47 research outputs found
Rediscovering Fritz Redl
No full textIf there was a Hall of Fame for Child and Youth Care practitioners, the first person I would nominate is Fritz Redl. I had been in the field for two years when I first read Children Who Hate, and I was amazed at the description of youth that so accurately mirrored my own experience. Fritz and fellow author David Wineman explained CYC ideas better than anyone I had ever met. The complexity of our work and the use of life spaces to create healing came alive in the descriptions of his work at Pioneer House, a group home for boys
Rediscovering Fritz Redl
No full textIf there was a Hall of Fame for Child and Youth Care practitioners, the first person I would nominate is Fritz Redl. I had been in the field for two years when I first read Children Who Hate, and I was amazed at the description of youth that so accurately mirrored my own experience. Fritz and fellow author David Wineman explained CYC ideas better than anyone I had ever met. The complexity of our work and the use of life spaces to create healing came alive in the descriptions of his work at Pioneer House, a group home for boys
Pułkownik Redl. Polityczne wątki afery w prasie polskiej
No full textThe most famous spy scandal before the outbreak of the First World War, took place during the time of intensified diplomatic actions taken to stop the Balkan War. At night on May 24th 1913, Colonel Alfred Redl, the chief of staff for the VIII. Corps stationed in Prague – having been exposed by counterintelligence – committed suicide in Klomser Hotel in Vienna. His death was directly connected to the fact that the special commission that consisted of high ranking officers was established in the extraordinary mode. The case of Russian spy was known only to an exclusive group of ‘initiates’. Nevertheless, it was almost immediately leaked to the press and evoked scandal that stirred up public opinion in Austria-Hungary. The motifs of the scandal – described in Polish press releases of that time: in Cracow, Lvov and Warsaw – have been analyzed in the article. They were significant in the context of political struggle, led mainly between two antagonistic forces: the Austrophiles and the Russophiles. Seemingly distant from Polish matters, the spy affair turned out to be an important factor that ‘catalyzed’ political attitudes of the Poles. The aspect of Redl’s nationality became a significant element of the polemics. And the scandal undermined Austro-Hungarian morale, especially the morale of Slavic nations subject to the Empire; the more so as, at exactly the same time, a political corruption affair which Hungarian Prime Minister was involved in, happened in Budapest. The events that happened in Galicia in May and June 1913 – as connected with political and economical turning point that autonomous country reached, which was caused by Austro-Hungarian preparations for Balkan War – have been examined here as the background context. In this article, basing on a wide range of press sources, the author classifies and describes some key political motifs of the Redl affair: especially the change of ideas about the Balkan War – in accordance to common opinions expressed in Polish press – now bringing the fatal threat to Austro-Hungary. (Russia came into possession of mobilization plans). The other topics are: the decline of Austro-Hungarian prestige on the international arena, the criticism of the code applying to officer corps, assigning Redl the Jewish origin by the anti-Semitic press, attacks on the ones that supported Austro-Hungarian orientations, including those who organized a kind of ‘substitute” for Polish military forces under the auspices of the monarchy, and finally – the spy psychosis.The most famous spy scandal before the outbreak of the First World War, took place during the time of intensified diplomatic actions taken to stop the Balkan War. At night on May 24th 1913, Colonel Alfred Redl, the chief of staff for the VIII. Corps stationed in Prague – having been exposed by counterintelligence – committed suicide in Klomser Hotel in Vienna. His death was directly connected to the fact that the special commission that consisted of high ranking officers was established in the extraordinary mode. The case of Russian spy was known only to an exclusive group of ‘initiates’. Nevertheless, it was almost immediately leaked to the press and evoked scandal that stirred up public opinion in Austria-Hungary. The motifs of the scandal – described in Polish press releases of that time: in Cracow, Lvov and Warsaw – have been analyzed in the article. They were significant in the context of political struggle, led mainly between two antagonistic forces: the Austrophiles and the Russophiles. Seemingly distant from Polish matters, the spy affair turned out to be an important factor that ‘catalyzed’ political attitudes of the Poles. The aspect of Redl’s nationality became a significant element of the polemics. And the scandal undermined Austro-Hungarian morale, especially the morale of Slavic nations subject to the Empire; the more so as, at exactly the same time, a political corruption affair which Hungarian Prime Minister was involved in, happened in Budapest. The events that happened in Galicia in May and June 1913 – as connected with political and economical turning point that autonomous country reached, which was caused by Austro-Hungarian preparations for Balkan War – have been examined here as the background context. In this article, basing on a wide range of press sources, the author classifies and describes some key political motifs of the Redl affair: especially the change of ideas about the Balkan War – in accordance to common opinions expressed in Polish press – now bringing the fatal threat to Austro-Hungary. (Russia came into possession of mobilization plans). The other topics are: the decline of Austro-Hungarian prestige on the international arena, the criticism of the code applying to officer corps, assigning Redl the Jewish origin by the anti-Semitic press, attacks on the ones that supported Austro-Hungarian orientations, including those who organized a kind of ‘substitute” for Polish military forces under the auspices of the monarchy, and finally – the spy psychosis
Gas Fermentation using Thermophilic Moorella Species for production of Biochemicals
No full textGasfermentering er en lovende teknologi, der har opnået øget opmærksomhed de senere år. I denne proces omdanner acetogene bakterier gasser, der er rige på H2, CO2 og CO, til forbindelser med højere værdi. Gassen kan stamme fra industriel off-gas eller fra affaldsstrømme via gasifikation. I gasfermenteringsprocesser, der er næsten på kommercielt niveau, bruges mesofile acetogener til hovedsagligt at producere ethanol og butandiol. Termofile acetogener, såsom Moorella thermoacetica, ville dog tillade nem downstream-behandling ved produktion af volatile produkter såsom acetone.Denne afhandling starter med et review af feedstock-potentialet for gasfermentering og hvorledes termofile produktionsstammer, såvel som ukonventionelle fermenteringsprocesser fx mixotrofi, kan hjælpe udnyttelsen af dette potentiale. Jeg analyserede en proces med hensyn til termodynamiske og økonomiske overvejelser, hvori acetone produceres fra majsstrå-afledet syngas med M. thermoacetica, der teoretisk set overudtrykker den respektive heterologe reaktionsvej. For at muliggøre en sådan proces skal visse udfordringer overvindes. Et system til genetisk manipulation er blevet publiceret i 2013, og jeg beskriver mine forsøg på at udvide den publicerede genetiske værktøjskasse. Et afgørende værktøj er en robust selektionsmarkør. Vi karakteriserede en termostabil betagalactosidase og dens anvendelse som screening-markør i termofiler. I 1981 isoleredes stammen M. thermoautotrophica, der er rapporteret som nært beslægtet til M. thermoacetica. Sammen med samarbejdspartnere identificerede jeg stammen M. thermoautotrophica til at være en mikset kultur af M. thermoacetica stammer. Vi de novo-sekventerede genomet af flere M. thermoacetica-stammer for at kaste lys på de taxonomiske relationer indenfor slægten Moorella. Selvom organismen er velstuderet, er visse fysiologiske aspekter ved M. thermoacetica stadig ukendte. Jeg foretog et RNA-seq studie af M. thermoactetica, dyrket på sukker og gasholdige substrater (H2/CO2 og H2/CO2/CO) for at opnå indsigt i den transkriptionelle profil. For at facilitere forskning med anaerober og termofiler, såsom Moorella-arter, udviklede jeg sammen med en kollega et apparat, der tillader den fuldt automatiserede dannelse af vækstkurver for mellemstore kulturer. I det respektive kapitel uddyber vi rollen for 3Dprintning i konstruktionen af nyt laboratorie-udstyr og fremlægger den førnævnte løsning til automatiseret sporing af bakteriel vækst. I konklusion beskriver denne afhandling flere projekter, som kan hjælpe til at bane vejen for biokemisk produktion med den termofile M. thermoacetica på en økonomisk konkurrencedygtig måde.Gas fermentation is a promising technology which gained increasing attention over the last years. In this process, acetogenic bacteria convert gases rich in H2, CO2, and CO, into compounds of higher value. The gas can derive from industrial off-gas or from waste streams via gasification. In the gas fermentation processes that are nearly on commercial level, mesophilic acetogens are used to mainly produce ethanol and butanediol. However, thermophilic acetogens, such as Moorella thermoacetica would allow for easy downstream processing when producing volatile products such as acetone.This thesis starts with a review of the feedstock potential for gas fermentation and how thermophilic production strains as well as unconventional fermentation processes such as mixotrophy can help toexploit this potential. I analyzed a process with respect to thermodynamic and economic considerations, in which acetone is produced from cornstover derived syngas with M. thermoacetica hypothetically overexpressing the respective heterologous pathway. To make such a process feasible, some challenges have to be overcome. A system for genetic manipulation has been published in 2013, and I describe my attempts to extent the published genetic toolbox. One crucial tool is a robust selection marker. We characterized a thermostable beta-galactosidase and its application as screening marker in thermophiles. In 1981, strain M, thermoautotrophica, reported to be closely related to M. thermoacetica, was isolated. Together with collaborators, I identified M. thermoautotrophica to be a mixed culture of M. thermoacetica strains. We de novo sequenced the genome of several M. thermoacetica strains to shed light on the taxonomic relations within the genus Moorella. Although well studied, some aspects of the physiology of M. thermoacetica are still unknown. I performed an RNA-seq study of M. thermoacetica grown on sugar and gaseous substrates (H2/CO2 and H2/CO2/CO) to obtain insights into the transcription profile. To facilitate the research with anaerobes and thermophiles such as Moorella species, I developed together with a colleague a device that enables the fully automated generation of growth curves in mid-sized cultures. In the respective chapter, we elaborate on the role of 3D printing in the construction of novel lab equipment and present the aforementioned solution for automated tracking of bacterial growth. In conclusion, this thesis describes several projects which help to pave the way for biochemical production with the thermophile M. thermoacetica on in an economically competitive way
Chemokine und Chemokinrezeptor-exprimierende T-Zellen in bronchoalveolärer Lavage bei interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen im Vergleich zu chronischer Bronchitis und malignen Erkrankungen der Lunge
No full textIn der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde bronchoalveolären Lavage Flüssigkeit (BALF) von Patienten mit interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen (23 Patienten) auf Chemokinkonzentrationen und Chemokinrezeptorexressionsmuster der Lymphozyten analysiert und die Ergebnisse mit Patienten, die an chronischer Bronchitis (6 Patienten) oder malignen Erkrankungen (9 Patienten) der Lunge erkrankt waren verglichen. Mittels ELISA wurden die Chemokinkonzentrationen und mittels Durchflusszytometrie der Anteil an Chemokinrezeptor-exprimierenden T-Zellen in der BALF bestimmt. Hierbei wurden die Chemokinkonzentrationen von MCP 1, TARC, MDC und RANTES und die Häufigkeit CCR2+, CCR5+, CCR4+ und CXCR3+ Zellen innerhalb der CD4+ und CD8+ T-Zellpopulationen gemessen.
Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass bei interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen im Vergleich zu den Kontrollgruppen die MCP-1 Konzentration knapp signifikant (p = 0,055) und die CCR2+CD4+T-Zellen signifikant erhöht waren. Im Zusammenhang mit Daten aus Kinder- und Erwachsenenstudien, in denen in der bronchoalveolären Lavageflüssigkeit erhöhte MCP-1 Werte und vermehrt CCR2+ T-Zellen nachgewiesen wurden, legen diese Ergebnisse eine wichtige Rolle der MCP 1/CCR2-Achse in der Pathogenese der interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen nahe.
Ebenso fanden sich bei interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen signifikant mehr der TH2-assoziierten CCR4+ T-Zellen; bei dem TH1-assoziierten Rezeptor CXCR3+ ergab sich kein Unterschied. Gemeinsam mit ähnlichen Ergebnissen einiger Studien in Mausmodellen und humanen Studien weisen sie auf eine TH2-Polarisierung der T Zellen bei interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen hin, welche hierbei einen profibrotischen Effekt haben sollen.
Gleichzeitig konnten bei interstitiellen Lungenerkrankungen signifikant mehr CCR5+CD4+ und CCR5+CD8+ Zellen als in den Kontrollgruppen nachgewiesen werden. Da auch bei gesunden Menschen CCR5+ T-Zellen nachgewiesen werden konnten, postulieren wir, dass CCR5+ T-Zellen auch unabhängig von der Polarisierung der T-Zellen ein regulärer Bestandteil des bronchoalveolären Raumes im Rahmen einer normalen Immunreaktion sind.
Insgesamt hat diese explorative Analyse aufgezeigt, dass sowohl die MCP 1/CCR2-Achse, als auch TH2-polarisierte T-Zellen ein potentielles Angriffsziel in der Behandlung interstitieller Lungenerkrankungen darstellen könnten. Die Ergebnisse sollten den Anstoß für ausführlichere Untersuchungen mit einem wesentlich größeren Patientenkollektiv geben
Thermodynamics and economic feasibility of acetone production from syngas using the thermophilic production host Moorella thermoacetica
No full textBackground: Syngas fermentation is a promising option for the production of biocommodities due to its abundance and compatibility with anaerobic fermentation. Using thermophilic production strains in a syngas fermentation process allows recovery of products with low boiling point from the off-gas via condensation. Results: In this study we analyzed the production of acetone from syngas with the hypothetical production host derived from Moorella thermoacetica in a bubble column reactor at 60 degrees C with respect to thermodynamic and economic feasibility. We determined the cost of syngas production from basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process gas, from natural gas, and from corn stover and identified BOF gas as an economically interesting source for syngas. Taking gasliquid mass transfer limitations into account, we applied a thermodynamics approach to derive the CO to acetone conversion rate under the process conditions. We estimated variable costs of production of 389 /t acetone, respectively). Conclusion: We applied an approach of combining thermodynamic and economic assessment to analyze a hypothetical bioprocess in which the volatile product acetone is produced from syngas with a thermophilic microorganism. Our model allowed us to identify process metrics and quantify the variable production costs for different scenarios. Economical production of bulk chemicals is challenging, making rigorous thermodynamic/economic modeling critical before undertaking an experimental program and as an ongoing guide during the program. We intend this study to give an incentive to apply the demonstrated approach to other bioproduction processes
Service-Learning and Character Education as Antidotes for children with egos that cannot perform
No full textThe author describes an after-school service-learning and character education program for students with emotional, behavioral, and learning problems and there nondisabled peers. SO Prepared for Citizenship honors the memory and tradition of Dr. Fritz Redl and David Wineman 50 years after the publication of their book, Children Who Hate. Written in the style of that classic book, this article describes the characteristics of students who have “egos that cannot perform” and program strategies designed to help children and adolescents develop controls from within
A Study of University Timetabling that Blends Graph Coloring with the Satisfaction of Various Essential and Preferential Conditions
No full textThis work was also published as a Rice University thesis/dissertation: http://hdl.handle.net/1911/18687Constructing a satisfactory conflict-free semester-long timetable of courses and creating a similarly satisfactory conflict-free timetable for end-of-semester final examinations are two closely related and often difficult problems that colleges and universities face each semester. We discuss the relevance of such timetabling problems as a natural and practical application of graph coloring, and develop a mathematical and computational model for solving university timetabling problems using techniques of graph coloring that incorporates the satisfaction of both "essential" timetabling conditions (i.e., conditions or constraints that must be satisfied in order to produce a legal or feasible timetable) as well as suggested "preferential" timetabling conditions (i.e., additional conditions or constraints that need not necessarily be satisfied to produce a legal or legitimate timetable, but if satisfied may very well produce a more ''acceptable'' timetable for students and/or faculty members). We discuss in detail the step-by-step process that is taken to implement our timetabling-by-graph-coloring procedure, from the assembling of university course data, to creating a course conflict graph based on the assembled data, to coloring the conflict graph, to transforming this coloring to a conflict-free timetable, to finally assigning courses to classrooms. Once a conflict-free timetable of courses has been constructed, we present ways in which such a course timetable for a particular semester can be used to construct a conflict-free timetable of final examinations. Our model also considers a number of sociological scheduling concerns and preferences addressed by university registrars, faculty, staff, and students. Computational results, obtained by the author using actual data provided by Rice University and the University of St. Thomas, are documented
A study of university timetabling that blends graph coloring with the satisfaction of various essential and preferential conditions
No full textConstructing a satisfactory conflict-free semester-long timetable of courses and creating a similarly satisfactory conflict-free timetable for end-of-semester final examinations are two closely related and often difficult problems that colleges and universities face each semester.
We discuss the relevance of such timetabling problems as a natural and practical application of graph coloring, and develop a mathematical and computational model for solving university timetabling problems using techniques of graph coloring that incorporates the satisfaction of both "essential" timetabling conditions (i.e., conditions or constraints that must be satisfied in order to produce a legal or feasible timetable) as well as suggested "preferential" timetabling conditions (i.e., additional conditions or constraints that need not necessarily be satisfied to produce a legal or legitimate timetable, but if satisfied may very well produce a more "acceptable" timetable for students and/or faculty members). We discuss in detail the step-by-step process that is taken to implement our timetabling-by-graph-coloring procedure, from the assembling of university course data, to creating a course conflict graph based on the assembled data, to coloring the conflict graph, to transforming this coloring to a conflict-free timetable, to finally assigning courses to classrooms. Once a conflict-free timetable of courses has been constructed, we present ways in which such a course timetable for a particular semester can be used to construct a conflict-free timetable of final examinations. Our model also considers a number of sociological scheduling concerns and preferences addressed by university registrars, faculty, staff, and students. Computational results, obtained by the author using actual data provided by Rice University and the University of St. Thomas, are documented
<i>Moorella</i> Strains for the Production of Biochemicals from Syngas
No full textIn the process of sugar fermentation, a significant portion of lignocellulosic biomass is left unused. An alternative is the gasification into syngas, a carbon-rich gas mixture. Syngas serves as energy and carbon source for acetogenic bacteria, which can then produce biochemicals. In the syngas fermentation process even the recalcitrant lignin portion can be fully converted into higher value compounds. Still the cost-effectiveness of this process requires better understanding of the metabolism and modification of the acetogenic strains. In my PhD project I am laying the basis for production of higher value biochemicals (acetone) from syngas using Moorella strains as cell factories. Moorella has outstanding abilities that make it especially suitable for the syngas fermentation process (thermophily, carbon source utilization). Firstly, the project focuses on understanding the primary metabolism in acetogenic bacteria. The main research aspect is to determine acceptance of, and the exact growth rates on different carbon sources (C1, C6, gaseous substrates) in different Moorella strains. Genome analysis on pathway level is performed to link the genotype to the phenotype. Differential expression analysis between heterotrophic and autotrophic growth (RNA-seq) serves to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms underlying carbon source utilization. In the second part of my project I am developing tools for genetic manipulation of Moorella strains. For example, a pyrF deletion strains, which allows heterologous gene expression was constructed. These tools developed in my project will be applied to engineer bacterial cell factories for production of higher value biochemicals like acetone
