Game of Clones: Students Model the Dispersal and Fighting of Japanese Knotweed (<em>Fallopia japonica</em>)

Fallopia japonica as an invasive alien species in Europe and North America presents a significant problem to the existing flora as well as to infrastructures and agricultural land. That is why measures and attempts to control the plant are increasing rapidly. However, conservationists are not yet able to agree on the most suitable method. In the research project ‘Game of Clones’, a team of scientists together with the help of high school students is spatially modeling the spreading behavior of knotweed under different circumstances and is creating and providing a board game as well as a computer simulation as an experimental platform. To develop sustainable assumptions to be able to model the responses of knotweed to each control measure, a vast understanding of the plant is necessary. The chapter covers the results of research activities and experiments within the project and gives a comprehensive review about Japanese knotweed

Evaluation of Intraoperative Volumetric Assessment of Breast Volume Using 3D Handheld Stereo Photogrammetric Device.

Methods for assessing three-dimensional (3D) breast volume are becoming increasingly popular in breast surgery. However, the precision of intraoperative volumetric assessment is still unclear. Until now, only non-validated scanning systems have been used for intraoperative volumetric analyses. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, handling, and accuracy of a commercially available, validated, and portable device for intraoperative 3D volumetric evaluation. All patients who underwent breast surgery from 2020 to 2022 were identified from our institutional database. Intraoperative 3D volumetric assessments of 103 patients were included in this study. Standardized 3D volumetric measurements were obtained 3 months postoperatively to compare the intraoperatively generated volumetric assessment. All of the study participants were women with a mean age of 48.3 ± 14.7 years (range: 20-89). The mean time for intraoperative volumetric assessment was 8.7 ± 2.6 min. The postoperative 3D volumetric assessment, with a mean volume of 507.11 ± 206.29 cc, showed no significant difference from the intraoperative volumetric measurements of 504.24 ± 276.61 cc (p = 0.68). The mean absolute volume difference between the intraoperative simulations and postoperative results was 27.1 cc. Intraoperative 3D volumetric assessment using the VECTRA H2 imaging system seems to be a feasible, reliable, and accurate method for measuring breast volume. Based on this finding, we plan to investigate whether volumetric objective evaluations will help to improve breast symmetry in the future

Temperature Acclimation of Enzyme Activities and Protein Synthesis in Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus). In Vivo and In Vitro Studies

157 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1984.Hepatocytes from 15(DEGREES)C acclimated catfish isolated by collagenase perfusion were maintained for 3-4 weeks in primary culture at 7, 15, and 25(DEGREES)C on biomatrix prepared from liver structural proteins. Specific activities of enzymes of cultured hepatocytes showed acclimatory compensation for the following: cytochrome(DEGREES)C oxidase, citrate synthase, NADH-cytochrome(DEGREES)C reductase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Lactate dehydrogenase showed no compensation. 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase showed partial inverse compensation. Hence, cultured hepatocytes show temperature acclimation of enzymes in patterns similar to those measured in vivo. Protein synthesis measured at 15(DEGREES)C by hepatocytes from catfish acclimated to different temperatures occurred in the series: 7 &gt; 15 &gt; 25(DEGREES)C acclimation. Protein synthesis measured at 15(DEGREES)C by cultured hepatocytes occurred in the series: 15 &gt; 7 &gt; 25(DEGREES)C. Protein degradation measured at temperatures of culture occurred in the series: 25 &gt; 15 &gt; 7(DEGREES)C. Changes in concentration of enzymes during acclimation may occur by direct temperature effects on rates of synthesis and degradation, and differences in temperature effects on protein synthesis in vitro and in vivo may result from absence of some critical substance in culture.In fluorographs of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis many polypeptides increased or decreased synthesis rates during low temperature acclimation; others did not change.The effect of temperature acclimation on heat-shock protein (hsp) synthesis was examined in hepatocytes isolated from catfish acclimated to 7 and 25(DEGREES)C. In 7(DEGREES)C acclimated fish hsp was maximal at 25-35(DEGREES)C, hsp of 25(DEGREES) at 35(DEGREES)C. Hsp is synthesized at lower temperatures by cold acclimated than by warm acclimated fish.Temperature acclimation of metabolic enzymes can occur in isolated cells in patterns similar to those in vivo. Temperature acclimation of protein synthesis in cultured cells follows a pattern different from that in intact fish. Temperature acclimation of protein synthesis is selective for specific proteins of mitochondria. Synthesis of heat-shock proteins can be altered by temperature acclimation.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Pärke, Parks and Reservate – biosphere reserves in Austria, Germany and Switzerland on their way towards Biosphere 4.0?

The biosphere reserve (BR), as conceived by UNESCO, is a permanent intervention towards sustainable development. With 727 BRs in 131 countries (Österreichisches MAB-Nationalkomitee 2021), this means interventions in highly diverse environmental, economic, socio-cultural and institutional contexts. With the MAB Strategy 2015–2025, the Lima Declaration 2016 and the Lima Action Plan 2016–2025, UNESCO BRs should develop fully into model regions for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals 2015–2030 (SDGs) (United Nations 2015). Because of their varied contexts, the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves consists of different, but globally self-similar, fractal institutions. In this article we emphasize the understanding, implementation and management of BRs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. These three European democracies are examples of federally structured states with comparatively wealthy economies as well as high political stability. Respect for property rights, regional acceptance, decentralized decisionmaking, and micro- and macro-economic considerations have always played decisive roles in the development of BRs in the DACH countries. We aim to identify, analyse and discuss the distinct characteristics and peculiarities of BRs in this area. We investigate how the framework conditions of sustainability, as presented in the concept of BRs, are perceived, discussed and implemented. As a basis for our analysis, we use a sample of 18 peer-reviewed publications, which were published collectively as a book on BRs in the DACH countries (Borsdorf et al. 2020). The individual publications present overviews, case studies and in-depth investigations in the three countries. All authors were invited to participate in a meta-text analysis. This was conducted in the form of a survey, a transdisciplinary workshop with a reflective design using a virtual whiteboard, and a concluding feedback loop. The results of the qualitative exploration are interpreted against the background of international comparisons and recent scholarly discussions. Based on the assumption that different types of ambiguities and conflicts are inherently a key element of the BR concept, we conclude that the DACH countries may have found specific ways to deal with and overcome these differences

Hypothalamic L-Histidine Decarboxylase Is Up-Regulated During Chronic REM Sleep Deprivation of Rats

<div><p>A competition of neurobehavioral drives of sleep and wakefulness occurs during sleep deprivation. When enforced chronically, subjects must remain awake. This study examines histaminergic neurons of the tuberomammillary nucleus of the posterior hypothalamus in response to enforced wakefulness in rats. We tested the hypothesis that the rate-limiting enzyme for histamine biosynthesis, L-histidine decarboxylase (HDC), would be up-regulated during chronic rapid eye movement sleep deprivation (REM-SD) because histamine plays a major role in maintaining wakefulness. Archived brain tissues of male Sprague Dawley rats from a previous study were used. Rats had been subjected to REM-SD by the flowerpot paradigm for 5, 10, or 15 days. For immunocytochemistry, rats were transcardially perfused with acrolein-paraformaldehyde for immunodetection of L-HDC; separate controls used carbodiimide-paraformaldehyde for immunodetection of histamine. Immunolocalization of histamine within the tuberomammillary nucleus was validated using carbodiimide. Because HDC antiserum has cross-reactivity with other decarboxylases at high antibody concentrations, titrations localized L-HDC to only tuberomammillary nucleus at a dilution of ≥ 1:300,000. REM-SD increased immunoreactive HDC by <i>day</i> 5 and it remained elevated in both dorsal and ventral aspects of the tuberomammillary complex. Our results suggest that up-regulation of L-HDC within the tuberomammillary complex during chronic REM-SD may be responsible for maintaining wakefulness.</p></div

Changes in HDC in the TM complex with REM-SD.

<p>Immunoreactivity of HDC in control and sleep-deprived rats was scored as darkness of staining minus background in dTMN and vTMN, and is presented as a percent change from controls. Data of dTMN and vTMN from 5- and 10-day sleep-deprived rats were pooled for each population of histaminergic neurons because beyond <i>day</i> 5, HDC immunoreactivity remained high and was not significantly different. Compared to controls, REM-SD significantly increased HDC in dTMN by 58 ± 6.5% (t = 4.631; <i>P</i> = 0.0003); <i>upper</i> panel) and in vTMN by 19.8 ± 3.6% (t = 2.741; <i>P</i> = 0.0208; <i>lower</i> panel). See also <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0152252#pone.0152252.s001" target="_blank">S1 Data</a>.</p

Validation of “true” HDC immunoreactivity in the posterior hypothalamus when optimal antibody dilutions are used and compared to staining of histamine.

<p>Panel A shows localization of histamine within the histaminergic neurons of the vTMN from rats perfused with 4% carbodiimide and then 5% paraformaldehyde. There is abundant histamine in soma and in the cell processes. Anti-histamine antiserum was at a dilution of 1:20,000. Panel B is of the same region of the posterior hypothalamus using rabbit anti-HDC antiserum at a low dilution (i.e., high concentration of IgG) of 1:100,000. The <i>boxed</i> area highlights significant staining of cross-reacting decarboxylase enzyme(s) in dopaminergic neurons in substantial nigra. In addition, staining occurred within cross-reactive noradrenergic and serotonergic axons in the medial forebrain bundle (<i>upper right</i>), and HDC in histaminergic neurons in the ventral aspect of the TMN had intense staining (<i>lower right</i>). Panel C shows that when the anti-HDC antiserum was used at a dilution of 1:300,000, staining was selective for the histaminergic neurons of the TMN complex and that cross-reactive staining was eliminated. Scale bars = 100 microns.</p