Concept for a holistic sustainability assessment of the demolition and processing of masonry

Mit der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde ein methodisches Konzept zur ganzheitlichen Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung des Abbruchs und der Aufbereitung von Mauerwerk bereitgestellt. Das Bewertungskonzept ermöglicht einen ganzheitlichen Vergleich verschiedener Szenarien für den Abbruch und die Aufbereitung von Mauerwerk unter Berücksichtigung der Anwendung von Mauerwerkbruch und aussortierter Fremdstoffe zur Verwertung. Es kombiniert die Kosten-Wirksamkeitsanalyse, die Stoffflussanalyse, die Ökobilanzierung, die Betrachtung sozialer Aspekte und Wirtschaftlichkeitsbetrachtungen bei gleichzeitiger Berücksichtigung der Materialqualitäten. Das Bewertungskonzept basiert im Kern auf der Kosten-Wirksamkeitsanalyse (KWA) mit der Erweiterung um das Gesamtwirksamkeitswert-Kosten-Verhältnis. Hiermit können sowohl monetäre als auch nicht monetäre Effekte beurteilt werden. Ausgangspunkt der KWA ist ein klar definiertes Zielsystem. Im vorliegenden Fall wurden aus der EU-Abfallrahmenrichtlinie, dem Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz und der EU-Bauproduktenverordnung die vier Generalziele „Mensch und Umwelt“, „Ressourcenschonung“, „Ausreichende Materialqualität“ sowie „Wirtschaftlichkeit“ abgeleitet. Die Generalziele "Mensch und Umwelt" und "Ressourcenschonung" wurden weiter in Hauptziele, Ziele und Unterziele unterteilt. Die Quantifizierung und Beurteilung dieser beiden Generalziele erfolgt im Rahmen der Wirksamkeitsanalyse. Zur Quantifizierung der abstrakten Ziele wurden konkrete und messbare Zielkriterien ausgewählt, die üblicherweise bei der Ökobilanzierung und sozialorientierten Betrachtungen verwendet werden, z. B. Umweltauswirkungen, Material- und Energieverbrauch. Nach Ermittlung einer Gesamtwirksamkeit und den anfallenden Kosten für jedes Szenario wird das Gesamtwirksamkeit-Kosten-Verhältnis je Szenario errechnet. Dieses Verhältnis bildet die Grundlage für die abschließende Reihung der untersuchten Szenarien entsprechend ihrer nachhaltigkeitsbezogenen Wertigkeit im Sinne der europäischen und deutschen Kreislaufwirtschaft. Mit dem Konzept wird zukünftigen Nutzern eine strukturierte und methodische Bewertungsgrundlage als Planungsinstrument für Abbruchprojekte an die Hand gegeben. Gleichzeitig werden die Nutzer für bestehende Gestaltungsvarianten für den Abbruch und die Aufbereitung von Mauerwerk sowie für die vielfältigen Anwendungsmöglichkeiten von Mauerwerkbruch sensibilisiert.Within the scope of this doctoral thesis, a methodological concept for a holistic sustainability assessment of the demolition and processing of masonry was developed. The assessment concept enables a holistic comparison of different scenarios for the demolition and processing of masonry in consideration of the application of masonry rubble and recovered foreign materials. It combines Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Material Flow Analysis, Life Cycle Analysis, Life Cycle Working Environment and economic evaluation methods while considering the material quality. The used Cost-Effectiveness Analysis with the added effectiveness-cost ratio enables the evaluation of monetary and monetarily non valuable effects. It is based on a certain hierarchy of goals. In the present case, possible scenarios for the demolition and processing of masonry can be evaluated with regard to the general goals of the European and German waste management industry. These goals include the protection of humans and the environment, and the conservation of resources, while considering technical feasibility and economic viability. The general goals “protection of humans and the environment” and “conservation of resources” are subdivided into main goals, goals and sub-goals. For quantifying these abstract goals, specific and measurable goal criteria are chosen, which are commonly used in LCA and LCWE (e.g. environmental impacts, material and energy consumption). For each scenario, a total effectiveness value regarding the achievement of the defined goals is determined and compared with the incurred cost values. The ratio between total effectiveness value and total cost value is the basis for the final ranking of all studied scenarios. This value makes it possible to answer the question, which scenario fulfils best the goals of the European and German waste management. With the developed concept, a structured and methodical planning tool is available for future users. At the same time, users will be made aware of existing options for the demolition and processing of masonry and the wide variety of possible applications for masonry rubble

Cytochrome 450 1B1 (CYP1B1) polymorphisms associated with response to docetaxel in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) patients

BACKGROUND: The selection of patients according to key genetic characteristics may help to tailor chemotherapy and optimize the treatment in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC) patients. Functional polymorphisms within the cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) gene have been associated with alterations in enzymatic expression and activity and may change sensitivity to the widely used docetaxel regimen. METHODS: CYP1B1 genotyping was performed on blood samples of 60 CRPC patients treated with docetaxel, using TaqMan probes-based assays. Association between CYP1B1-142C>G (leading to the 48ArgGly transition), 4326C>G (432LeuVal), and 4390A>G (453AsnSer) polymorphisms and treatment response, progression-free-survival (PFS) and overall-survival (OS) was estimated using Pearson χ2 test, Kaplan-Meier curves and Log-rank test. RESULTS: Patients carrying the CYP1B1-432ValVal genotype experienced a significantly lower response-rate (P = 0.014), shorter progression-free-survival (P = 0.032) and overall-survival (P < 0.001). Multivariate analyses and correction for multiple comparisons confirmed its prognostic significance for OS. No significant associations were found among other polymorphisms and both response and clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: CYP1B1-4326C>G (432LeuVal) polymorphism emerged as possible predictive marker of response and clinical outcome to docetaxel in CRPC patients and may represent a potential new tool for treatment optimization. Larger prospective trials are warranted to validate these findings, which might be applied to the future practice of CRPC treatment

Recycling options for masonry - identifying sustainable solutions

Almost 15% of the average yearly waste accumulation in Germany originates from construction waste. It mainly comprises mineral materials such as concrete and different types of stonework, like lime-sandstone, red brick, aerated concrete and lightweight concrete. Due to the heterogeneous material composition, this kind of waste often ends up in landfill or can only be used for lower-level recycling. The AiF (German Federation of Industrial Research Association) funded the national research project "Sustainability Analysis for the Recycling of Masonry" in order to show different recycling opportunities for masonry as well as respective required technologies with regard to potential occurring mineral material mixtures. Technologies identified are for example such ones to break masonry into smaller grain sizes and technologies to separate the masonry into single material fractions. Furthermore, the project has the objective to assess the sustainability performance of various recycling options. These options and the related recycling routes are evaluated regarding environmental, economic and social aspects - all three pillars of sustainability - by using the methods of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Working Environment (LCWE). The results are provided within a web-tool for operators of recycling facilities and for demolition companies. Its modular concept affords an individual sustainability assessment by several input options, like machine capacity, investment costs and achievable revenues. The tool enables the user to assess and compare different recycling opportunities concerning environmental, economic and social aspects in relation to identified material compositions and technologies applied

A Hybrid Deep Learning Pipeline for Improved Ultrasound Localization Microscopy

The image quality of ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) images is driven by the ability to accurately detect and track the location of microbubbles (MBs) in vascular networks. This task becomes increasingly challenging in imaging environments with high MB concentrations and low signal-to-noise ratios, making it difficult to differentiate and localize individual MBs. Recent developments in deep learning (DL) have demonstrated significant improvements over conventional methods but depend on vast amounts of realistic training data with the corresponding ground truth labels, which are difficult to obtain. The alternative, simulated data, in turn, poses challenges in generalizability of the method. In this work, we present a hybrid pipeline for ULM that comprises data generation, localization, and tracking. It combines the current state-of-the-art, utilizing both conventional and DL techniques. We show that using this approach, we can create high-quality velocity maps while being able to generalize well across different domains

Adiponectin reduces hepatic stellate cell migration by promoting tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) secretion

Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are central players in liver fibrosis that when activated, proliferate, migrate to sites of liver injury, and secrete extracellular matrix. Obesity, a known risk factor for liver fibrosis is associated with reduced levels of adiponectin, a protein that inhibits liver fibrosis in vivo and limits HSC proliferation and migration in vitro. Adiponectin-mediated activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK) inhibits HSC proliferation, but the mechanism by which it limits HSC migration to sites of injury is unknown. Here we sought to elucidate how adiponectin regulates HSC motility. Primary rat HSCs were isolated and treated with adiponectin in migration assays. The in vivo actions of adiponectin were examined by treating mice with carbon tetrachloride for 12 weeks and then injecting them with adiponectin. Cell and tissue samples were collected and analyzed for gene expression, signaling, and histology. Serum from patients with liver fibrosis was examined for adiponectin and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) protein. Adiponectin administration into mice increased TIMP-1 gene and protein expression. In cultured HSCs, adiponectin promoted TIMP-1 expression and through binding of TIMP-1 to the CD63/β1-integrin complex reduced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase to limit HSC migration. In mice with liver fibrosis, adiponectin had similar effects and limited focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation. Finally, in patients with advanced fibrosis, there was a positive correlation between serum adiponectin and TIMP-1 levels. In sum, these data show that adiponectin stimulates TIMP-1 secretion by HSCs to retard their migration and contributes to the anti-fibrotic effects of adiponectin