Determination of habitat requirements of the glacial relict Nuphar pumila as basis for successful (re-)introductions

Nuphar pumila is a glacial relict, which is nowadays rare throughout Europe and red-listed in most European regions. In Switzerland only three autochthonous populations and one population of the hybrid with N. lutea (N. ×spenneriana) have survived to date, one of them in the canton of Zurich. To protect this species regionally, the canton of Zurich has commissioned the ex situ propagation of speci-mens, which then had been introduced to 37 water bodies in protected areas, including one known former site. Since only about 10% of these introductions had been successful, there was a wish to identify causes of this lack of success. To this end, we compared the vegetation and physical-chemical parameters of the four natural sites in Switzerland with the successful and unsuccessful introduction sites. Additionally, for a subset of sites, we assessed diatom genus composition as a proxy of water quality. Moreover, we derived vegetation plots of N. pumila and N. lutea from across Europe from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) to compare their site conditions, using mean ecological indicator values and bioclimatic variables of the localities. We found that inside Switzerland the main differences were between the natural sites and all introduction sites, while successful and unsuccessful introduction sites hardly differed in the determined parameters. Natural sites had cooler water with lower magnesi-um content, and according to mean ecological indicator values, also lower nutrient status. The diatom data, though limited in amount, point into the same direction. The EVA data demonstrate that stands of N. pumila are mainly more oligotrophic, but also cooler and more acidic than those of N. lutea. We could not find any factor that explains the success vs. lack of success of plantations of N. pumila in multiple sites in the canton of Zurich, but our results rather indicate that due to the relatively warm climate, the high atmogenic nitrogen input and the predominantly base-rich bedrock, the sites in the canton are generally not particularly well suited for N. pumila. We consider it therefore more promising to protect and possibly (re-)introduce N. pumila in other cantons with higher elevation, base-poor bedrock and lower atmogenic nitrogen input

Selecting teachers and prospective teachers : a meta-analysis

The purpose of this review article was to examine the methods used for the selection of teachers for employment and prospective teachers entering initial teacher education (ITE) programs, and to assess the predictive validity of these methods. We reviewed 32 studies reporting selection methods administered in high-stakes conditions and that included an external (not self-reported) teacher effectiveness outcome measure. The overall effect size was small but significant (r = 0.12, p <.001). Moderator analyses showed that academic and non-academic predictors were both significantly associated with teacher effectiveness measures and that effect sizes were small (but significant) for selection into employment and ITE. We conclude the review by proposing a research agenda that has the potential to enhance educational outcomes by improving the selection of prospective teachers

Applicability of Standard Photovoltaic Modules for an Increased Share of Renewable Energies on Board Cruise Ships Applicability of Standard Photovoltaic Modules for an Increased Share of Renewable Energies on Board Cruise Ships

The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of using standard photovoltaic (PV) modules on board of cruise ships to increase the share of renewable energies in the total energy demand. Due to the limited space available, also partial shaded areas must be considered for installation. As a large part of the ship hull is covered by cabin balconies, this area is of particular interest. An analysis for a clear sky scenario will be carried out based on a simulation, which reflects the solar irradiation on these areas during a representative cruise

A probabilistic bottom-up modelling approach for synthetic load profiles within the energy efficiency management of cruise ship cabins

A reliable estimate of the electrical demand is a decisive factor in the design of electric board systems on cruise ships. This applies to all areas of the ship, including the hotel area with its up to several thousand cabins, which account for a non-negligible share of the total energy demand. In this paper, a simplified bottom-up model that can depict the electrical demand cabins with high temporal resolution and thus support marine and electrical engineers in developing future on-board power grids is presented. Key-card data will be used as a basis to easily access the behaviour of passengers on board. Another benefit is that the key data of the electrical consumers can be easily adapted to different types of ships and cabins. By including the ships route it is possible to precisely calculate the heat input through the glazing at any time of day and to determine its effect on the air-conditioning requirement. The model presented here is therefore not limited to certain regions but can be used globally. The functionality of the model is demonstrated on the example of a Caribbean cruise where the average electrical demand of a cabin is determined to 1.6 kWh per day

The antibody-mediated targeted delivery of interleukin-10 inhibits endometriosis in a syngeneic mouse model

ISSN:0268-1161ISSN:1460-235

Invitation and guide to the 11th EDGG Field Workshop Grasslands of inneralpine dry valleys : part 1, Eastern Alps, Austria, 6-13 July 2018

Following an initial study of vascular plant diversity in the area of the Aosta valley (Wiesner et al. 2015), one of the driest regions of the inneralpine valleys, the authors came up with the idea to start a systematic investigation of the grassland vegetation of the inneralpine dry valleys as a whole. This has been the subject of the seminal work by Braun-Blanquet (1961), more than half a century ago. Since then only few, mostly regional or local studies on the grassland vegetation of these continental valleys have been published. Some more recent works on vegetation complexes of the inneralpine dry valleys (Schwabe & Kratochwil 2004, 2012), although rich in information, do not include the easternmost branches of the Styrian Mur Valley and East Tyrol. Better, more consistent and more recent information on the dry grassland vegetation of these valleys is needed for several purposes: (1) Good data on biodiversity patterns along the steep climatic, edaphic and elevational gradients available here would enrich our understanding of drivers of grassland diversity at European scale; (2) While currently grassland data from the inneralpine valleys are largely missing in EVA (Chytrý et al. 2016), they would actually be needed for solving several intricate syntaxonomic challenges – because the Alps mark the borders between several higher-rank syntaxa from east to west as well as north to south, while some are currently even assumed to be endemic (e.g. Stipo-Poion xerophilae), but with unclear concept and delimitation; (3) Last but not least, the inneralpine dry grasslands also have high conservation priority, but it is likely that spatial extent and quality have much decreased since the times of Braun-Blanquet (1961). We thus decided to start a series of “resurvey” expeditions “on the steps of Josias Braun-Blanquet”, but with modern methodology (Dengler et al. 2016a), starting with the Austrian Alps, where the climate is not as arid (especially in summer) as in the valleys of the Southwestern Alps