Balancing expectations:Adaptive flexibility in mammalian circadian rhythms

Circadian rhythms are internally generated oscillations of approximately 24 hours that synchronize with the environments day-night cycle, which drive and modulate countless behavioural and physiological processes. In this thesis we use a novel behavioural work-for-food paradigm which allows to study how changes in energy balance cause a change in the temporal niche of mice, making them adopt a day-active activity pattern. We show and discuss data supporting a functional role of circadian flexibility; diurnal activity patterns requiring less energy versus remaining night-active - for burrowing small mammals in temperate climate. We build on this by showing the rearrangements in temporal niche are associated with plasticity in the direct light response (photic masking) and explore differences between male and female mice. Further we show data that neither the adrenals nor the Paraventricular thalamic Nucleus are essential for circadian niche adaptation whereas the central circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus remains of vital importance, despite itself not appearing to change phase. The rigidity of the SCN-timing might be linked to its role in measuring daylength and guiding seasonal rhythms. Which processes make behavioural and physiological rhythms obtain a different phase angle to the SCN during simulated food shortage remains largely elusive. The work in this thesis provides a solid scientific basis to re-address circadian flexibility and it’s relation to energy balance in future studies. Gaining more insights in circadian rhythm flexibility might solve the poorly understood mechanisms behind metabolic risks associated with human shift-work and how to cope with circadian disruptions

Conservative treatment of an acute compartment syndrome of the thigh

Compartment syndromes of the thigh after blunt trauma without any fracture are rare. Most surgeons recommend operative treatment. There are different rules for compartment syndromes of the thigh in young athletes after blunt trauma compared to compartment syndromes at other locations [(1) the large volume of the quadriceps muscle, (2) its relatively elastic fascia, (3) the direct proximal contact to the hip muscles which allows extravasation of fluid out of the compartment)]. We present a case of conservative treatment of elevated intra-compartmental pressure (ICP) of the anterior thigh after blunt trauma and the follow-up until return to sport. Conservative treatment of a compartment syndrome of the thigh after blunt trauma in a young patient without fracture or vascular damage was successful without short-term sequelae. Recovery of muscle strength is delayed but return to sport is possible. Depending on the severity the diagnosis and follow-up with ICP measurements and MRI is necessary. There is a very good chance for excellent outcome without any risk of surgery. However, a long healing time is possibl

Analysis of preharvest sprouting in three Brazilian wheat populations.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the possibility of obtaining recombinant inbred wheat lines more resistant to preharvest sprouting, independently of colour genes, in three red-grained Brazilian wheat populations. The results showed statistical significance among lines within all populations, which presented a normal distribution and transgressive segregation for preharvest sprouting. The normal distribution of the lines from all red-grained populations suggests that sprouting, excluding the genes expressing seed coat pigmentation, is, probably, controlled by many genes. These findings also indicate that it may be possible to improve resistance to preharvest sprouting, independently of the colour genes

CLIOdynamic ARCHaeology: computational approaches to final Palaeolithic/Early Mesolithic archaeology and climate change

It is often claimed that changes in material culture signify adaptations to changing environments. Deploying novel conceptual models and computational techniques, research funded by the European Research Council seeks to reconstruct the patterns and processes of cultural transmission and adaptation at the turbulent transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene

Germanium Plasmonic Nanoantennas for Third-Harmonic Generation in the Mid Infrared

We explore the nonlinear optical properties of plasmonic semiconductor antennas resonant in the mid infrared. The nanostructures are fabricated on silicon substrates from heavily doped germanium films with a plasma frequency of 30 THz, equivalent to a wavelength of 10 μm. Illumination with ultrashort pulses at 10.8 μm produces coherent emission at 3.6 μm via third-harmonic generation

Koalas use a novel vocal organ to produce unusually low-pitched mating calls

SummaryDuring the breeding season, male koalas produce ‘bellow’ vocalisations that are characterised by a continuous series of inhalation and exhalation sections, and an extremely low fundamental frequency (the main acoustic correlate of perceived pitch) [1]. Remarkably, the fundamental frequency (F0) of bellow inhalation sections averages 27.1 Hz (range: 9.8–61.5 Hz [1]), which is 20 times lower than would be expected for an animal weighing 8 kg [2] and more typical of an animal the size of an elephant (Supplemental figure S1A). Here, we demonstrate that koalas use a novel vocal organ to produce their unusually low-pitched mating calls

Disparate Ontologies? Revisiting Descola’s Ontological Schema among Northern Societies

Disparate Ontologies? Takes a critical look at Philippe Descola’s four-field anthropological model for ontologies among hunter-gatherer societies. Descola’s model juxtaposes animism, totemism, analogism, and naturalism as reflecting different expressions of interiority and physicality and queries those four ontological concepts as comparative units of analysis. While Descola’s Beyond Nature and Culture (2013) was a ground-breaking exploration of ontological ethnology and anthropological theory, the present work questions whether animism and totemism should be considered as comparable units in cross-cultural anthropological studies. Disparate Ontologies? focuses on the interpretive suitability of the concepts of animism and totemism as comparable variables in comparative analysis by investigating a sample of traditional indigenous societies from the northernmost Northern Hemisphere. The work focuses on ethnographic examples of animism and totemism, as well as cyclical rebirth eschatology and forms of perspectivism in an attempt to provide insights into the similarities and differences of ontological reckonings among diverse peoples across the North

The SASSCAL contribution to climate observation, climate data management and data rescue in Southern Africa

A major task of the newly established "Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management" (SASSCAL; www.sasscal.org) and its partners is to provide science-based environmental information and knowledge which includes the provision of consistent and reliable climate data for Southern Africa. Hence, SASSCAL, in close cooperation with the national weather authorities of Angola, Botswana, Germany and Zambia as well as partner institutions in Namibia and South Africa, supports the extension of the regional meteorological observation network and the improvement of the climate archives at national level. With the ongoing rehabilitation of existing weather stations and the new installation of fully automated weather stations (AWS), altogether 105 AWS currently provide a set of climate variables at 15, 30 and 60 min intervals respectively. These records are made available through the SASSCAL WeatherNet, an online platform providing near-real time data as well as various statistics and graphics, all in open access. This effort is complemented by the harmonization and improvement of climate data management concepts at the national weather authorities, capacity building activities and an extension of the data bases with historical climate data which are still available from different sources. These activities are performed through cooperation between regional and German institutions and will provide important information for climate service related activities