Engineering Society: The Role Of Intersectional Gender And Diversity Studies For A Sustainable Transformation On The Case Of Interdisciplinary Engineering Education

Technological innovations are impacting societies in manifold ways and can accelerate a transformation toward sustainability. To enable a sustainable transformation through engineering, engineers educated to create technological solutions for global challenges must be educated in sustainability principles as postulated under ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ (ESD) in the Agenda for Sustainable Development. In technological fields, the ecological, as well as the economical perspective of sustainability, are often addressed, but as recent research has highlighted, sustainability needs to be addressed holistically; this means including the social dimension to a greater degree and applying an intersectional understanding of gender and diversity throughout all spheres of sustainability. It is therefore imperative for engineering students to learn and understand where gender and diversity are necessary for sustainability, how diversity dimensions intersect, and which intersections are particularly relevant for novel technologies and societal development. Accordingly, this paper sketches an interdisciplinary approach for applying intersectional gender and diversity studies in the context of a sustainable transformation of engineering education. We draw on our experience of having educated engineers accordingly for a decade at the GDI (Gender and Diversity in Engineering) at RWTH Aachen University. Selected examples from our teaching practice are presented and six general maxims are deduced that can make engineering education more sustainability-oriented, inclusive, and diverse. As we will conclude, fostering innovative and inclusive engineering education needs interdisciplinary teams adhering to our proposed six maxims to accelerate a genderand diversity-sensitive sustainable transformation

Modeling methanogenesis with a genome-scale metabolic reconstruction of Methanosarcina barkeri

We present a genome-scale metabolic model for the archaeal methanogen Methanosarcina barkeri. We characterize the metabolic network and compare it to reconstructions from the prokaryotic, eukaryotic and archaeal domains. Using the model in conjunction with constraint-based methods, we simulate the metabolic fluxes and resulting phenotypes induced by different environmental and genetic conditions. This represents the first large-scale simulation of either a methanogen or an archaeal species. Model predictions are validated by comparison to experimental growth measurements and phenotypes of M. barkeri on different substrates. The predicted growth phenotypes for wild type and mutants of the methanogenic pathway have a high level of agreement with experimental findings. We further examine the efficiency of the energy-conserving reactions in the methanogenic pathway, specifically the Ech hydrogenase reaction, and determine a stoichiometry for the nitrogenase reaction. This work demonstrates that a reconstructed metabolic network can serve as an analysis platform to predict cellular phenotypes, characterize methanogenic growth, improve the genome annotation and further uncover the metabolic characteristics of methanogenesis

Mikrobiell beeinflusste Bodenstrukturbildung unter der Anwendung von Nass-Trocken-Zyklen entlang eines Klimagradienten (arid-humid) auf Hängen in Chile

Es ist bekannt, dass die Stabilität der Landoberfläche gegen Erosion weitestgehend von der durch die inhärenten Bodeneigenschaften gegebenen Strukturstabilität des Bodens bestimmt wird. Darüber hinaus spielt die mikrobielle Aktivität eine wesentliche Rolle für die Entwicklung der Bodenstruktur und beeinflusst aufgrund dessen auch die bodenphysikalischen Parameter. Dementsprechend wird der Einfluss von Bodenorganismen auf die Erdoberflächenform durch Mechanismen wie Mineralverwitterung und Bildung von Ionen und Biofilmen beschrieben. Jedoch fehlt ein präzises quantitatives Verständnis der Rolle der Mikroorganismen für die Entwicklung von bodenstabilisierenden Eigenschaften, insbesondere unter verschiedenen Klimabedingungen. Das Ziel dieser Studie ist es zu untersuchen in welchem Ausmaß mikrobielle Prozesse die Bodenstrukturbildung und die Stabilität dieser Struktur kontrollieren und ob dies beeinflusst wird von Klima und topographischer Position. Dafür werden Bodenproben von 4 Standorten und jeweils 4 topographischen Positionen der Küstenkordillere Chiles verwendet. Die Variablen der Lithologie, des menschlichen Einflusses und des Reliefs wurden bei der Auswahl der Standorte soweit möglich konstant gehalten, während sich die Klimabedingungen entlang des Transektes von arid zu humid ändern. An den luftgetrockneten und gesiebten sowie an sterilen Proben werden Nass-Trocken-Zyklen angewendet um die Aggregierung der Partikel zu forcieren und die Strukturstabilität zu erhöhen. Das Experiment findet bei einer konstanten Raumtemperatur von 20 °C statt um Veränderungen der mikrobiellen Aktivität aufgrund von Temperaturunterschieden auszuschließen. Die Proben werden nach dem Aufsättigen für die Zeitdauer von 48 h auf den pF Wert von 1.8 eingestellt und anschließend bis zur Gewichtskonstanz getrocknet um jede Probe demselben bodenphysikalischen Stress auszusetzen. Die Aggregatstabilität wird mit Tauchsiebung, Ultraschall und Regenfall-Simulation gemessen. Um die Laborergebnisse mit Feldbedingungen zu verbinden werden die Ergebnisse mit einer In-Situ Regenfall-Simulation derselben topographischen Positionen in der Küstenkordillere Chiles verglichen. Das Experiment gibt erste Einblicke in den Aggregatbildungsprozess mit und ohne Mikroorganismen (sterilisierte Proben). Des Weiteren ermöglicht es den Beitrag der Mikroorganismen zur Bodenstrukturbildung und deren Stabilität qualitativ und quantitativ zu erfassen

Carbon–biodiversity relationships in a highly diverse subtropical forest

Carbon‐focused climate mitigation strategies are becoming increasingly important in forests. However, with ongoing biodiversity declines we require better knowledge of how much such strategies account for biodiversity. We particularly lack information across multiple trophic levels and on established forests, where the interplay between carbon stocks, stand age, and tree diversity might influence carbon–biodiversity relationships. Using a large dataset (>4600 heterotrophic species of 23 taxonomic groups) from secondary, subtropical forests, we tested how multitrophic diversity and diversity within trophic groups relate to aboveground, belowground, and total carbon stocks at different levels of tree species richness and stand age. Our study revealed that aboveground carbon, the key component of climate‐based management, was largely unrelated to multitrophic diversity. By contrast, total carbon stocks—that is, including belowground carbon—emerged as a significant predictor of multitrophic diversity. Relationships were nonlinear and strongest for lower trophic levels, but nonsignificant for higher trophic level diversity. Tree species richness and stand age moderated these relationships, suggesting long‐term regeneration of forests may be particularly effective in reconciling carbon and biodiversity targets. Our findings highlight that biodiversity benefits of climate‐oriented management need to be evaluated carefully, and only maximizing aboveground carbon may fail to account for biodiversity conservation requirements

Designing forest biodiversity experiments : general considerations illustrated by a new large experiment in subtropical China

Funded by German Research Foundation. Grant Number: DFG FOR 891/1 and 2 National Natural Science Foundation of China. Grant Numbers: NSFC 30710103907, 30930005, 31170457 , 31210103910 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Sino-German Centre for Research Promotion in BeijingPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Towards a methodical framework for comprehensively assessing forest multifunctionality

Funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Grant Number: DFG FOR 891/1-3 National Natural Science Foundation of China. Grant Numbers: 30710103907, 30930005, 31170457, 31210103910 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Sino-German Centre for Research Promotion in Beijing. Grant Number: GZ 986Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Controls on redox-sensitive trace metals in the Mauritanian oxygen minimum zone

The availability of the micronutrient iron (Fe) in surface waters determines primary production, N2 fixation, and microbial community structure in large parts of the world's ocean, and thus it plays an important role in ocean carbon and nitrogen cycles. Eastern boundary upwelling systems and the connected oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are typically associated with elevated concentrations of redox-sensitive trace metals (e.g., Fe, manganese (Mn), and cobalt (Co)), with shelf sediments typically forming a key source. Over the last 5 decades, an expansion and intensification of OMZs has been observed and this trend is likely to proceed. However, it is unclear how trace-metal (TM) distributions and transport are influenced by decreasing oxygen (O2) concentrations. Here we present dissolved (d; 0.2 µm) TM data collected at seven stations along a 50 km transect in the Mauritanian shelf region. We observed enhanced concentrations of Fe, Co, and Mn corresponding with low O2 concentrations (<50 µmol kg−1), which were decoupled from major nutrients and nutrient-like and scavenged TMs (cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu)). Additionally, data from repeated station occupations indicated a direct link between dissolved and leachable particulate Fe, Co, Mn, and O2. An observed dFe (dissolved iron) decrease from 10 to 5 nmol L−1 coincided with an O2 increase from 30 to 50 µmol kg−1 and with a concomitant decrease in turbidity. The changes in Fe (Co and Mn) were likely driven by variations in their release from sediment pore water, facilitated by lower O2 concentrations and longer residence time of the water mass on the shelf. Variations in organic matter remineralization and lithogenic inputs (atmospheric deposition or sediment resuspension; assessed using Al as indicator for lithogenic inputs) only played a minor role in redox-sensitive TM variability. Vertical dFe fluxes from O2-depleted subsurface-to-surface waters (0.08–13.5 µmol m−2 d−1) driven by turbulent mixing and vertical advection were an order of magnitude larger than atmospheric deposition fluxes (0.63–1.43 µmol m−2 d−1; estimated using dAl inventories in the surface mixed layer) in the continental slope and shelf region. Benthic fluxes are therefore the dominant dFe supply to surface waters on the continental margins of the Mauritanian upwelling region. Overall, our results indicated that the projected future decrease in O2 concentrations in OMZs may result in increases in Fe, Mn, and Co concentrations

Early subtropical forest growth is driven by community mean trait values and functional diversity rather than the abiotic environment

While functional diversity (FD) has been shown to be positively related to a number of ecosystem functions including biomass production, it may have a much less pronounced effect than that of environmental factors or species specific properties. Leaf and wood traits can be considered particularly relevant to tree growth, as they reflect a trade-off between resources invested into growth and persistence. Our study focussed on the degree to which early forest growth was driven by FD, the environment (11 variables characterizing abiotic habitat conditions), and community-weighted mean (CWM) values of species traits in the context of a large-scale tree diversity experiment (BEF-China). Growth rates of trees with respect to crown diameter were aggregated across 231 plots (hosting between one and 23 tree species) and related to environmental variables, FD, and CWM, the latter two of which were based on 41 plant functional traits. The effects of each of the three predictor groups were analyzed separately by mixed model optimization and jointly by variance partitioning. Numerous single traits predicted plot-level tree growth, both in the models based on CWMs and FD, but none of the environmental variables was able to predict tree growth. In the best models, environment and FD explained only 4 and 31% of variation in crown growth rates, respectively, while CWM trait values explained 42%. In total, the best models accounted for 51% of crown growth. The marginal role of the selected environmental variables was unexpected, given the high topographic heterogeneity and large size of the experiment, as was the significant impact of FD, demonstrating that positive diversity effects already occur during the early stages in tree plantations

Cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) and constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) polymorphisms are associated with early discontinuation of efavirenz-containing regimens

Objectives Cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) is responsible for the metabolic clearance of efavirenz and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CYP2B6 gene are associated with efavirenz pharmacokinetics. Since the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and the pregnane X receptor (PXR) correlate with CYP2B6 in liver, and a CAR polymorphism (rs2307424) and smoking correlate with efavirenz plasma concentrations, we investigated their association with early (<3 months) discontinuation of efavirenz therapy. Methods Three hundred and seventy-three patients initiating therapy with an efavirenz-based regimen were included (278 white patients and 95 black patients; 293 male). DNA was extracted from whole blood and genotyping for CYP2B6 (516G → T, rs3745274), CAR (540C → T, rs2307424) and PXR (44477T → C, rs1523130; 63396C → T, rs2472677; and 69789A → G, rs763645) was conducted. Binary logistic regression using the backwards method was employed to assess the influence of SNPs and demographics on early discontinuation. Results Of the 373 patients, 131 withdrew from therapy within the first 3 months. Black ethnicity [odds ratio (OR) = 0.27; P = 0.0001], CYP2B6 516TT (OR = 2.81; P = 0.006), CAR rs2307424 CC (OR = 1.92; P = 0.007) and smoking status (OR = 0.45; P = 0.002) were associated with discontinuation within 3 months. Conclusions These data indicate that genetic variability in CYP2B6 and CAR contributes to early treatment discontinuation for efavirenz-based antiretroviral regimens. Further studies are now required to define the clinical utility of these association