Das Ende der römischen Republik im Historienfilm

Die vorliegende Arbeit „Das Ende der römischen Republik im Historienfilm“ behandelt die filmische Darstellung von Ereignissen und Personen der historischen Periode der römischen Republik – in ihren allgemein anerkannten Epochengrenzen von 500 v. bis 30 v. Chr. – unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der späten Republik. Das erste Kapitel eröffnet mit einer Einführung in den Themenbereich „Antike und Film“ und entwirft Definitionen für die wichtigen Begriffe Historien- bzw. Antikfilm. Im zweiten Abschnitt folgt eine Auseinandersetzung mit dem Forschungsstand zum Thema – mit Konzentration auf die unmittelbar aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Publikationen – während Kapitel 3 einen umfassenden Überblick über die Genregeschichte von den Anfängen des Medium Films bis zu den Produktionen nach 2000 bietet. Abschnitt 4 gibt einen Überblick zu allen Historienproduktionen, die ihren Handlungsrahmen in der römischen Republik finden und weist diese einer der drei Unterperioden – römische Frühzeit/Frühe Republik, Mittlere Republik und Späte Republik – zu. Dabei zeigt sich ein Schwergewicht auf der Späten Republik sowie auf den dominanten historischen Figuren am Übergang von römischer Republik in Augusteischen Prinzipat. Die Kapitel 5 bis 8 stellen jeweils eine wichtige historische Figur der späten Republik in den Vordergrund der Betrachtung, wobei jeder Teilabschnitt, mit einem historischen Überblick zur Person und deren Rezeption von der Antike bis ins 20. Jahrhundert eröffnet wird, bevor er sich mit den ausgewählten Filmbeispielen beschäftigt. In den einzelnen Figurenkapiteln liegt der Schwerpunkt auf unterschiedlichen Produktionen, wobei bei den Kapiteln zu Spartacus und Kleopatra Kinoproduktionen der 1960er Jahre dominieren, während bei Caesar und Augustus die TV-Filme und Serien nach 2000 im Mittelpunkt stehen

Development of a data set of pesticide dissipation rates in/on various plant matrices for the Pesticide Properties Database

© 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Data relating to the rate at which pesticide active substances dissipate on or within various plant matrices are important for a range of different risk assessments including those related to occupational exposure and consumer safety. However, despite the importance of this data, dissipation rates, often expressed as the pesticide half-life, are not included in the most common online data resources. Databases have been collated in the past but these tend not to be maintained or regularly updated. The purpose of the exercise described herein was to collate a new database in a format compatible with the main online pesticide database resource (the Pesticide Properties Database, PPDB), to validate this database in line with the Pesticide Properties Database protocols and thus ensure that the data is maintained and updated in future. The outcome of the study is a database based on data collated from 1390 published articles covering over 400 pesticides and over 200 crops across a wide variety of different matrices (leaves, fruits, seeds etc.) for pesticide residues on the crop surface as well as residues absorbed within the plant material. This data is now fully incorporated into the PPDB.Peer reviewe

Estimating Half-Lives for Pesticide Dissipation from Plants

Pesticide risk and impact assessment models critically rely on and are sensitive to information describing dissipation from plants. Despite recent progress, experimental data are not available for all relevant pesticide–plant combinations, and currently no model predicting plant dissipation accounts for the influence of substance properties, plant characteristics, temperature, and study conditions. In this study, we propose models to estimate half-lives for pesticide dissipation from plants and provide recommendations for how to use our results. On the basis of fitting experimental dissipation data with reported average air temperatures, we estimated a reaction activation energy of 14.25 kJ/mol and a temperature coefficient <i>Q</i>₁₀ of 1.22 to correct dissipation from plants for the influence of temperature. We calculated a set of dissipation half-lives for 333 substances applied at 20 °C under field conditions. Half-lives range from 0.2 days for pyrethrins to 31 days for dalapon. Parameter estimates are provided to correct for specific plant species, temperatures, and study conditions. Finally, we propose a predictive regression model for pesticides without available measured dissipation data to estimate half-lives based on substance properties at the level of chemical substance class. Estimated half-lives from our study are designed to be applied in risk and impact assessment models to either directly describe dissipation or as first proxy for describing degradation

Suitability of pesticide risk indicators for less developed countries: a comparison

Pesticide risk indicators provide simple support in the assessment of environmental and health risks from pesticide use, and can therefore inform policies to foster a sustainable interaction of agriculture with the environment. For their relative simplicity, indicators may be particularly useful under conditions of limited data availability and resources, such as in Less Developed Countries (LDCs). However, indicator complexity can vary significantly, in particular between those that rely on an exposure–toxicity ratio (ETR) and those that do not. In addition, pesticide risk indicators are usually developed for Western contexts, which might cause incorrect estimation in LDCs. This study investigated the appropriateness of seven pesticide risk indicators for use in LDCs, with reference to smallholding agriculture in Colombia. Seven farm-level indicators, among which 3 relied on an ETR (POCER, EPRIP, PIRI) and 4 on a non-ETR approach (EIQ, PestScreen, OHRI, Dosemeci et al., 2002), were calculated and then compared by means of the Spearman rank correlation test. Indicators were also compared with respect to key indicator characteristics, i.e. user friendliness and ability to represent the system under study. The comparison of the indicators in terms of the total environmental risk suggests that the indicators not relying on an ETR approach cannot be used as a reliable proxy for more complex, i.e. ETR, indicators. ETR indicators, when user-friendly, show a comparative advantage over non-ETR in best combining the need for a relatively simple tool to be used in contexts of limited data availability and resources, and for a reliable estimation of environmental risk. Non-ETR indicators remain useful and accessible tools to discriminate between different pesticides prior to application. Concerning the human health risk, simple algorithms seem more appropriate for assessing human health risk in LDCs. However, further research on health risk indicators and their validation under LDC conditions is needed

Influence of Management Practices on Economic and Enviromental Performance of Crops. A Case Study in Spanish Horticulture

This article assesses the effect of management practices on the environmental and economic performance of tigernut production. Tigernut is a horticultural crop grown in a very limited and homogeneous area. Results show that the environmental variability among farms was greater than variability in costs. A selection of practices can reduce impacts per kilogram tigernut by factors 252.5 (abiotic depletion), 33 (aquatic ecotoxicity), or 6 (global warming) and costs by factors of between 2 and 3. The analysis shows a positive relationship between economic and environmental performance. Results highlight how proper management leads to both relatively low environmental impacts and costs.The authors acknowledge the support of the Conselleria d'Empresa, Universitat i Ciencia de la Generalitat Valenciana (GV/2007/211) and the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (PAID05-08-316).Fenollosa Ribera, ML.; Ribal Sanchis, FJ.; Lidón Cerezuela, AL.; Bautista Carrascosa, I.; Juraske, R.; Clemente Polo, G.; Sanjuán Pellicer, MN. (2014). Influence of Management Practices on Economic and Enviromental Performance of Crops. A Case Study in Spanish Horticulture. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. 38(6):635-659. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2014.896302635659386De Backer, E., Aertsens, J., Vergucht, S., & Steurbaut, W. (2009). Assessing the ecological soundness of organic and conventional agriculture by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). British Food Journal, 111(10), 1028-1061. doi:10.1108/00070700910992916Basset-Mens, C., Anibar, L., Durand, P., & van der Werf, H. M. G. (2006). Spatialised fate factors for nitrate in catchments: Modelling approach and implication for LCA results. Science of The Total Environment, 367(1), 367-382. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.12.026Basset-Mens, C., Kelliher, F. M., Ledgard, S., & Cox, N. (2009). Uncertainty of global warming potential for milk production on a New Zealand farm and implications for decision making. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 14(7), 630-638. doi:10.1007/s11367-009-0108-2Blengini, G. A., & Busto, M. (2009). The life cycle of rice: LCA of alternative agri-food chain management systems in Vercelli (Italy). Journal of Environmental Management, 90(3), 1512-1522. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2008.10.006Carlsson Reich, M. (2005). Economic assessment of municipal waste management systems—case studies using a combination of life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC). Journal of Cleaner Production, 13(3), 253-263. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2004.02.015Contreras, W. A., Lidón, A. L., Ginestar, D., & Bru, R. (2009). Compartmental model for nitrogen dynamics in citrus orchards. Mathematical and Computer Modelling, 50(5-6), 794-805. doi:10.1016/j.mcm.2009.05.008Prudêncio da Silva, V., van der Werf, H. M. G., Spies, A., & Soares, S. R. (2010). Variability in environmental impacts of Brazilian soybean according to crop production and transport scenarios. Journal of Environmental Management, 91(9), 1831-1839. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.04.001Jan, P., Dux, D., Lips, M., Alig, M., & Dumondel, M. (2012). On the link between economic and environmental performance of Swiss dairy farms of the alpine area. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 17(6), 706-719. doi:10.1007/s11367-012-0405-zJuraske, R., & Sanjuán, N. (2011). Life cycle toxicity assessment of pesticides used in integrated and organic production of oranges in the Comunidad Valenciana, Spain. Chemosphere, 82(7), 956-962. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.10.081Lidón, A., Ramos, C., & Rodrigo, A. (1999). Comparison of drainage estimation methods in irrigated citrus orchards. Irrigation Science, 19(1), 25-36. doi:10.1007/s002710050068McDevitt, J. E., & Milà i Canals, L. (2011). Can life cycle assessment be used to evaluate plant breeding objectives to improve supply chain sustainability? A worked example using porridge oats from the UK. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 9(4), 484-494. doi:10.1080/14735903.2011.584473Michelsen, J. (2001). Recent Development and Political Acceptance of Organic Farming in Europe. Sociologia Ruralis, 41(1), 3-20. doi:10.1111/1467-9523.00167Meisterling, K., Samaras, C., & Schweizer, V. (2009). Decisions to reduce greenhouse gases from agriculture and product transport: LCA case study of organic and conventional wheat. Journal of Cleaner Production, 17(2), 222-230. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.04.009Mouron, P., Nemecek, T., Scholz, R. W., & Weber, O. (2006). Management influence on environmental impacts in an apple production system on Swiss fruit farms: Combining life cycle assessment with statistical risk assessment. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 114(2-4), 311-322. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2005.11.020Mouron, P., Scholz, R. W., Nemecek, T., & Weber, O. (2006). Life cycle management on Swiss fruit farms: Relating environmental and income indicators for apple-growing. Ecological Economics, 58(3), 561-578. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.08.007Pascual, B., Maroto, J. V., LóPez-Galarza, Sa., Sanbautista, A., & Alagarda, J. (2000). Chufa (Cyperus esculentus L. var. sativus boeck.): An unconventional crop. studies related to applications and cultivation. Economic Botany, 54(4), 439-448. doi:10.1007/bf02866543Ribal, J., Sanjuán, N., Clemente, G., & Fenollosa, M. L. (2011). Medición de la ecoeficiencia en procesos productivos en el sector agrario. Caso de estudio sobre producción de cítricos. Economía Agraria y Recursos Naturales, 9(2), 125. doi:10.7201/earn.2009.02.06Rosenbaum, R. K., Bachmann, T. M., Gold, L. S., Huijbregts, M. A. J., Jolliet, O., Juraske, R., … Hauschild, M. Z. (2008). USEtox—the UNEP-SETAC toxicity model: recommended characterisation factors for human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity in life cycle impact assessment. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 13(7), 532-546. doi:10.1007/s11367-008-0038-4Sanjuan, N., Ribal, J., Clemente, G., & Fenollosa, M. L. (2011). Measuring and Improving Eco-efficiency Using Data Envelopment Analysis. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 15(4), 614-628. doi:10.1111/j.1530-9290.2011.00347.xSanjuan, N., Ubeda, L., Clemente, G., Mulet, A., & Girona, F. (2005). LCA of integrated orange production in the Comunidad Valenciana (Spain). International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology, 4(2), 163. doi:10.1504/ijarge.2005.007198Saxton, K. E., Rawls, W. J., Romberger, J. S., & Papendick, R. I. (1986). Estimating Generalized Soil-water Characteristics from Texture1. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 50(4), 1031. doi:10.2136/sssaj1986.03615995005000040039xThomassen, M. A., Dolman, M. A., van Calker, K. J., & de Boer, I. J. M. (2009). Relating life cycle assessment indicators to gross value added for Dutch dairy farms. Ecological Economics, 68(8-9), 2278-2284. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.02.011Tzilivakis, J., Jaggard, K., Lewis, K. A., May, M., & Warner, D. J. (2005). Environmental impact and economic assessment for UK sugar beet production systems. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 107(4), 341-358. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2004.12.016Van der Werf, H. M. G., Kanyarushoki, C., & Corson, M. S. (2009). An operational method for the evaluation of resource use and environmental impacts of dairy farms by life cycle assessment. Journal of Environmental Management, 90(11), 3643-3652. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.07.003Van Zeijts, H., Leneman, H., & Wegener Sleeswijk, A. (1999). Fitting fertilisation in LCA: allocation to crops in a cropping plan. Journal of Cleaner Production, 7(1), 69-74. doi:10.1016/s0959-6526(98)00040-7Venkat, K. (2012). Comparison of Twelve Organic and Conventional Farming Systems: A Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Perspective. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 36(6), 620-649. doi:10.1080/10440046.2012.67237

Phenotypic and functional analysis of γδ T cells in the pathogenesis of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 infection

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the cause of serious malignant and inflammatory diseases, including adult T-cell leukemia and lymphoma and tropical spastic paraparesis. The potential protective role of γδ T cells in HTLV-1 infection remains unclear. Here, demonstrate that there is a decrease in the amount of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in patients with HTLV-1, especially in those with HTLV-1 associated pathologies. This suggests that γδ T cells could be involved in controlling the virus. Indeed, we found that Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, expanded from non-infected individuals, can kill cells expressing the viral proteins HBZ and Tax and this phenotype is reversed in the presence of mevastatin. Cytotoxicity by Vγ9Vδ2 T cells was not associated with an increase of INF-γ production. In sharp contrast, killing by NK cells was reduced by Tax expression. Thus, our study provides initial evidence for a potential protective role of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells against HTLV-1 infection. Therapeutic exploitation of these insights is feasible with current technologies of T-cell therapies and could provide novel tools to prevent and treat HTLV-1-associated malignancies and neurologic complications.Fil: Ruggieri, Matias. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; Argentina. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Ducasa, Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Juraske, Claudia. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Gonzalez Polo, Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Berini, Carolina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Quiroga, María Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Christopoulos, Petros. Thoracic Clinic at Heidelberg University Hospital; AlemaniaFil: Minguet, Susana. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Biglione, Mirna Marcela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida; ArgentinaFil: Schamel, Wolfgang W.. Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg; Alemani

Anti-CD3 Fab Fragments Enhance Tumor Killing by Human γδ T Cells Independent of Nck Recruitment to the γδ T Cell Antigen Receptor

T lymphocytes expressing the γδ T cell receptor (γδ TCR) can recognize antigens expressed by tumor cells and subsequently kill these cells. γδ T cells are indeed used in cancer immunotherapy clinical trials. The anti-CD3ε antibody UCHT1 enhanced the in vitro tumor killing activity of human γδ T cells by an unknown molecular mechanism. Here, we demonstrate that Fab fragments of UCHT1, which only bind monovalently to the γδ TCR, also enhanced tumor killing by expanded human Vγ9Vδ2 γδ T cells or pan-γδ T cells of the peripheral blood. The Fab fragments induced Nck recruitment to the γδ TCR, suggesting that they stabilized the γδ TCR in an active CD3ε conformation. However, blocking the Nck-CD3ε interaction in γδ T cells using the small molecule inhibitor AX-024 neither reduced the γδ T cells' natural nor the Fab-enhanced tumor killing activity. Likewise, Nck recruitment to CD3ε was not required for intracellular signaling, CD69 and CD25 up-regulation, or cytokine secretion by γδ T cells. Thus, the Nck-CD3ε interaction seems to be dispensable in γδ T cells

A distinct topology of BTN3A IgV and B30.2 domains controlled by juxtamembrane regions favors optimal human γδ T cell phosphoantigen sensing

Abstract Butyrophilin (BTN)–3A and BTN2A1 molecules control the activation of human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells during T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated sensing of phosphoantigens (PAg) derived from microbes and tumors. However, the molecular rules governing PAg sensing remain largely unknown. Here, we establish three mechanistic principles of PAg-mediated γδ T cell activation. First, in humans, following PAg binding to the intracellular BTN3A1-B30.2 domain, Vγ9Vδ2 TCR triggering involves the extracellular V-domain of BTN3A2/BTN3A3. Moreover, the localization of both protein domains on different chains of the BTN3A homo-or heteromers is essential for efficient PAg-mediated activation. Second, the formation of BTN3A homo-or heteromers, which differ in intracellular trafficking and conformation, is controlled by molecular interactions between the juxtamembrane regions of the BTN3A chains. Finally, the ability of PAg not simply to bind BTN3A-B30.2, but to promote its subsequent interaction with the BTN2A1-B30.2 domain, is essential for T-cell activation. Defining these determinants of cooperation and the division of labor in BTN proteins improves our understanding of PAg sensing and elucidates a mode of action that may apply to other BTN family members

Anti-CD3 Fab Fragments Enhance Tumor Killing by Human γδ T Cells Independent of Nck Recruitment to the γδ T Cell Antigen Receptor

T lymphocytes expressing the γδ T cell receptor (γδ TCR) can recognize antigens expressed by tumor cells and subsequently kill these cells. γδ T cells are indeed used in cancer immunotherapy clinical trials. The anti-CD3ε antibody UCHT1 enhanced the in vitro tumor killing activity of human γδ T cells by an unknown molecular mechanism. Here, we demonstrate that Fab fragments of UCHT1, which only bind monovalently to the γδ TCR, also enhanced tumor killing by expanded human Vγ9Vδ2 γδ T cells or pan-γδ T cells of the peripheral blood. The Fab fragments induced Nck recruitment to the γδ TCR, suggesting that they stabilized the γδ TCR in an active CD3ε conformation. However, blocking the Nck-CD3ε interaction in γδ T cells using the small molecule inhibitor AX-024 neither reduced the γδ T cells’ natural nor the Fab-enhanced tumor killing activity. Likewise, Nck recruitment to CD3ε was not required for intracellular signaling, CD69 and CD25 up-regulation, or cytokine secretion by γδ T cells. Thus, the Nck-CD3ε interaction seems to be dispensable in γδ T cells