Gesundheit und Ernährung: Die Macht der Kultur

Health and nutrition: The power of cultural patterns Despite enormous educational efforts and widely spread common knowledge about the subject, today's nutrition as it is practiced by many consumer groups concerning health in Germany, shows great potential to be optimized. On one side this is due to a cognitive dissonance: The knowledge about a healthy nutrition is opposed to a practice that is often detrimental to health. Among other factors, the main reasons for that phenomenon can be found within psychological aspects of nutrition: Practices that are tried and tested have a stabilizing effect and lead to emotional security. On the other side nutritional systems in principle change slowly and are difficult to control, especially since food itself and communicating about it function as ideological placings, as a representation of status or are matter of distinction in a society driven by modern lifestyles. Oftentimes supposedly reasonable nutritional practices hardly show any commonalities with these realities. Furthermore people who live in Germany but who were socialized with a different cultural background tend to have conceptions of a valuable nutrition that are often contradictorily to scientific findings. That also counts for people who obtain information from internet platforms that are not scientifically oriented. There they pick up superficial knowledge, esoteric beliefs or ideology‐based hints delivered through a science‐based appearance.     

Biodiversitätsforschung – wohin geht die Reise?

Biodiversity and biodiversity politics Extrapolations for a range of indicators suggest that based on current trends, pressures on biodiversity will continue to increase (Global Biodiversity Outlook 4, 2014). Since services of nature, like fertile soil, clear water and clean air are achieved by consortia of organisms rather than by individual species, they are already endangered. This holds, in spite of the fact, that only 10% of the earth's organisms are known to science and that therefore the loss caused by global change cannot be reliably quantified. Today, science develops new methods for recording consortia of coexisting organisms in a habitat. With the Convention on Biological Diversity, biodiversity has become a matter of politics which is welcome with respect to species and habitat conservation, but the concern of biopiracy creates bureaucratic hurdles hindering research. The most recent achievement is IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Bonn), which strives to bring more science into biodiversity politics.     

Personalisierte Medizin – Vision oder Fiktion? Beispiel: Altersdiabetes

Typical civilization diseases, such as type II diabetes, are common, complex in the underlying pathogenic mechanisms, heterogenous in the phenotype and multifactorial due to a wide variety of possible combinations of disease susceptibility or protective genes in different relevant tissues and negative or positive environmental factors. This is in sharp contrast to classical inherited diseases, such as Chorea Huntington, which are often caused by complete loss‐ or gain‐of‐function mutations in a single gene. The causative polymorphisms of susceptibility genes, however, are characterized by relative subtle alterations in the function of the corresponding gene product, which per se do not support the pathogenesis, by high frequency, high expenditure for their identification and rather low predictive value. Consequently, the reliable and early diagnosis of civilization diseases depends on the individual determination of all (or as many as possible) polymorphisms of each susceptibility gene together with the corresponding gene products and the metabolites emerging thereof.     

Fadenwürmer – fade Würmer?

Nematodes – there is more to it … Nematodes play a central role – not only in a negative way as dreaded parasites of humans, animals and plants, where they may be harmful in terms of health and economy. The majority of nematodes turn out to be highly beneficial: Firstly, they are a vital part of the food web and by this indispensably involved in nutrient cycles. On the other hand, we increasingly make use of nematodes in biological control of pest organisms, in the ecotoxicological assessment of soils and sediments and as excellent model organisms in a broad range of different research fields.     

Das Geheimnis des roten Herbstlaubes

The secret of the fall colour red The autumnal coloration of trees and shrubs in temperate climate regions is a well‐known spectacle of nature. Crucial for the yellow colour of leaves is the degradation of chlorophylls which cover the yellow colour of carotenoids. Chlorophyll degradation is a prerequisite for protein degradation and remobilization of precious nitrogen in the amino acids of the chloroplast proteins. In some species leaves turn red in autumn by accumulation of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins can reduce photo‐oxidative stress by acting as a sunscreen shielding against the harmful effects of excess light. Furthermore, anthocyanins prevent the landing of insects – in particular aphides.     

Experimente mit Hefe (2)

The so‐called iodine test is ideal for demonstrating the role of the enzyme “amylase” in simple experiments based on a colour reaction when a yeast dough rises, when carbohydrates are digested or when dishes are washed in the dishwasher. The experiments presented can be used to clarify the question of which everyday substances are capable of degrading starch or whether a food contains starch or not. The central question of the experiments is, how yeast makes the bread dough rise despite of its “starch intolerance”.     

Zuckerbrot und Peitsche

Marantaceae (arrowrood) are among the few examples of plants showing unexpectedly fast movements such as the ones in the meaningful mimosa or carnivorous plants. In the Venus flytrap (Dionaea), the movement of leaves is an extreme fast reaction to mechanical stimuli and based on the propagation of electrical signals. Of course, it was interesting to investigate, whether the explosively moving style of Marantaceae is based on a comparable mechanism. Electrophysiological experiments helped to understand how one of the fastest movements in the plant kingdom is mediated.     

Wie wachsen Tropenbäume? Jahrringe als Ausdruck von Klimabedingungen und Lebensform

Growth of tropical trees is largely depending on the seasonality of the local climate. In many trees growing in areas with a distinct dry season, cambial activity ceases resulting in the formation of annual rings. In very humid mountain rainforests, trees stop to grow already after short rainless periods. By a combination of increment measurements and wood anatomical analyses, the climatic control of wood formation can be assessed. Intra‐annual wood density variations and content of various stable isotopes enable the climatological interpretation of the “wood signals”.     

Biodiversität und Klima: Wandel in vollem Gange!

Global change is in full progress! Global change is in full progress and includes world‐wide climatic and biodiversity changes. Alterations of land and water use in many areas as well as passive and active spreading of exotic species are further drivers of change. Mankind is impacted in many respects. Global change will lead in many countries to increasing poverty and will result in political instability. The research about causes and consequences of biological and climatic changes and the discussion within the society is therefore a crucial challenge.     

Die Wasserlinse – eine unterschätzte Vielzweckpflanze

Tiny, inconspicuous duckweeds (Lemnaceae) are often considered a nuisance, due to their propensity to rapidly cover surfaces of water bodies. However, their pronounced growth potential, together with their particular morphological, clonal and genomic properties and their easy cultivation make them valuable model plants for studies, and have established them as indicator plants in the field of ecotoxicology. Duckweeds can make a valuable contribution to wastewater remediation, and the biomass that their growth thereby provides can be of value in many ways, including energy generation, fuel production and use as fertilizer and animal food. Duckweeds grown under controlled conditions can contribute to human nutrition and serve as biofactories for heterologous protein expression. The versatile usage potential of duckweeds has not been thoroughly exploited, as it could and should be in the future.     

Radioaktivität – Wirkung auf die Zelle

Radioactive radiaton As long as the earth exists all living organisms are exposed to a natural radioactive radiation. Man succeeded by knowledge of the structure of matter, to use the natural process of radioactive decay for peaceful (medicine, energy) and military means (nuclear bombs). Hence, the artificial radiation created by humans and the amount of radioactive “waste” has considerably increased in the last 100 years. After the incidents of Chernobyl (Russia), and Fukushima (Japan) the use of nuclear energy appears to be not as controllable as expected. An unsolved problem is still the “disposal” and storage of radioactive materials. With the production and use of radioactive substances in large quantities, we leave a currently unsolved problem to future generations for thousands of years.     

Das Oligozän. Subtropisches Leben in einem langen,schmalen Meer

The Oligocene Even as a general cooling can be proved during the Oligocene, there is still a subtropical climate in Central Europe, due to the following plate tectonic movements. This is the last time in which there are clues for a direct seaway connecting the North‐ and Mediterranean Seas. This basin along the Upper Rhine Valley as well as the additional north alpine Molasse Basin are the results of folding and lifting of the Alps. Life in these seas and lowlands corresponds more or less to the current subtropical ecosystems.     

Mikrobiologie in der Schule

In the project “The hidden world of bacteria” students from six classes from high schools around Salzburg work for two years together with staff members of the Research Department for Limnology, Mondsee (University of Innsbruck). The aim is to isolate new bacterial strains from surrounding inland waters and to describe them as new species or higher taxonomic units.     

Sekundärstoffe – die Geheimwaffen der Pflanzen

Secondary metabolites Already 400 million years ago when land plants evolved, they probably produced secondary metabolites as means of defence against herbivores, microbes and competing plants. Secondary metabolites usually are bioactive agents, which can interfere with molecular targets in animals and microbes. Therefore, many plants and substances isolated from them can serve as valuable drugs in medicine and pharmacy. Some secondary metabolites also serve as signal compounds to attract pollinating animals and seed‐dispersing animals, but also for UV protection, as antioxidants or mobile nitrogen stores. Biology and evolution but also physiological and genetic bases of secondary metabolism are discussed in this overview.     

Gefäßzugang über den Knochen

Intraosseous line In cases of emergency an intravenous line is necessary to administer live‐saving infusions and drugs. In hemorrhagic shock, hypothermia or circulatory arrest it can be difficult to get access to systemic circulation. An alternative is an intraosseous line by inserting a needle into the medullary cavitiy in the epiphysis of a long bone. With a system working with a cordless screw‐driver the canula can be administered save and in a few seconds. Via the osteons drugs and infusions reach the circulation. Pharmacokinetics are comparable to an intravenous line. Anatomical basics of the technique are 300, first practical work nearly 100 years old. New technologies facilitate the easily application of intraosseous lines in medicine.     

Mit den Waffen der Chemie gegen Insekten

Current industrialised farming applies multiple pesticides to fight against competitors of agricultural products. The consequences lead to direct and indirect detrimental effects on the environment. Neonicotinoids are particularly frequently applied to fight against pest insects but pollinating insects are also effected. These insecticides bind to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the insect brain and interfere with neuronal processed underlying learning, memory formation and memory retrieval. Experience dependent behaviors are essential for effective pollination. Experimental studies with honeybees documented that even extremely small doses of neonicotinoids taken up with nectar and pollen massively interfere with learning, memory, navigation, social communication and foraging motivation. Besides these direct actions on non‐target insects neonicotinoids impoverish the environment, reduce the number of wild life and destroy the quality of the agricultural ground. The multiple effects are caused by the high water solubility and the persistence of the insecticides.     

Auf Exkursion in Südmähren

South Moravia in the south of the Czech Republic is a region of high faunistic diversity. This is due to both, the geologically diverse landscape, e. g. in the area of the cross‐border Thayatal National Park, and the fact that there the Hercynian woodland of Western Europe meets the Pannonian steppe of Southeast Europe. During ten one‐week zoological excursions with biology students of the University of Duisburg‐Essen between 2009 and 2018, a whole string of fascinating animal species of this area could be observed or caught and was subsequently discussed. The main focus was on the avifauna, with many different breeding species like corn bunting, black stork, Eurasian hoopoe, European bee‐eater or kingfisher and great reed warbler. A second emphasis was on the herpetofauna. European green lizard and Aesculapian snake are locally abundant and well observable, European tree frog, fire salamander and European fire‐bellied toad can also be found. One of the most remarkable mammals is the European ground squirrel. Among the invertebrates there are also charismatic species like the spiders Philaeus chrysops and Eresus moravicus or the bush cricket Saga pedo. In this article many species are discussed in the context of their habitats, complemented by a list of all vertebrates successfully determined during the excursions.     

Kontaktwinkeluntersuchungen zur beurteilung der benetzung von blattoberflächen durch wässrige lösungen nichtionogener tenside

Die abgestufte Wirkung einer ethoxylierten Tensidreihe auf den Kontaktwinkel wurde am Beispiel der Genapol X‐Typen untersucht. Optimale Erniedrigungen der Kontaktwinkel wurden für X‐080 bzw. X‐060 erhalten, wobei der Unterschied zu den Typen mit geringerer EO‐Kettenlänge unbeträchtlich ist bzw. innerhalb des Meßfehlers liegt. Die .unterschiedliche Kontaktwinkelemiedrigung bei verschiedenen Species ist erklärbar, wenn der spezielle Einfluß morphologischer Aspekte charakterisiert werden kann. Durch Untersuchung der Benetzungskinetik und der Konzentrationsabhängigkeit des Tensides lassen sich zusätzliche detailierte Informationen über den Benetzungsprozeß erhalten.