Rail-oriented development on urban and regional levels - potentials and impacts, policy measures and processes

The actual trend of spatial diffused and functional segregated settlement structures causes long term growth in traffic volumes. One step to more sustainability is land use development along existing passenger rail infrastructure. It is a clear strategy of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia e.g., with specific grants to cities, to develop housing close to rail stations. The focus of the presentation could lead to different surveys, each one including the results, their transferablity and the implication for further policy development. According to additional research and development projects at the Land as well as at the European level, further results could be included. 1. Which potentials and which impacts? Both the potentials and the impacts of a rail-oriented development have been analysed by ILS for the NRW Ministry of Urban Development. For the potentials, there has been a survey among over hundred cities in three regions. The results show a considerable amount of available land for new housing around rail stations, but also a substantial variation between regions and among cities. For the impacts, an other survey was accomplished among 2100 persons from six comparable suburban areas with high motorisation rates. It shows, that there is a significant difference in their modal choice, depending on the rail accessibility, although the difference is lower than it might be expected. 2. Policies measures (What?) and processes (how?) The analysis of some best practices both on the urban and regional levels leads to an identification of key factors for success of policy implementation. This was the goal for an ILS survey for the french Ministry for transport and planning, regarding experiences in North Rhine-Westphalia. Not only the "what?" question, about applicated measures and tools, but the "how?" question too, about processes and governance, were investigated. The case analysis is based on the Land level (NRW integrated policies for housing, planning, transport), on the regional level (housing development close to rail stations in the Region Bonn), and on the agglomeration level (integrated local policy in Münster). For this last case for example, several factors are keys of success for a rail oriented development: the continual elaboration of a global strategical concept (giving priority to a polycentric, balanced urban system, promoting resource-efficient settlements patterns, focusing on public transport infrastructure), a clear cooperation among the city departements, (for example based on working groups about the housing program), and a prospective real estate policy (half of the building land belongs to the city, and is mainly close to rail stations). 3. Further experiences and projects Successful experiences exist in NRW from the revitalisation of a railway line and land use development for housing near the stations ("Haller Willem"). Here also activities of NGO`s are of high relevance. Providing housing near railway stations is only a necessary condition for the usage of public transport; accompanied services could increase the effect. So supplying houses with PT tickets inclusive ("mobile home") or the supply of mobility services offered by housing companies could be helpful. The presentation could present ideas and first experiences.

Hyperoxia in extreme hemodilution

Intraoperative surgical blood loss is initially replaced by infusion of red cell-free, cristalloidal or colloidal solutions. When normovolemia is maintained the ensuing dilutional anemia is compensated by an increase of cardiac output and of arterial oxygen extraction. In the ideal case, a surgical blood loss can entirely be `bridged' without transfusion by intraciperative normovolemic hemodilution. However major blood loss results in extreme hemodilution and the transfusion of red blood cells may finally become necessary to increase arterial oxygen content and to preserve tissue oxygenation. When transfusion has to be started before surgical control of bleeding has been achieved, parts of the red blood cells transfused will get lost, thereby increasing intraoperative transfusion needs. Beside red blood cell transfusion, arterial oxygen content can be rapidly increased by ventilating the patient with 100% oxygen (hyperoxic ventilation), thus enhancing the amount of physically dissolved oxygen in plasma (hyperoxia). In experimental and clinical studies hyperoxic ventilation has emerged as a simple, safe and effective intervention to enlarge the margin of safety for hemodynamic compensation and tissue oxygenation in hemodiluted subjects experiencing major bleeding. The hyperoxia-associated microcirculatory dysregulation and impaired tissue oxygenation known to take place in the presence of a physiologic hemoglobin concentration are not encountered in hemodiluted subjects. Hyperoxic hemodilution i.e. the combination of intraoperative extreme hemodilution and hyperoxic ventilation may therefore be considered a cost-effective, safe and efficient supplement to reduce allogeneic transfusion during surgical interventions associated with high blood losses. The vast majority of the experimental and clinical investigations this new concept is based on was initiated and performed under the guidance of Prof. Konrad Messmer. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin fails to improve left ventricular diastolic function after fluid resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock

In severe hemorrhagic shock, left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is an early sign of cardiac failure due to compromised myocardial oxygenation. Immediate fluid replacement or, in particular, administration of a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (diaspirin cross-linked hemoglobin; DCLHb) improves myocardial oxygenation; therefore, positive effects on LV diastolic function could be expected. The effects of fluid resuscitation from severe hemorrhagic shock with DCLHb were investigated in 20 anesthetized domestic pigs. After generation of a critical left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis (narrowing of the artery until disappearance of reactive hyperemia after a 10-second complete vessel occlusion), hemorrhagic shock (mean arterial blood pressure 45 mm Hg) was induced within 15 min by controlled blood withdrawal and maintained for 60 min. Fluid resuscitation consisted of replacement of the plasma volume withdrawn during hemorrhage by infusion of either 10% DCLHb (DCLHb group, n = 10) or 8% human serum albumin (HSA) oncotically matched to DCLHb (HSA group, n = 10). After completion of resuscitation, an observation period of 60 min elapsed. Measurements of central hemodynamics, myocardial oxygenation, and LV Stolic function were performed at baseline, after induction of critical coronary artery stenosis, after 60 min hemorrhagic shock, immediately after resuscitation, and 60 min later. While 5 out of 10 animals treated with died within the first 20 min after fluid resuscitation from acute LV pump failure, all DCLHb-treated animals survived until the end of the protocol (p < 0.05). Despite superior myocardial oxygenation due to augmentation of the arterial O-2 content as well as of coronary perfusion pressure, no beneficial effects on LV diastolic function were observed after infusion of DCLHb. Peak velocity Of LV pressure decrease (dp/dt(min)) did not reveal significant differences between the two groups. Immediately after completion of fluid resuscitation with DCLHb, the time constant of LV diastolic relaxation (tau) was prolonged when compared with HSA-treated animals (p < 0.05), indicating retardation of early LV diastolic relaxation. Our data suggest that DCLHb fails to improve LV diastolic function after fluid resuscitation from severe hemorrhagic shock. However, positive effects on myocardial perfusion. and oxygenation result in a significant reduction of the mortality of severe hemorrhagic shock. Copyright (C) 2001 S.Karger AG, Basel

Searching the ideal inhaled vasodilator: From nitric oxide to prostacyclin

Today, the technique to directly administer vasodilators via the airway to treat pulmonary hypertension and to improve pulmonary gas exchange is widely accepted among clinicians. The flood of scientific work focussing on this new therapeutic concept had been initiated by a fundamental new observation by Pepke-Zaba {[}1] and Frostell in 1991 {[}2]: Both scientists reported, that inhalation of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) gas selectively dilates pulmonary vessels without a concomittant systemic vasodilation. No more than another decade ago NO was identified as an important endogenous vasodilator {[}3] while having merely been regarded an environmental pollutant before that time. Although inhaled NO proved to be efficacious, alternatives were sought-after due to NO's potential side-effects. In search for the ideal inhaled vasodilator another group of endogenous mediators - the prostanoids - came into the focus of interest. The evidence for safety and efficacy of inhaled prostanoids is - among a lot of other valuable work - based on a series of experimental and clinical investigations that have been performed or designed at the Institute for Surgical Research under the guidance and mentorship of Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. mult. K. Messmer {[}4-19]. In the following, the current and newly emerging clinical applications of inhaled prostanoids and the experimental data which they are based on, will be reviewed. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Chaos - No randomness in cardiac physiology

Struktur telinga manusia memiliki ciri yang stabil dan dapat diandalkan dibandingkan dengan wajah, karena struktur telinga tidak mengalami Perubahan secara proporsional pada peningkatan usia. Penelitian ini menggunakan ekstraksi ciri Zernike moment invariants (ZMI) untuk menentukan karakteristik daun telinga, sedangkan pengenalan telinga menggunakan Jaringan Syaraf Propagasi Balik (JSPB). Hasil eksperimen menunjukkan akurasi pengenalan telinga mencapai sebesar 96,66%

Nation brand image in political contexts-the case of Turkey's EU accession

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Negative public opinion on Turkey’s EU accession in many member-states might become a major obstacle during the next 10 years of negotiation despite supportive diplomatic strategies. In consumer research, images/attitudes are expected to provide deeper insights into preference formation and (consumption/voting) decisions than opinion statements. Application of marketing image research methodology should therefore facilitate new perspectives for political phenomena. Within this scenario, two evolving concepts meet: political marketing and nation branding. Both are closely investigated for this problem. The main theoretical approach consists of an emerging framework for a nation brand image in a political context. Central challenges are the definition of the brand image construct and testing the applicability of commercial brand theory for political brands. Practical application of this framework is the case of Turkey accessing the EU. In a contextualized approach the image content, explaining factors/antecedents and consequences/outcomes of Turkey’s image within the political framework are analyzed and measured. The conduct of the research consists of two parts: literature research reconciling different interdisciplinary backgrounds and a qualitative exploration with in-depth expert interviews from a sample of prototypical EU member-states. First results indicate a wide spectrum of different images across EU, depending mainly on knowledge conditions, contact points with Turkish people and general perspectives of EU development. Religion or history, often mentioned in public discourses, seem not to play a prominent role. Emerging public diplomacy approaches in Turkey will face the challenge to integrate most heterogeneous messages and stakeholders of Turkey’s nation brand.Kemming, Jan DirkM.S

TCF1(+) hepatitis C virus-specific CD8(+) T cells are maintained after cessation of chronic antigen stimulation.

Differentiation and fate of virus-specific CD8(+) T cells after cessation of chronic antigen stimulation is unclear. Here we show that a TCF1(+)CD127(+)PD1(+) hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific CD8(+) T-cell subset exists in chronically infected patients with phenotypic features of T-cell exhaustion and memory, both before and after treatment with direct acting antiviral (DAA) agents. This subset is maintained during, and for a long duration after, HCV elimination. After antigen re-challenge the less differentiated TCF1(+)CD127(+)PD1(+) population expands, which is accompanied by emergence of terminally exhausted TCF1-CD127-PD1(hi) HCV-specific CD8(+) T cells. These results suggest the TCF1(+)CD127(+)PD1(+) HCV-specific CD8(+) T-cell subset has memory-like characteristics, including antigen-independent survival and recall proliferation. We thus provide evidence for the establishment of memory-like virus-specific CD8(+) T cells in a clinically relevant setting of chronic viral infection and we uncover their fate after cessation of chronic antigen stimulation, implicating a potential strategy for antiviral immunotherapy

Serum heparan sulfate levels are elevated in endotoxemia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increased vascular permeability is a characteristic feature of sepsis which, in the past, has been ascribed exclusively to a malfunction of endothelial cells. However, recently it has become evident that the endothelial glycocalyx is of considerable importance concerning various aspects of vascular physiology, e.g. the vascular barrier and inflammation. Heparan sulfate, one of its essential components is characteristically traceable in blood, in case the endothelial glycocalyx is damaged or destroyed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 15 pigs we investigated whether the administration of endotoxin from gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) results in increased serum levels of heparan sulfate, signalizing a shedding of the glycocalyx. In addition, markers of inflammation (white blood cell count, platelet count, tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6) were evaluated over an observation period of 6 hours.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Serum heparan sulfate concentrations significantly increased over time in the endotoxin group and were significantly elevated in comparison to the control group 6 hours after administration of endotoxin (p < 0.001). In the endotoxin group all markers of inflammation significantly changed during the time course.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The administration of bacterial endotoxin induced a significant rise in degradation products of the endothelial glycocalyx.</p