Degradation of thermo-hygro-mechanically (THM)-densified wood by soft-rot fungi

Thermo-hygro-mechanical (THM)-densified wood is more resistant to colonisation and degradation by brown-rot fungi than untreated wood. Colonisation and degradation by soft-rot fungi was investigated in treated Norway spruce (Picea abies) and treated beech (Fagus sylvatica) to assess their suitability for utility class 4. Three different treatments were applied: thermal-hygro (TH) treatment, mechanical densification and THM-treatment including densification and post-treatment under saturated steam conditions at different temperatures. For comparison, additional wood specimens were treated with two concentrations of a chromium-copper (CC) wood preservative. After 32weeks incubation, weight losses induced by soft-rot fungi were lowest in wood treated with CC. Highest weight losses were recorded from TH-treated wood, in which soft-rot erosion attack (type 2) was exclusively observed in spruce. In comparison to controls, significantly lower weight losses by soft-rot fungi were recorded in THM-treated spruce wood, but no such differences were found in beech wood. Microscopical examination showed that in THM-treated wood of spruce, soft-rot type 1 commenced from the outer wood surfaces and cavity formation was not found in deeper regions of the wood samples. THM-treated beech wood was more susceptible to degradation than that of spruce which can be partly explained by the higher syringyl lignin content in beech wood, which is more susceptible to all kinds of degradation. Hyphal colonisation and soft-rot was facilitated within deeper regions of beech wood mainly in the non-occluded lumina of parenchyma cells in multiseriate xylem rays. It can be concluded that TH-treated spruce wood and THM-treated beech wood is susceptible to soft-rot and therefore inappropriate for utility class

Resistance of thermo-hygro-mechanically (THM) densified wood to degradation by white rot fungi

Colonisation and degradation by the white rot fungi, Trametes versicolor and T. pubescens, were studied in wood of Norway spruce and beech subjected to three different treatments: (1) hygro-thermal treatment (160°C and 180°C), (2) mechanical densification, and (3) thermo-hygro-mechanical (THM) treatment including densification and post-treatment at different temperatures (140°C, 160°C and 180°C). The weight losses induced by the fungi were lowest in THM-densified woods. However, volume related numerical indicators for decay susceptibility did not show any significant improvements of THM-densified woods against both fungi. Analysis of the chemical composition of treated wood species revealed slight alterations in the content of polysaccharides and lignin. White rot fungi circumvented conditions restricting hyphal growth within the occluded tracheid lumina by hyphal tunnelling in the secondary walls of fibre tracheids in beech or by forming bore holes that transversally penetrated cell walls of earlywood tracheids in THM-densified spruce. The studies indicate that THM-densified beech and Norway spruce wood may have some potential in utility class 3 but are inappropriate for use in utility class

Repression und Wohlstandsversprechen: Zur Stabilisierung von Parteiherrschaft in der DDR und der ČSSR

Entnommen aus: „Melville, Gert: Geleitwort”: „.... „Sozial- und Konsumpolitik. Weiche Stabilisatoren totalitärer Herrschaft in der späten DDR“ untersucht am Beispiel der DDR und der ČSSR Diktaturen sowjetischen Typs – eine spezifische Form von Institutionalität, die sich selbst als Krönung der Moderne verstand, deren Entwicklung aber in wesentlichen Punkten eben dieser Moderne zuwiderlief. In der Konsequenz der alldurchdringenden Leitidee des Machterhalts war das Parteiregime von Institutionenfusion und Entdifferenzierung charakterisiert...

Metabolic Phenotype and Adipose Tissue Inflammation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Potential links between metabolic derangements and adipose tissue (AT) inflammation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are unexplored. We investigated AT expressions of interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, CD68 (macrophage cell surface receptor), caspase-3, and Bax, and their relationships to the metabolic phenotype in nine cachectic, 12 normal-weight, 12 overweight, and 11 obese patients with COPD (age 62.3 ± 7.2 years). With increasing body mass index, increases in AT expressions of IL-6, TNF-α, and CD68 were observed (P < .001; P = .005; P < .001, resp.), in association with reduced insulin sensitivity (P < .001). No differences were observed between cachectic and normal-weight patients in AT expressions of inflammatory or proapoptotic markers. Adipose tissue CD68 and TNF-α expressions predicted insulin sensitivity independently of known confounders (P = .005; P = .025; R2 = 0.840). Our results suggest that AT inflammation in obese COPD patients relates to insulin resistance. Cachectic patients remain insulin sensitive, with no AT upregulation of inflammatory or proapoptotic markers

Aufbrüche der Zivilgesellschaft: Wege, Positionen und Wirkungen der DDR-Bürgerbewegungen 1987-2014

Mit dem „Aufruf zur Einmischung in eigener Sache“ trat am 12. September 1989 „Demokratie Jetzt“ als Bürgerbewegung in der DDR in die Öffentlichkeit und erhob nachdrücklich einen politischen Mitwirkungs- und Gestaltungsanspruch in der SED-Diktatur. Genau ein Vierteljahrhundert nach der Berliner Gründungsversammlung führte die Tagung „Aufbrüche der Zivilgesellschaft“ zahlreiche der damaligen Initiatorinnen und Initiatoren, Zeitzeugen, Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler und interessiertes Publikum zusammen. Der runde Jahrestag war Anlass, Reverenz zu erweisen den historischen Leistungen von „Demokratie Jetzt“ und „Bündnis 90“ in der Friedlichen Revolution, im deutschen Einigungsprozess und in der Bundesrepublik. Diesen Rückblick kombinierte die Konferenz mit der Frage, welche Impulse die Bürgerbewegung der DDR und die Friedliche Revolution geben können für die Zivilgesellschaft in ihrem Verhältnis zum Staat im 21. Jahrhundert. Es ging also darum, den Aufbruch von 1989 zu aktualisieren mit Blick auf eine Gegenwart, in der die konstituierenden Faktoren dieses Verhältnisses durch dynamische Prozesse wie die Digitalisierung selbst aufgebrochen zu werden scheinen. Redaktionsschluss: Februar 201

Glutathione S-transferase and Microsomal Epoxide Hydrolase Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Slovak Population

Cilj Odrediti rizik kronične opstruktivne bolesti pluća (COPD) povezan s polimorfizmima na genima glutation S-transferaze (GST) M1, GST T1 i mikrosomalne epoksid hidrolaze (EPHX1) u kohorti Slovačke populacije. Postupci U istraživanje je uključeno 217 bolesnika s dijagnozom COPD-a i 160 kontrolnih ispitanika. Od svih su ispitanika prikupljeni uzorci krvi, a DNA iz limfocita u perifernoj krvi rabljena je za genotipizaciju s pomoću lančane reakcije polimerazom i analize polimorfizma duljine restrikcijskih ulomaka. Rezultati U statistički kontroliranom modelu, povećan rizik od COPD-a primjećen je u ispitanika s genotipom EPHX1 His113-His113 (omjer izgleda [OR], 2,32; 95% raspon pouzdanosti [CI], 1,20-4,69; P=0,008), u usporedbi s nositeljima alela Tyr113. Ipak, nakon statističke kontrole za dob, spol i pušenje, nije pronađen značajni rizk (kontrolirani OR, 1,79; 95% CI, 0,91-3,53; P=0,093). U kombiniranoj analizi genskih polimorfizama, kombinacija genotipova EPHX1 His113-His113/GSTM1 nula bila je značajno povezana s višim rizikom obolijevanja od COPD-a i u kontroliranom (OR, 5,08; 95% CI, 1,70-20,43; P=0,001) i u nekontroliranom modelu (OR, 4,87; 95% CI, 1,57-15.13; P=0,006). Zaključak Iako ni jedan od proučavanih genskih polimorfizama nije sam bio značajano povezan s povećanim rizikom obolijevanja od COPD-a, homozigotni 3. ekson mutantne varijante gena EPHX1, u kombinaciji a genotipom GSTM1 nula, bio je značajan prediktor povećanog rizika obolijevanja od COPD-a u Slovačkoj populaciji. Naša studija naglašava detoksifikacijske i antioksidativne puteve u patogenezi COPD-a. 1Aim To determine the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with polymorphisms in the glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1, GST T1, and microsomal epoxide hydrolase (EPHX1) genes in a cohort of Slovak population. Methods Two hundred and seventeen patients with the diagnosis of COPD and 160 control subjects were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were collected from all subjects and the DNA from peripheral blood lymphocytes was used for subsequent genotyping assays, using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment-length polymorphism methods. Results In an unadjusted model, an increased risk for COPD was observed in subjects with EPHX1 His113-His113 genotype (odds ratio [OR], 2.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-4.69; P = 0.008), compared with the carriers of the Tyr113 allele. However, after the adjustments for age, sex, and smoking status, the risk was not significant (adjusted OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 0.91-3.53; P = 0.093). In a combined analysis of gene polymorphisms, the genotype combination EPHX1 His113- His113/GSTM1 null significantly increased the risk of COPD in both, unadjusted (OR, 5.08; 95% CI, 1.70-20.43; P = 0.001) and adjusted model (OR, 4.87; 95% CI, 1.57-15.13; P = 0.006). Conclusion Although none of the tested gene polymorphisms was significantly related to an increased risk of COPD alone, our results suggest that the homozygous exon 3 mutant variant of EPHX1 gene in the combination with GSTM1 null genotype is a significant predictor of increased susceptibility to COPD in the Slovak population. The findings of the present study emphasize the importance of detoxifying and antioxidant pathways in the pathogenesis of COPD

Decay of persistent precessing domains in 3He-B at very low temperatures.

The B phase of superfluid 3He can support regions of extremely long-lived coherent spin precession at ultralow temperatures, known as persistent precessing domains (PPD). The domains have been described in terms of a Bose-Einstein condensate of magnons and in terms of Q balls in field theory. The domains form in a magnetic field minimum along the vertical axis of a cylindrical cell. When far from the ends of the cell, the PPD lifetime grows exponentially on decreasing temperature. When the PPD is close to the horizontal end wall of the cell, an extra surface dissipation mechanism dominates at low temperatures. We present measurements of the PPD generated at various locations in the cell over a broad range of temperatures below 0.3 TC. We compare the measured properties with theoretical expectations for spin-wave modes. We present model calculations of different dissipation mechanisms and we compare these to the measured lifetimes

Repression und Wohlstandsversprechen: Zur Stabilisierung von Parteiherrschaft in der DDR und der ČSSR

Entnommen aus: „Melville, Gert: Geleitwort”: „.... „Sozial- und Konsumpolitik. Weiche Stabilisatoren totalitärer Herrschaft in der späten DDR“ untersucht am Beispiel der DDR und der ČSSR Diktaturen sowjetischen Typs – eine spezifische Form von Institutionalität, die sich selbst als Krönung der Moderne verstand, deren Entwicklung aber in wesentlichen Punkten eben dieser Moderne zuwiderlief. In der Konsequenz der alldurchdringenden Leitidee des Machterhalts war das Parteiregime von Institutionenfusion und Entdifferenzierung charakterisiert...