Der Austausch von Stickstoffmonoxid zwischen Boden und Atmosphäre unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Bodenwassergehaltes

Stickstoffmonoxid (NO) ist als reaktives Spurengas eine wichtige Komponente atmosphärenchemischer Prozesse und hat somit einen bedeutenden Einfluss auf die Zusammensetzung der Atmosphäre. Eine Hauptquelle des Spurengases stellen bodenmikrobiologische Prozesse dar, deren regionaler und globaler Anteil weiterhin mit größeren Unsicherheiten geschätzt wird. Ursache für die schwere Abschätzbarkeit der NO-Freisetzung aus Böden ist die hohe räumliche Variabilität der steuernden Faktoren. Als einer der wichtigsten Faktoren, die die Freisetzung von NO aus Böden regeln, gilt der Bodenwassergehalt. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, den Zusammenhang zwischen NO-Freisetzung, Bodenwassergehalt, den Bodeneigenschaften und den Standortbedingungen zu untersuchen und diesen möglichst zu quantifizieren. Dazu sind Bodenproben unterschiedlicher Landnutzungen in einem kleineren Wassereinzugsgebiet im Rheingau im Labor, unter kontrollierten Bedingungen, untersucht. Der charakteristische Zusammenhang zwischen Bodenfeuchte und NO-Freisetzung, die sogenannte Bodenfeuchtekurve, kann demnach weitestgehend auf die gemessenen Bodenmerkmale der untersuchten Proben zurückgeführt werden. Anhand der Bodenmerkmale kann die Bodenfeuchtekurve zufriedenstellend vorhergesagt werden. Dabei zeigt vor allem der Humusgehalt der Böden einen dominierenden Einfluss. Er ist die Variable, die die Unterschiede der Böden beim Zusammenhang zwischen Bodenfeuchte und NO-Freisetzung am besten und hinreichend erklären kann. Zur Konstruktion der Bodenfeuchtekurve müssen die optimale Bodenfeuchte und die dabei herrschende Freisetzung, sowie die obere Bodenfeuchte, bei der keine NO-Freisetzung mehr stattfindet, bekannt sein. Diese charakteristischen Punkte lassen sich durch lineare Regressionsmodelle gut aus den Bodeneigenschaften ableiten. Auf räumlicher Ebene werden die Bodeneigenschaften durch die standörtlichen Bedingungen geprägt, die wiederum Ausdruck der landschaftlichen Ausstattung sind. In der Kulturlandschaft kann der Mensch aufgrund seiner Landnutzungsansprüche als der dominierende Faktor angesehen werden. Die Landnutzung orientiert sich an den landschaftlichen Bedingungen und bestimmt in hohem Maße wichtige Bodeneigenschaften, die zu den erklärenden Merkmalen bei der Beziehung zwischen Bodenwassergehalt und NO-Freisetzung gehören. Die in erster Linie wirtschaftlich orientierten Kartenwerke Bodenschätzung, Weinbergsbodenkartierung und forstliche Standortkartierung sind dementsprechend geeignete Grundlagen, um eine Regionalisierung der Landschaft in - bezüglich der NO-Freisetzung - weitgehend homogene Flächen durchführen zu können. Eine hierauf beruhende Regionalisierung ist dazu geeignet, die räumliche Variabilität der NO-Freisetzung in räumlich sinnvoller Auflösung besser abschätzen zu können.

Contributo sperimentale alla ridefinizione della diffusione in parete della camera di prova della galleria del vento Dallara

Joseph Nicolas Cugnot built the first primitive car in 1769 and approximately one hundred year later the first automotive race took place. Thanks to this, for the first time the aerodynamics principles began to be applied to cars. The aerodynamic study of a car is important to improve the performance on the road, or on the track. It purposely enhances the stability in the turns and increases the maximum velocity. However, it is also useful, decrease the fuel consumption, in order to reduce the pollution. Given that cars are a very complex body, the aerodynamic study cannot be conducted following an analytical method, but it is possible, in general, to choose between two different approaches: the numerical or the experimental one. The results of numerical studies depend on the computers’ potential and on the method use to implement the mathematical model. Today, the best way to perform an aerodynamic study is still experimental, which means that in the first phase of the design process the study is performed in a wind tunnel and in later phases directly on track. The automotive wind tunnels are singular mainly due to the test chamber, which typically contains a ground simulation system. The test chamber can have different types of walls: open walls, closed walls, adaptive walls or slotted walls. The best solution is to use the slotted walls because they minimize the interference between the walls and the streamlines, the interaction between the flow and the environment, and also to contain the overall costs. Furthermore, is necessary minimize the boundary layer at the walls, without accelerating the flow, in order to provide the maximum section of homogeneous flow. This thesis aims at redefining the divergent angle of the Dallara Automobili S.P.A. wind tunnel’s walls, in order to improve the overall homogeneity. To perform this study it was necessary to acquire the pressure data of the boundary layer, than it was created the profile of the boundary layer velocity and, to minimize the experimental errors, it was calculated the displacement thickness. The results obtained shows, even if the instrument used to the experiment was not the best one, that the boundary layer thickness could be minor in case of a low diffusion angle. So it is convenient to perform another experiment with a most sensitive instrument to verified what is the better wall configuration.

EPR spectroscopy as a tool for the elucidation of non-covalent structuring principles in complex soft matter

This thesis aims at connecting structural and functional changes of complex soft matter systems due to external stimuli with non-covalent molecular interaction profiles. It addresses the problem of elucidating non-covalent forces as structuring principle of mainly polymer-based systems in solution. The structuring principles of a wide variety of complex soft matter types are analyzed. In many cases this is done by exploring conformational changes upon the exertion of external stimuli. The central question throughout this thesis is how a certain non-covalent interaction profile leads to solution condition-dependent structuring of a polymeric system.rnTo answer this question, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is chosen as the main experimental method for the investigation of the structure principles of polymers. With EPR one detects only the local surroundings or environments of molecules that carry an unpaired electron. Non-covalent forces are normally effective on length scales of a few nanometers and below. Thus, EPR is excellently suited for their investigations. It allows for detection of interactions on length scales ranging from approx. 0.1 nm up to 10 nm. However, restriction to only one experimental technique likely leads to only incomplete pictures of complex systems. Therefore, the presented studies are frequently augmented with further experimental and computational methods in order to yield more comprehensive descriptions of the systems chosen for investigation.rnElectrostatic correlation effects in non-covalent interaction profiles as structuring principles in colloid-like ionic clusters and DNA condensation are investigated first. Building on this it is shown how electrostatic structuring principles can be combined with hydrophobic ones, at the example of host-guest interactions in so-called dendronized polymers (denpols).rnSubsequently, the focus is shifted from electrostatics in dendronized polymers to thermoresponsive alkylene oxide-based materials, whose structuring principles are based on hydrogen bonds and counteracting hydrophobic interactions. The collapse mechanism in dependence of hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance and topology of these polymers is elucidated. Complementarily the temperature-dependent phase behavior of elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) is investigated. ELPs are the first (and so far only) class of compounds that is shown to feature a first-order inverse phase transition on nanoscopic length scales.rnFinally, this thesis addresses complex biological systems, namely intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). It is shown that the conformational space of the IDPs Osteopontin (OPN), a cytokine involved in metastasis of several kinds of cancer, and BASP1 (brain acid soluble protein one), a protein associated with neurite outgrowth, is governed by a subtle interplay between electrostatic forces, hydrophobic interaction, system entropy and hydrogen bonds. Such, IDPs can even sample cooperatively folded structures, which have so far only been associated with globular proteins.

Immunomodulatory therapy to achieve maximum efficacy: doses, monitoring, compliance, and self-infusion at home

The Oxford Programme for Immunomodulatory Immunoglobulin Therapy has been operating since 1992 at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals in the UK. Initially, this program was set up for patients with multifocal motor neuropathy or chronic inflammatory demyelinating poly-neuropathy to receive reduced doses of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in clinic on a regular basis (usually every 3 weeks). The program then rapidly expanded to include self-infusion at home, which monitoring showed to be safe and effective. It has been since extended to the treatment of other autoimmune diseases in which IVIG has been shown to be efficacious.

The Social Principles of Jesus: A Critical Re-examination of Walter Rauschenbusch’s Social Gospel

It has been nine decades since Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918) published a slim volume entitled The Social Principles of Jesus. Though today less well known than his other works Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907) and Theology for the Social Gospel (1917), it is Social Principles that most adeptly summarizes the theological ethics of Rauschenbusch’s “social gospel.” Taking the form of a pedagogical treatise, Social Principles reads as both a finely tuned analysis of the modern relevance of the teachings of Jesus, and an impassioned plea on the part of its author for an end to the folly of interpreting Christianity solely in “individualistic” terms. It is Rauschenbusch’s expressed aim to resurrect the core teachings of Jesus, which are social and ethical, and apply these to a renewed, socially conscious liberal democracy, establishing a grand harmony between religion, ethics, and social evolution. How far this vision was from the burgeoning “fundamentalism” of his day (and ours) is more than evidenced by the critical reaction of many of his more conservative peers, but also indicates the continuing relevance of his work for theologians and others looking for alternative paths. The following exposition is supplemented with appreciative and critical comments.

Maximum flight velocity of blood drops in analysing blood traces

When analysing blood spatters, traces often occur which regarding the collision angle, cannot be allocated to any supposed centre of origin. Drops following highly curved (ballistic) trajectories usually form these types of traces. The reconstruction of such trajectories requires knowledge of the mass, the diameter (of which approximations are known) and the velocity of the blood drops. This article provides an upper range of the velocity in relation to the diameter of the blood drops based on physical laws. This is very helpful in analysing ballistic trajectories.

Early last glacial maximum in the southern Central Andes reveals northward shift of the westerlies at similar to 39 ka

The latitudinal position of the southern westerlies has been suggested to be a key parameter for the climate on Earth. According to the general notion, the southern westerlies were shifted equatorward during the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM: ~24–18 ka), resulting in reduced deep ocean ventilation, accumulation of old dissolved carbon, and low atmospheric CO2 concentrations. In order to test this notion, we applied surface exposure dating on moraines in the southern Central Andes, where glacial mass balances are particularly sensitive to changes in precipitation, i.e. to the latitudinal position of the westerlies. Our results provide robust evidence that the maximum glaciation occurred already at ~39 ka, significantly predating the global LGM. This questions the role of the westerlies for atmospheric CO2, and it highlights our limited understanding of the forcings of atmospheric circulation.