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In the present study the flora and vegetation of Kakamega Forest, an East African rainforest in Western Kenya, was investigated. Kakamega Forest is highly degraded and fragmented and is an ideal model to study the anthropogenic influence on the forest inventory. The main focus was to analyse the influence of human impact on the vascular plant species composition. During five field phases in the years 2001 to 2004 a total of 19 study sites scattered over the whole forest including all fragments were investigated regarding forest structure, species composition and plant communities. The different forest sites were analysed by three different methods, phytosociological relevés, line-transect and with the variable-area transect method. The forest survey revealed about 400 taxa of vascular plant species, among them 112 trees, 62 shrubs, 58 climbers and 114 herbs. Several species are restricted to this forest in Kenya, but only one endemic species, the herb Commelina albiflora, could be discovered. About 15 species were recorded as new for Kenya and probably at least one species is new to science. Kakamega Forest is a unique mixture of Guineo-Congolian and Afromontane floral elements. About one half of the vascular plant species has its origin in the lowland forests of the Congo basin and one third originates from Afromontane habitats. The present study represents the first description of plant communities of Kakamega Forest. An analysis of different forest sites and plantations resulted in 17 different vegetation units. For the mature forest sites eleven plant communities were described. The young succession stage consists of two plant communities. Since the disturbance history and the age of the different plant communities could be estimated, their chronology was also described. An exception are the study sites within the plantations and afforested sites. The four defined vegetation units were not described as plant communities, because they are highly affected by man and do not belong to the natural succession of Kakamega Forest. Nevertheless, the regeneration potential of such forests was investigated. Due to the different succession stages the changing species composition along a disturbance gradient could be analysed. Most of Kakamega Forest consists of middle-aged secondary forest often surrounded by very young secondary forest. A true primary rainforest could not be found due the massive influence by over-exploitation. In all parts of the forest the anthropogenic influence could be observed. The forest develops towards a climax stage, but a 2 Abstract comparison with former surveys shows that the regeneration is much slower than expected. Human impact has to be avoided to allow the forest to develop into a primary-like rainforest. But several climax tree species might be missing anyway, because after the broad logging activities in the past there are not enough seed trees remaining. Species richness was highest in disturbed forest sites. A mixture of pioneer, climax and bushland species could be recorded there. Therefore, a high species richness is not a suitable indicator for forest quality. The proportion of climax species typical for Kakamega Forest would be a better measure. Compared to the main forest block the forest fragments do not lack in diversity as expected due to fragmentation processes. Instead, the only near primary forest could be recorded in Kisere, a northern fragment. The high amount of climax species and the more or less undisturbed forest structure is a result of the strict protection by the Kenya Wildlife Service and due to low logging activities. Differences in species composition between the studied forest sites are either a result of the different logging history or management regime rather than due to different edaphic or climatic conditions.
The role of alternative resources for pollinators and aphid predators in agricultural landscapes
(2021)
The world wide decline of insects is often associated with loss of natural and semi-natural habitat caused by intensified land-use. Many insects provide important ecosystem services to agriculture, such as pest control or pollination. To efficiently promote insects on remaining semi-natural habitat we need precise knowledge of their requirements to non-crop habitat. This thesis focuses on identifying
the most important semi-natural habitats (forest edges, grasslands, and semi-open habitats) for pollinators and natural enemies of crop pests with respect to their food resource requirements. Special
attention is given to floral resources and their spatio-temporal distribution in agricultural landscapes.
Floral resource maps might get closer at characterizing landscapes the way they are experienced by insects compared to classical habitat maps. Performance of the two map types was compared on the prediction of wild bees and natural enemies that consume nectar and pollen, identifying habitats of special importance in the process. In wild bees, influences of spatio-temporal floral resource availability were analysed as well as habitat preferences of specific groups of bees. Understanding dietary needs of natural enemies of crop pests requires additional knowledge on prey use. To this end, ladybird gut contents have been analysed by means of high-throughput sequencing for insight into aphid prey-use.
Results showed, that wild bees were predicted better by floral resource maps compared to classical habitat maps. Forest edge area, as well as floral resources in forest edges had positive effects on abundance and diversity of rare bees and important crop pollinators. Similar patterns were retained for grassland diversity. Especially early floral resources seemed to have positive effects on wild bees. Crops and fruit trees produced a resource pulse in April that exceeded floral resource availability in May and June by tenfold. Most floral resources in forest edges appeared early in the season, with the highest floral density per area. Grasslands provided the lowest amount of floral resources but highest diversity, which was evenly distributed over the season.
Despite natural enemies need for floral resources, classical habitat maps performed better at predicting natural enemies of crop pests compared to floral resource maps. Classical habitat maps revealed a positive effect of forest edge habitat on the abundance of pest enemies, which translated into improved aphid control. Results from gut content analysis reveal high portions of pest aphid species and nettle aphids as well as a broader insight into prey spectra retained from ladybirds collected from sticky traps compared to individuals collected by hand. The aphid specific primer designed for this purpose will be helpful for identifying aphid consumption by ladybirds in future studies.
Findings of this thesis show the potential of floral resource maps for understanding interactions of wild bees and the landscape but also indicate that natural enemies are limited by other resources. I would like to highlight the positive effects of forest edges for different groups of bees as well as natural enemies and their performance on pest control.
Over the past few decades, Single-Particle Analysis (SPA), in combination with cryo-transmission electron microscopy, has evolved into one of the leading technologies for structural analysis of biological macromolecules. It allows the investigation of biological structures in a close to native state at the molecular level. Within the last five years the achievable resolution of SPA surpassed 2°A and is now approaching atomic resolution, which so far has only been possible with Xray crystallography in a far from native environment. One remaining problem of Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM) is the weak image contrast. Since the introduction of cryo-EM in the 1980s phase plates have been investigated as a potential tool to overcome these contrast limitations. Until now, technical problems and instrumental deficiencies have made the use of phase plates difficult; an automated workflow, crucial for the acquisition of 1000s of micrographs needed for SPA, was not possible. In this thesis, a new Zernike-type Phase Plate (PP) was developed and investigated. Freestanding metal films were used as a PP material to overcome the ageing and contamination problems of standard carbon-based PPs. Several experiments, evaluating and testing various metals, ended with iridium as the best-suited material. A thorough investigation of the properties of iridium PP followed in the second part of this thesis. One key outcome is a new operation mode, the rocking PP. By using this rocking-mode, fringing artifacts, another obstacle of Zernike PPs, could be solved. In the last part of this work, acquisition and reconstruction of SPA data of apoferritin was performed using the iridium PP in rocking-mode. A special semi-automated workflow for the acquisition of PP data was developed and tested. The recorded PP data was compared to an additional reference dataset without a PP, acquired following a conventional workflow.
Culture and violence
(2010)
The basic assumption of this study is that specific cultural conditions may lead to psychopathological reactions through which an increase in interpersonal violence may happen. The objective of this study was to define to what extent homicide rates across national cultures might be associated with the strength of their attitudes toward specific beliefs and values, and their scores in specific cultural dimensions. To answer this question, nine independent variables were defined six of which were related to the people- attitudes pertaining importance of religion (Religiosity), excessive feeling of choice and control (Omnipotence), clear-cut distinction between good and evil (Absolutism), proud of their nationality (Nationalism), approval of competition (Competitiveness), and high respect for authorities and emphasis on obedience (Authoritarianism). The data for these variables were collected from World Values Survey. For two cultural dimensions, Collectivism, and Power Distance, Hofstede- scores were used. The 9th variable was GNI per capita. After estimation of 7% missing values in the whole data through multiple imputation, a sample of 81 nations was used for further statistical analyses.
Results: Stepwise regression analysis indicated Omnipotence and GNI as the strongest predictors of homicide (β = .44 P = .000; β = -.27 P = .006 respectively). The 9 independent variables were loaded on two factors, socio-economic development (SED) and psycho-cultural factor (Psy-Cul), which were negatively correlated (-.47). The Psy-Cul was interpreted as an indicator of narcissism, and a mediator between SED and homicide. Hierarchical cluster analysis made a clear distinction among three main groups of Western, Developing, and post-Communist nations on the basis of the two factors.
The implementation of physiological indicators reflecting the response of organisms to changes in their environment is assumed to provide potential benefits for ecological studies. By analysing the physiological condition of organisms in freshwater ecological studies rather than their ultimate effects, physiological indicators can contribute to a faster assessment of effects than using traditional ecological indicators, such as the evaluation of the benthic community structure or the determination of the reproductive success of organisms. This can increase the effectiveness of environmental health assessment and experimental ecology. In this respect the thesis focuses on physiological measures characterizing the energetic condition and energy consumption (the concentration of energy storage compounds, the adenylate energy charge, the energy consumption in vivo), as well as individual growth (RNA:DNA ratio) of organisms. Although these sub-individual indicators are commonly applied in marine ecology and more recently in ecotoxicology, they have been rarely applied in freshwater ecology to date. With respect to an increased use of physiological indicators in freshwater ecological studies, the objectives of the present thesis are twofold. First, it highlights the potential of assessing the individual fitness by means of physiological indicators in freshwater ecological studies. For that reason, Chapter 2 provides the basic assumptions as well as the theoretical and methodological fundamentals necessary for the application of physiological indicators within freshwater ecology and, furthermore, points out their applicability by several case studies. As second objective, the thesis addresses selected ecophysiological aspects of native and non-native freshwater amphipods, which are considered suitable candidates for the determination of physiological indicators in ecological studies due to their function as keystone species within aquatic habitats. The studies presented in Chapters 3−5 of the thesis provide information on (i) species- and sex-specific seasonal variations within the energetic condition of natural Gammarus populations (G. fossarum, G. pulex), (ii) differences in metabolic activity and behaviour between different amphipod species (G fossarum, G. roeselii and D. villosus), as well as (iii) the direct effects of ambient ammonia on the physiology and behaviour of D. villosus. The fundamental conclusions drawn from the conducted field and laboratory studies, as well as their relevance and general implications for the application of physiological indicators in freshwater ecological research are discussed in Chapter 6.
SUMMARY
Buildings and infrastructures characterize the appearance of our cultural landscapes and provide essential services for the human society. However, they inevitably impact the natural environment e.g. by the structural change of habitats. Additionally, they potentially cause further negative environmental impacts due to the release of chemical substances from construction materials. Galvanic anodes and organic coatings regularly used for corrosion protection of steel structures are building materials of particular importance for the transport infrastructure. In direct contact with a water body or indirectly via the runoff after rainfall, numerous chemicals can be released into the environment and pose a risk to aquatic organisms. Up to now, there is no uniform investigation and evaluation approach for the assessment of the environmental compatibility of building products. Furthermore, galvanic anodes and organic coatings pose particular challenges for their ecotoxicological characterization due to their composition. Therefore, the objective of the presented thesis was the ecotoxicological assessment of emissions from galvanic anodes and protective coatings as well as the development of standardized assessment procedures for these materials.
The possible environmental hazard posed by the use of anodes on offshore installations was investigated on three trophic levels. To ensure a realistic and reliable evaluation, the experiments were carried out in natural seawater and under natural pH conditions. Moreover, the anode material and its main components zinc and aluminum were exposed while simulating a worst-case scenario. The anode material examined caused a weak inhibition of algae growth; no acute toxicity was observed on the luminescent bacteria and amphipods. However, an increase of aluminum and indium levels in the crustacean species was found. On the basis of these results, no direct threat has been identified for marine organisms from the use of galvanic aluminum anodes. However, an accumulation of metals in crustaceans and a resulting entry into the marine food web cannot be excluded.
The environmental compatibility of organic coating systems was exemplarily evaluated using a selection of relevant products based on epoxy resins (EP) and polyurethanes. For this purpose, coated test plates were dynamically leached over 64 days. The eluates obtained were systematically analyzed for their ecotoxicological effects (acute toxicity to algae and luminescent bacteria, mutagenic and estrogenic effects) and their chemical composition. In particular, the EP-based coatings caused significant bacterial toxicity and estrogen-like effects. The continuously released 4-tert-butylphenol was identified as a main contributor to these effects and was quantified in concentrations exceeding the predicted no effect concentration for freshwater in all samples. Interestingly, the overall toxicity was not governed by the content of 4-tert-butylphenol in the products but rather by the release mechanism of this compound from the investigated polymers. This finding indicates that an optimization of the composition can result in the reduction of emissions and thus of environmental impacts - possibly due to a better polymerization of the compounds.
Coatings for corrosion protection are exposed to rain, changes in temperature and sun light leading to a weathering of the polymer. To determine the influence of light-induced aging on the ecotoxicity of top coatings, the emissions and associated adverse effects of UV-irradiated and untreated EP-based products were compared. To that end, the investigation of static leachates was focused on estrogenicity and bacterial toxicity, which were detected in the classic microtiter plate format and in combination with thin-layer plates. Both materials examined showed a significant decrease of the ecotoxicological effects after irradiation with a simultaneous reduction of the 4-tert-butylphenol emission. However, bisphenol A and various structural analogues were detected as photolytic degradation products of the polymers, which also contributed to the observed effects. In this context, the identification of bioactive compounds was supported by the successful combination of in-vitro bioassays with chemical analysis by means of an effect-directed analysis. The presented findings provide important information to assess the general suitability of top coatings based on epoxy resins.
Within the scope of the present study, an investigation concept was developed and successfully applied to a selection of relevant construction materials. The adaptation of single standard methods allowed an individual evaluation of these products. At the same time, the suitability of the ecotoxicological methods used for the investigation of materials of unknown and complex composition was confirmed and the basis for a systematic assessment of the environmental compatibility of corrosion protection products was created. Against the background of the European Construction Products Regulation, the chosen approach can facilitate the selection of environmentally friendly products and contributes to the optimization of individual formulations by the simple comparison of different building materials e.g. within a product group.
Many pharmaceuticals (e.g. antibiotics, contrast media, beta blockers) are excreted unmetabolized and enter wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) through the domestic sewage system. Research has shown that many of them are not effectively removed by conventional wastewater treatment and therefore are detected in surface waters. Reverse osmosis (RO) is one of the most effective means for removing a wide range of micropollutants in water recycling. However, one significant disadvantage is the need to dispose the resultant RO concentrate. Due to the fact that there are elevated concentrations of micropollutants in the concentrate, a direct disposal to surface water could be hazardous to aquatic organisms. As a consequence, further treatment of the concentrate is necessary. In this study, ozonation was investigated as a possible treatment option for RO concentrates. Concentrate samples were obtained from a RO-membrane system which uses municipal WWTP effluents as feeding water to produce infiltration water for artificial groundwater recharge. In this study it could be shown that ozonation is efficient in the attenuation of selected pharmaceuticals, even in samples with high TOC levels (46 mg C/L). Tests with chlorinated and non-chlorinated WWTP effluent showed an increase of ozone stability, but a decrease of hydroxyl radical exposure in the samples after chlorination. This may shift the oxidation processes towards direct ozone reactions and favors the degradation of compounds with high apparent second order rate constants. Additionally it might inhibit an oxidation of compound predominantly reacting with OH radicals. Ozone reaction kinetics were investigated for beta blockers (acebutolol, atenolol, metoprolol and propranolol) which are permanently present in WWTP effluents. For beta blockers two moieties are common which are reactive towards ozone, a secondary amine group and an activated aromatic ring. The secondary amine is responsible for a pH dependence of the direct ozone reaction rate, since only the deprotonated amine reacts very quickly. At pH 7 acebutolol, atenolol and metoprolol reacted with ozone with an apparent second order rate constant of about 2000 M-1 s-1, whereas propranolol reacted at ~1.0 105 M-1 s-1. The rate constants for the reaction of the selected compounds with OH radicals were determined to be 0.5-1.0 x 1010 M-1 s-1. Oxidation products (OPs) formed during ozonation of metoprolol and propranolol were identified via liquid chromatography (LC) tandem mass spectrometry. Ozonation led to a high number of OPs being formed. Experiments were carried out in MilliQ-water at pH 3 and pH 8 as well as with and without the radical scavenger tertiary butanol (t-BuOH). This revealed the influence of pH and the OH radical exposure on OP formation. The OH radical exposure was determined by adding the probe compound para-chlorobenzoic acid (pCBA). Metoprolol: To define the impacts of the protonated and non protonated metoprolol species on OH radical formation, the measured pCBA attenuation was compared to modeled values obtained by a simplified kinetic model (Acuchem). A better agreement with the measured results was obtained, when the model was based on a stoichiometric formation of OH radical precursors (O2-) during the primary ozone reaction of metoprolol. However, for reaction of a deprotonated molecule (attack of the aromatic ring) a formation of O2- could be confirmed, but an assumed stoichiometric O2- formation over-estimated the formation of OH radicals in the system. Analysis of ozonated raw wastewater and municipal WWTP effluent spiked with 10 μM metoprolol exhibited a similar OP formation pattern as detected in the reaction system at pH 8 without adding radical scavenger. This indicated a significant impact of OH radical exposure on the formation of OPs in real wastewater matrices. Propranolol: The primary ozonation product of propranolol (OP-291) was formed by an ozone attack of the naphthalene ring, which resulted in a ring opening and two aldehyde moieties being formed. OP-291 was further oxidized to OP-307, presumably by an OH radical attack, which was then further oxidized to OP-281. Reaction pathways via ozone as well as OH radicals were proposed and confirmed by the chemical structures identified with MS2 and MS3 data. It can be concluded that ozonation of WWTP effluent results in the formation of a high number of OPs with an elevated toxic potential (i.e. formation of aldehydes).
Fate and effects of insecticides in vegetated agricultural drainage ditches and constructed wetlands
(2006)
Studies have shown that runoff and spray-drift are important sources of nonpoint-source pesticide pollution of surface waters. Owing to this, public concern over the presence of pesticides in surface and ground water has resulted in intensive scientific efforts to find economical, yet environmentally sound solutions to the problem. The primary objective of this research was to assess the effectiveness of vegetated aquatic systems in providing buffering between natural aquatic ecosystems and agricultural landscape following insecticide associated runoff and spray-drift events. The first set of studies were implemented using vegetated agricultural ditches, one in Mississippi, USA, using pyrethroids (bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin) under simulated runoff conditions and the other in the Western Cape, South Africa using the organophosphate insecticide, azinphos-methyl (AZP), under natural runoff and spray-drift conditions. The second set of studies were implemented using constructed wetlands, one in the Western Cape using AZP under natural spray-drift conditions and the other in Mississippi, USA using the organophosphate MeP under simulated runoff conditions. Results from the Mississippi-ditch study indicated that ditch lengths of less than 300 m would be sufficient to mitigate bifenthrin and lambda-cyhalothrin. In addition, data from mass balance calculations determined that the ditch plants were the major sink (generally > 90%) and/or sorption site for the rapid dissipation of the above pyrethroids from the water column. Similarly, results from the ditch study in South Africa showed that a 180 m vegetated system was effective in mitigating AZP after natural spray drift and low flow runoff events. Analytical results from the first wetland study show that the vegetated wetland was more effective than the non-vegetated wetland in reducing loadings of MeP. Mass balance calculations indicated approximately 90% of MeP mass was associated with the plant compartment. Ninety-six hours after the contamination, a significant negative acute effect of contamination on abundances was found in 8 out of the 15 macroinvertebrate species in both wetland systems. Even with these toxic effects, the overall reaction of macroinvertebrates clearly demonstrated that the impact of MeP in the vegetated wetland was considerably lower than in the non-vegetated wetland. Results from the constructed wetland study in South Africa revealed that concentrations of AZP at the inlet of the 134 m wetland system were reduced by 90% at the outlet. Overall, results from all of the studies in this thesis indicate that the presence of the plant compartment was essential for the effective mitigation of insecticide contamination introduced after both simulated and natural runoff or spray-drift events. Finally, both the vegetated agricultural drainage ditch and vegetated constructed wetland systems studied would be effective in mitigating pesticide loadings introduced from either runoff or spray-drift, in turn lowering or eliminating potential pesticide associated toxic effects in receiving aquatic ecosystems. Data produced in this research provide important information to reduce insecticide risk in exposure assessment scenarios. It should be noted that incorporating these types of best management practices (BMPs) will decrease the risk of acute toxicity, but chronic exposure may still be an apparent overall risk.
Introduction:
In March 2012 a secessionist-Islamist insurgency gained momentum in Mali and quickly took control of two-thirds of the state territory. Within weeks radical Islamists, drug smugglers and rebels suddenly ruled over a territory bigger than Germany. News of the abuse of the population and the introduction of harsh Sharia law spread soon, and word got out that the Malian Army had simply abandoned the land. The general echo of the IC was surprise, a reaction that was, as this research will show, as unfunded as it was unconstructive*. When Malian state structures collapsed, the world watched in shock, even though the developments couldhave been anticipated –and prevented. Ultimately, the situation had to be resolved by international forces (most notably French troops), who are still in Mali at the time of writing (Arieff 2013a: 5; Lohmann 2012: 3; Walther and Christopoulos 2015: 514f.; Shaw 2013: 204; Qantara, Interview, 2012;L’Express, Mali, 2015; Deutscher Bundestag, MINUSMA und EUTM Mali, 2016; UN, MUNISMA, 2016; Boeke and Schuurmann 2015: 801; Chivvis 2016: 93f.).
This research will show that the developments in Mali in 2012 have been developing for a long time and could have been avoided. In doing so, it will also show why state security can never be analyzed or consolidated in an isolated manner. Instead, it is necessary to take into account regional dynamics and developments in order to find a comprehensive approach to security in individual states. Once state failure occurs, not only does the state itself fail, but the surrounding region equally failed to prevent the failure.
Weak states are a growing concern in many world regions, particularly in Africa. As international intervention often proves unsustainable for various reasons*, the author believes that states which cannot stabilize themselves need a regional agent to support them. This regional agent should be a Regional Security Complex (RSC) asdefined by Barry Buzan and Ole Waever (Buzan and Waever 2003). As the following analysis will show, Mali is a case in point. The hope is that this study will help avoid similar failures in the future by making a strong case for the establishment of RSC’s.
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This dissertation introduces a methodology for formal specification and verification of user interfaces under security aspects. The methodology allows to use formal methods pervasively in the specification and verification of human-computer interaction. This work consists of three parts. In the first part, a formal methodology for the description of human-computer interaction is developed. In the second part, existing definitions of computer security are adapted for human-computer interaction and formalized. A generic formal model of human-computer interaction is developed. In the third part, the methodology is applied to the specification and verification of a secure email client.