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Zur Kinetik der Oberflaechen- und Luftkeime in Nutztierstaellen

Durch qualitative und quantitative mikrobiologische Untersuchungen an Stalloberflaechen, Luft, Staub, Futter, Einstreu und Tierhaaren sollen Informationen gewonnen werden ueber die Kinetik der Mikroflora im Stallraum. Die verschiedenen Traeger haben ein nicht sehr einheitliches Keimspektrum, regelmaessig dominieren jedoch grampositive kugelfoermige Bakterien (Kokken). Die Verweildauer von Luftkeimen ist mit 30 bis 60 min Schwebezeit relativ kurz.

Untersuchung und Bewertung von Staub, Endotoxin, Schadgasen und Keimen in ausgewählten Stallsystemen mit freier Lüftung

Ziel: Das Ziel ist die Erfassung und Bewertung von Emissionen in 13 modernen Rinder-, Schweine- und Geflügelstallungen in Bayern unter den Aspekten Arbeitsmedizin, Tiergesundheit und Umweltwirkung. Methodik: Die ganztägigen Messkampanien erfolgen von Sommer 2004 bis Frühjahr 2005. Ergebnisse: Erste Auswertungen erfolgen im Frühjahr 2005.

Gaschromatographische Untersuchung der geruchsbelaestigenden Substanzen in der Stalluft

Erfassung, Bewertung und Verminderung geruchsbelaestigender Emissionen. Spezifische Probenahme- und Anreicherungsverfahren- gaschromatographisch-Massenspektrometrische bzw. spezifische Identifikation (N-S-spez. Detektoren) der Geruchstraeger. Ermittlung von 'Leitsubstanzen' anhand verschiedener Systeme zur Korrelation von sensorischen und phys.-chemischen Messdaten. Verfahren zur Verminderung unter analytischer Kontrolle - Entwicklung von 'einfachen' Testverfahren zur Kontrolle.

The iron-snow regime in Fe-FeS cores: a numerical and experimental approach

In the Earth, the dynamo action is strongly linked to core freezing. There is a solid inner core, the growth of which provides a buoyancy flux that drives the dynamo. The buoyancy in this case derives from a difference in composition between the solid inner core and the fluid outer core. In planetary bodies smaller than the Earth, however, this core differentiation process may differ - Fe may precipitate at the core-mantle boundary (CMB) rather than in the center and may fall as iron snow and initially remelt with greater depth. A chemical stable sedimentation zone develops that comprises with time the entire core - at that time a solid inner core starts to grow. The dynamics of this system is not well understood and also whether it can generate a magnetic field or not. The Jovian moon Ganymede, which shows a present-day magnetic dipole field, is a candidate for which such a scenario has been suggested. We plan to study this Fe-snow regime with both a numerical and experimental approach. In the numerical study, we use a 2D/3D thermo-chemical convection model that considers crystallization and sinking of iron crystals together with the dynamics of the liquid core phase (for the 3D case the influence of the rotation of the Fe snow process is further studied).The numerical calculations will be complemented by two series of experiments: (1) investigations in metal alloys by means of X-ray radioscopy, and (2) measurements in transparent analogues by optical techniques. The experiments will examine typical features of the iron snow regime. On the one hand they will serve as a tool to validate the numerical approach and on the other hand they will yield important insight into sub-processes of the iron snow regime, which cannot be accessed within the numerical approach due to their complexity.

Biogeochemical Processes in Tropical Soils

In recent years science has taken an increased interest in mineralization processes in tropical soils in particular under minimal tillage operations. Plant litter quality and management strongly affect mineralization-nitrification processes in soil and hence the fate of nitrogen in ecosystems and the environment. Plant secondary metabolites like lignin and polyphenols are poorly degradable and interact with proteins (protein binding capacity) and hence protect them from microbial attack. Nitrification, a microbiological process, directly and indirectly influences the efficiency of recovery of N in the vegetation as well as the loss of N (through denitrification and leaching) causing environmental pollution to water bodies and contributes to global warming (e.g. the greenhouse gas N2O is emitted as a by-product of nitrification and denitrification). Nitrifiers comprise a relatively narrow species diversity (at least as known to date) and are generally thought to be sensitive to low soil pH and stress. Despite these properties nitrification occurs in acid tropical soils with high levels of aluminium and manganese. Thus the main objective of the project will be the identification of micro-organisms and mechanisms responsible for mineralization-nitrification processes in acid tropical soils and the influence of long-term litter input of different chemical qualities and minimal tillage options. The project will include the use of stable isotopes (15N, 13C), mass spectrometry, gas chromatography (CO2, N2O), biochemical methods (PLFA) and molecular biology (16s rRNA., PCR, DGGE)

Vertical partitioning and sources of CO2 production and effects of temperature, oxygen and root location within the soil profile on C turnover

For surface soils, the mechanisms controlling soil organic C turnover have been thoroughly investigated. The database on subsoil C dynamics, however, is scarce, although greater than 50 percent of SOC stocks are stored in deeper soil horizons. The transfer of results obtained from surface soil studies to deeper soil horizons is limited, because soil organic matter (SOM) in deeper soil layers is exposed to contrasting environmental conditions (e.g. more constant temperature and moisture regime, higher CO2 and lower O2 concentrations, increasing N and P limitation to C mineralization with soil depth) and differs in composition compared to SOM of the surface layer, which in turn entails differences in its decomposition. For a quantitative analysis of subsoil SOC dynamics, it is necessary to trace the origins of the soil organic compounds and the pathways of their transformations. Since SOM is composed of various C pools which turn over on different time scales, from hours to millennia, bulk measurements do not reflect the response of specific pools to both transient and long-term change and may significantly underestimate CO2 fluxes. More detailed information can be gained from the fractionation of subsoil SOM into different functional pools in combination with the use of stable and radioactive isotopes. Additionally, soil-respired CO2 isotopic signatures can be used to understand the role of environmental factors on the rate of SOM decomposition and the magnitude and source of CO2 fluxes. The aims of this study are to (i) determine CO2 production and subsoil C mineralization in situ, (ii) investigate the vertical distribution and origin of CO2 in the soil profile using 14CO2 and 13CO2 analyses in the Grinderwald, and to (iii) determine the effect of environmental controls (temperature, oxygen) on subsoil C turnover. We hypothesize that in-situ CO2 production in subsoils is mainly controlled by root distribution and activity and that CO2 produced in deeper soil depth derives to a large part from the mineralization of fresh root derived C inputs. Further, we hypothesize that a large part of the subsoil C is potentially degradable, but is mineralized slower compared with the surface soil due to possible temperature or oxygen limitation.

Linking internal pattern dynamics and integral responses - Identification of dominant controls with a strategic sampling design

In hydrology, the relationship between water storage and flow is still fundamental in characterizing and modeling hydrological systems. However, this simplification neglects important aspects of the variability of the hydrological system, such as stable or instable states, tipping points, connectivity, etc. and influences the predictability of hydrological systems, both for extreme events as well as long-term changes. We still lack appropriate data to develop theory linking internal pattern dynamics and integral responses and therefore to identify functionally similar hydrological areas and link this to structural features. We plan to investigate the similarities and differences of the dynamic patterns of state variables and the integral response in replicas of distinct landscape units. A strategic and systematic monitoring network is planned in this project, which contributes the essential dynamic datasets to the research group to characterize EFUs and DFUs and thus significantly improving the usual approach of subdividing the landscape into static entities such as the traditional HRUs. The planned monitoring network is unique and highly innovative in its linkage of surface and subsurface observations and its spatial and temporal resolution and the centerpiece of CAOS.

Schwerpunktprogramm (SPP) 1158: Antarctic Research with Comparable Investigations in Arctic Sea Ice Areas; Bereich Infrastruktur - Antarktisforschung mit vergleichenden Untersuchungen in arktischen Eisgebieten, Biological soil crust algae in the polar regions - biodiversity, genetic diversity and ecosystem resilience under global change scenarios

Terrestrial green algae and cyanobacteria are typical and abundant components of biological soil crusts in the Polar Regions. These communities form water-stable aggregates that have important ecological roles in primary production, nitrogen fixation, nutrient cycling, water retention and stabilization of soils. Although available data on green algae and cyanobacteria are generally very limited for the Arctic and Antarctica, their functional importance as ecosystem developers in nutrient poor environments is regarded as high. Therefore, the main goal of the interdisciplinary project is, for the first time, a precise evaluation of their 1.) Biodiversity as well as of 2.) The infra-specific genetic diversity, 3.) ecophysiological performance and 4.) transcriptomics of the most abundant taxa in biological soil crusts isolated from the Antarctic Peninsula and Arctic Svalbard. Biodiversity will be investigated using a classical culture approach in combination with molecular-taxonomical methods as well as with metagenomics. The infra-specific genetic diversity of the most abundant green algae and cyanobacteria will be studied using fingerprinting techniques, and a range of selected populations characterized in relation to their physiological plasticity. Temperature and water availability, two key environmental factors for terrestrial organisms, are currently changing in Polar Regions due to global warming, and hence their effect on growth and photosynthesis response patterns will be comparatively investigated. The data will indicate whether and how global change influence population structure and ecological performance of key organisms in polar soil crusts, and help to make predictions on the future significance of the ecological functions of these pioneer communities. Such a multiphasic approach has never been applied before to soil algae and cyanobacteria in both Polar Regions, and hence represents one of the key innovations of this proposal.

Schwerpunktprogramm (SPP) 2248: Polymer-basierte Batterien; Priority Program (SPP) 2248: Polymer-based batteries, Entwicklung von Aktivmaterialien für organische Batterien basierend auf elektropolymerisierten Polymeren mit stabilen organischen Radikalen

Heutige Batterietechnologien basieren hauptsächlich auf Metallen wie Lithium, Blei, Kobalt oder Nickel. Deren begrenztes natürliches Vorkommen sowie Toxizität und die daraus resultierenden Entsorgungsprobleme schränken jedoch die langfristige Verwendung solcher Metalle ein. Als Alternative haben sich im Rahmen jüngster Forschungen polymere Verbindungen, also Kunststoffe, herausgestellt. In diesem Zusammenhang wurden insbesondere Polymere, die stabile organische Radikale enthalten, intensiv untersucht und zeigten vielversprechende Ladungsspeichereigenschaften, insbesondere eine überlegene Redoxkinetik. Solche Materialien leiden jedoch unter unzureichender elektrischer Leitfähigkeit, die die anwendbaren Lade- und Entladeraten begrenzt, wodurch die vorteilhaften Elektronentransfereigenschaften aufgehoben werden. Ein vielversprechender Ansatz zur Überwindung dieses Problems ist der Einbau von leitfähigen, d.h. konjugierten Polymeren. Diese Materialien bieten mehrere vorteilhafte Eigenschaften, die für eine organische Batterie ausgenutzt werden können: (i) Als Halbleiter zeigen sie elektrische Leitfähigkeit; (ii) sie können durch Elektropolymerisation hergestellt werden und bieten so eine effiziente Möglichkeit, direkt auf Elektrodenoberflächen abgeschieden zu werden; (iii) sie bieten intrinsische Ladungsspeicherfähigkeit. Allerdings zeigen Systeme, die auf der eigenen Speicherfähigkeit von konjugierten Polymeren basieren häufig driftende Lade- und Entladespannung, was deren Anwendungspotenzial erheblich einschränkt. In Kombination mit stabilen Redoxeinheiten, die die Ladungsspeicherung übernehmen, wie organische Radikale, können aber die elektrische Leitfähigkeit sowie die elektrochemische Verarbeitbarkeit zu vielversprechenden Batterieaktivmaterialien führen. Trotzdem wurden bisher nur wenige solche Beispiele in der Literatur vorgestellt. Daher soll im Rahmen dieses Projekts die Palette organischer Batteriematerialien durch die Kombination stabiler organischer Radikale mit elektropolymerisierbaren Einheiten erweitert werden, um Systeme herzustellen, die sowohl verbesserte elektrochemische Stabilität als auch elektrische Leitfähigkeit bieten.

Effect of diffusive/dispersive processes on stable isotope ratios of organic contaminants in aquifer systems

Groundwater contamination by organic compounds represents a widespread environmental problem. The heterogeneity of geological formations and the complexity of physical and biogeochemical subsurface processes, often hamper a quantitative characterization of contaminated aquifers. Compound specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) has emerged as a novel approach to investigate contaminant transformation and to relate contaminant sources to downgradient contamination. This method generally assumes that only (bio)chemical transformations are associated with isotope effects. However, recent studies have revealed isotope fractionation of organic contaminants by physical processes, therefore pointing to the need of further research to determine the influence of both transport and reactive processes on the observed overall isotope fractionation. While the effect of gasphase diffusion on isotope ratios has been studied in detail, possible effects of aqueous phase diffusion and dispersion have received little attention so far.The goals of this study are to quantify carbon (13C/12C) and, for chlorinated compounds, chlorine (37Cl/35Cl) isotope fractionation during diffusive/dispersive transport of organic contaminants in groundwater and to determine its consequences for source allocation and assessment of reactive processes using isotopes. The proposed research is based on the combination of high-resolution experimental studies, both at the laboratory (i.e. zero-, one- and two-dimensional systems) and at the field scales, and solute transport modeling. The project combines the expertise in the field of contaminant transport with the expertise on isotope methods in contaminant hydrogeology.

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