Innovative Fügekonzepte für die punktuelle Krafteinleitung in Sandwichstrukturwerkstoffe

Für eine deutliche Gewichtsreduktion von Straßenfahrzeugen durch hybriden Leichtbau muss auf ganz neue Werkstoffgruppen wie Sandwichmaterialien zurückgegriffen werden. Diese haben bereits vereinzelt Anwendungen in wenig belasteten Flächenbauteilen in Wohnmobilen oder Transportfahrzeugen gefunden. Dass Sandwichwerkstoffe, bestehend aus zwei steifen Decklagen und einem extrem leichten Kernmaterial, aber auch ein hohes Potenzial für den Einsatz als tragende Strukturen besitzen, konnte bereits im Großforschungsprojekt des DLR „Next Generation Car“ demonstriert werden. Der größte Hinderungsgrund für den Einsatz dieser neuartigen Materialien in Serienprodukten ist der Mangel an geeigneten, lösbaren und simulierbaren Fügekonzepten. Daher werden im Forschungsprojekt „PuVerSand“ (Entwicklung von Konzepten und Auslegungsstrategien zum punktförmigen Verbinden von innovativen, strukturell tragenden Sandwichstrukturen), das vom Ministerium für Finanzen und Wirtschaft Baden-Württemberg gefördert wird, die vielversprechendsten Verbindungselemente geclustert und eine methodische Auslegungs- und Prüfungsmethodik entwickelt. Dabei werden sowohl formschlüssige Fügungen, wie spezielle Kunststoffschrauben, als auch Inserts, die durch eine Kombination aus Form- und Stoffschluss mit Decklage und Kernmaterial verbunden werden, betrachtet, verglichen und deren Eignung für unterschiedliche Kernmaterialien eingestuft. Ziel des Projektes ist es, lösbare Fügetechniken für Sandwichverbundsysteme zu untersuchen und das Gesamtverbundsystem hinsichtlich Auslegung, Berechnung, Simulation und Fertigungsprozesse zu optimieren. Diese innovative Auswahlstrategie kann anschließend auf jedes Sandwichmaterial oder neues Fügeelement übertragen werden und hilft dem Anwender dabei zeiteffizient, methodisch und zielführend zu einer individuellen Fügelösung zu kommen

Curvas de maturação e graus-dia acumulados para frutos de plantas de laranjeira 'Folha Murcha'

The effect of thermal summation on orange fruit growth on different rootstocks has not been studied for the State of Paraná, Brazil. This research evaluated the growth of fruits by means of maturation curves, and quantified the growing degree-days (GDD) accumulation required for fruit maturation in 'Folha Murcha' orange trees budded on 'Rangpur' lime, 'Volkamer' lemon, 'Sunki' mandarin, and 'Cleopatra' mandarin, in Paranavaí and Londrina, PR. In both locations and all rootstocks, the fruits showed evolution in total soluble solids (TSS) content in relation to GDD accumulation, with a quadratic tendency of curve fitting; total titratable acidity (TTA) had an inverse quadratic fitting, and the (TSS/TTA) ratio showed a positive linear regression. Fruits in Paranavaí presented a higher development rate towards maturity than those in Londrina, for all rootstocks. The advancing of the initial maturation stage of fruits in Paranavaí in relation to those in Londrina occurred in the following descending order: 'Volkamer' lemon (92 days), 'Cleopatra' mandarin (81 days), 'Sunki' mandarin (79 days), 'Rangpur' lime (77 days). In Londrina, trees on 'Rangpur' lime and 'Volkamer' lemon were ready for harvest 8 and 15 days before those on the 'Cleopatra' and 'Sunki' mandarins, respectively. In Paranavaí, the beginning of fruit maturation in trees on 'Volkamer' lemon occurred 15, 19, and 28 days earlier than on 'Rangpur' lime, 'Cleopatra' mandarin, and 'Sunki' mandarin, respectively. Considering 12.8ºC as the lower base temperature, the thermal sum for fruit growth and maturation of 'Folha Murcha' orange ranged from 4,462 to 5,090 GDD.O efeito da soma térmica no crescimento do fruto de laranja em diferentes porta-enxertos não tem sido estudado no Estado do Paraná, Brasil. Esta pesquisa avaliou o crescimento dos frutos por meio de curvas de maturação e quantificou os graus-dia acumulados (GDA) necessários para a maturação dos frutos em laranjeiras 'Folha Murcha' enxertadas em limão 'Cravo', limão 'Volcameriano', tangerina 'Sunki' e tangerina 'Cleópatra', em Paranavaí e Londrina, PR. Para os dois locais e em todos os porta-enxertos, os frutos apresentaram evolução do teor de sólidos solúveis totais (SST) em relação ao acúmulo de graus-dia com ajuste de tendência quadrática da curva de regressão; a acidez titulável total (ATT) com ajuste quadrático inverso e o ratio (SST/ATT) regressão linear positiva. Os frutos em Paranavaí apresentaram maior índice de maturação do que em Londrina para todos os porta-enxertos, com antecipação do ponto inicial de maturação na seguinte ordem: limão 'Volcameriano' (92 dias), tangerina 'Cleópatra' (81 dias), tangerina 'Sunki' (79 dias), limão 'Cravo' (77 dias). Em Londrina, as plantas sobre os limões 'Cravo' e 'Volcameriano' apresentaram início da colheita 8 e 15 dias antes daquelas nas tangerinas 'Cleópatra' e 'Sunki', respectivamente. Em Paranavaí, o início da maturação dos frutos das plantas em limão 'Volcameriano' ocorreu 15, 19 e 28 dias mais precoce que o limão 'Cravo', tangerina 'Cleópatra' e tangerina 'Sunki', respectivamente. A soma térmica para o crescimento e maturação dos frutos de laranja 'Folha Murcha' variou de 4.462 a 5.090 GDA

Homeoviscous response of Clostridium pasteurianum to butanol toxicity during glycerol fermentation

Clostridium pasteurianum ATCC 6013 achieves high n-butanol production when glycerol is used as the sole carbon source. In this study, the homeoviscous membrane response of C. pasteurianum ATCC 6013 has been examined through n-butanol challenge experiments. Homeoviscous response is a critical aspect of n-butanol tolerance and has not been examined in detail for C. pasteurianum. Lipid membrane compositions were examined for glycerol fermentations with n-butanol production, and during cell growth in the absence of n-butanol production, using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). Membrane stabilization due to homeoviscous response was further examined by surface pressure–area (π–A) analysis of membrane extract monolayers. C. pasteurianum was found to exert a homeoviscous response that was comprised of an increase lipid tail length and a decrease in the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids with increasing n-butanol challenge. This led to a more rigid or stable membrane that counteracted n-butanol fluidization. This is the first report on the changes in the membrane lipid composition during n-butanol production by C. pasteurianum ATCC 6013, which is a versatile microorganism that has the potential to be engineered as an industrial n-butanol producer using crude glycerol

Emulsan-Alginate Microspheres as a New Vehicle for Protein Delivery

A solution containing emulsan, a lipoheteropolysaccharide, and calcium was used to produce emulsan-alginate microspheres (EAMs). Optical, scanning electron microscopy and EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray) analysis of the microspheres suggested different morphologies and compositions, respectively, when compared with microspheres prepared only from alginate. The EAMs were twice as stable in phosphate solution compared to alginate alone when assessed with blue dextran encapsulation. The EAMs were able to adsorb about twice the amount of BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin) compared to alginate alone. When azo-BSA was adsorbed on the emulsan-alginate microspheres, protein release could be triggered with enzymes. BSA released from the EAMs retained about of 78% of the -helix structure.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones IndustrialesLaboratorio de Nanobiomateriale

Angiopoietin-2 regulates gene expression in TIE2-expressing monocytes and augments their inherent proangiogenic functions

TIE2-expressing monocytes/macrophages (TEM) are a highly proangiogenic subset of myeloid cells in tumors. Here, we show that circulating human TEMs are already preprogrammed in the circulation to be more angiogenic and express higher levels of such proangiogenic genes as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), VEGFA, COX-2, and WNT5A than TIE2(-) monocytes. Additionally, angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2) markedly enhanced the proangiogenic activity of TEMs and increased their expression of two proangiogenic enzymes: thymidine phosphorylase (TP) and cathepsin B (CTSB). Three "alternatively activated" (or M2-like) macrophage markers were also upregulated by ANG-2 in TEMs: interleukin-10, mannose receptor (MRC1), and CCL17. To investigate the effects of ANG-2 on the phenotype and function of TEMs in tumors, we used a double-transgenic (DT) mouse model in which ANG-2 was specifically overexpressed by endothelial cells. Syngeneic tumors grown in these ANG-2 DT mice were more vascularized and contained greater numbers of TEMs than those in wild-type (WT) mice. In both tumor types, expression of MMP-9 and MRC1 was mainly restricted to tumor TEMs rather than TIE2(-) macrophages. Furthermore, tumor TEMs expressed higher levels of MRC1, TP, and CTSB in ANG-2 DT tumors than WT tumors. Taken together, our data show that although circulating TEMs are innately proangiogenic, exposure to tumor-derived ANG-2 stimulates these cells to exhibit a broader, tumor-promoting phenotype. As such, the ANG-2-TEM axis may represent a new target for antiangiogenic cancer therapies

Harnessing symbiotic plant-fungus interactions to unleash hidden forces from extreme plant ecosystems

13 Pág.Global climate change is arguably one of the biggest threats of modern times and has already led to a wide range of impacts on the environment, economy, and society. Owing to past emissions and climate system inertia, global climate change is predicted to continue for decades even if anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions were to stop immediately. In many regions, such as central Europe and the Mediterranean region, the temperature is likely to rise by 2-5 °C and annual precipitation is predicted to decrease. Expected heat and drought periods followed by floods, and unpredictable growing seasons, are predicted to have detrimental effects on agricultural production systems, causing immense economic losses and food supply problems. To mitigate the risks of climate change, agricultural innovations counteracting these effects need to be embraced and accelerated. To achieve maximum improvement, the required agricultural innovations should not focus only on crops but rather pursue a holistic approach including the entire ecosystem. Over millions of years, plants have evolved in close association with other organisms, particularly soil microbes that have shaped their evolution and contemporary ecology. Many studies have already highlighted beneficial interactions among plants and the communities of microorganisms with which they coexist. Questions arising from these discoveries are whether it will be possible to decipher a common molecular pattern and the underlying biochemical framework of interspecies communication, and whether such knowledge can be used to improve agricultural performance under environmental stress conditions. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of plant interactions with fungal endosymbionts found in extreme ecosystems. Special attention will be paid to the interaction of plants with the symbiotic root-colonizing endophytic fungus Serendipita indica, which has been developed as a model system for beneficial plant-fungus interactions.The authors are grateful for financial assistance received from the collaborative IPSC research project realized in the framework of the EIG CONCERT-Japan joint call on Food Crops and Biomass Production Technologies and the related national funding agencies: grant PCIN-2016–037 from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), Spain, to SP and JVC; grants 01DR17007A and 01DR17007B from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany, to JL-M and RO, respectively; grant JPMJSC16C3 from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) to HS; and grant EIG_JC1JAPAN-045 from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France, to AK. CGG was supported by the Severo Ochoa Program for Centers of Excellence in R&D from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Spain, grant SEV-2016-0672 (2017–2021) to the Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas.With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditationPeer reviewe

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma: Molecular profiling recognizes subclasses and identifies prognostic markers

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a clinically aggressive disease, with a poor response to therapy and a low overall survival rate of approximately 30% after 5 years. We have analyzed a series of 105 cases with a diagnosis of PTCL using a customized NanoString platform (NanoString Technologies, Seattle, WA) that includes 208 genes associated with T-cell differentiation, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, deregulated pathways, and stromal cell subpopulations. A comparative analysis of the various histological types of PTCL (angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma [AITL]; PTCL with T follicular helper [TFH] phenotype; PTCL not otherwise specified [NOS]) showed that specific sets of genes were associated with each of the diagnoses. These included TFH markers, cytotoxic markers, and genes whose expression was a surrogate for specific cellular subpopulations, including follicular dendritic cells, mast cells, and genes belonging to precise survival (NF-κB) and other pathways. Furthermore, the mutational profile was analyzed using a custom panel that targeted 62 genes in 76 cases distributed in AITL, PTCL-TFH, and PTCL-NOS. The main differences among the 3 nodal PTCL classes involved the RHOAG17V mutations (P < .0001), which were approximately twice as frequent in AITL (34.09%) as in PTCL-TFH (16.66%) cases but were not detected in PTCL-NOS. A multivariate analysis identified gene sets that allowed the series of cases to be stratified into different risk groups. This study supports and validates the current division of PTCL into these 3 categories, identifies sets of markers that can be used for a more precise diagnosis, and recognizes the expression of B-cell genes as an IPI-independent prognostic factor for AITL

A Metabolomic Approach to the Study of Wine Micro-Oxygenation

Wine micro-oxygenation is a globally used treatment and its effects were studied here by analysing by untargeted LC-MS the wine metabolomic fingerprint. Eight different procedural variations, marked by the addition of oxygen (four levels) and iron (two levels) were applied to Sangiovese wine, before and after malolactic fermentation

The Effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit in the District of Columbia on Poverty and Income Dynamics

Using unique longitudinal administrative tax panel data for the District of Columbia (DC), we assess the combined effect of the DC supplemental earned income tax credit (EITC) and the federal EITC on poverty and income dynamics within Washington, DC, from 2001 to 2011. The EITC in DC merits investigation, as the DC supplement to the federal credit is the largest in the nation. The supplemental DC EITC was enacted in 2000, and has been expanded from 10 percent of the federal credit in 2001 to 40 percent as of 2009. To implement the study, we estimate least squares models with 0/1 dependent variables to estimate the likelihood of net-EITC income above poverty and near-poverty thresholds. We also estimate the likelihood of earnings growth and income stabilization from the EITC. To identify the effect of the EITC, we exploit variation in the EITC subsidy rate from 2008 to 2009, when an additional EITC bracket of 45 percent was added for workers with three or more dependent children, up from 40 percent in the previous year for workers with two or more children. We also estimate a model examining the impact of city-level changes to the EITC. The structure and richness of our data enable us to control for tax filer fixed effects, an important innovation from many previous EITC studies. Overall, we find that the combined EITC raises the likelihood of net-EITC income above poverty and near poverty by as much as 9 percent, with the largest consistent effects accruing to single-parent families