How Will Hydroelectric Power Generation Develop under Climate Change Scenarios?

Climate change has a large impact on water resources and thus on hydropower. Hydroelectric power generation is closely linked to the regional hydrological situation of a watershed and reacts sensitively to changes in water quantity and seasonality. The development of hydroelectric power generation in the Upper Danube basin was modelled for two future decades, namely 2021-2030 and 2051-2060, using a special hydropower module coupled with the physically-based hydrological model PROMET. To cover a possible range of uncertainties, 16 climate scenarios were taken as meteorological drivers which were defined from different ensemble outputs of a stochastic climate generator, based on the IPCC-SRES-A1B emission scenario and four regional climate trends. Depending on the trends, the results show a slight to severe decline in hydroelectric power generation. Whilst the mean summer values indicate a decrease, the mean winter values display an increase. To show past and future regional differences within the Upper Danube basin, three hydropower plants at individual locations were selected. Inter-annual differences originate predominately from unequal contributions of the runoff compartments rain, snow-and ice-melt

Delayed wound repair in sepsis is associated with reduced local pro-inflammatory cytokine expression

Sepsis is one of the main causes for morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Moreover, sepsis associated complications involving impaired wound healing are common. Septic patients often require surgical interventions that in-turn may lead to further complications caused by impaired wound healing. We established a mouse model to the study delayed wound healing during sepsis distant to the septic focus point. For this reason cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) was combined with the creation of a superficial wound on the mouse ear. Control animals received the same procedure without CPL. Epithelialization was measured every second day by direct microscopic visualization up to complete closure of the wound. As interplay of TNF-α, TGF-β, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP) is important in wound healing in general, TNF-α, TGF-β, MMP7, and TIMP1 were assessed immunohistochemical in samples of wounded ears harvested on days 2, 6, 10 and 16 after wounding. After induction of sepsis, animals showed a significant delay in wound epithelialization from day 2 to 12 compared to control animals. Complete wound healing was attained after mean 12.2± standard deviation (SD) 3.0 days in septic animals compared to 8.7± SD 1.7 days in the control group. Septic animals showed a significant reduction in local pro-inflammatory cytokine level of TNF-α on day 2 and day 6 as well as a reduced expression of TGF-β on day 2 in wounds. A significant lower expression of MMP7 as well as TIMP1 was also observed on day 2 after wounding. The induction of sepsis impairs wound healing distant to the septic focus point. We could demonstrate that expression of important cytokines for wound repair is deregulated after induction of sepsis. Thus restoring normal cytokine response locally in wounds could be a good strategy to enhance wound repair in sepsis

´Mausoleum Stat in medio Chori´: The Use of Pictures in Collegiate Churches in the Middle Ages. A Study Using the Example of the High Altar in Moosburg by Hans Leinberger

Der Moosburger Hochaltar von Hans Leinberger von 1513 wird im Hinblick auf seine Funktion als Hochaltar der Kollegiatstiftskirche St. Kastulus in Moosburg unter anderem auf seine rhetorischen Mittel untersucht. Es werden Vorschläge vorgelegt zur Rekonstruktion der Retabelarchitektur und zum ursprünglichen Bildbestand sowie zur Genese der Retabelform, aber auch zu den stilistischen Wurzeln Hans Leinbergers.The study analyses the Moosburg altarpiece made by Hans Leinberger in 1513 with regard to its function as high altar retable of St. Kastulus in Moosburg, which originally was a collegiate church. Among other things, it researches the rhetorical means of the altarpiece. The author proposes several possibilities to reconstruct the architecture of the retable and the original placement of the reliefs. In addition, the author offers some ideas concerning the development of the specific form of the retable. The stilistic provenience of Hans Leinberger is considered, too

Innovation strategies for education: Liberal and Utilitarian Educational Tendencies in the Higher Education System

This paper discusses innovation strategies for education. The authors of the paper argue that the leading modern universities are the educational and training ones. The global changes in higher education have happened due to several reasons: information playing a key role in modern society (nowadays, it is possible to find plenty of information on any questions); the task of education is to develop educational, professional and cultural skills of students, which is not the original central idea of modern European countries as well as Russia; the tendency to unite several higher education institutions. The authors acknowledge that there are several trends in higher education: the multilevel system; modern information technologies; the distant educational system and development; university complexes; new educational standards; new educational technologies and management structures etc. At the same time, the authors claim that there are at least two systems (tendencies) in the theory of university development: liberal and pragmatic. The former is connected with the educational university’s mission; the later is related to the needs of modern society

Effects of μCT radiation on tissue engineered bone-like constructs

High-resolution, non-destructive imaging with micro-computed tomography (μCT) enables in situ monitoring of tissue engineered bone constructs. However, it remains controversial, if the locally imposed X-ray dose affects bone development and thus could influence the results. Here, we developed a model system for μCT monitoring of tissue engineered bone-like constructs. We examined the in vitro effects of high-resolution μCT imaging on the cellular level by using pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells embedded into three-dimensional collagen type I matrices. We found no significantly reduced cell survival 2h after irradiation with a dose of 1.9Gy. However, 24h post-irradiation, cell survival was significantly decreased by 15% compared to non-irradiated samples. The highest dose of 7.6Gy decreased survival of the pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells by around 40% at 2days post-irradiation. No significant increase of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity at 2days post-irradiation was found with a dose of 1.9Gy. However, ALP activity was significantly decreased after 7days. Using our model system, the results indicate that μCT imaging with doses as low as 1.9Gy, which is required to obtain a reasonable image quality, can induce irreparable damages on the cellular leve

The Arg389Gly Beta1-Adrenoceptor Polymorphism and Catecholamine Effects on Plasma-Renin Activity

ObjectivesThe purpose of this research was to find out whether, in humans, dobutamine-induced hemodynamic effects and increase in plasma-renin activity (PRA) might be beta1-adrenoceptor (β1AR) genotype-dependent.BackgroundIn vitro Arg389Gly-β1AR polymorphism exhibits decreased receptor signaling.MethodsWe studied 10 male homozygous Arg389-β1AR subjects and 8 male homozygous Gly389β1AR subjects; to avoid influences of codon 49 polymorphism, all were homozygous Ser49-β1AR. Subjects were infused with dobutamine (1 to 6 μg/kg/min) with or without bisoprolol (10 mg orally) pretreatment, and PRA, heart rate, contractility, and blood pressure were assessed.ResultsWith regard to PRA, dobutamine increased PRA more potently in Arg389-β1AR versus Gly389-β1AR subjects. Bisoprolol markedly suppressed the dobutamine-induced PRA increase in Arg389- but only marginally in Gly389-β1AR subjects. With regard to hemodynamics, dobutamine caused larger heart rate and contractility increases and diastolic blood pressure decreases in Arg389- versus Gly389-β1AR subjects. Bisoprolol reduced dobutamine-induced heart rate and contractility increases and diastolic blood pressure decreases more potently in Arg389- versus Gly389-β1AR subjects.ConclusionsCodon 389 β1AR polymorphism is a determinant not only of hemodynamic effects but also of PRA. Thus, β1AR polymorphisms may be useful for predicting therapeutic responses to βAR-blocker treatment

Spinach hexokinase I is located in the outer envelope membrane of plastids

AbstractThe subcellular localization of hexokinase activities in plant cells has been a matter of debate for a long time. We have isolated a hexokinase cDNA fragment from glucose-fed spinach leaves using a differential display reverse transcription-PCR approach. The corresponding cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli and an antiserum, raised against the recombinant protein, was used in subcellular localization studies. The spinach hexokinase could be localized primarily to the outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts where it is inserted via its N-terminal membrane anchor. We suggest that the chloroplast envelope hexokinase is involved in the energization of glucose export from plastids rather than in the sugar-sensing pathway of the plant cell

From Stable to Lab—Investigating Key Factors for Sudden Deaths Caused by Streptococcus suis

Swine stocks are endemically infected with the major porcine pathogen Streptococcus (S.) suis. The factors governing the transition from colonizing S. suis residing in the tonsils and the exacerbation of disease have not yet been elucidated. We analyzed the sudden death of fattening pigs kept under extensive husbandry conditions in a zoo. The animals died suddenly of septic shock and showed disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. Genotypic and phenotypic characterizations of the isolated S. suis strains, a tonsillar isolate and an invasive cps type 2 strain, were conducted. Isolated S. suis from dead pigs belonged to cps type 2 strain ST28, whereas one tonsillar S. suis isolate harvested from a healthy animal belonged to ST1173. Neither S. suis growth, induction of neutrophil extracellular traps, nor survival in blood could explain the sudden deaths. Reconstituted blood assays with serum samples from pigs of different age groups from the zoo stock suggested varying protection of individuals against pathogenic cps type 2 strains especially in younger pigs. These findings highlight the benefit of further characterization of the causative strains in each case by sequence typing before autologous vaccine candidate selection