Manganese biogeochemistry in the sunlit ocean = Die Biogeochemie des Mangans in der euphotischen Zone

The trace metal manganese (Mn) plays a significant role in seawater as it is bio-essential for phytoplankton. Mn plays a critical role as a redox center in Photosystem II (PSII) during the conversion of water to oxygen in photosynthesis. It is also essential in other redox related enzymatic processes; in particular Mn is important as the active metal center in superoxide dismutase (SOD) which provides intracellular protection against oxidative stress due to photochemically produced superoxide (O2 ). Mn exists in seawater in three redox states: soluble and prevalent Mn(II), insoluble Mn(III) and Mn(IV)-oxides. In the euphotic zone the biogeochemical cycling of Mn is strongly influenced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The highly reactive and short-lived superoxide (O2 ) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can both act as oxidants and reductants, and they play a key role in the Mn processes in seawater. For example the dominant Mn sources to the open ocean are the Mn-oxides which are present in atmospheric dust which are reduced to soluble Mn(II) by photochemically produced H2O2. While these processes have been crudely identified, the dominant reactions and mechanisms of Mn and ROS in seawater are poorly understood. This lack of knowledge demands investigations into the in-situ dissolution processes of Mn from dust and into studying the exact reaction mechanisms between Mn and ROS in the euphotic zone. This thesis comprises four manuscripts. Manuscripts 1 and 2 (Wuttig et al., subm., 2013a; Wuttig et al., subm., 2013b) focus on the cycling and reaction mechanisms of Mn and ROS. Manuscript 3 (Wuttig et al., in prep., 2013) addresses differences in the input and distribution of cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe) and Mn in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean off Cape Verde, and manuscript 4 (Wuttig et al., 2013) describes Mn cycling after dust additions in a trace metal clean mesocosm experiment in the Mediterranean Sea. This study has conclusively shown that Mn and organic matter are the dominant sinks for O2 in the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic (manuscripts 1; Wuttig et al., subm., 2013a). Mn dominates this decay especially in the surface waters which are influenced by high atmospheric dust deposition and near the sediment/water interface due to Mn sediment resuspension. This contrasts with current knowledge based on findings from the Mn poor Southern Ocean where copper (Cu) was shown to be the major sink. In manuscript 2 it is demonstrated that O2 decays by reaction with inorganic Mn(II) in seawater following a first order loss rate which appears to involve a catalytic reaction involving the Mn(II)/MnO2+ couple, in which MnO2+ is a manganous superoxide complex (Wuttig et al., subm., 2013a). Thus in sunlit and oxygenated waters Mn(III) is unlikely to be found in significant concentrations when strong Mn(III) binding ligands are not present. In other studies Mn(III) was found under anoxic conditions in the presence of unknown strong Mn(III) binding ligands. Therefore, in contrast to the Mn(II)/MnO2+ pair, Mn(III) cannot act as a SOD in the oxygenated surface ocean. In the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic Ocean atmospheric dust is the main source of Mn to surface waters (manuscript 3; Wuttig et al., in prep., 2013). However this study provides clear evidence that equatorial upwelling and sediment resuspension are important Mn sources in this region. In contrast to findings from the Eastern Tropical Pacific, where unexpected high surface concentrations were observed, no secondary Mn(II) maximum was found in the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic Ocean. This could have been introduced by a combination of lateral transport of Mn rich waters from the coastal margins and reduction of Mn-oxides. While Aeolian sources were predominantly influencing Mn and also Fe cycling in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic, Cd was not controlled by dust deposition (manuscript 3; Wuttig et al., in prep., 2013). These biologically relevant elements exhibited contrasting distribution patterns. For Fe and Mn, atmospheric depositions masked a classical nutrient type profile, while Cd was very depleted at the surface and concentrations steadily increased with depth. Cd was highly correlated to Phosphate (hereafter referred to as P). The Cd/P ratio was mainly controlled by P with elevated concentrations at depth resulting in strongly differing ratios in surface and subsurface layers of 16.6 pmol / µmol and 237 pmol / µmol, respectively. The complex photochemical processes during the dissolution of Mn dust are also subject of manuscript 4. This paper describes a mesocosm project in the Mediterranean with two consecutive additions of evapocondensed dust conducted. The data also show that the dissolution and loss rates of Mn were comparable during both seedings. The calculated fractional solubilities for the first and the second dust addition were 41 ± 9 % and 27 ± 19 %, respectively. The results presented in this thesis have significantly improved our understanding of Mn distribution and especially cycling in the euphotic zone. An insight into the mechanisms between Mn and ROS and into the dissolution processes from dust is given

A branch-and-price algorith, for a compressor scheduling problem

This work presents the study and application of a branch-and-price algorithm for solving a compressor scheduling problem. The problem is related to oil production and consists of defining a set of compressors to be activated, supplying the gas-lift demand of a set of wells and minimizing the associated costs. The problem has a non-convex objective function, to which a piecewise-linear formulation has been proposed. This dissertation proposes a column generation approach based on the Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition, which achieves tighter lower bounds than the straightforward linear relaxation of the piecewise-linear formulation. The column generation was embedded in a branch-and-price algorithm and further compared with CPLEX, obtaining optimal solutions in lesser time for a set of instances. Further, the branch-and-price algorithm can find better feasible solutions for large instances under a limited processing time.O presente trabalho realiza o estudo e aplicação de um algoritmo de branch-and-price para a resolução de um problema de escalonamento de compressores. O problema é ligado à produção petrolífera, o qual consiste em definir um conjunto de compressores a serem ativados para fornecer gas de elevação a um conjunto de poços, atendendo toda demanda e minimizando os custos envolvidos. O problema é caracterizado por uma função objetivo não-convexa que é linearizada por partes de forma a ser formulada como um problema de programação inteira mista. A abordagem de geração de colunas é baseada na decomposição de Dantzig-Wolfe e apresenta melhores limitantes inferiores em relação à relaxação linear da formulação compacta. O branch-and-price é comparado ao solver CPLEX, sendo capaz de encontrar a solução ótima em menor tempo para um conjunto de instâncias, bem como melhores soluções factíveis para instâncias maiores em um período de tempo limitado

Zerebraler Befall mit Parvovirus B19 beim plötzlichen Säuglingstod?

Die Ursache des plötzlichen Säuglingstodes (SIDS) konnte trotz Herausarbeitens von Risikofaktoren noch nicht geklärt werden. Diskutiert werden Infektionen, die sich durch Beteiligung verschiedener Organe negativ auf den Gesamtzustand des Kindes auswirken, sowie eine mögliche Beeinträchtigung der zentralen Atem-/Kreislaufregulation. Die vorliegenden Arbeit untersucht, inwieweit das Parvovirus B19 durch cerebralen Befall am Tod der Kinder beteiligt sein könnte. Es wurden 23 SIDS-Fälle und 7 Fälle mit anderer Todesursache untersucht, indem die aus jeweils 4 Hirnarealen extrahierte DNA mittels PCR auf das Vorhandensein von Parvovirus B19-Genom getestet wurde. Als Positivkontrolle diente die DNA eines an PV B19-Myokarditis verstorbenen Jungen. Außer in der Positivkontrolle konnte man hierbei in keiner der DNA-Proben eine Inokulation des Virus nachweisen. Es ist daher nicht davon auszugehen, dass ein cerebraler Befall mit diesem Virus regelhaft am akuten Todesgeschehen beteiligt ist

Оценка и выбор канала сбыта металлургического производства

This paper considers the problem of determining the distribution channels of metallurgicalproducts. The basis for the study was taken method of expert evaluations; the gist of it is that the expert willbe made comprehensive assessment of distribution channels for according to certain criteria. Based on estimatesof site contents, the system selects the most effective distribution channels

Successional changes in the hydrology, water quality, primary production, and growth of juvenile Arctic grayling of blocked Tanana River sloughs, Alaska

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1997A comparative stream study was conducted to assess the influence of development and blockage on the hydrology, water quality, primary production, and Arctic grayling of Badger Slough, Alaska. Data collected showed that Badger Slough exhibited stable, clear flows throughout the summer, and higher total and total dissolved phosphorus, orthophosphate, alkalinity, pH, conductivity, and average temperatures, and lower winter dissolved oxygen concentrations than both Piledriver and 23-Mile Sloughs. Mean algal biomass (3.3 mg m-3) and primary production (6.9 g O2 m-2 d-1) are greater than that recorded for any other interior Alaska streams and percent fines in riffle substrates have increased. However, growth of age-0 grayling remains high. Badger Slough has eutrophied due to increased nutrients and stable flows, and the quality of rearing habitat for age-0 fish remains good. However, an annual flushing flow of 8.0 m3 s-1 is recommended for controlling accumulations of fines and maintenance of grayling habitat