Biogeochemistry of a deep-sea whale fall: sulfate reduction, sulfide efflux and methanogenesis

Deep-sea whale falls create sulfidic habits Supporting chemoautotrophic communities, but microbial processes underlying the formation Of Such habitats remain poorly evaluated. Microbial degradation processes (sulfate reduction, methanogenesis) and biogeochemical gradients were studied in a whale-fall habitat created by a 30 t whale carcass deployed at 1675 m depth for 6 to 7 yr on the California margin. A variety of measurements were conducted including photomosaicking, microsensor measurements, radio-tracer incubations and geochemical analyses. Sediments were Studied at different distances (0 to 9 in) from the whale fall. Highest microbial activities and steepest vertical geochemical gradients were found within 0.5 m of the whale fall, revealing ex situ sulfate reduction and in vitro methanogenesis rates of up to 717 and 99 mmol m(-2) d(-1), respectively. In sediments containing whale biomass, methanogenesis was equivalent to 20 to 30%, of sulfate reduction. During in vitro sediment studies, sulfide and methane were produced within days to weeks after addition of whale biomass, indicating that chemosynthesis is promoted at early stages of the whale fall. Total sulfide production from sediments within 0.5 m of the whale fall was 2.1 +/- 3 and 1.5 +/- 2.1 mol d(-1) in Years 6 and 7, respectively, of which similar to 200 mmol d(-1) were available as free sulfide. Sulfate reduction in bones was much lower, accounting for a total availability of similar to 10 mmol sulfide d(-1). Over periods of at least 7 yr, whale falls can create sulfidic conditions similar to other chemosynthetic habitats Such as cold seeps and hydrothermal vents.

Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Female Moths Respond to Herbivore-Induced Corn Volatiles

In response to herbivore attack, plants release herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) that represent important chemical cues for herbivore natural enemies. Additionally, HIPVs have been shown to mediate other ecological interactions with herbivores. Differently from natural enemies that are generally attracted to HIPVs, herbivores can be either attracted or repelled depending on several biological and ecological parameters. Our study aimed to assess the olfactory response of fall armyworm-mated female moths toward odors released by mechanically and herbivore-induced corn at different time intervals. Results showed that female moths strongly respond to corn volatiles, although fresh damaged corn odors (0-1 h) are not recognized by moths. Moreover, females preferred volatiles released by undamaged plant over herbivore-induced plants at 5-6 h. This preference for undamaged plants may reflect an adaptive strategy of moths to avoid competitors and natural enemies for their offspring. We discussed our results based on knowledge about corn volatile release pattern and raise possible explanations for fall armyworm moth behavior.

Diurnal and nocturnal herbivore induction on maize elicit different innate response of the fall armyworm parasitoid, Campoletis flavicincta

Herbivore-attacked plants produce specific volatile substances that represent important cues for host finding by natural enemies. The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a voracious herbivore and usually feed on maize in all periods of the day. Given that plant needs light to synthesize de novo herbivore-induced volatiles, volatile blend may be changed depending on time of the day the plant is induced, what could interfere in natural enemy foraging. In this sense, the current study aimed to investigate differential attractiveness of maize elicited by fall armyworm regurgitant under light and dark conditions to its specialist larval parasitoid Campoletis flavicincta (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). All bioassays were conducted in Y-tube olfactometer to assess parasitoid response to odors from undamaged maize, mechanical damage, and regurgitant-treated plants at 0-1, 5-6, and 24-25 h after induction. The results showed that na < ve wasps were attracted to volatiles emitted by nocturnal regurgitant-treated maize at 5-6 h, but not to odors from diurnal regurgitant-treated plants. The differential attractiveness is likely due to blend composition as nocturnal regurgitant-treated plants emit aromatic compounds and the homoterpene (3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene in larger amounts than diurnal-treated plants.

Movement of Heterorhabditis amazonensis and Steinernema arenarium in search of corn fall armyworm larvae in artificial conditions

Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is considered to be the main pest of maize crops in Brazil. Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) may be used to control this pest and exhibit different, unique abilities to search for their hosts. The movement of EPN in relation to S. frugiperda was evaluated. To test for horizontal movement, a styrofoam enclosure filled with sand was divided into segments, nematodes were placed at the entrance to the enclosure and a larva was placed at the end of each division. The same approach was used to evaluate vertical movement; however, PVC pipes were used in this case. In general, the mortality was inversely proportional to the initial distance between host and nematodes. In the vertical displacement test, both nematodes were able to kill the larvae up to a distance of 25 cm. Therefore, the infective juveniles of H. amazonensis and S. arenarium can search out, infect and kill larvae of S. frugiperda at distances of up to 60 cm and 25 cm of horizontal and vertical displacement, respectively.

”Ge det en chans i alla fall” - Växelvis boende ur ett barnperspektiv

Samhället har utvecklats från kärnfamiljer till mer heterogent sammansatta familjer som en påverkan av de samhällsförändringar som skett under senare år. Då föräldrar likställs i vårdnadsfrågor har ett växelvis boende blivit allt mer vanligt förekommande. Syftet med vår uppsats har varit att undersöka hur barn till separerade föräldrar ser på ett växelvis boende. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av fem kvalitativa intervjuer. Centrala aspekter av problemområdet har sedan sammanställts i temaområden. Dessa har tolkats genom systemteori, Aaron Antonovskys salutogena perspektiv, KASAM samt ur ett socialt nätverksperspektiv. Problemområdet har även jämförts med tidigare forskning för att finna likheter respektive olikheter samt nya frågeställningar. Resultatet har visat att ett växelvis boende befrämjar kontakten mellan barn och föräldrar. Förutsättningarna för ett växelvis boende har enligt ungdomarna varit, närhet mellan föräldrarna, ett gott samarbete dem emellan, samt ett eget rum. Ett växelvis boende kan vara en god medelväg för barn, i jämförelse med att förlora vardagskontakten med den ene föräldern.

Aufstieg und Fall eines Gebirges - Konvektionsmodelle zur variscischen Orogenese

Zusammenfassung der Dissertation von Gerd Jochen ArnoldThema: Aufstieg und Fall eines Gebirges - Konvektionsmodelle zur variscischen Orogenese Diese Arbeit befaßt sich mit der Entwicklung der variscischen Gebirgswurzel. Numerische Modellierung wurden mit dem Finite-Differenzen-Programm FDCON durchgeführt. Dieses berechnet auf einem Gitter die Entwicklung von Konvektion unter Berücksichtigung von Massen-, Impuls- und Energieerhaltung. Der Modellansatz eignet sich für die Untersuchung der Orogenese unter Miteinbeziehung der thermo-mechanischen Wechselwirkung von Kruste und Mantel. Kapitel 1 beschreibt wesentliche Aspekte der variscischen Gebirgsbildung. Die tektonostratigraphische Gliederung erlaubt Rückschlüsse auf das plattentektonische Szenarium während der Gebirgsbildung. Die Kollision involvierte einige Terranes, die sukzessive an Laurasia angebaut wurden und die finale Konvergenz von Gondwana mit den konsolidierten Einheiten. Diese bewirkte den maximalen Aufbau der Varisciden, der durch Hochdruck-Gesteine dokumentiert ist. Diese wurden kurz nach maximaler Krustenverdickung innerhalb weniger Millionen Jahre in geringe Tiefen angehoben. Darauf folgte eine Aufheizung der Kruste, die durch Granite dokumentiert ist. Eine zentrale Frage der Variscidenforschung ist die Ursache für die erhöhten Temperaturen in der späten orogenen Phase. Geringe und gleichförmige Krustenmächtigkeiten unter den heutigen europäischen Varisciden legen die Vermutung nahe, daß sich Teile der Mantelwurzel des Gebirges abgelöst und abgesunken sind.Kapitel 2 beschreibt physikalische Aspekte von gebirgsbildenden Prozessen, insbesondere den thermischen Zustand kontinentaler Lithosphäre und die Folgen von Krustenkonvergenz. Der Einfluß von kompositioneller Schichtung und extrinsischen Parametern auf die Rheologie und das Wechselspiel zwischen auf- und abwärts gerichteten Kräften in verschiedenen orogenen Szenarien werden diskutiert.Kapitel 3 stellt die Modelle zur variscischen Gebirgsbildung vor. Ausgehend von Kontinent-Kontinent-Kollision werden Konsequenzen von rheologischer Schichtung und tiefreichenden Schwächezonen auf das Deformationsverhalten der Kruste untersucht. Außerdem wird ein Modell zum Abriß von Mantellithosphäre während Kollision vorgestellt. Abschließend werden die thermischen Konsequenzen von Subduktion junger ozeanischer Lithosphäre diskutiert.Kapitel 4 versucht eine Synthese der Kollisionsmodelle mit Modellen zur spätorogenen variscischen Entwicklung. Die mechanischen Eigenschaften der Delaminationsmodelle sollten während der Aufbauphase des Orogens angelegt worden sein. Außerdem wird eine Fallstudie vorgestellt, bei der die Modellparameter auf die Entwicklungsgeschichte erzgebirgischer Einheiten angepaßt worden sind. Schließlich werden Modelle zur thermischen Entwicklung nach Aufstieg von Asthenosphäre an die Krustenwurzel diskutiert. Die vulkanische Aktivität während der spätorogenen variscischen Phase kann plausibel erklärt werden.Kapitel 5 faßt die Ergebnisse zusammen und interpretiert diese bezüglich des plattentektonischen Szenariums der variscischen Orogenese. Durch die sukzessive Anlegung der Suturzonen während der Konsolidierung der Terranes sind die für Delamination nötigen Schwächezonen sukzessive ins variscische Orogen eingebaut worden.

Die Rechtsbehelfe des Käufers nach deutschem Kaufrecht und nach UN-Kaufrecht im Fall der Lieferung mangelhafter Ware

Zum 1. Januar 2002 trat das Schuldrechtsmodernisierungsgesetz in Kraft, mit dem der Gesetzgeber nicht nur drei EU-Richtlinien in deutsches Recht umsetzen, sondern zugleich das Schuldrecht in wesentlichen Teilen modernisieren wollte. Unter Modernisierung verstand der Gesetzgeber unter anderem die Anpassung der Regelungen an neuere, internationale Regelwerke. Als Vorbild diente dem BGB-Gesetzgeber ausdrücklich auch das Wiener Übereinkommen über Verträge über den internationalen Warenkauf vom 11.4.1980 (das sogenannte „UN-Kaufrecht“ oder auch „CISG“). In der Arbeit wird überprüft, inwieweit der Gesetzgeber dem UN-Kaufrecht gefolgt ist und an welchen Stellen weiterhin Unterschiede bestehen. Dazu wird zunächst festgestellt, wann jeweils ein Mangel gegeben ist, zu welchem Zeitpunkt ein solcher vorliegen muss und ab welchem Zeitpunkt die besonderen kaufrechtlichen Regel der §§ 434 ff. BGB bzw. die Regeln, die im UN-Kaufrecht eine „Lieferung“ voraussetzen, anzuwenden sind. Anschließend folgt eine Übersicht über die Tatbestände, die generell alle Mängelrechte ausschließen (Kenntnis des Käufers, Verursachung durch den Käufer, Untersuchungs- und Rügefristen). Im Hauptteil der Arbeit werden die einzelnen Rechtsbehelfe, dies sind (Nach-)Erfüllung, Rücktritt bzw. Vertragsaufhebung, Minderung und Schadensersatz, mit ihren Voraussetzungen und Ausschlussgründen dargestellt und verglichen.

From fall-risk assessment to fall detection: inertial sensors in the clinical routine and daily life

Falls are caused by complex interaction between multiple risk factors which may be modified by age, disease and environment. A variety of methods and tools for fall risk assessment have been proposed, but none of which is universally accepted. Existing tools are generally not capable of providing a quantitative predictive assessment of fall risk. The need for objective, cost-effective and clinically applicable methods would enable quantitative assessment of fall risk on a subject-specific basis. Tracking objectively falls risk could provide timely feedback about the effectiveness of administered interventions enabling intervention strategies to be modified or changed if found to be ineffective. Moreover, some of the fundamental factors leading to falls and what actually happens during a fall remain unclear. Objectively documented and measured falls are needed to improve knowledge of fall in order to develop more effective prevention strategies and prolong independent living. In the last decade, several research groups have developed sensor-based automatic or semi-automatic fall risk assessment tools using wearable inertial sensors. This approach may also serve to detect falls. At the moment, i) several fall-risk assessment studies based on inertial sensors, even if promising, lack of a biomechanical model-based approach which could provide accurate and more detailed measurements of interests (e.g., joint moments, forces) and ii) the number of published real-world fall data of older people in a real-world environment is minimal since most authors have used simulations with healthy volunteers as a surrogate for real-world falls. With these limitations in mind, this thesis aims i) to suggest a novel method for the kinematics and dynamics evaluation of functional motor tasks, often used in clinics for the fall-risk evaluation, through a body sensor network and a biomechanical approach and ii) to define the guidelines for a fall detection algorithm based on a real-world fall database availability.

Methods for the Quantification of Motor Stability for the Assessment of Fall Risk

The research field of the Thesis is the evaluation of motor variability and the analysis of motor stability for the assessment of fall risk. Since many falls occur during walking, a better understanding of motor stability could lead to the definition of a reliable fall risk index aiming at measuring and assessing the risk of fall in the elderly, in the attempt to prevent traumatic events. Several motor variability and stability measures are proposed in the literature, but still a proper methodological characterization is lacking. Moreover, the relationship between many of these measures and fall history or fall risk is still unknown, or not completely clear. The aim of this thesis is hence to: i) analyze the influence of experimental implementation parameters on variability/stability measures and understand how variations in these parameters affect the outputs; ii) assess the relationship between variability/stability measures and long- short-term fall history. Several implementation issues have been addressed. Following the need for a methodological standardization of gait variability/stability measures, highlighted in particular for orbital stability analysis through a systematic review, general indications about implementation of orbital stability analysis have been showed, together with an analysis of the number of strides and the test-retest reliability of several variability/stability numbers. Indications about the influence of directional changes on measures have been provided. The association between measures and long/short-term fall history has also been assessed. Of all the analyzed variability/stability measures, Multiscale entropy and Recurrence quantification analysis demonstrated particularly good results in terms of reliability, applicability and association with fall history. Therefore, these measures should be taken in consideration for the definition of a fall risk index.

Genetic variability and differentiation in the Mediterranean endemic starry ray Raja asterias (Delaroche, 1809)

The present study deal with the population structure and connectivity of the Mediterranean endemic starry ray Raja asterias (Delaroche, 1809) in the Western and Eastern Mediterranean basin. A panel of eight microsatellite loci which cross-amplify in Rajidae (El Nagar, 2010) was used to assess population connectivity and structure. Those aims were investigated by analyzing the genetic variation of 9 population sample for a total of 185 individuals collected during past scientific surveys (MEDITS, GRUND), commercial trawling and also directly at fish markets. The purpose of this thesis is to estimate the genetic divergence occurring between the Mediterranean populations and, in particular, to assess the presence of any barrier (geographic, hydrogeological and biological) to gene flow for this species. Different statistical approaches were performed to reach this aim evaluating both the genetic diversity (nucleotide diversity, allelic richness, observed and expected heterozygosity and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test) and the population differentiation patterns (pairwise Fst estimated and population structure analysis). The results obtained from the analysis of the microsatellite dataset suggest a geographic and genetic separation between the starry ray populations of the Mediterranean basin into three or four distinct groups: Western and Eastern Mediterranean basins and Sicilian coast always clustering as an independent group and Algeria which could be or not considered another separate group. The data were discussed from both an evolutionary and a conservation point of view and in relation to previous results obtained by the analysis of mitochondrial marker. A comparison with other Mediterranean demersal skate species was performed in order to better contextualise our results. Finally, our results could offer useful information to protect vulnerable species as R. asterias and developing effective conservation plans in the Mediterranean.

Chemistry of aerosol particles and fog droplets during fall-winter season in the Po Valley

Air quality represents a key issue in the so-called pollution “hot spots”: environments in which anthropogenic sources are concentrated and dispersion of pollutants is limited. One of these environments, the Po Valley, normally experiences exceedances of PM10 and PM2.5 concentration limits, especially in winter when the ventilation of the lower layers of the atmosphere is reduced. This thesis provides a highlight of the chemical properties of particulate matter and fog droplets in the Po Valley during the cold season, when fog occurrence is very frequent. Fog-particles interactions were investigated with the aim to determine their impact on the regional air quality. Size-segregated aerosol samples were collected in Bologna, urban site, and San Pietro Capofiume (SPC), rural site, during two campaigns (November 2011; February 2013) in the frame of Supersito project. The comparison between particles size-distribution and chemical composition in both sites showed the relevant contribution of the regional background and secondary processes in determining the Po Valley aerosol concentration. Occurrence of fog in November 2011 campaign in SPC allowed to investigate the role of fog formation and fog chemistry in the formation, processing and deposition of PM10. Nucleation scavenging was investigated with relation to the size and the chemical composition of particles. We found that PM1 concentration is reduced up to 60% because of fog scavenging. Furthermore, aqueous-phase secondary aerosol formation mechanisms were investigated through time-resolved measurements. In SPC fog samples have been systematically collected and analysed since the nineties; a 20 years long database has been assembled. This thesis reports for the first time the results of this long time series of measurements, showing a decrease of sulphate and nitrate concentration and an increase of pH that reached values close to neutrality. A detailed discussion about the occurred changes in fog water composition over two decades is presented.

La storia del cinema muto a Bologna attraverso la documentazione d'epoca. Protagonisti, imprese, spettacoli e luoghi per la gestione dell'immaginario della società urbana (1896-1925).

Studio storiografico condotto su fonti archivistiche, filmiche e sulla stampa locale e specializzata che ricostruisce dettagliatamente l'ambiente cittadino d'inizio Novecento nel quale si sono diffusi i primi spettacoli cinematografici, determinandone le caratteristiche e tracciandone l'evoluzione fra 1896 e 1925. L'avvento della cinematografia è strettamente connesso a un processo di modernizzazione del volto urbano, degli stili di vita, delle idee e il cinema si salda a queste istanze di rinnovamento, con una precisa ricaduta sull'immagine della città e sull'esperienza dei suoi cittadini appartenenti alle diverse classi sociali.