis and the SEM of K562 and three hiPSC lines by IL-2-activated NK cells from five donors (1 to 5) is shown. (C) A summary of means of specific lysis and the SEM of the three hiPSC lines (D1-iPSC4, D2-iPSC1, D3-iPSC3) by NK cells of five different donors is shown. (D) A summary of means of specific lysis and the SEM of the three hiPSC lines (D1-iPSC4, D2-iPSC1, D3-iPSC3) by allogeneic (allo) and autologous (auto) NK cells is shown.</p