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Acute ethanol administration stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and increases (3a,5a)-3-hydroxypregnan-20-one (3a,5a-THP) levels in rat brain and plasma. Increased 3a,5a-THP levels contribute to the anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative and pro-aggressive actions of ethanol. We now explored the effects of ethanol on brain and plasma 3a,5a-THP levels in C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) mice, two inbred strains with different sensitivity to behavioral effects of alcohol. Mice were injected with ethanol (2 g/kg, i.p.) or saline and were sacrificed 1 h later. 3a,5a-THP levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in cerebral cortex and by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in plasma. Ethanol increased cerebral cortical 3a,5a-THP (+38%, P < 0.005) in D2 but not B6 mice. In contrast, plasma 3a,5a-THP levels were decreased (-27%, P < 0.01) in B6 mice, but did not change in D2 mice. These differential effects of ethanol on 3a,5a-THP levels may be due to the different genetic background of these strains. To further explore this hypothesis, we examined ethanol-induced changes in cerebral cortical 3a,5a-THP levels of some B6xD2 (BXD) recombinant inbred strains. Basal 3a,5a-THP levels across 8 BXD strains range between 1.81 and 3.72 ng/g, equivalent to a 2-fold genetic variation [F(9,79) = 6.27, P < 0.0001] and heritability of 0.40. The ethanol-induced changes in cerebral cortical 3a,5a-THP levels range between +4 and +63% and were negatively correlated (Spearman -0.82, P = 0.02) with behavioral phenotypes of ethanol consumption previously determined in the BXD strains and available in the GeneNetwork database (www.genenetwork.org). Greater ethanol intake was associated with smaller elevation of 3a,5a-THP following ethanol challenge across these BXD mice. This preliminary finding supports the hypothesis that neurosteroid responses to ethanol may be putative biomarkers of excessive alcohol consumption. Future studies will be required to further explore this hypothesis.

A new dataset of 54 daily Italian downward surface solar radiation (SSR) records has been set up over the 1959- 2013 period. Particular emphasis is placed upon the quality control and the homogenization of the records in order to eliminate gross-errors and not climatic signals contained in the original records. This step has been shown as necessary due to the large differences obtained between the raw and homogenized dataset, especially during the first decades of the study period as a consequence of instrument changes and recalibrations. In addition, SSR series under clear-sky conditions were obtained considering only the cloudless days from corresponding groundbased cloudiness observations. Subsequently, the records were interpolated onto a regular grid and clustered in two regions, Northern and Southern Italy, which were averaged in order to get all-sky and clear-sky regional SSR records. Their temporal evolution is presented, and possible reasons for differences between the two conditions and the two regions are discussed in order to understand which part of the SSR variability depends on aerosols or clouds. Specifically, the all-sky SSR records show a decrease until the mid-1980s (dimming period) and a following increase until the end of the series (brightening period) even if the strength and the persistence of the tendencies are not the same in all seasons. The clear-sky records present stronger tendencies than the all-sky records during the dimming period in all seasons, and during the brightening period in winter and autumn, suggesting that under all-sky the variations caused by the variations of the aerosol concentrations have been partially masked by cloud cover variations, especially during the dimming period. The peculiarity of a stronger dimming in the South than in the North under clear-sky could be a consequence of a significant contribution of mineral dust variations to the SSR variability.

Eines der größten Probleme bei der kontrollierten Kernfusion ist die immense thermische Belastung der mit dem Plasma in Berührung kommenden Materialien. Um den Energiefluß aus dem Plasma auf eine möglichst große Fläche zu verteilen, werden die betroffenen Komponenten in der Regel so angebracht, da"s das magnetische Feld annähernd parallel zur Oberfläche verläuft. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden ein spezieller drehbarer Meßkopf zur winkelabhängigen Messung des Strom- und Energieflusses entwickelt und ausführliche experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Winkelabhängigkeit der Teilchen- und Energieflüsse auf eine Fläche durchgeführt. Zum Verständnis der zu Grunde liegenden Mechanismen wird basierend auf den Gyrationsbahnen der Teilchen ein analytisches Modell entwickelt und dessen qualitative Übereinstimmung mit den experimentellen Befunden festgestellt. Die Durchführung der Experimente erfolgte am Plasmagenerator PSI-2, einem linearen Divertor-Simulator mit einem moderaten magnetischen Feld. Der Aufbau des Meßkopfes als ebene Sonde in einer isolierten Fläche enspricht dabei in etwa der einer sogenannten ,,flush-mounted probe''''. Die äußeren Maße der Sonde sind dabei vergleichbar mit dem Ionengyroradius ri}. Während die Elektronen bei den Experimenten stark magnetisiert sind, variieren die Bedingungen für die Ionen zwischen unmagnetisiert und magnetisiert je nach Ionenmasse und Magnetfeldstärke. Bei den Experimenten wurden verschiedene Größen der Plasmarandschicht als Funktionen des Winkels zwischen der Oberflächennormale der Sonde und dem Vektor des magnetischen Feldes bestimmt. In fusion experiments, the energy flux to the target plates is an important issue. In order to spread the heat load, surfaces are usually designed to intersect magnetic field lines at very shallow angles. In the course of this work, a sensitive probe allowing simultaneous measurements of energy flux and current density as functions of a bias voltage was developed. Extensive experimental data on the particle and energy flux densities as functions of the angle between a surface and the confining magnetic field are provided. An analytical model is developed in order to reveal the physics involved; it is in good qualitative agreement with the experimental results. The experiments were conducted at the PSI-2 facility, a linear divertor simulator with moderate magnetic field strength. The probe was rotated in a spatially homogeneous plasma. The active area, a tungsten covered Peltier module, was immersed in a ceramic surface, closely resembling the geometry of a flush mounted probe. Its dimensions were comparable to the ion gyro radius ri. While the electrons were strongly magnetized, the ion conditions varied between unmagnetized and magnetized depending on the ion species. Sheath parameters were determined as functions of the angle alpha between the probe surface normal and the magnetic field.

Fourteen yeast strains were screened for production of 2-phenylethanol from L-phenylalanine with molasses as carbon source. Up to 1 g 2-phenylethanol l-1 was obtained. Using oleyl alcohol as a second phase for in situ product removal to enhance the production of 2-phenylethanol increased the yield to about 3 g 2-phenylethanol l-1 at 35 degrees C. The most productive strains were Kluyveromyces marxianus CBS 600 and CBS 397.

Maltese agriculture faces great challenges due to the severe scarcity ofwater. Sufficientwater resources, in quantity and quality, are necessary to cover the demand in the production of wine grape, one of the most important crops in Maltese agriculture. But also, economic efficiency is essential in the grape cultivation. A Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) is defined for Maltese vineyards in the Siġġiewi region, considering two irrigation scenarios, irrigation with groundwater or “do-nothing”, comparedwith the “use non-conventional waters” from mixing water from a small desalination plant and groundwater. For the alternative ‘mixing desalinatedwater with groundwater’ it is possible to improve water availability and quality for vine crops, while increasing economic benefits for farmer. The results indicate a profitable project fromaminimumarea of 1 ha, but final benefit is highly dependent on the irrigated surface extension according to water price. Desalination, compared with other type of nonconventional water is considered the best option in this assessment with a small reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant (120 m3 /day) for covering the irrigation needs.

In Southeast Asia and Indonesia, land use change (LUC) occurs in the form of large-scale deforestation and peatland degradation for agricultural purposes, which causes terrestrial CO2 emissions from peat soils as a consequence of oxidation, subsidence and forest fires. However, the consequences of this peatland degradation for the aquatic and marine environment and carbon cycle are less well known. In the framework of the SPICE III a CISKA subproject 1, the impact of land use change in Indonesia was determined by the quantification of the inorganic and organic carbon fluxes and CO2 emissions from the rivers, estuaries and coastal ocean into the atmosphere as well as the marine carbonate system in order to develop sustainable mitigation strategies to reduce CO2 emissions. The findings of this PhD study bring attention to the fact that the impacts of tropical peatland degradation in Indonesia are not limited to direct CO2 emissions due to drainage and deforestation, but also greatly affect the carbon cycle of adjacent freshwater and marine environments through a variety of processes. By means of a mixing model it was shown that dissolved organic carbon leaching from disturbed peat soils has increased by 200% from 62 to 183 g m-2 yr-1 as a consequence of hydrological changes and secondary vegetation. Increased freshwater fluxes due to reduced evapotranspiration account for 38% of the increase in carbon leaching, whereas the labile leaf litter from secondary vegetation is responsible for the remaining 62% increase. Once the organic carbon has reached the rivers, it is either respired and emitted to the atmosphere (river outgassing) or exported to the coastal ocean (riverine carbon export). Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and pCO2 concentrations in the rivers increase as the share of disturbed peatland coverage in the catchment increases as a consequence of increased carbon leaching and decomposition. Based on the regression between peat coverage and CO2 yield, the CO2 fluxes from rivers in Indonesia have been estimated as well as in Malaysia and extrapolated to Southeast Asia, and amount to 53.9 A /-12.4, 6.2A /-1.6 and 66.9A /-15.7 Tg C yr-1, respectively. However, these fluxes are rather moderate due to the short residence time of the river waters and the location of peat close to the coast, which shorten the time available for decomposition. Circa 53% of the carbon that enters the freshwater system in Southeast Asia is emitted as CO2 to the atmosphere, whereas the remaining 47% is exported to the coastal ocean. Based on total alkalinity (TA), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and pCO2 measurements in the estuaries and coastal ocean of Sumatra, it was shown that the majority of the exported carbon is respired in the estuaries. Circa 62.7% of the exported, respired CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere, whereas 6.4% is assumed to be buried in the sediments and the remaining 30.6% is absorbed in the water column. Here, the respired CO2 contributes to ocean acidification and lowers the aragonite and calcite saturation states (I(c)AR / I(c)CA). This induces carbonate dissolution of sediments, but also coral reefs and other calcifying organisms and can therefore be viewed as the invisible carbon footprint, but is currently overlooked in climate mitigation strategy policies. In Indonesia, the terrestrial direct CO2 emissions due to LUC via secondary vegetation (10.9 Tg C yr-1), peat oxidation (109.9 Tg C yr-1) and forest fires (82.1 Tg C yr-1) amount to 192.0 Tg C yr-1. Carbon loss due to indirect emissions from the rivers (53.9 Tg yr-1, ref. (Wit et al. 2015)), estuaries and coastal ocean (49.4 Tg yr-1), as well as the invisible carbon footprint (24.1 Tg yr-1) and excluding the natural emissions from pristine peatlands (13.0 Tg C yr-1) amounts to 114.3 Tg C yr-1. Therefore, the total carbon loss due to LUC amounts to 306.3 Tg yr-1, which represents an increase of 60% with respect to the direct terrestrial emissions currently considered in greenhouse gas mitigation policies. With respect to the development of climate change mitigation strategies as one of the overarching goals of SPICE and CISKA, the advice is to include the aquatic and marine CO2 emissions, as well as the invisible carbon footprint in order to cover the carbon losses with respect to LUC in Indonesia. In addition, carbon leaching and fluvial carbon export should be reduced to mitigate the impact of ocean acidification and carbonate dissolution.

ResumenEl entrenamiento con cargas es una actividad anaeróbica glucolítica intensa y se ha comprobado que el error en las estimaciones del gasto energético en esta actividad varía entre un 13 y un 30%. El principal objetivo de este trabajo es describir la contribución anaeróbica de energía en un circuito con cargas. Doce hombres (20-26 años) y diecisiete mujeres (18-29 años) estudiantes de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte realizaron un entrenamiento en circuito de cargas a 6 intensidades diferentes (entre el 30% y 80% de su 15RM). Durante la totalidad de los circuitos se registró el gasto energético aeróbico por calorimetría indirecta, la frecuencia cardiaca con pulsómetro Polar® y la concentración de lactato en sangre capilar para medir la contribución anaeróbica. El incremento que produjo la energía anaeróbica se situó entre el 5,1% y un máximo del 13,5%, lo que hace evidente que medir o no la contribución anaeróbica en el entrenamiento en circuito puede provocar un error medio del 9,65%. Existen diferencias significativas (PAbstractResistance training is an intense anaerobic glycolytic activity and has been shown that estimates of energy expenditure in this activity turn out into an error that varies between 13 and 30%. The main aim of this paper is to describe the anaerobic energy contribution in circuit weight training. Twelve men (20-26 years) and seventeen women (18-29 years) students in Science of Physical Activity and Sport performed circuit training at six different intensities (between 30% and 80% of 15RM). During all the circuits aerobic energy expenditure was registered by indirect calorimetry, heart rate with Polar® monitors and lactate concentration in capillary blood to measure the anaerobic contribution. The increased due to anaerobic energy was between 5,1% and a maximum of 13,5%, which clearly means that to measure or not the anaerobic contribution in circuit training can lead to an average error of 9,65%. There are significant differences (P

Recent extreme weather events have resulted in an ongoing discussion on the issues of land use and compensation payments within Austrian agriculture. Building on a functional evaluation system for agricultural lands as developed within the Interreg IIIB project “ILUP”, the national project “Agriculture and Flooding” has as its goal to classify the flood-protection contribution and flood sensitivity of agricultural lands. This, in turn, enables the recommendation of targeted measures for potentially improving flood situations, as well as an estimate of their implementation costs. In addition to the digital soil map, other fundamental sources used for the project are the digital flood risk map, IACS land-use data and works by the Institute for Land and Water Management Research. Reference values and marginal returns sourced from the Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics also flow into the cost estimates for the recommended combination. The results will contribute to an understanding of the multifunctionality of agricultural lands and to the setting of priorities on a regional scale regarding packaged flood-prevention and damage-minimization. However, the results at hand can only serve as one step toward regional flood protection projects, whose development will require the cooperation of all interest groups.

The project between tthe Deutsche Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) focuses on the pr rovision of alternative fuels by thermochemical conversion. Biogenic residues and wastes which are not used yet or which could be utilised more efficiently are studied. The selection of possible feedstock was supported by a techhnical potential analysis including the competition to th he food industry. The technical suitability of raw materials for the fast pyrolysis (FP) process was of special in nterest. As a possible feedstock following types of biomass were studied: corn stover, corn cobs, biogenic floating re efuse (river Rhine and Baltic Sea), scrap wood, bark, rape s straw, sunflower straw, draff, diverse residues of flour production and hay. A process development unit (PDU) with a biomass feeding rate of 10 kg/h and a twin screw m mixer reactor was used for all experiments. It was found that different types of biomass form different char, condensate e and gas yields due to varying ash levels and lignocellulosic composition. Elemental formulas for feedstock, char, organic condensate and gas were estimated independent on t the feedstock due to similar elemental compositions. Pyrolysis gas analysis during the experiments gave information on the mass yields. A CO/CO2-ratio of 1 (i.e. wood) corresponds to organic condensate yields of about 50 wt.-%%, whereas a ratio of 0.3-0.7 (straw) corresponds to 18-32 wt. .-% respectively. Proceedings of the 20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 18-22 June 2012, Milan, Italy, pp. 973-977

The real assets, procedures, systems,and subsystems of a city can be virtually represented throughan urban digital twin(DT),which integrates heterogeneous data to learn and evolve with the physical city,offering support to monitor the current status and predict possible future scenarios.A DT of a city can be organized into layers, which represent specific facets of the city and cooperate to address specifici ssues.In this work,we present an application scenario in which a geometric layer,representing the 3D morphology of the urbane nvironment, cooperates with an energy consumption layer,providing knowledge of the peculiarities of thebuilding urban area and in particular of the built fabric,to assess their impact in terms of energy efficiency.The analysis of the urban geometries provides quantitative measuresas useful input,for instance,to define heat leakage.