Rubidium metaborate, Rb3B3O6

Rubidium metaborate, Rb3B3O6, was obtained by the reaction of Rb2CO3 and BN using a radiofrequency furnace at a maximum reaction temperature of 1173 K. The crystal structure has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The space group is , with all atoms positioned on a twofold axis (Wyckoff site 18e). The ionic compound is isotypic with Na3B3O6, K3B3O6 and Cs3B3O6

Investment in Irrigation Systems under Weather Uncertainty

Irrigated agriculture will play a crucial role to meet future food demand, but a sustainable water resource management in agriculture is crucial as well. Therefore, the European Water Framework Directive promotes several measures, e.g., the adoption of adequate water pricing mechanisms or the promotion of water-saving irrigation techniques. Since production conditions such as weather and climate development are uncertain, farmers might be reluctant to invest in a water-saving but capital intensive irrigation system. We apply a stochastic dynamic programming approach to analyze a farmer’s optimal investment strategy for either a water–saving drip irrigation system or sprinkler irrigation system under weather uncertainty and assess the probability of adopting either irrigation system until the year 2040. We design two policy scenarios: (i) irrigation water pricing and (ii) equipment subsidies for drip irrigation, and investigate how they affect the farmer’s optimal investment strategy. Our case study analysis is performed for the region Marchfeld, a typical semi-arid agricultural production region in Austria. We use data from the bio-physical process simulation model EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) which accounts for site and management related characteristics as well as weather parameters from a statistical climate change model. We find that investment in drip irrigation is unlikely unless subsidies for equipment cost are granted. Even water prices do not increase the probability to adopt a drip irrigation system, but rather decrease the probability to invest into either irrigation system.Irrigation investment, stochastic dynamic programming approach, water policies, weather uncertainty, EPIC, Farm Management, Risk and Uncertainty,

Large-Scale Modelling of Global Food Security and Adaptation under Crop Yield Uncertainty

Concerns about future food security in the face of volatile and potentially lower yields due to climate change have been at the heart of recent discussions on adaptation strategies in the agricultural sector. While there are a variety of studies trying to quantify the impact of climate change on yields, some of that literature also acknowledges the fact that these estimates are subject to substantial uncertainty. The question arises how such uncertainty will affect decision-making if ensuring food security is an explicit objective. Also, it will be important to establish, which options for adaptation are most promising in the face of volatile yields. The analysis is carried out using a stochastic version of the Global Biosphere Management Model (GLOBIOM) model, which is a global recursive dynamic partial equilibrium bottom-up model integrating the agricultural, bio-energy and forestry sectors with the aim to give policy advice on global issues concerning land use competition between the major land-based production sectors. The source of stochasticity is the interannual crop yield variability, making it more risky to rely on average yields and thus requiring stochastic optimization techniques. The results indicate that food security requires overproduction to meet minimum food supply constraints also in scenarios of negative yield shocks, where the additional land needed is sourced from forests and other natural land. Trade liberalization and enhanced irrigation both appear to be promising food supply stabilization, and hence land saving, mechanisms in the face of missing storage.food security, food price volatility, optimization under uncertainty, adaptation, land use change, Crop Production/Industries, Food Security and Poverty,

Predator diversity and abundance provide little support for the enemies hypothesis in forests of high tree diversity

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Inhaltstoffliche Ausstattung von ausgewählten Wüsten- und Hochgebirgspflanzen Marokkos

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden Vertreter zweier Familien (Brassicaceae und Fabaceae) entlang eines Niederschlags- sowie Höhengradienten von der Vollwüste bis in die trockenen Hochlagen des südlichsten Atlas-Gebirgszugs in Marokko aufgesammelt und auf ihre osmotische Adaptation (Osmolalität) sowie bezüglich des folgenden chemisch-physiologischen Merkmalskomplexes analysiert: anorganische Kationen und Anionen, organische Säureanionen, lösliche Kohlenhydrate einschließlich der Cyclite, freie Aminosäuren, Gesamtkohlenstoff und –stickstoff und die Signatur der stabilen C- und N-Isotope. Dadurch soll ein weiterer Beitrag zum Physiotypenkonzept und damit zum besseren Verständnis des Anpassungspotenzials der genannten Taxa an aride und semiaride Lebensräume sowie an die spezielle, durch Trockenheit und Kälte geprägte ökologische Situation südmediterraner Hochgebirge geliefert werden. In den Vertretern beider Familien wurden neben hohen Calciumgehalten auch vergleichbar hohe Gehalte an Kalium und Magnesium gefunden, allerdings nur Spuren von Natrium. Bei der Betrachtung des Musters an anorganischen Anionen ließen sich taxonomische Unterschiede erkennen: Die Vertreter der Brassicaceae reicherten mehr Sulfat, die Fabaceae geringfügig mehr Phosphat an. Die Fabaceae akkumulierten allgemein geringere Mengen an organischen Säureanionen als die Brassicaceae, insbesondere aber an Malat. Darüber hinaus war Vella mairei (Brassicaceae) die einzige Art die nennenswerte Gehalte an cis-Aconitat aufwies. Beide Familien sind in der Lage, in Abhängigkeit vom Grad des am jeweiligen Standort herrschenden Stresses in mehr oder weniger hohen Konzentrationen Verbindungen anzureichern, die als „compatible solutes“ gelten. Brassicaceae bevorzugten dabei die Aminosäure Prolin (bis maximal 460 µmol/mL - Farsetia occidentalis), während die Fabaceae hauptsächlich zyklische Zuckeralkohole (Cyclite), insbesondere Pinit (bis maximal 153 µmol/mL - Retama raetam) akkumulierten. Die unterschiedlichen ökologischen Faktoren entlang des gezogenen Transekts führten innerhalb beider Familien zu teils starken Schwankungsbreiten der absoluten Gehalte an den erfassten Substanzen, aber nicht zu einer Änderung der deutlich unterschiedlichen familienspezifischen Inhaltstoffmuster. Auch bei Pflanzenarten an den Hochgebirgsstandorten ergaben sich keine herausragenden Unterschiede zu den (semi-)ariden Lebensräumen der tieferen Lagen. Die im Durchschnitt nur geringfügigen jahreszeitlichen Änderungen der Absolutgehalte an osmotisch aktiven Substanzen lassen sich womöglich auf die überdurchschnittlich häufigen Niederschlagsereignisse auch in den Sommermonaten des Aufsammlungsjahres (2003) zurückführen. Einen weiteren Aspekt lieferte die Analyse der Isotopenverhältnisse (12C/13C, 14N/15N): Aufgrund der d13C-Werte konnten alle untersuchten Arten dem C3-Photosynthesetypus zugeordnet werden. In der jahreszeitlichen Gegenüberstellung gab es ebenfalls deutliche Hinweise auf relativ feuchte Sommermonate in diesem Jahr, die durch den Vergleich mit recherchierten monatlichen Niederschlagsdaten an einigen der Standorte bestätigt werden konnten. Eine vergleichende Messung der Trockensubstanz und Presssäfte gab differenzierte Einblicke: Negativere d13C-Werte in der Trockensubstanz im Vergleich zum Presssaft lassen Überlegungen über eine besonders hohe turnover-Rate der löslichen C-Verbindungen, sowie über den durch Stresseinwirkung bestimmten Zeitpunkt des Aufbaus von Gewebestrukturen zu. Die ermittelten d15N-Werte wiesen deutlich auf eine jeweils ca. 50-70 prozentige Nutzung von symbiontischem Stickstoff bei den Fabaceae hin, während (naturgemäß) die Werte in Brassicaceae die ausschließliche Nutzung der im Boden verfügbaren N-Quellen wiederspiegelten.The objective of this study was to quantify osmotic adaptation (osmolality) and the complex of chemiphysiological attributes of representative species of two families (Brassicaceae and Fabaceae), along an altitude- and precipitation- gradient from the hyper-arid desert to the dry high mountains of the High Atlas of South Morocco. Inorganic cations and anions, organic acid-anions, soluble carbonhydrates (incl. cyclits), free amino acids, total carbon and nitrogen as well as the signature of stable C- and N-isotopes were measured. Thus, it is an additional contribution to the physiotype-concept and, therefore, the better understanding of the adaptional potential of the named taxa to arid and semiarid environments, as well as the dry and cold climates of the southmediterranean high mountains. The representatives of both families showed high amounts of calcium, potassium and magnesium but only trace amounts of sodium. In consideration of the patterns of inorganic anions taxonomical differences are visible: The Brassicaceae-species accumulated more sulphate while the Fabaceae-species enhanced phosphate. Fabaceae in general accumulated less organic acids than Brassicaceae, particularly regarding malate. Vella mairei (Brassicaceae) was the only species showing considerable amounts of cis-aconitate. Both families have the ability to enhance greater or lesser amounts of so-called compatible solutes in dependence on the level of stress occurring at the collection sites. In that Brassicaceae preferred proline as compatible solute (up to 460 µmol/mL - Farsetia occidentalis), whilst Fabaceae favoured cyclic sugaralcohols (cyclitols), especially pinitol (up to 153 µmol/mL - Retama raetam). Different ecological factors along the transect resulted in a strong variability of total amounts of the characterised substances, but did not affect the family-specific pattern. Neither did high mountain species show outstanding differences to species collected at low level (semi-) arid sites. Average total amounts of osmotically active substances varied slightly in the course of the year, probably due to surpassing frequent precipitation events during the summer of 2003. The analysis of isotopic signatures (12C/13C, 14N/15N) showed that all investigated species can be classified as C3- physiotypes using d13C-data. The comparison of spring- and autumn- data provided a strong indication of a rather humid summer period. Monthly precipitation-data confirms our interpretation for some sites. A comparative measurement of dry matter (bulk) and tissue sap provides differentiated insights: Lower (more negative) d13C-data of drymatter versus tissue sap probably demonstrate an exceedingly high turnover of soluble carbon-compounds, as well as the stress-determinated point (in time) when the growth of tissue in the plant accelerates. The measured d15N-data confirmed a 50 to 70 percent usage of symbiontic nitrogen in all species of Fabaceae, whereas d15N-data for Brassicaceae (naturally) indicated soil-N utilisation only

Complete Response on Larotrectinib in NTRK2 Fusion-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

In patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring a fusion of the neurotrophic receptor kinase (NTRK) gene 1 or 3, treatment with tropomyosin kinase (TRK) inhibitors have shown promising results, however so far no data on efficacy of these agents in patients with NSCLC and NTRK2 fusion are available. We present a case of a female patient with NTRK2-positive NSCLC with a complete ongoing response on therapy with larotrectinib, suggesting efficacy of first-generation TRK inhibitors also in NTRK2-positive NSCLC

Changes in employment and relationship satisfaction in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from the German Family Panel

Families have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown, but barely any research has been conducted yet, investigating how COVID-19-related stressors - and, specifically, disruptions in established employment arrangements - affected couples' relationship quality. To account more comprehensively for such non-monetary costs of the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study investigates whether changes in partners' employment situation during the COVID-19 crisis - particularly home-office and short-time work - had an immediate impact on the relationship satisfaction of cohabiting married and unmarried couples. To do so, we estimated fixed-effects regression models, exploiting unique data from the German Family Panel (pairfam; wave 11) and its supplementary COVID-19 web-survey. We observed a substantial proportion of respondents experiencing positive (20%) or negative (40%) changes in relationship satisfaction during the crisis. Relationship satisfaction has decreased, on average, for men and women alike, almost irrespective of whether they experienced COVID-19-related changes in their employment situation. While partners' employment situation hardly moderated the negative association between respondents' employment and relationship satisfaction, the presence of children seemed to buffer partly against a COVID-19-related decrease. Our results thus confirm previous findings suggesting that the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a threat to couples' relationship quality and healthy family functioning more generally