Einführung in das Kapitalstrukturmanagement

This paper gives an overview of the capital requirements for banks. Regulatory capital is analyzed, followed by the discussion of economic capital. These ideas are used to explain risk adjusted performance measures. --Regulatorisches Kapital,ökonomisches Kapital,RAROC,RORAC

Die Wirkung von Myco-Sin gegen den Apfelschorf in Abhängigkeit der Schwefelformulierung

Schlussfolgerungen: Zur Regulierung von Apfelschorf in kühlen Phasen im Frühjahr sollte Myco-Sin auf keinen Fall ohne Schwefelzusatz verwendet werden. Netzschwefel Stulln ist als Mischungspartner zu Myco-Sin besser geeignet als Thiovit. Netzschwefel Stulln ist per 2004 im Biolandbau zugelassen. Zahlreiche Versuche zeigen, dass die Schorfwirkung von Tonerde + Schwefel besser ist als von Netzschwefel alleine

Super-resolution imaging and estimation of protein copy numbers at single synapses with DNA-PAINT

In the brain, the strength of each individual synapse is defined by the complement of proteins present or the "local proteome." Activity-dependent changes in synaptic strength are the result of changes in this local proteome and posttranslational protein modifications. Although most synaptic proteins have been identified, we still know little about protein copy numbers in individual synapses and variations between synapses. We use DNA-point accumulation for imaging in nanoscale topography as a single-molecule super-resolution imaging technique to visualize and quantify protein copy numbers in single synapses. The imaging technique provides near-molecular spatial resolution, is unaffected by photobleaching, enables imaging of large field of views, and provides quantitative molecular information. We demonstrate these benefits by accessing copy numbers of surface AMPA-type receptors at single synapses of rat hippocampal neurons along dendritic segments

Pkw-Maut, Sonderabgabe oder Sonderfonds: Sinnvolle Instrumente zur Finanzierung der Verkehrsinfrastruktur?

Im April dieses Jahres überraschte Torsten Albig, Ministerpräsident des Landes Schleswig-Holstein, mit dem Vorschlag, zur Finanzierung der nötigen Infrastruktursanierung eine Sonderabgabe von allen Nutzern zur Wartung und zur Reparatur der Straßen zu verlangen. Ist dieser geplante Sonderfonds ein sinnvolles Finanzierungsinstrument? Nach Ansicht von Gernot Sieg, Universität Münster, verschärfen eine Sonderabgabe und ein Sonderfonds »Reparatur Deutschland« die Anreize, die zum Unterfinanzierungsproblem geführt haben. Eine Vignette dagegen könne, gekoppelt mit dem Ausbau der Verkehrsinfrastrukturfinanzierungsgesellschaft zu einem Bundesfernstraßenfonds, das Problem des Verfalls der Bundesfernstraßen lösen. Zudem würden die Autofahrer durch die Vignette »lernen«, dass man für die Nutzung von Autobahnen bezahlen müsse. Dies sei ein wichtiger Schritt in die richtige Richtung: Ist die »Umsonst-Mentalität« beendet, dann sind die nächsten Schritte zur auslastungs- und entfernungsabhängigen Maut politisch einfacher durchsetzbar. Für Bernhard Wieland, Technische Universität Dresden, besteht der Charme des Albigschen Vorschlags in der vergleichsweise raschen Realisierbarkeit, denn dass umgehend gehandelt werden müsse, darin seien sich alle Kommissionen und Experten einig. Eine Ausweitung der Lkw-Maut oder die Einführung einer auch nur rudimentär räumlich und zeitlich differenzierten Pkw-Maut erfordere einen längeren Zeitraum. Günter Knieps, Universität Freiburg, sieht die Zeit reif für eine »intelligente« Pkw-Maut. Eine zeitraumbezogene Vignettenlösung gehe das Stauproblem nicht an. Ein aktives Engpassmanagement auf Straßeninfrastrukturen mache es erforderlich, sämtliche Fahrzeuge, Lkw und Pkw, einzubeziehen und gleichzeitig eine auslastungsabhängige zeitlich und örtlich variierende Maut zu erheben. In der Vergangenheit scheiterten Überlegungen, auslastungsabhängige Benutzungsgebühren im Straßenverkehr zu erheben, an den technischen Möglichkeiten. In den letzten Jahren sei abe

Eigenschaften von Tonerdepräparaten: Erfahrungen aus der Schweiz

In der Schweiz stehen für die Bekämpfung von P. viticola Kupfer und Tonerdeprodukte wie Myco-San, Myco-Sin, und Ulmasud zur Verfügung. Die Praxis hat das Wirkungspotential gezeigt und es werden verschiedene Anwendungsstrategien angewandt. Der Einsatz von Tonerdeprodukten kann allerdings auch zu Phytotoxizität führen, die von der Anwendungsstrategie, Konzentration und Sorte abhängt. In dieser Studie (i) verglich das FiBL verschiedene Anwendungsstrategien mit und ohne Kupfer, (ii) untersuchte das aktive Prinzip und die Wirkungsweise der Tonerdeprodukte, und (iii) beschrieb den Einfluss von Umeltfaktoren wie Niederschlag auf die Wirkung. Die FiBL-Erfahrungen zeigen, dass Tonerdeprodukte wertvolle Kupferersatzprodukte sind in Situationen mit mittleren Niederschlagsintensitäten und bei guter Applikationstechnik. Die Wirkungsgrenzen werden unter den Bedingungen in der Schweiz allerdings in den niederschlagsreichen Regionen und bei hohem Befallsdruck wie im Jahre 1999 sichtbar

Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase activity in experimental human endotoxemia

Background: Excessive tryptophan metabolism to kynurenine by the rate-limiting enzyme endothelial indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO) controls arterial vessel relaxation and causes hypotension in murine endotoxemia. However, its relevance in human endotoxemia has not been investigated so far. We thus aimed to study changes in blood pressure in parallel with tryptophan and kynurenine levels during experimental endotoxemia in humans. Findings: Six healthy male volunteers were given E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 4 ng/kg) as a 1-min intravenous infusion. They had levels of soluble E-Selectin and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 as well as IDO activity assessed as the kynurenine-to-tryptophan plasma ratio by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry at various time points during a 24 h time course. During endotoxemia, IDO activity significantly increased, reaching peak levels at 8 h after LPS infusion (44.0 ± 15.2 vs. 29.4 ± 6.8 at baseline, P<0.0001). IDO activity correlated inversely with the development of hypotension as shown by random effects linear regression models. Finally, IDO activity exhibited a kinetic profile similar to that of soluble endothelial-specific adhesion molecules. Conclusions: LPS is a triggering factor for the induction of IDO in men. Our findings strongly support the concept that the induction of IDO in the vascular endothelium contributes to hypotension in human sepsis

Mechanism study of alachlor biodegradation by Paecilomycesmarquandii with proteomic and metabolomic methods

Alachlor is an herbicide that is widely used worldwide to protect plant crops against broadleaf weedsand annual grasses. However, due to its endocrine-disrupting activity, its application had been bannedin the European Union. As described in our earlier work, Paecilomyces marquandii is a microscopic funguscapable of alachlor removal by N-acetyl oxidation. Our current work uses proteomics and metabolomicsto gain a better understanding of alachlor biodegradation by the microscopic fungus P. marquandii.The data revealed that the addition of alachlor reduced the culture growth and glucose consump-tion rates. Moreover, the rates of glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acids (TCA) cycle increased duringthe initial stage of growth, and there was a shift toward the formation of supplementary materials(UDP-glucose/galactose) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers (ascorbate). Proteomic analy-sis revealed that the presence of xenobiotics resulted in a strong upregulation of enzymes related toenergy, sugar metabolism and ROS production. However, the unique overexpression of cyanide hydratasein alachlor-containing cultures may implicate this enzyme as the key protein involved in the alachlorbiodegradation pathway. The characterization of P. marquandii-mediated alachlor removal in terms of cellstructure and function provides a deeper insight into the strategies of microorganisms toward xenobioticbiodegradation.This study was supported by the grant of the National Science Centre, Poland (Project No. UMO-2011/01/B/NZ9/02898)

A Novel Pathway for Metabolism of the Cardiovascular Risk Factor Homoarginine by alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase 2

Low plasma concentrations of L-homoarginine are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events, while homoarginine supplementation is protective in animal models of metabolic syndrome and stroke. Catabolism of homoarginine is still poorly understood. Based on the recent findings from a Genome Wide Association Study we hypothesized that homoarginine can be metabolized by alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase 2 (AGXT2). We purified human AGXT2 from tissues of AGXT2 transgenic mice and demonstrated its ability to metabolize homoarginine to 6-guanidino-2-oxocaproic acid (GOCA). After incubation of HepG2 cells overexpressing AGXT2 with isotope-labeled homoarginine-d4 we were able to detect labeled GOCA in the medium. We injected wild type mice with labeled homoarginine and detected labeled GOCA in the plasma. We found that AGXT2 knockout (KO) mice have higher homoarginine and lower GOCA plasma levels as compared to wild type mice, while the reverse was true for AGXT2 transgenic (Tg) mice. In summary, we experimentally proved the presence of a new pathway of homoarginine catabolism - its transamination by AGXT2 with formation of GOCA and demonstrated that endogenous AGXT2 is required for maintenance of homoarginine levels in mice. Our findings may lead to development of novel therapeutic approaches for cardiovascular pathologies associated with homoarginine deficiency

Mobilization of putative high-proliferative-potential endothelial colony-forming cells during antihypertensive treatment in patients with essential hypertension

Recent studies have shown that in response to vascular damage or ischemia, bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are recruited into the circulation. To investigate whether antihypertensive treatment has an influence on the number of circulating EPCs, patients with essential hypertension were treated either with the angiotensin receptor antagonist telmisartan, the calcium channel blocker nisoldipine, or their combination for 6 weeks. At baseline and after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment, EPCs were identified and quantified by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis and by their capacity to generate colony-forming units of the endothelial lineage (CFU-EC) in a methylcellulose-based assay. During treatment, patients in the nisoldipine groups, but not in the telmisartan group, showed a significant mobilization of EPCs, which in part had the capacity to generate large-sized colonies comprising more than 1,000 cells. Moreover, a remarkable correlation between the number of CFU-EC and the number of circulating CD133(+)/CD34(+)/CD146(+) cells was observed, thereby providing strong evidence that cells with this phenotype represent functional EPCs. No correlation was found between the numbers of CFU-EC and the blood pressure levels at any time point during the treatment. Hence, nisoldipine-induced mobilization of EPCs might represent a novel mechanism by which this antihypertensive compound independently of its blood pressure-lowering effect contributes to vasoprotection in patients with essential hypertension