Impact of different Agricultural Systems and Patterns of Consumption on Greenhouse-Gas Emissions in Austria

Agricultural systems as well as consumer patterns influence the green house gas emissions. Therefore, we analysed different farming systems, consumption patterns and seasonal oriented food consumption. Whereas conventional production and the current meat oriented nutrition patterns lead to high green house gas emissions, there is a tremendous reduction potential, if products are organically produced and if there is a shift to vegetarian-based diets.. Nevertheless, there is a need for research in terms of data quality, and a differentiation of farming systems as well as nutrition patterns

Density of states in graphene with vacancies: midgap power law and frozen multifractality

The density of states (DoS), $\varrho(E)$, of graphene is investigated numerically and within the self-consistent T-matrix approximation (SCTMA) in the presence of vacancies within the tight binding model. The focus is on compensated disorder, where the concentration of vacancies, $n_\text{A}$ and $n_\text{B}$, in both sub-lattices is the same. Formally, this model belongs to the chiral symmetry class BDI. The prediction of the non-linear sigma-model for this class is a Gade-type singularity $\varrho(E) \sim |E|^{-1}\exp(-|\log(E)|^{-1/x})$. Our numerical data is compatible with this result in a preasymptotic regime that gives way, however, at even lower energies to $\varrho(E)\sim E^{-1}|\log(E)|^{-\mathfrak{x}}$, $1\leq \mathfrak{x} < 2$. We take this finding as an evidence that similar to the case of dirty d-wave superconductors, also generic bipartite random hopping models may exhibit unconventional (strong-coupling) fixed points for certain kinds of randomly placed scatterers if these are strong enough. Our research suggests that graphene with (effective) vacancy disorder is a physical representative of such systems.Comment: References updated onl

The Application of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) to Hospital Inpatients

This issue brief provides a brief overview of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and focuses on its application to hospital inpatients. EMTALA applies differently to patients than non-patients, and also applies differently to patients admitted through the emergency department than patients admitted as regular inpatients. In addition, courts and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have differed in their interpretation of the statute. Depending on the specific facts of any particular case, EMTALA may or may not have implications for specialty-related transfers and discharges

Neutrons describe ectoine effects on water H-bonding and hydration around a soluble protein and a cell membrane

Understanding adaptation to extreme environments remains a challenge of high biotechnological potential for fundamental molecular biology. The cytosol of many microorganisms, isolated from saline environments, reversibly accumulates molar concentrations of the osmolyte ectoine to counterbalance fluctuating external salt concentrations. Although they have been studied extensively by thermodynamic and spectroscopic methods, direct experimental structural data have, so far, been lacking on ectoine-water-protein interactions. In this paper, in vivo deuterium labeling, small angle neutron scattering, neutron membrane diffraction and inelastic scattering are combined with neutron liquids diffraction to characterize the extreme ectoine-containing solvent and its effects on purple membrane of H. salinarum and E. coli maltose binding protein. The data reveal that ectoine is excluded from the hydration layer at the membrane surface and does not affect membrane molecular dynamics, and prove a previous hypothesis that ectoine is excluded from a monolayer of dense hydration water around the soluble protein. Neutron liquids diffraction to atomic resolution shows how ectoine enhances the remarkable properties of H-bonds in water-properties that are essential for the proper organization, stabilization and dynamics of biological structures

The Maine Tidal Power Initiative: Transdisciplinary sustainability science research for the responsible development of tidal power

The Maine Tidal Power Initiative (MTPI), an interdisciplinary team of engineers, marine scientists, oceanographers, and social scientists, is using a transdisciplinary sustainability science approach to collect biophysical and social data necessary for understanding interactions between human and natural systems in the context of tidal power development in Maine. MTPI offers a unique opportunity to better understand how group structure and process influence outcomes in transdisciplinary sustainability science research. Through extensive participant observation and semi-structured interviews we: (1) describe MTPI’s organizational structure; (2) examine MTPI’s research approach and engagement with stakeholders from different sectors of society (i.e., industry, government, and the local community); and (3) identify challenges and opportunities for involving different disciplinary expertise and diverse stakeholders in transformational sustainability science research. We found that MTPI’s holistic mission, non-hierarchical structure, and iterative stakeholder engagement process led to important benefits and significant challenges. Positive outcomes include knowledge development, a transferable research framework, shared resources, personal reward, and a greater understanding of the local environment and community. Challenges identified include balancing diverse interests and priorities, maintaining engagement, managing stakeholder relationships, and limited resources. Lessons learned from the process of integrative collaborative research in Maine can offer guidance on what should be considered when carrying out similar transdisciplinary sustainability science projects in other research contexts

EGFRvIII upregulates DNA mismatch repair resulting in increased temozolomide sensitivity of MGMT promoter methylated glioblastoma

The oncogene epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) is frequently expressed in glioblastomas (GBM) but its impact on therapy response is still under controversial debate. Here we wanted to test if EGFRvIII influences the sensitivity towards the alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ). Therefore, we retrospectively analyzed the survival of 336 GBM patients, demonstrating that under standard treatment, which includes TMZ, EGFRvIII expression is associated with prolonged survival, but only in patients with O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylated tumors. Using isogenic GBM cell lines with endogenous EGFRvIII expression we could demonstrate that EGFRvIII increases TMZ sensitivity and results in enhanced numbers of DNA double-strand breaks and a pronounced S/G2-phase arrest after TMZ treatment. We observed a higher expression of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins in EGFRvIII+ cells and patient tumor samples, which was most pronounced for MSH2 and MSH6. EGFRvIII-specific knockdown reduced MMR protein expression thereby increasing TMZ resistance. Subsequent functional kinome profiling revealed an increased activation of p38- and ERK1/2-dependent signaling in EGFRvIII expressing cells, which regulates MMR protein expression downstream of EGFRvIII. In summary, our results demonstrate that the oncoprotein EGFRvIII sensitizes a fraction of GBM to current standard of care treatment through the upregulation of DNA MMR

Maroon Archaeology Beyond the Americas: A View From Kenya

Archaeological research on Maroons—that is, runaway slaves—has been largely confined to the Americas. This essay advocates a more global approach. It specifically uses two runaway slave communities in 19th-century coastal Kenya to rethink prominent interpretive themes in the field, including “Africanisms,” Maroons’ connections to indigenous groups, and Maroon group cohesion and identity. This article’s analysis demonstrates that the comparisons enabled by a more globalized perspective benefit the field. Instead of eliding historical and cultural context, these comparisons support the development of more localized and historically specific understandings of individual runaway slave communities both in Kenya and throughout the New World

Know your dose: RADDOSE

The program RADDOSE computes the dose absorbed by a macromolecular crystal and here a guide is provided to help to ensure the proper use of the program. In the new version (v.3) described here, modifications to include the energy deposited owing to Compton scattering have been made

Influence of pump laser fluence on ultrafast structural changes in myoglobin

High-intensity femtosecond pulses from an X-ray free-electron laser enable pump probe experiments for investigating electronic and nuclear changes during light-induced reactions. On time scales ranging from femtoseconds to milliseconds and for a variety of biological systems, time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX) has provided detailed structural data for light-induced isomerization, breakage or formation of chemical bonds and electron transfer. However, all ultra-fast TR-SFX studies to date have employed such high pump laser energies that several photons were nominally absorbed per chromophore. As multiphoton absorption may force the protein response into nonphysiological pathways, it is of great concern whether this experimental approach allows valid inferences to be drawn vis-a-vis biologically relevant single-photon-induced reactions. Here we describe ultrafast pump-probe SFX experiments on photodissociation of carboxymyoglobin, showing that different pump laser fluences yield markedly different results. In particular, the dynamics of structural changes and observed indicators of the mechanistically important coherent oscillations of the Fe-CO bond distance (predicted by recent quantum wavepacket dynamics) are seen to depend strongly on pump laser energy. Our results confirm both the feasibility and necessity of performing TR-SFX pump probe experiments in the linear photoexcitation regime. We consider this to be a starting point for reassessing design and interpretation of ultrafast TR-SFX pump probe experiments such that biologically relevant insight emerges