Spring-summer temperatures reconstructed for northern Switzerland and southwestern Germany from winter rye harvest dates, 1454–1970

This paper presents a unique 517-yr long documentary data-based reconstruction of spring-summer (MAMJJ) temperatures for northern Switzerland and southwestern Germany from 1454 to 1970. It is composed of 25 partial series of winter grain (secale cereale) harvest starting dates (WGHD) that are partly based on harvest related bookkeeping of institutions (hospitals, municipalities), partly on (early) phenological observations. The resulting main Basel WGHD series was homogenised with regard to dating style, data type and altitude. The calibration and verification approach was applied using the homogenous HISTALP temperature series from 1774–1824 for calibration (r = 0.78) and from 1920–1970 for verification (r = 0.75). The latter result even suffers from the weak data base available for 1870– 1950. Temperature reconstructions based on WGHD are more influenced by spring temperatures than those based on grape harvest dates (GHD), because rye in contrast to vines already begins to grow as soon as sunlight brings the plant to above freezing. The earliest and latest harvest dates were checked for consistency with narrative documentary weather reports. Comparisons with other European documentarybased GHD and WGHD temperature reconstructions generally reveal significant correlations decreasing with the distance from Switzerland. The new Basel WGHD series shows better skills in representing highly climate change sensitive variations of Swiss Alpine glaciers than available GHD series.

DARC shuttles inflammatory chemokines across the blood-brain barrier during autoimmune central nervous system inflammation

The Duffy antigen/receptor for chemokines, DARC, belongs to the family of atypical heptahelical chemokine receptors that do not couple to G proteins and therefore fail to transmit conventional intracellular signals. Here we show that during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis, the expression of DARC is upregulated at the blood-brain barrier. These findings are corroborated by the presence of a significantly increased number of subcortical white matter microvessels staining positive for DARC in human multiple sclerosis brains as compared to control tissue. Using an in vitro blood-brain barrier model we demonstrated that endothelial DARC mediates the abluminal to luminal transport of inflammatory chemokines across the blood-brain barrier. An involvement of DARC in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis pathogenesis was confirmed by the observed ameliorated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in Darc(-/-) C57BL/6 and SJL mice, as compared to wild-type control littermates. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis studies in bone marrow chimeric Darc(-/-) and wild-type mice revealed that increased plasma levels of inflammatory chemokines in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis depended on the presence of erythrocyte DARC. However, fully developed experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis required the expression of endothelial DARC. Taken together, our data show a role for erythrocyte DARC as a chemokine reservoir and that endothelial DARC contributes to the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by shuttling chemokines across the blood-brain barrier.

Inc. fol. 101 Bd. 1 (Ausst. 120) - Genesis - Psalmi

Vorbesitzer: Leonhardstift Frankfurt am Main;

Inc. fol. 101 Bd. 2 (Ausst. 120) - Proverbia - Apocalypsis

Vorbesitzer: Leonhardstift Frankfurt am Main;

Probing the effect of minor groove interactions on the catalytic efficiency of DNAzymes 8–17 and 10–23

DNAzymes (Dz) 8–17 and 10–23 are two widely studied and well-characterized RNA-cleaving DNA catalysts. In an effort to further improve the understanding of the fragile interactions and dynamics of the enzymatic mechanism, this study examines the catalytic efficiency of minimally modified DNAzymes. Five single mutants of Dz8–17 and Dz10–23 were prepared by replacing the adenine residues in the corresponding catalytic cores with 3-deazaadenine units. Kinetic assays were used to assess the effect on the catalytic activity and thereby identify the importance of hydrogen bonding that arises from the N3 atoms. The results suggest that modifications at A15 and A15.0 of Dz8–17 have a significant influence and show a reduction in catalytic activity. Modification at each location in Dz10–23 results in a decrease of the observed rate constants, with A12 appearing to be the most affected with a reduction of ∼80% of kobs and ∼25% of the maximal cleavage rate compared to the wild-type DNAzyme. On the other hand, modification of A12 in Dz8–17 showed an ∼130% increase in kobs, thus unraveling a new potential site for the introduction of chemical modifications. A pH-profile analysis showed that the chemical cleavage step is rate-determining, regardless of the presence and/or location of the mutation. These findings point towards the importance of the N3-nitrogens of certain adenine nucleotides located within the catalytic cores of the DNAzymes for efficient catalytic activity and further suggest that they might directly partake in maintaining the appropriate tertiary structure. Therefore, it appears that minor groove interactions constitute an important feature of DNAzymes as well as ribozymes.

Ms. Praed. 74 - Sermones et tractatus de beata Maria virgine

Vorbesitzer: Dominikanerkloster Frankfurt am Main

Ms. Praed. 138 - Theologische Sammelhandschrift

Vorbesitzer: Dominikanerkloster Frankfurt am Main;

Horizontal profiles of longwave and shortwave radiation components over sea ice near Barrow, Alaska during the 2011 melt

An integrated instrument package for measuring and understanding the surface radiation budget of sea ice is presented, along with results from its first deployment. The setup simultaneously measures broadband fluxes of upwelling and downwelling terrestrial and solar radiation (four components separately), spectral fluxes of incident and reflected solar radiation, and supporting data such as air temperature and humidity, surface temperature, and location (GPS), in addition to photographing the sky and observed surface during each measurement. The instruments are mounted on a small sled, allowing measurements of the radiation budget to be made at many locations in the study area to see the effect of small-scale surface processes on the large-scale radiation budget. Such observations have many applications, from calibration and validation of remote sensing products to improving our understanding of surface processes that affect atmosphere-snow-ice interactions and drive feedbacks, ultimately leading to the potential to improve climate modelling of ice-covered regions of the ocean. The photographs, spectral data, and other observations allow for improved analysis of the broadband data. An example of this is shown by using the observations made during a partly cloudy day, which show erratic variations due to passing clouds, and creating a careful estimate of what the radiation budget along the observed line would have been under uniform sky conditions, clear or overcast. Other data from the setup's first deployment, in June 2011 on fast ice near Point Barrow, Alaska, are also shown; these illustrate the rapid changes of the radiation budget during a cold period that led to refreezing and new snow well into the melt season.

La construcción de la identidad masculina en grupos de hombres de sectores populares

Se propone un trabajo de investigación que tiene como objetivo identificar los efectos en la salud física y emocional en hombres pertenecientes a sectores populares, que se desempeñan como trabajadores de la construcción. Este trabajo tiene un antecedente, una experiencia de investigación en la que se analizó la vinculación entre las emociones y la masculinidad ante el evento del desempleo. En relación a los estudios sobre masculinidad, éstos generalmente han encontrado que el trabajo se constituye en el eje más importante de la identidad masculina; los hallazgos evidencian que a través del trabajo el hombre adquiere sentido para sí mismo y para los otros, a través de éste puede desempeñarse como padre, esposo y proveedor. De la misma manera la presencia o ausencia de empleo produce en los hombres una variedad de emociones. Las emociones que principalmente se han asociado a la falta de trabajo son la ansiedad, la tristeza y la vergüenza, en un patrón que tiende hacia el ocultamiento de la emocionalidad. Por otra parte, y en relación a la salud, las prácticas de auto-cuidado que los hombres realizan son pobres y éstos más bien tienden a realizar conductas riesgosas siguiendo un modelo prevalente de masculinidadtradicional que prescribe que los hombres son fuertes, no vulnerables o débiles, por esta razones una pregunta de investigación que se plantea es ¿Cómo es representada, experimentada la vulnerabilidad en este grupo de hombres, trabajadores de la construcción? Vulnerabilidad que se presenta en la falta de un empleo permanente y también en el aspecto de la salud. En estudios de esta naturaleza el contexto socio-económico es importante y habrá que remitirse a él en algún momento, y en este sentido es importanteobservar que el panorama económico actual ofrece inestabilidad e incertidumbre laboral; vivir en una sociedad que a loshombres les demanda desempeñarse bajo esquemas tradicionales genéricos y que no ofrece las condiciones para hacerlo afecta la emocionalidad y la identidad de género masculina En relación al estudio que se propone, algunos de los objetivos específicos son: 1) Conocer los significados y construcciones sobre la masculinidad que prevalece en los sujetos; 2) Conocer las prácticas relacionadas con el cuidado y/o abandono de la salud en este grupo de hombre; 3) Identificar las emociones que con mayor frecuencia experimentan los hombres trabajadores de la construcción. La metodología que se utilizará será de tipo cualitativo, utilizando la técnica de la entrevista con una muestra de 30 sujetos. El marco teórico que se utilizará es un marco socio-psicológico: la teoría de género, la teoría cognitiva de las emociones de Lazarus y el enfoque constructivista de Berger y Luckmann (2003). Los resultados serán interpretados a la luz de la teoría y los resultados de trabajos de investigación similares. Es un estudio que inicia, que está en curso y que se terminará en junio de 2012