Revitalisation for everybody? The Landscape Park Duisburg–North

Park Krajobrazowy Duisburg Północ jest jednym z najbardziej znanych projektów rewitalizacyjnych w Zagłębiu Ruhry. Jego realizacja rozpoczęła się w 1985 roku na terenie dawnej huty żelaza. Unikatowy charakter tego obiektu jest wynikiem połączenia pełnionych przez niego funkcji: z jednej strony jest to reprezentacyjne dla regionu Ruhry miejsce organizacji różnego rodzaju imprez oraz atrakcja turystyczna, z drugiej zaś strony park służy codziennej aktywności rekreacyjnej lokalnej społeczności. Możliwość uprawiania w jednym miejscu sportu, rekreacji, kultury i turystyki zdaje się być udanym połączeniem, a różne funkcje parku nie zakłócają się wzajemnie. W przeciwieństwie do Parku Krajobrazowego Duis-burg Północ, który łączy (przynajmniej przestrzennie) ludzi o różnych zainteresowaniach niezależnie od statusu spo-łecznego, inne duże projekty rewitalizacyjne w Zagłębiu Ruhry, zwłaszcza obiekty rozrywkowe i rekreacyjne, jak kryte stoki narciarskie lub parki rozrywki, często są bardzo drogie i przez to niedostępne dla wszystkich, co z kolei może intensyfikować trendy polaryzacji społecznej

Social inclusion by revitalisation? The potential of disused industrial areas as an opportunity for mitigating social polarisation

The paper concerns the relation between revitalisation projects and socio-economic polarisation, and discusses the potential of new urban spaces for social inclusion. The phenomenon is considered on the example of recreational facilities that have emerged from brownfields located in the Ruhr region (Germany). It was ascertained that the diversity of implemented projects was important in terms of the significance of revitalisation processes for social polarisation tendencies. It allowed regional authorities to create income-generating facilities and spaces that can be used regardless of income, and to resolve deficits in urban recreational facilities. It was also noted that the Ruhr examples could provide guidance for the recently begun revitalisation processes in the Upper Silesian industrial area (Poland)

Revitalisation of spoil tips and socio-economic polarisation – a case study of Ruhr area (Germany)

The paper discusses issues about the revitalisation of spoil tips, socio-economic polarisation and social exclusion in the field of municipal recreational activities based on an example of the largest post-industrial region in Europe – the Ruhr area in Germany. Revitalisation of brownfield areas very often leads to the creation of leisure facilities of various types (with a range of entrance fees) and because of this it may mitigate, or exacerbate, the severity of these negative phenomena. In the Ruhr area there are 104 spoil tips of different origins (mine tips, slag heaps, rubbish dumps), sizes and shapes (from conical heaps, through table mountains shaped tips and intentionally shaped for landscape tips, to major tips) and state of preservation. The research has shown that it is possible to use the majority of these spoil tips in the Ruhr area (87 of them) as leisure facilities as they have been changed into green areas, parks, playgrounds, locations for sports activities and tourist attractions after their restoration. Furthermore, they are mostly accessible free of charge and may serve a wide range of people – from locals to visitors, from children to senior citizens etc., regardless of their income. As such they may mitigate the socio-economic polarisation tendencies in the region

Ackerwildkraut-Blühstreifen zur Integration autochthoner Ackerwildkräuter in ökologisch bewirtschafteten Ackerflächen

Are flower-strips composed of arable field plants a tool to integrate rare species into organic fields? In the surrounding of the Hessian State Domain Frankenhausen seeds of rare annual field plants were collected and reproduced. The autochthonous seeds and also the corn-cockle have been integrated into a mixture that has been tested to which extent the flower-strips are able to suppress soil-borne weed species. The vegetation of the arable field plant strips has been monitored by phytosociological relevees. A certain amount of seeds is needed to reach satisfactory results. The corncockle affords special management because of its biology and its possible toxicity

Improving ICD-based semantic similarity by accounting for varying degrees of comorbidity

Finding similar patients is a common objective in precision medicine, facilitating treatment outcome assessment and clinical decision support. Choosing widely-available patient features and appropriate mathematical methods for similarity calculations is crucial. International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) codes are used worldwide to encode diseases and are available for nearly all patients. Aggregated as sets consisting of primary and secondary diagnoses they can display a degree of comorbidity and reveal comorbidity patterns. It is possible to compute the similarity of patients based on their ICD codes by using semantic similarity algorithms. These algorithms have been traditionally evaluated using a single-term expert rated data set. However, real-word patient data often display varying degrees of documented comorbidities that might impair algorithm performance. To account for this, we present a scale term that considers documented comorbidity-variance. In this work, we compared the performance of 80 combinations of established algorithms in terms of semantic similarity based on ICD-code sets. The sets have been extracted from patients with a C25.X (pancreatic cancer) primary diagnosis and provide a variety of different combinations of ICD-codes. Using our scale term we yielded the best results with a combination of level-based information content, Leacock & Chodorow concept similarity and bipartite graph matching for the set similarities reaching a correlation of 0.75 with our expert's ground truth. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for comorbidity variance while demonstrating how well current semantic similarity algorithms perform.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

Pre-hospital critical care management of severe hypoxemia in victims of Covid-19: a case series

Objective Despite critical hypoxemia, Covid-19 patients may present without proportional signs of respiratory distress. We report three patients with critical respiratory failure due to Covid-19, in which all presented with severe hypoxemia refractory to supplemental oxygen therapy. We discuss possible strategies for ventilatory support in the emergency pre-hospital setting, and point out some pitfalls regarding the management of these patients. Guidelines for pre-hospital care of critically ill Covid-19 patients cannot be established based on the current evidence base, and we have to apply our understanding of respiratory physiology and mechanics in order to optimize respiratory support. Methods Three cases with similar clinical presentation were identified within the Norwegian national helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) system. The HEMS units are manned by a consultant anaesthesiologist. Patient’s next of kin and the Regional committee for medical and health research ethics approved the publication of this report. Conclusion Patients with Covid-19 and severe hypoxemia may pose a considerable challenge for the pre-hospital emergency medical services. Intubation may be associated with a high risk of complications in these patients and should be carried out with diligence when considered necessary. The following interventions are worth considering in Covid-19 patients with refractory hypoxemia before proceeding to intubation. First, administering oxygen via a tight fitting BVM with an oxygen flow rate that exceeds the patient’s ventilatory minute volume. Second, applying continuous positive airway pressure, while simultaneously maintaining a high FiO2. Finally, assuming the patient is cooperative, repositioning to prone position.publishedVersio

Gas Chromatography/Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization-Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry of Pyrolysis Oil from German Brown Coal

Pyrolysis oil from the slow pyrolysis of German brown coal from Schöningen, obtained at a temperature of 500°C, was separated and analyzed using hyphenation of gas chromatography with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source operated in negative ion mode and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (GC-APCI-FT-ICR-MS). Development of this ultrahigh-resolving analysis method is described, that is, optimization of specific GC and APCI parameters and performed data processing. The advantages of GC-APCI-FT-ICR-MS hyphenation, for example, soft ionization, ultrahigh-resolving detection, and most important isomer separation, were demonstrated for the sample liquid. For instance, it was possible to separate and identify nine different propylphenol, ethylmethylphenol, and trimethylphenol isomers. Furthermore, homologous series of different acids, for example, alkyl and alkylene carboxylic acids, were verified, as well as homologous series of alkyl phenols, alkyl dihydroxy benzenes, and alkoxy alkyl phenols

Nicht wendendes Bodenbearbeitungssystem im Ökologischen Landbau-Dammkultursystem "Turiel

In dem interdisziplinären Forschungsprojekt wurde ein Exaktversuch für Systeme der reduzierten Bodenbearbeitung im Ökologischen Landbau eingerichtet. Verglichen werden das Dammkultursystem (DKS) nach Turiel-Major und das Ecomat-System der Firma Kverneland mit dem herkömmlichen Pflugsystem, jeweils im Kontext entsprechend angepasster Anbauverfahren. Im Rahmen des Projektes wurden auf der Hessischen Staatsdomäne Frankenhausen, dem Lehr- und Transferzentrum des Fachbereichs Ökologische Agrarwissenschaften der Universität Kassel, zwei Workshops durchgeführt. Durch den regelmäßigen Kontakt mit Landwirten, Beratern, Entwicklern und Wissenschaftlern wurde und wird Praxiswissen in die Bearbeitung wissenschaftlicher Fragestellungen einfließen. Der Wissenstransfer in beiden Richtungen wurde und wird intensiviert und vorangetrieben. Es handelt sich um einen Bodenbearbeitungssystemversuch im ersten Versuchsjahr. Insofern sind die Ergebnisse nicht geeignet, die Systeme zur Bodenbearbeitung in ihrer Gesamtheit zu bewerten. Der Systemwechsel zum Ecomat ist einfach zu bewerkstelligen. Die Veränderungen zum Standard-Pflugsystem sind gering. Die Vorzüge des Ecomat-Systems liegen in seiner hohen Schlagkraft. Durch die geringe Bearbeitungstiefe ist der Zugkraftbedarf gering. Bei 3 m Arbeitsbreite und Fahrgeschwindigkeiten von 9-12 km/h werden Flächenleistungen bis zu 2,5 ha/h erreicht. Das Ecomat-System hatte im Umstellungsjahr keine nachteiligen Auswirkungen auf die Erträge. Die N-Mineralisation verlief wie beim Pflugsystem. Bei der Umstellung auf DKS ist die Dammbreite (75 oder 90 cm) der Arbeitsbreite und der Pflanz- und Erntetechnik anzupassen. Das DKS nach Turiel-Major zeichnet sich gegenüber anderen DKS durch seine hohe Flexibilität und Arbeitsbreiten bis zu 7,2 m aus. Eine Systemumstellung nach der Ernte zur Herbstbestellung ist sinnvoller als im Frühjahr. Die Erträge bei Umstellung auf das DKS waren bei der extrem trockenen Witterung im Frühjahr geringer als bei den Pflugsystemen. Sie erlauben daher keine allgemeingültige Bewertung des DKS, da sich die Veränderungen der Bodenstruktur erst nach mehreren Jahren stabilisieren werden

E+E-Projekt „Integration von Naturschutzzielen in den Ökologischen Landbau am Beispiel der Hessischen Staatsdomäne Frankenhausen“ - Maßnahmen in der bewirtschafteten Fläche

On the Hessian state domain Frankenhausen near Kassel the project “The Integration of Nature Conservation into Organic Farming” (supported by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation with funds of the Federal Environmental Ministry) aims to support biodiversity not only by restoring biotopes on the farmland. The focus lies on measures to enhance the diversity on the arable land and the pastures of the farm. A participatory approach is striven for, in which the scientists and planners take the role of a companion catalyst or moderator

Matrix metalloproteinases are associated with brain atrophy in cognitively unimpaired individuals

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) have been linked to age-related neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their role in normal aging is poorly understood. We used linear mixed models to determine if baseline or rate of yearly change in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of MMP-2; MMP-3; MMP-10; TIMP-123 (composite of TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and TIMP-3); or TIMP-4 predicted changes in bilateral entorhinal cortex thickness, hippocampal volume, or lateral ventricle volume in cognitively unimpaired individuals. We also assessed effects on the CSF AD biomarkers amyloid-β42 and phosphorylated tau181. Low baseline levels of MMP-3 predicted larger ventricle volumes and more entorhinal cortex thinning. Increased CSF MMP-2 levels over time predicted more entorhinal thinning, hippocampal atrophy, and ventricular expansion, while increased TIMP-123 over time predicted ventricular expansion. No MMP/TIMPs predicted changes in CSF AD biomarkers. Notably, we show for the first time that longitudinal increases in MMP-2 and TIMP-123 levels may predict age-associated brain atrophy. In conclusion, MMPs and TIMPs may play a role in brain atrophy in cognitively unimpaired aging