Soybean Maturity Group Tradeoffs: Irrigation, Weed Control, and Nitrogen Fixation

This thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter I introduces the rationale behind the study and gives a brief overview of the overall study covering weed control, irrigation needs and nitrogen fixation amounts across soybean maturity group. Chapter II will go into further detail outlining the first applied experiment dealing with weed control and irrigation issues. Alternative weed control methods are analyzed in conjunction with irrigation risk analysis across soybean maturity group in response to agricultural issues of glyphosate resistance and declining ground water supply in the Arkansas delta region. Chapter III will jointly examine irrigation application amounts and nitrogen fixation amounts across soybean maturity group to establish tradeoffs of yield impacts from irrigation while trying to address greenhouse gas emissions stemming from agricultural production. Chapter IV offers concluding notes, study limitations and suggests areas of further research

Improving Durability of Wooden Beam Bearings in Inside Insulated Walls by Tempering the Beam’s Heads

Improving durability of wooden beam bearings after a thermal renovation via interior insulation is highly demanding for planners. Because of an isolated thermal bridge in the area of the wooden beam head the risk of condensation water forming in this area increases after installing interior insulation. The problem with wooden beam ends has been analysed increasingly in the last few years by many research institutions as wooden ceiling constructions are common in existing buildings. Furthermore, thermal renovation makes a vital contribution regarding improving the energy-efficiency of existing buildings. In this paper a method to temper wooden beam ends is introduced. It is a patent pending which is currently developed further using laboratory-prototypes in a double climate chamber. This technology is based on thermo conductive types of sheet metal, which are driven into the construction at the joint between the wooden beam and the surrounding masonry. The thermal energy is provided by a heating pipe and fed into the metal. Because of the metal’s high thermal conductivity, heat can be fed specifically into the beam’s end in order to avoid wood rotting at this crucial point. Calculating the beam’s end temperature control was done using three-dimensional HAM simulations with air flows in the ceiling cavity being taken into account. The results of different measurements in the double climate chamber as well as the HAM simulations clearly show that the durability of an interior insulation can be increased via a temporary and local tempering of wooden beam bearings. At the same time the risk of wood rotting at the ceiling’s bearing structure is minimised. Comparative analyses show that this method of tempering the beam ends is especially energysaving as the energy input is low due to the special feeding of heat via thermo conductive types of sheet metal

Modulation of calcium and potassium currents by lamotrigine

Actions of the new antiepileptic drug lamotrigine (LTG) were characterized using extracellular and whole cell patch clamp recordings from rat CAI and CA3 pyramidal cells in vitro. The results suggest that LTG, beside its previously described effect on the fast sodium inward current, also modulates - presumably voltage-gated - calcium currents and the transient potassium outward current ID. These may be effective mechanisms to inhibit pathological excitation in epilepsy and may be of potential benefit in treating: underlying cellular disturbances in bipolar disorder

Visual Content Analysis of Instagram posts: The case of an Alpine destination

Image sharing on social media platforms offers freely available datasets for researchers to explore the role of user-generated visuals for value creation in tourism. Within this research it became apparent, that social media limit the DMOs ability to create and maintain a desired destination image. In this changing landscape, adequate methods are required to fully harvest the potential of visuals and to systematically analyze the compositional value and the associated meanings of images. This research explores selected images posted on Instagram with reference to the Alpine destination of Tyrol in order to analyze the congruity between user generated and DMO generated visuals. To reach this aim, the methodological principles outlined in the visual methods related literature are applied. The results are particularly relevant to advance visual research in tourism and to provide stakeholders with a more holistic understanding of their destination image identity

Evaluating the hygrothermal performance of wooden beam heads in 19th century town houses using in-situ measurements

Improving the energy efficiency of typical 19th century townhouses in middle Europe the focus on the wooden beam bearing’s hygrothermal performance has become more and more important during the last years. There are several issues for the risk of rotting of the wooden parts of the ceiling, because the retrofitting process of the masonry totally changes the hygrothermal conditions inside the wall. Applying an interior insulation or changing the airtightness of the building envelope as well as the introduced moisture from the retrofitting process lead to a moisture increase inside the masonry and might cause rotting of the ceilings’ wooden beam ends. This paper introduces two demonstration objects which were retrofitted during the last years. Temperature and humidity sensors have been integrated at the wooden beams’ ends to show the hygrothermal conditions during and after the retrofitting process. In the first building measurements started at the beginning of the renovation in September 2013 and are still being carried out. To compare different situations the monitored beam bearings are situated in two different retrofitted wall constructions, an inside insulated and a not insulated wall. Additionally, different indoor climates in the flats above and below the measured ceiling are monitored. In the second building 16 wooden beam heads situated in two different storeys with differing masonry thicknesses were measured. In this demonstration object the influence of building construction moisture from the renovation process as well as the drying out process were evaluated. In conclusion, the wooden beam heads’ durability will be assessed based on the measurement results and possible risk of damage influenced by the retrofitting process

Optimization of an E. coli L-rhamnose-inducible expression vector: test of various genetic module combinations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A capable expression vector is mainly characterized by its production efficiency, stability and induction response. These features can be influenced by a variation of modifications and versatile genetic modules.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We examined miscellaneous variations of a <it>rhaP</it>_{<it>BAD </it>}expression vector. The introduction of a stem loop into the translation initiation region of the <it>rhaP</it>_{<it>BAD </it>}promoter resulted in the most significant improvement of <it>eGFP </it>expression. Starting from this plasmid, we constructed a set of expression vectors bearing different genetic modules like <it>rop</it>, <it>ccdAB</it>, <it>cer </it>and combinations thereof, and tested the efficiency of expression and plasmid stability. The plasmid pWA21, containing the stem loop, one <it>cer </it>site and <it>rop</it>, attained high expression levels accompanied by a good stability, and on that score seems to be a well-balanced choice.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We report the generation of variations of the <it>rhaP</it>_{<it>BAD </it>}expression vector and characterization hereof. The genetic modules showed a complex interplay, therefore two positive effects combined sometimes resulted in a disadvantage.</p

Die Numeruskongruenz von Subjekt und finitem Verb im Deutschen

Diese Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit grammatischen Entscheidungsprozeduren bei sprachlichen Zweifelsfällen, die im Zusammenhang mit der Numeruskongruenz von Subjekt und finitem Verb im Deutschen auftreten. Es handelt sich dabei um Sätze, in denen die Kongruenzrelationen aufgrund verschiedener Faktoren nicht eindeutig sind und in denen kompetente Sprecher/innen des Deutschen zweifeln, ob der Singular oder der Plural des Finitums grammatisch „richtig“ ist. Zudem wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit die reale Sprachverwendung den in Grammatiken und Zweifelsfallsammlungen enthaltenen Empfehlungen für die Numeruswahl gegenübergestellt. Zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung der Numeruswahl in Sätzen mit unklaren Kongruenzbeziehungen und zur Aufdeckung der kongruenzsteuernden Mechanismen wurde eine empirische Studie mittels Online-Fragebogen durchgeführt. An der Befragung nahmen 2098 Personen mit deutscher Muttersprache aus dem gesamten deutschen Sprachgebiet teil. Der Fragebogen umfasste 85 Beispielsätze, die jeweils einen sprachlichen Zweifelsfall hinsichtlich der Numeruskongruenz repräsentierten, in denen also die Kongruenzrelation zwischen Subjekt und Prädikat nicht eindeutig ist. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse zeigen, dass die Kongruenzproblematik ein äußerst vielschichtiges Phänomen ist. In Sätzen, in denen die formale Prägung eines sprachlichen Elements und sein Inhalt nicht zusammenpassen (z.B. eine Menge Äpfel), hängt die Wahl der Verbform vor allem davon ab, was mit der Äußerung ausgedrückt werden soll. Entscheidend ist, ob mit der Subjektphrase eine begriffliche Einheit bezeichnet wird oder nicht und welches Element des Satzes als zentraler Inhalt der Aussage – als das Thema – betrachtet wird. Folglich kommt es in der Alltagssprache immer wieder zu Inkongruenzerscheinungen, weil sich die Sprecher/innen für Synesiskonstruktionen entscheiden oder weil sie das Proximitätsprinzip anwenden. Auf Basis der Analyse der Numerusentscheidungen in den Beispielsätzen kann belegt werden, dass der Numerus des Finitums in Sätzen mit strittigen Kongruenzrelationen nicht nur durch grammatische Strukturen bestimmt wird. Vielmehr spielen hier semantische, psychologische, kognitive, pragmatische sowie topologische Aspekte bei der Numeruswahl eine entscheidende Rolle. Darüber hinaus wirken sich auch soziodemografische Faktoren, vor allem das Bildungsniveau der Befragten und die Herkunft aus unterschiedlichen Dialektgebieten, auf die Numerusentscheidung aus. Die vorliegende Arbeit liefert daher wichtige Erkenntnisse über den tatsächlichen Sprachgebrauch, den Umgang mit sprachlichen Zweifelsfällen, die im Zusammenhang mit der Numeruskongruenz auftreten, sowie über die Einflussfaktoren auf die Numerusentscheidungen. Es zeigt sich, dass bei der Anwendung der gängigen Kongruenzregeln verschiedenste Schwierigkeiten auftreten können. Diese können sowohl semantischen als auch syntaktischen und topologischen Ursprungs sein. Einerseits kann das Subjekt seine kongruenzsteuernde Funktion zugunsten eines dem Verb näherstehenden Elements verlieren, wodurch es zur Anwendung des Proximitätsprinzips und damit zur Herstellung einer Kongruenzbeziehung mit einem dem Verb nahestehenden Element kommt. Andererseits können komplexe syntaktische Strukturen zu Unsicherheiten darüber führen, welches Element die Kongruenz steuern soll. Weiters können Unklarheiten darüber auftreten, wie die Numeruseigenschaften des Subjekts zu beurteilen sind. Dies ist beispielsweise bei Kollektiva der Fall, aber auch bei Maß- oder Mengenangaben mit einer angeschlossenen Apposition im jeweils anderen Numerus sowie bei der Koordination mehrerer Subjektteile. \ud Die Ergebnisse der Fragebogenuntersuchung machen zudem deutlich, dass sich die in den Grammatiken bzw. in normierenden Werken angeführten Kongruenzregeln und Empfehlungen zur syntaktischen Kongruenz häufig vom tatsächlichen Sprachgebrauch unterscheiden. Die Unsicherheiten, die bei zahlreichen Beispielsätzen auftreten, werden oft intuitiv gelöst, wobei der Grammatikalitätswert der Äußerung nur eine untergeordnete Rolle spielt. Daraus folgt, dass die Grammatiken dem alltäglichen Sprachgebrauch nicht immer gerecht werden können.This dissertation is concerned with grammatical procedures of decision in linguistic cases of doubt which occur in connection with number agreement between the subject and the finite verb in German. This means sentences in which agreement relation is not clear due to various factors and in which competent German-speakers are in doubt whether the singular or plural form of the finite verb is correct. Furthermore, the actual use of language is compared to the recommendations given in grammar books and anthologies of cases of doubt in this paper. An empiric study using an online-questionnaire was conducted to scientifically study the choice of number in sentences with uncertain agreement relation and to uncover mechanisms that regulate agreement. 2098 native German speakers from the entire German language region took part in the survey. The questionnaire contained 85 exemplary sentences which each represented a particular linguistic case of doubt regarding number agreement, i.e. the agreement relation between the subject and predicate was not clear. The findings show that agreement is a highly complex phenomenon. The choice of the verbal form in sentences in which a linguistic element’s formal characteristic and its content do not match (e.g. eine Menge Äpfel) mostly depends on what is supposed to be expressed. It is decisive whether the subject phrase indicates a conceptual entity or not, and which one of the sentence‘s elements is viewed as the statement‘s content resp. as the theme. Thus, incongruity occurs time and time again in everyday language because the speakers decide for or against a “constructio kata synesin” or because they apply the principle of proximity. Based on the analysis of the numbers decided for in the examples, it can be proven that the finite’s number in sentences with moot agreement relation is not only determined by grammatical structures. To a greater degree, semantic, psychological, cognitive, pragmatic as well as topological aspects are decisive when choosing the number. Furthermore, socio-demographic factors – especially the participants’ level of education and their being from different dialectal areas – influence which number is used. Therefore, this paper provides important insights into the actual use of language; how linguistic cases of doubt connected with number agreement are dealt with, and about influences on which number is used. It shows that various difficulties may occur when applying common rules of agreement. These may be of semantic as well as syntactic and topological origin. On the one hand, the subject may lose its agreement-regulating function in favour of an element closer to the verb, whereby the principle of proximity is applied and thus a relationship of agreement with an element close to the verb is established. On the other hand, complex syntactic structures may lead to uncertainties about which element should control the agreement. Furthermore, uncertainties about how to assess the subject’s number characteristics may occur. This is the case with collective nouns, dimensions or measurements with a connected apposition in the other number, and with coordinating more than one subject parts. The results of the questionnaire-based survey make clear that the rules of agreement stated in works of grammar and normative works and recommendations concerning syntactic agreement often differ from actual use of language. The uncertainties in many of the exemplary sentences are often resolved by intuition. Grammar plays a minor role. From this it follows that grammar rules can not always do justice to everyday use of language

Annahme an Kindes statt durch sexuell gleichgeschlechtlich orientierte Männer und ihr sozialpolitischer Status in Österreich im europäischen Rechtsvergleich

Annahme an Kindes statt, Adoption, Lebenspartnerschaf

Quantitative analysis of suture lines in Carboniferous ammonoids

Two morphometric methods are applied and compared for the analysis of suture lines in Early Carboniferous ammonoids of the superfamilies Pericycloidea, Girtyoceratoidea and Goniatitoidea. We analysed (1) classic metric data (proportions of the width and depths or heights of lobes and saddles) using multivariate statistic methods and (2) outline data of the external lobe and the ventrolateral saddle of the same ammonoid taxa using the elliptic Fourier analysis. Both methods lead to similar results and simultaneously demonstrate ontogenetic and phylogenetic trends of these ammonoids. Our results are consistent with three previously suggested evolutionary patterns: (1) a general decrease of the amplitude of lobes and saddles, (2) a proportional widening of the external lobe and (3) a heightening of the median saddle.</p