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    1076 research outputs found

    Wie entsteht Zusammenhalt? Perspektiven aus der Dortmunder Stadtgesellschaft

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    Wie steht es um den Zusammenhalt in der Gesellschaft? Wie wollen wir miteinander leben? Und wer sind ‚Wir‘ überhaupt? Diese und ähnliche Fragen bestimmen seit einigen Jahren die Diskussionsrunden in Politsendungen, im Feuilleton und an den Stamm- und Abendbrottischen der Republik. Zur Aushandlung dieser Fragen wurden im Rahmen des Praxis-Forschungsprojekts ‚ZuNaMi‘ Bürger*innen der Stadt Dortmund dazu eingeladen, miteinander über ihre Vorstellungen von gesellschaftlichem Zusammenhalt in einer vielfältigen und inklusiven Stadtgemeinschaft zu beraten. Innerhalb dieser Ergebnisbroschüre sind es somit die Bürger*innen selbst, die in Rückgriff auf ihre geteilten Erfahrungen in einer konkreten Stadtgemeinschaft als lokale Expert*innen zu Wort kommen

    Growth Rates of different Poplar Clones in Central Asia

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    Land degradation and especially the degradation of cropland is of great environmental concern worldwide. This problem is prevalent in the Central Asian countries as well. A viable solution for this and further environmental issues would be the cultivation of a fast-growing tree species, such as poplar. Several poplar cultivars were tested on plots in Almaty, Bishkek and Khorog. The performance of the trees was assessed by investigating growth in terms of height and diameter, death rate, being bent down, pest infestation, and phenology. The influence of environmental conditions and the influence of genotype were discussed. Both factors significantly influenced height, diameter at breast height and Death Rate. For basal diameter and diameter in 2m height, the location was the single influencing variable. For characteristic of being bent down, cultivar was the single influencing variable. For the percentage of trees that were infested by pest as well as for the extend of pest infestation none of the factors were seen as having an influence. Even though there are some bio-physical and socio-economic constraints, there are many opportunities for the cultivation of poplars in Central Asia

    Quantification of carbon rhizodeposition of different biomes and arable crops from above- and below-ground biomass

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    As more global warming data become increasingly available, climate change has become one of today’s greatest environmental threats. Terrestrial ecosystem plays an essential part in the uptake of “greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as Nitrous oxide (N2O), Methane (CH4) and Carbon dioxide (CO2)” through photosynthetic sequestration of atmospheric CO2 released from fossil fuel emission, cement manufacturing and deforestation. Rhizodeposits is the released carbon from the root rhizosphere containing a large amount of carbon, essential nutrients and organic compounds. This process is known as rhizodeposition and is often quantified as carbon derived from rhizodeposition (CdfR). This thesis aims to review selected existing literature on above and below-ground biomass carbon (AGB-C and BGB-C) inputs which were used to quantify the carbon sequestration of rhizodeposits in the below-ground biomass (BGB) of different terrestrial ecosystem biomes in the world and to know where the carbon sequestration is lacking the most. Measurement of rhizodeposition in the soil is mostly carried out in the laboratory involving the use of tracing root-derived C by isotopic and non-isotopic techniques, but in this thesis, about 60 papers from different sources were reviewed, and data on above- and below-ground biomass carbon were collected to quantify the C rhizodeposition in the terrestrial ecosystem biomes. The carbon content of the dry weight biomass was estimated by multiplying the above-ground biomass (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB) by 0.45. The C-rhizodeposition from the BGB-C was calculated by multiplying the BGB-C by 0.5. Quantification of global C stored in the biomes, including arable crops, was quantified by multiplying the world land area of different biomes with average AGB-C and BGB-C. The estimated values of the mean, median and range of AGB-C, BGB-C and C-rhizodeposition of different biomes (tropical forest, boreal forest, temperate forest, temperate grassland, tropical grassland) and arable crops were reported in this paper. The global C-storage of above- and below-ground of different biomes and arable crops were also quantified. The values were 210, 116, 93, 7.4, 47.2 in Gt C for the tropical forest, boreal forest, temperate forest, temperate grassland, tropical grassland, and 2.4 Gt C for below-ground arable crops only. Even though the comparison between these ecosystems might be an issue because different methods were used in evaluating the above- and below-ground vegetations plant, which in turn can influence the final quantity of C allocated in above- and below-ground biomass, the findings from this thesis for the biomes show that tropical forest has the highest C stored below ground while arable crops have the least

    Comparison of MPN, MF method and Raman spectroscopy for detecting Enteric Bacteria in river water

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    Waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and vomiting are still among the most severe health risks of the global level due to the consumption of contaminated water. Contamination of water by pathogenic microorganisms is a serious threat to human health. If it is not treated promptly and correctly, these waterborne diseases can lead to death. Monitoring contaminated water and ensuring water safety have always been a public concern. The abundance of microorganisms is frequently assessed as an indicator of impaired water quality, with enteric bacteria, such as total coliforms and Escherichia coli (E. coli) being the most common target groups. This report is an evaluation of Most Probable Number (MPN), Membrane Filter (MF) method and Raman spectroscopy used in water samples analysis and highlights some of the advantages and disadvantages of each method and their range of applicability

    Entwicklung eines Modells zur Untersuchung des Einflusses von präbiotischen Wirkstoffen und Konservierungsmitteln auf das Hautmikrobiom

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    Der gezielte Einsatz von präbiotischen Wirkstoffen in kosmetischen Produkten, zur Verbesserung des Hautbildes mittels Beeinflussung des Hautmikrobioms, wird zunehmend verfolgt. Das Gleichgewicht der residenten Bakterien auf der menschlichen Haut ist sowohl für die äußere Erscheinung als auch für die Gesundheit von großer Bedeutung. Mittels Anwendung des präbiotischen Wirkprinzips, bekannt aus dem Lebensmittelbereich bezüglich spezifischer Förderung des Darmmikrobioms zur Verbesserung des Immunsystems, werden pathogene Bakterien im Wachstum gehemmt und positive Bakterien gefördert. Die Übertragung des Wirkprinzips, von sowohl Präbiotika wie auch Postbiotika, vom Lebensmittel- in den Kosmetikbereich findet zunehmend statt. Es besteht die Notwendigkeit die Wirkungsweise der Wirkstoffe zu verstehen und geeignete Untersuchungsmethoden bezüglich der Prüfung der Wirksamkeit anzuwenden. Zielgebend der Forschung der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Entwicklung eines geeigneten in- vitro Modells zur Prüfung der Wirksamkeit einzelner präbiotischer bzw. postbiotischer Wirkstoffe, eingearbeitet in verschiedenen Formulierungsarten. Zusätzlich gilt es herauszufinden inwiefern Konservierungsmittel Einfluss auf das Hautmikrobiom ausüben. Die Herausforderung besteht darin eine Oberfläche, als geeignetes Äquivalent zur menschlichen Haut, zu finden, auf der die Formulierungen aufgetragen und verglichen werden können. Zur Entwicklung eines geeigneten Modells wurde mittels Modifikation und Behandlung von einzelnen Lederwaren die Wirksamkeit von prä- und postbiotischen Wirkstoffen untersucht. Aus dem Leder wurden, aus insgesamt sieben residenten Bakterien, verschiedene bakterielle Träger erstellt. Auf den Trägern wurden drei verschiedene präbiotische Wirkstoffe, in Kombination mit einem Konservierungsmittel, in verschiedenen Einsatzkonzentrationen und Auftragsmengen mit einer Einwirkzeit von 30 min appliziert. Als Vergleich wurden die Wirkstoffe als Rohstoff mittels Screening- Verfahren bezüglich ihrer Wirksamkeit geprüft. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass durch Anwendung des Modells das Wachstum der Bakterien durch die in den Formulierungen enthaltenden Wirkstoffe beeinflusst wird. Durch Variation der Einsatzkonzentrationen, Auftragsmengen und Formulierungsarten können unterschiedliche Einflüsse auf das bakterielle Wachstum beobachtet werden. Eine Hemmung der pathogenen und Förderung der positiven Bakterien wurde ersichtlich. Das Modell ermöglicht die Untersuchung prä- und postbiotischer Wirkstoffe, die in Formulierungen eingearbeitet wurden, bezüglich deren Wirksamkeit auf einer hautähnlichen Oberfläche. Für eine Etablierung des Modells sind weitere Versuchsreihen mit einer höheren Variation von Wirkstoffen und Bakterien notwendig.The specific use of prebiotic substances in cosmetic products, in order to improve skin appearance through influencing the skin microbiome, is increasingly being pursued. The balance of resident bacteria on human skin is of great importance for the external appearance as well as health. By applying the prebiotic mode of action, prominent in the food sector concerning the specific support of intestinal microbiomes to improve the immune system, pathogenic bacteria are inhibited in growth and positive bacteria are supported. This transfer, of prebiotics and postbiotics, from the food sector to the cosmetics sector is increasingly happening. It is key to understand the mode of action of substances and to apply appropriate research methods regarding the testing of efficacy. The objective of the research is the development of a suitable in vitro model in order to test the efficacy of individual prebiotic and postbiotic substances incorporated in different types of formulas. In addition, it is important to clarify the influence of preservatives on the skin microbiome. The challenge is to find a surface, that acts as a suitable equivalent to human skin, on which the formulas can be applied and set-in contrast. In order to develop a suitable model, the effectiveness of pre- and postbiotic agents was investigated by modifying and treating individual leather goods. Out of a total of seven resident bacteria, different leather bacterial carriers were created. At different application concentrations and application rates with an exposure time of 30 min, three different prebiotic agents, in combination with one preservative, were applied to the carriers. Meanwhile, the substances were tested as raw materials by means of screening procedures regarding their efficacy. The results show that through applying the model, the growth of bacteria is influenced by the substances contained in the formulas. Through varying the application concentrations, quantities and formula types, different effects on bacterial growth can be observed. The inhibition of pathogenic and support of beneficial bacteria became evident. The model allows the investigation of pre- and postbiotic agents incorporated into formulas with respect to their efficacy on a skin-like surface. Further series of experiments with a higher variation of substances and bacteria are necessary to establish the model further

    Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Particulate Matter (PM) concentration in Nepal's ambient air

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    The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the lives of every human being in most of the countries in the world. Lockdown has been implemented in many countries to prevent the virus from spreading. Lockdown has prohibited people to go outside of their houses, closed industries and factories, and restricted air transportation and the free movement of vehicles, except emergency vehicles and flights. On the optimistic side, improvements in ambient air quality due to the lockdown have been reported across the world. This study evaluated ambient air quality by analyzing the PM2.5 concentrations monitored in 7 major cities of Nepal during March, April, and May of the years 2019 and 2020. Furthermore, meteorological data were also evaluated to investigate how meteorological conditions have affected Nepal’s ambient air quality during the investigation period. The monthly mean PM2.5 concentrations during March, April, and May 2020 were found to be lower in nearly all of the 7 cities of Nepal as compared to March, April, and May 2019. To some extent, a slightly higher amount of precipitation in March-May 2020 than during March-May 2019 supressed the ambient PM2.5 concentrations in 2020. But, since the highest decrease in PM2.5 concentration was found in Nepalgunj (72.78%) followed by Kathmandu (46.2%) during May 2020 as compared to May 2019 and thus, the highest differences between 2019 and 2020 were found for the cities with the highest contribution of transport emissions to PM2.5 in ambient air, the COVID-19 lockdown might have contributed to the lower PM2.5 concentrations in 2020. On the other hand, it can be assumed that one of the major primary sources of PM2.5, biomass burning (both the residential use and natural forest fires), was not affected by the lockdown, but biomass burning might be the reason for the increment of PM2.5 concentrations found at some sites, in particular in the Kathmandu Valley, and for the only subtle decrease at other sites during the lockdown. In essense, though it is an unfortunate situation, the lockdown provided a glimpse of the situation how effective improvements in the environmental conditions could be if we were to introduce large scale mitigation measures swiftly. Keywords: COVID-19; Lockdown; Air Pollution; Nepal; PM2.5 Concentration; Meteorological Dat

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