The Physiological Interaction of Sleep Deprivation and Zoledronate on Distal Femur Trabecular Thickness of Ovariectomized Rats

Osteoporosis, a disease resulting in an increased risk of fracture due to compromised bone, affects 1 in 3 postmenopausal women. Discontinuities in the microarchitecture of bone, such as trabeculae, are seen in postmenopausal osteoporosis. This study aimed to evaluate how sleep deprivation affects the distal femur trabecular thickness of estrogen-deficient rats treated with Zoledronate. 29 ovariectomized Wistar female rats were separated into 4 groups. The control group (C) was housed in standard housing with a 12-hour light/dark cycle and was given an intravenous injection of 0.45 mL of 0.9% saline. The Zoledronate group (Z) were also housed in standard conditions but given an intravenous injection of 50 ug/kg of 10% Zoledronate. The Sleep Deprived group (SD) were given an intravenous saline injection, but were housed in chambers that did not permit sleep for 18 hours, then moved to standard chambers that permitted 6 hours of sleep daily. The Sleep-Deprived Zoledronate group (SDZ) was housed the same as the SD group, but was given an intravenous injection of Zoledronate. After 5 weeks, tibiae and femora were harvested and stored at -80°C until high-resolution micro-CT was done. SDZ had improved distal femur trabecular thickness compared to C (75.5 microns and 67 microns, respectively; p=0.0001). Multi-factor ANOVA revealed a significant interaction between Zoledronate and sleep deprivation (p=0.0078). More research is needed to determine how this interaction impacts executive women who often suffer from sleep deprivation and demanding professions

Effekte der Rückkreuzung auf Fleckvieh aus einer Kreuzungsherde mit Deutschen Holstein-Genanteilen auf Milchleistung und Milchqualität

Im Zuge dieser Arbeit wurden die Daten der Melkroboter von über 9 Jahren aus 2008 bis 2017 sowie der Milchleistungsprüfung des LKV von über 17 Jahren aus 2000 bis 2017 ausgewertet. Die gesammelten Daten stammen von Kreuzungstieren aus den Rassen „Deutsches Fleckvieh“ und „Deutsche Holsteins“ des Lehr- und Versuchsgutes Oberschleißheim, welche im Zuge des durchgeführten Wechselkreuzungsprogramms und der seit April 2014 begonnenen Rückkreuzung auf Fleckvieh unterschiedliche Genanteile der jeweiligen Rassen besitzen. Berücksichtigt wurden hierbei vor allem Milchleistungs- und Milchqualitätseigenschaften, die hinsichtlich der Fleckvieh-Genanteile miteinander verglichen wurden

Effekte der Rückkreuzung auf Fleckvieh aus einer Kreuzungsherde mit Deutschen Holstein-Genanteilen auf Milchleistung und Milchqualität

Im Zuge dieser Arbeit wurden die Daten der Melkroboter von über 9 Jahren aus 2008 bis 2017 sowie der Milchleistungsprüfung des LKV von über 17 Jahren aus 2000 bis 2017 ausgewertet. Die gesammelten Daten stammen von Kreuzungstieren aus den Rassen „Deutsches Fleckvieh“ und „Deutsche Holsteins“ des Lehr- und Versuchsgutes Oberschleißheim, welche im Zuge des durchgeführten Wechselkreuzungsprogramms und der seit April 2014 begonnenen Rückkreuzung auf Fleckvieh unterschiedliche Genanteile der jeweiligen Rassen besitzen. Berücksichtigt wurden hierbei vor allem Milchleistungs- und Milchqualitätseigenschaften, die hinsichtlich der Fleckvieh-Genanteile miteinander verglichen wurden

The Rise of Certificate Transparency and Its Implications on the Internet Ecosystem

In this paper, we analyze the evolution of Certificate Transparency (CT) over time and explore the implications of exposing certificate DNS names from the perspective of security and privacy. We find that certificates in CT logs have seen exponential growth. Website support for CT has also constantly increased, with now 33% of established connections supporting CT. With the increasing deployment of CT, there are also concerns of information leakage due to all certificates being visible in CT logs. To understand this threat, we introduce a CT honeypot and show that data from CT logs is being used to identify targets for scanning campaigns only minutes after certificate issuance. We present and evaluate a methodology to learn and validate new subdomains from the vast number of domains extracted from CT logged certificates.Comment: To be published at ACM IMC 201

Modellierung der Auswirkungen einer Entkopplung der Direktzahlungen in der EU auf die Fl�chenallokation und Wiederk�uerproduktion: Eine Analyse unterschiedlicher Modellergebnisse

Decoupling of direct payments can be expected to have complex effects and the net effect on crop and fodder acreage is unclear. A literature review reveals that various simulation models uniformly project a decline of the cereal and silage maize acreage as well as ruminant production in the EU-15 in the course of decoupling of direct payments. In contrast, model results are mixed with respect to the direction of the decoupling effect on oilseed and pasture as well as voluntary set aside area. The model type is not found to have a systematic effect on model results. It is rather the assumptions about the effects of direct payments on production which differ widely and drive model results to a large extent. A model analysis which is based on the partial agricultural sector model ESIM-2005 highlights the importance of the level of pasture acreage allocation elasticities in the determination of decoupling effects on the distribution of Grandes Cultures and fodder & pasture area.decoupling, direct payments, land allocation, partial equilibrium agricultural sector models, Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use,

IR Spectroscopy as a Method for Online Electrolyte State Assessment in RFBs

Abstract The transition from fossil to renewable energy sources requires adequate storage technologies due to the intermittency of the supplied energy. With respect to this, organic redox‐flow batteries (ORFBs) represent a promising concept for the storage of electricity on a large scale at economically justifiable costs. However, these storage technologies can only be operated reliably if parameters representing the actual condition of the storage medium (i.e., the electrolyte) can be accurately assessed. These so‐called electrolyte state variables are represented by two key figures of merit: state of charge (SOC), a measure of the amount of charge that the electrolyte currently holds; and state of health (SOH), representing the amount of charge that the electrolyte is able to store given its current condition. The herein presented IR‐based approach is able to simultaneously provide reliable, fast, accurate, and precise estimates for both SOC and SOH parameters at any point in time and independent of the current battery status. The method is able to provide a time resolution in the range of minutes, is independent of the electrolyte temperature and can be applied to nearly all organic‐based redox‐active materials and solvents, while potentially being applicable to inorganic RFBs, such as vanadium‐based systems, as well.Redox‐flow batteries (RFBs) provide a unique and scalable storage solution for green energy. However, they can only be operated safely when parameters representing the battery state are precisely known at any point in time. The presented IR‐spectroscopic method is able to generate accurate and precise estimates for the crucial State‐of‐Charge and State‐of‐Health variables of RFB electrolytes. imag

State of charge and state of health assessment of viologens in aqueous-organic redox-flow electrolytes using in situ IR spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution

Aqueous-organic redox flow batteries (RFBs) have gained considerable interest in recent years, given their potential for an economically viable energy storage at large scale. This, however, strongly depends on both the robustness of the underlying electrolyte chemistry against molecular decomposition reactions as well as the device's operation. With regard to this, the presented study focuses on the use of in situ IR spectroscopy in combination with a multivariate curve resolution approach to gain insight into both the molecular structures of the active materials present within the electrolyte as well as crucial electrolyte state parameters, represented by the electrolyte's state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH). To demonstrate the general applicability of the approach, methyl viologen (MV) and bis(3-trimethylammonium)propyl viologen (BTMAPV) are chosen, as viologens are frequently used as negolytes in aqueous-organic RFBs. The study's findings highlight the impact of in situ spectroscopy and spectral deconvolution tools on the precision of the obtainable SOC and SOH values. Furthermore, the study indicates the occurrence of multiple viologen dimers, which possibly influence the electrolyte lifetime and charging characteristics

Identification of single-point mutations in mycobacterial 16S rRNA sequences by confocal single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy

We demonstrate the specific identification of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) responsible for rifampicin resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis applying fluorescently labeled DNA-hairpin structures (smart probes) in combination with single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy. Smart probes are singly labeled hairpin-shaped oligonucleotides bearing a fluorescent dye at the 5′ end that is quenched by guanosine residues in the complementary stem. Upon hybridization to target sequences, a conformational change occurs, reflected in a strong increase in fluorescence intensity. An excess of unlabeled (‘cold’) oligonucleotides was used to prevent the formation of secondary structures in the target sequence and thus facilitates hybridization of smart probes. Applying standard ensemble fluorescence spectroscopy we demonstrate the identification of SNPs in PCR amplicons of mycobacterial rpoB gene fragments with a detection sensitivity of 10(−8) M. To increase the detection sensitivity, confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to observe fluorescence bursts of individual smart probes freely diffusing through the detection volume. By measuring burst size, burst duration and fluorescence lifetime for each fluorescence burst the discrimination accuracy between closed and open (hybridized) smart probes could be substantially increased. The developed technique enables the identification of SNPs in 10(−11) M solutions of PCR amplicons from M.tuberculosis in only 100 s

Severe Wound Infection with Photobacterium damselae

Marine microorganisms are uncommon etiologies of skin and skin structure infections, that is, wound infections. We report a case of severe wound infection, caused by the marine Photobacterium damselae (Vibrionaceae), in a 64-year-old male patient, returning from Australia. The isolate tested positive for pPHDD1, a plasmid conferring high-level virulence. Furthermore, the wound was coinfected with Vibrio harveyi, a halophile bacterium, which has never been reported from human infections before. Identification was achieved by use of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) and confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing. Data retrieval from bibliography was complicated since P. damselae has been renamed often with a number of synonyms present in the literature: Photobacterium damsela, Vibrio damselae, Vibrio damsela, Pasteurella damselae, and Listonella damsela. With all synonyms used as query terms, a literature search provided less than 20 cases published worldwide. A majority of those cases presenting as severe wound infection are even fatal following progression into necrotizing fasciitis. Management with daily wound dressing and antibiotic therapy (ofloxacin empirically, followed by doxycycline after availability of microbiology) led in the reported case to a favorable outcome, which seems to be, however, the exception based on a review of the available literature