Rekonstruktion der eiszeitlichen Verbreitung und Artbildung vier alpiner Primeln durch Artenverbreitungsmodelle und Phylogeographie

Aim: Previous studies revealed that diversification events in the western clade of the alpine Primula sect. Auricula were concentrated in the Quaternary cold periods. This implies that allopatric speciation in isolated glacial refugia was the most common mode of speciation. In the first part of the present dissertation, this hypothesis is further investigated by locating refugial areas of two sister species, Primula marginata & P. latifolia during the last glacial maximum, 21,000 years ago. In the second part, the glacial and postglacial history of P. hirsuta and P. daonensis is investigated. Location: European Alps. Methods: Glacial refugia were located using species distribution models, which are projected to last glacial maximum climate. These refugia are validated with geographic distribution patterns of intra-specific genetic diversity, rarity and variation. Results 1) Speciation: Glacial refugia of the sister taxa Primula marginata and P. latifolia were largely separated, only a small overlapping zone at the southern margin of the former glacier in the Maritime Alps exists. This overlapping zone is too small to indicate sympatric speciation. The largely separated glacial distribution of both species rather confirms our hypothesis of allopatric speciation in isolated glacial refugia. Results 2) Glacial and postglacial history: Surprizingly, the modelled potential refugia of three out of four Primula species are situated within the former ice-shield, except for P. marginata. This indicates that peripheral and central nunataks played an important role for the glacial survival in P. latifolia, P. hirsuta and P. daonensis, while peripheral refugia outside the maximum extend of the glacier were crucial in P. marginata. In P. hirsuta and P. latifolia SDMs allowed to exclude several hypothetical refugial areas that overlap with today’s distribution as potential refugia for the species. In P. marginata, hypothetical refugial areas at the periphery of the former ice-shield that overlap with today’s distribution were confirmed by the models. The results from the SDMs are confirmed by population genetic patterns in three out of four species. P. daonensis represents an exception, where population genetic data contradict the SDMs. Main conclusions: Species distribution models provide species specific scenarios of glacial distribution and postglacial re-colonization, which can be validated using population genetic analyses. This combined approach is useful and helps to understand the complex processes that have lead to the genetic and floristic patterns of biodiversity that is found today in the Alps.

The Pursuit of Tangible Happiness: Religion and Politics in a Japanese New, New Religion

The decline of traditional religions in Japan in the past century, and especially since the end of World War Two, has led to an explosion of so-called “new religions” (shin shūkyō 新宗教), many of which have made forays into the political realm. The best known—and most controversial—example of a “political” new religion is Sōka Gakkai 創価学会, a lay Buddhist movement originally associated with the Nichiren sect that in the 1960s gave birth to a new political party, Komeitō 公明党 (lit., Clean Government Party), which in the past several decades has emerged as the third most popular party in Japan (as New Komeitō). Since the 1980s, Japan has also seen the emergence of so-called “new, new religions” (shin shin shūkyō 新新宗教), which tend to be more technologically savvy and less socially concerned (and, in the eyes of critics, more akin to “cults” than the earlier new religions). One new, new religion known as Kōfuku-no-Kagaku 幸福の科学 (lit., Institute for Research in Human Happiness or simply Happy Science), founded in 1986 by Ōkawa Ryūho 大川隆法, has very recently developed its own political party, Kōfuku Jitsugentō 幸福実現党 (The Realization of Happiness Party). This article will analyse the political ideals of Kōfuku Jitsugentō in relation to its religious teachings, in an attempt to situate the movement within the broader tradition of religio-political syncretism in Japan. In particular, it will examine the recent “manifesto” of Kōfuku Jitsugentō in relation to those of New Komeitō and “secular” political parties such as the Liberal Democratic Party (Jimintō 自民党) and the Democratic Party (Minshutō 民主党).

Osseointegration of hollow cylinder based spinal implants in normal and osteoporotic vertebrae: a sheep study

INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is not only responsible for an increased number of metaphyseal and spinal fractures but it also complicates their treatment. To prevent the initial loosening, we developed a new implant with an enlarged implant/bone interface based on the concept of perforated, hollow cylinders. We evaluated whether osseointegration of a hollow cylinder based implant takes place in normal or osteoporotic bone of sheep under functional loading conditions during anterior stabilization of the lumbar spine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Osseointegration of the cylinders and status of the fused segments (ventral corpectomy, replacement with iliac strut, and fixation with testing implant) were investigated in six osteoporotic (age 6.9 +/- 0.8 years, mean body weight 61.1 +/- 5.2 kg) and seven control sheep (age 6.1 +/- 0.2 years, mean body weight 64.9 +/- 5.7 kg). Osteoporosis was introduced using a combination protocol of ovariectomy, high-dose prednisone, calcium and phosphor reduced diet and movement restriction. Osseointegration was quantified using fluorescence and conventional histology; fusion status was determined using biomechanical testing of the stabilized segment in a six-degree-of-freedom loading device as well as with radiological and histological staging. RESULTS: Intact bone trabeculae were found in 70% of all perforations without differences between the two groups (P = 0.26). Inside the cylinders, bone volume/total volume was significantly higher than in the control vertebra (50 +/- 16 vs. 28 +/- 13%) of the same animal (P<0.01), but significantly less (P<0.01) than in the near surrounding (60 +/- 21%). After biomechanical testing as described in Sect. "Materials and methods", seven spines (three healthy and four osteoporotic) were classified as completely fused and six (four healthy and two osteoporotic) as not fused after a 4-month observation time. All endplates were bridged with intact trabeculae in the histological slices. CONCLUSIONS: The high number of perforations, filled with intact trabeculae, indicates an adequate fixation; bridging trabeculae between adjacent endplates and tricortical iliac struts in all vertebrae indicates that the anchorage is adequate to promote fusion in this animal model, even in the osteoporotic sheep.

Dual energy versus single energy MDCT: measurement of radiation dose using adult abdominal imaging protocols

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to measure the radiation dose of dual-energy and single-energy multidetector computed tomographic (CT) imaging using adult liver, renal, and aortic imaging protocols. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dual-energy CT (DECT) imaging was performed on a conventional 64-detector CT scanner using a software upgrade (Volume Dual Energy) at tube voltages of 140 and 80 kVp (with tube currents of 385 and 675 mA, respectively), with a 0.8-second gantry revolution time in axial mode. Parameters for single-energy CT (SECT) imaging were a tube voltage of 140 kVp, a tube current of 385 mA, a 0.5-second gantry revolution time, helical mode, and pitch of 1.375:1. The volume CT dose index (CTDI(vol)) value displayed on the console for each scan was recorded. Organ doses were measured using metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor technology. Effective dose was calculated as the sum of 20 organ doses multiplied by a weighting factor found in International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 60. Radiation dose saving with virtual noncontrast imaging reconstruction was also determined. RESULTS: The CTDI(vol) values were 49.4 mGy for DECT imaging and 16.2 mGy for SECT imaging. Effective dose ranged from 22.5 to 36.4 mSv for DECT imaging and from 9.4 to 13.8 mSv for SECT imaging. Virtual noncontrast imaging reconstruction reduced the total effective dose of multiphase DECT imaging by 19% to 28%. CONCLUSION: Using the current Volume Dual Energy software, radiation doses with DECT imaging were higher than those with SECT imaging. Substantial radiation dose savings are possible with DECT imaging if virtual noncontrast imaging reconstruction replaces precontrast imaging.

Monoenergetic computed tomography reconstructions reduce beam hardening artifacts from dental restorations

The aim of this study was to assess the potential of monoenergetic computed tomography (CT) images to reduce beam hardening artifacts in comparison to standard CT images of dental restoration on dental post-mortem CT (PMCT). Thirty human decedents (15 male, 58 ± 22 years) with dental restorations were examined using standard single-energy CT (SECT) and dual-energy CT (DECT). DECT data were used to generate monoenergetic CT images, reflecting the X-ray attenuation at energy levels of 64, 69, 88 keV, and at an individually adjusted optimal energy level called OPTkeV. Artifact reduction and image quality of SECT and monoenergetic CT were assessed objectively and subjectively by two blinded readers. Subjectively, beam artifacts decreased visibly in 28/30 cases after monoenergetic CT reconstruction. Inter- and intra-reader agreement was good (k = 0.72, and k = 0.73 respectively). Beam hardening artifacts decreased significantly with increasing monoenergies (repeated-measures ANOVA p < 0.001). Artifact reduction was greatest on monoenergetic CT images at OPTkeV. Mean OPTkeV was 108 ± 17 keV. OPTkeV yielded the lowest difference between CT numbers of streak artifacts and reference tissues (-163 HU). Monoenergetic CT reconstructions significantly reduce beam hardening artifacts from dental restorations and improve image quality of post-mortem dental CT.

Added value of dual-energy computed tomography versus single-energy computed tomography in assessing ferromagnetic properties of ballistic projectiles: implications for magnetic resonance imaging of gunshot victims.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the discriminative power of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) versus single-energy CT (SECT) to distinguish between ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic ballistic projectiles to improve safety regarding magnetic resonance (MR) imaging studies in patients with retained projectiles. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-seven ballistic projectiles including 25 bullets (diameter, 3-15 mm) and 2 shotgun pellets (2 mm each) were examined in an anthropomorphic chest phantom using 128-section dual-source CT. Data acquisition was performed with tube voltages set at 80, 100, 120, and 140 kV(p). Two readers independently assessed CT numbers of the projectile's core on images reconstructed with an extended CT scale. Dual-energy indices (DEIs) were calculated from both 80-/140-kV(p) and 100-/140-kV(p) pairs; receiver operating characteristics curves were fitted to assess ferromagnetic properties by means of CT numbers and DEI. RESULTS Nine (33%) of the projectiles were ferromagnetic; 18 were nonferromagnetic (67%). Interreader and intrareader correlations of CT number measurements were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficients, >0.906; P<0.001). The DEI calculated from both 80/140 and 100/140 kV(p) were significantly (P<0.05) different between the ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic projectiles. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.75 and 0.8 for the tube voltage pairs of 80/140 and 100/140 kV(p) (P<0.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.94 and 0.62-0.97, respectively) to differentiate between the ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic ballistic projectiles; which increased to 0.83 and 0.85 when shotgun pellets were excluded from the analysis. The AUC for SECT was 0.69 and 0.73 (80 and 100 kV[p], respectively). CONCLUSIONS Measurements of DECT combined with an extended CT scale allow for the discrimination of projectiles with non-ferromagnetic from those with ferromagnetic properties in an anthropomorphic chest phantom with a higher AUC compared with SECT. This study indicates that DECT may have the potential to contribute to MR safety and allow for MR imaging of patients with retained projectiles. However, further studies are necessary before this concept may be used to triage clinical patients before MR.

A Review of General Physical and Chemical Processes Related to Plasma Sources and Losses for Solar System Magnetospheres

The aim of this paper is to provide a review of general processes related to plasma sources, their transport, energization, and losses in the planetary magnetospheres. We provide background information as well as the most up-to-date knowledge of the comparative studies of planetary magnetospheres, with a focus on the plasma supply to each region of the magnetospheres. This review also includes the basic equations and modeling methods commonly used to simulate the plasma sources of the planetary magnetospheres. In this paper, we will describe basic and common processes related to plasma supply to each region of the planetary magnetospheres in our solar system. First, we will describe source processes in Sect. 1. Then the transport and energization processes to supply those source plasmas to various regions of the magnetosphere are described in Sect. 2. Loss processes are also important to understand the plasma population in the magnetosphere and Sect. 3 is dedicated to the explanation of the loss processes. In Sect. 4, we also briefly summarize the basic equations and modeling methods with a focus on plasma supply processes for planetary magnetospheres.

Productivity and Market Integration in American Communal Dairying, 1830-1875

In our late twentieth century experience, survival of an economy seems critically dependent on well established rights to private property and a return to labor that rewards greater effort. But that need not be so. History provides examples of micro-socialist economies that internally, at least, allow for little private property for participants and a constant return to labor that is independent of effort. Some such economies may even be termed 'successful,' if success is taken to mean survival over several generations. If these communities survived without conditions that are generally thought to be necessary for success, a question worth asking is how this occurred, for we can then shed some light on what really is necessary for economic survival. Addressing this issue emphasizes the critical role of time, for even if the microsocialist economies that we study here eventually became the merest shadow of their former selves, the fact that they did flourish for so long makes them a valuable counterexample, and hence, a phenomenon in need of explanation. We consider here the dairy industry of the Shakers, which was characterized by intensive efforts to increase productivity, in part through the use of market signals, but efforts that were also limited by the ideological goals of the community. The Shakers were (and are, but since it is the historical Shakers that concern this paper, the past tense will be used) a Christian communal group. Some of their distinctive beliefs included the existence of a male and female Godhead, from which followed sexual equality, and active communication between Believers (a Shaker term for members of the sect) and denizens of the spirit world. Practices of the Society (their official name is the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, the second appearing being in the body of their foundress, an illiterate Englishwoman named Ann Lee) included pacifism, celibacy, confession of sins to elders, and joint or communal ownership of the Society's assets. Each Shaker received the same return for his or her labor: room, board, clothing, and the experience of divine proximity in a community of like minded Believers (Stein 1992).

Pollen records and age determinations from 2 profiles at Lake Nikolay, Lena Delta

Radiocarbon-dated pollen, rhizopod, chironomid and total organic carbon (TOC) records from Nikolay Lake (73°20'N, 124°12'E) and a pollen record from a nearby peat sequence are used for a detailed environmental reconstruction of the Holocene in the Lena Delta area. Shrubby Alnus fruticosa and Betula exilis tundra existed during 10,300-4800 cal. yr BP and gradually disappeared after that time. Climate reconstructions based on the pollen and chironomid records suggest that the climate during ca. 10,300-9200 cal. yr BP was up to 2-3 °C warmer than the present day. Pollen-based reconstructions show that the climate was relatively warm during 9200-6000 cal. yr BP and rather unstable between ca. 5800-3700 cal. yr BP. Both the qualitative interpretation of pollen data and the results of quantitative reconstruction indicate that climate and vegetation became similar to modern-day conditions after ca. 3600 cal. yr BP. The chironomid-based temperature reconstruction suggests a relatively warm period between ca. 2300 and 1400 cal. yr BP, which corresponds to the slightly warmer climate conditions reconstructed from the pollen. Modern chironomid and rhizopod assemblages were established after ca. 1400 cal. yr BP.

Pollen and macroremains from sediment core Aschenhütte

The Upper Pleistocene sediments of the Aschenhütte sink-hole (west of Herzberg am Harz, Lower Saxony) enable one to make interesting correlations between palynological and geological results. The sequence is composed of limnic-telmatic deposits (Eemain to Lower Weichselian) and loess with paleosoils (Weichselian). Sedimentation started during the hornbeam-dominated phase of the Eemian interglacial period and continued throughout the Eemian, the Weichselian Brörup interstadial (sensu Andersen) and parts of the preceding and the following stadial phases, the Herning and the Rederstall stadials. As opposed to most of the known Eemian sites spruce was a major tree species during the hornbeam-dominated phase of the Eemian. The vegetational development during the interstadial phase does not show a period of climatic deterioration as is the case for the Brörup interstadial when considering regions with a more demanding vegetation or regions close to the natural boundaries of the tree species concerned. Pollen or seeds of Bruckenthalia and Picea omoricoides have not been found in the Aschenhütte cores. The limnic-telmatic sediments interlock with loess-paleosoils (Eemian soil and Lower Weichselian bleaching soils) at the lake shore. They are overlaid by loess paleosoils of the Stillfried-B interstadial (Hattorf soil and Lohne soil). Lake level fluctuations were determined by means of the facies distribution and isochrones as defined by pollen analysis. A relatively high stand of the lake level existed after the end of the Eemian interglacial and during the Brörup interstadial periods. In the course of the Herning stadial period the water level dropped, whereas during the Rederstall stadial phase the lake basin was covered by sediments and therefore dried up.

Paleomagnetic of the Cobb Mountin event sections

Detailed paleomagnetic investigations are reported for 283 specimens, sampled from three closely spaced Ocean Drilling Program Leg 135 cores from the Lau Basin. These specimens cover three rather similar records of the reversed Cobb Mountain short polarity event, having an age of about 1.12 m.y. On the basis of a very detailed subsampling every 0.6 cm, we found that the transition times for the Cobb Mountain geomagnetic polarity event, as seen in the three Lau Basin sediment records, appear to have been as short as 0.6-1.0 k.y., although the duration of the normal-polarity event itself lasted only about 17 ± 4 k.y. The older (R to N) transition as well as the younger (N to R) transition show virtual geomagnetic paths roughly along the Americas, but shifted some 30° ± 10° to the east. These paths conflict with Cobb Mountain transition paths recorded in sediments from the Labrador Sea and the North Atlantic, but they are in fair accordance with sediment records from the Celebes and Sulu seas when corrected for differences in site longitude, suggesting that the transitional fields are dominated by nonaxial, high-order spherical harmonics.