ECOCIDE AND THE RIGHTS OF NATURE

While recognizing economic development is important, it is necessary to strike a balance between such activities and its effect on the environment. With industrialization and economic prosperity being the underlining goals of various governments in various jurisdiction, the author indicates that these activities be carried out from an ecocentric view point, focusing on the importance of rights to nature and the problem of ecocide. History reveals the negative impact such activities have had on the environment. Environmental protections have been given international recognition; however, the modern approach of environmental activism has to be incorporated in the scheme of things. The author carefully explains the importance for the domestic and international community to move from an anthropocentric standard to an ecocentric one, by providing and statutorily recognizing the intrinsic value for nature. This is imperative in order to prevent events that have caused large scale destruction on the environment from repeating itself and preserve the original state of the earth for the benefit of both human and non-human life forms present in the ecosystem

Direct intercalibration of radio-isotopic and astronomical time in the Mediterranean Neogene

As accurate measurement of geological time is the key to understanding processes that occurred in the Earth's history, development and testing of time scales is a first order problem in the geological sciences. One of the most versatile dating methods for the younger part of the Earth's history is undoubtedly 40Ar/39Ar dating. This study was initiated to build an extensive set of high quality 40Ar/39Ar data for volcanic ash layers intercalated in Mediterranean Neogene sedimentary successions for which an excellent time control exists based on the astronomical dating technique. This database allowed a rigorous and direct intercalibration of radio-isotopic and astronomical time with the aim to provide an independent test of the accuracy of conventional K/Ar ages of mineral dating standards and to investigate the potential of providing an astronomically dated 40Ar/39Ar standard. Chapter 1 describes the 40Ar/39Ar procedures in detail. Error propagation methods are improved, system performance is monitored by a new and more accurate method to determine mass discrimination and a new intercalibration data set of TCR and FCT sanidine mineral dating standards is presented. Chapter 2 describes the theoretical background of the astronomical dating technique and the potential uncertainties with regard to astronomical ages of volcanic ash layers. Ash layers are divided in three categories based on the reliability of their astronomical ages. New 40Ar/39Ar data for eastern Mediterranean Neogene ash layers are presented in chapter 3. The Pliocene Ptolemais ashes could be divided into upper and lower ashes, where the 40Ar/39Ar ages of the upper ashes were ~2% younger and the older ashes ~1% younger than their astronomical counterparts. The Cretan A1 showed a discrepancy of ~1% comparable with the older Ptolemais ashes. Intercalibration with FCT sanidine resulted in astronomically calibrated FCT ages of respectively 28.21 ± 0.04 Ma based on A1, 28.28 ± 0.21 Ma for the lower Ptolemais ashes and 28.61 ± 0.20 Ma based on the upper Ptolemais ashes. Following these partially inconsistent results, this research was extended to the western Mediterranean Sorbas, Nijar and Melilla Basins. Chapter 4 describes the development of an astronomical time frame for sediments and intercalated ash layers in the Melilla Basin. Chapter 5 presents the 40Ar/39Ar data of these ash layers. The proximity of the source volcano in Melilla resulted in large crystal sizes allowing single crystal dating. Intercalibration of in total 183 experiments of 16 Melilla ash layers resulted in an astronomically calibrated age of 28.24 ± 0.01 Ma for FCT (1 s.e.m.) in agreement with the lower Ptolemais and A1 ash layers. Biotite experiments on Sorbas/Nijar ashes showed consistently older ages for biotite compared to sanidine. Chapter 6 describes the results for Middle Miocene ash layers. Instead of being ~1% younger, the isotopic ages appeared to be equal (feldspar fractions) or older (biotite fractions) than the astronomical ages. Due to the analyses of multiple grains in smaller grain-size fractions xenocrystic contamination might have gone unnoticed. In chapter 7 a first effort is made to intercalibrate the U/Pb system with the 40Ar/39Ar and astronomical methods. Zircons of Ptolemais ash layer SR3M were dated using TIMS and SHRIMP techniques, which required either a lot of material (TIMS) or was on the edge of practical limitations (SHRIMP). Unfortunately, the zircon of this ash layer seemed to be affected by an inherited component and no strong recommendations concerning intercalibration of the several systems could be made. Finally, in chapter 8 the implications of this research are summarized. The most probable astronomically calibrated FCT sanidine age is 28.25 ± 0.01Ma. Further, a few of the Melilla ash layers are proposed as -direct astronomically dated- standards for use in the 40Ar/39Ar dating metho

Adsorption behavior of multicomponent protein mixtures containing α1-proteinase inhibitor with the anion exchanger, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl-Spherodex

The equilibrium binding behavior of α1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI) in the presence of human serum albumin (HSA) has been determined in packed bed systems with the anion exchanger, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl (DEAE)-Spherodex. Experimental data derived for the individual proteins were compared with the corresponding data obtained from batch adsorption studies as well as studies in which mixtures of these two proteins were loaded at different concentration ratios onto columns of the same anion exchange adsorbent. The results confirm that α1-PI has a greater affinity for the anion exchanger, although competitive adsorption was observed as the inlet concentration of HSA was increased. Under these conditions, decreased binding capacities and lower dynamic adsorption rates were observed for α-PI with the DEAE-Spherodex anion exchange adsorbent. The results are discussed in terms of the influence which various contaminants that occur in multicomponent mixtures of proteins from human plasma can have on the equilibrium binding characteristics of a target protein with weak or strong ion exchange adsorbents under conditions approaching concentration overload in preparative chromatographic systems. These investigations have also addressed, as the first part of an iterative approach for the simulation of the adsorption behavior of multicomponent mixtures of human plasma proteins with ion exchange and affinity chromatographic adsorbents, the ability of noncompetitive and competitive Langmuirean models to simulate the adsorption of α1-PI in the presence of different concentrations of HSA to DEAE-Spherodex

Qualitatively and quantitatively similar effects of active and passive maternal tobacco smoke exposure on in utero mutagenesis at the HPRT locus

BACKGROUND: Induced mutagenesis in utero is likely to have life-long repercussions for the exposed fetus, affecting survival, birth weight and susceptibility to both childhood and adult-onset diseases, such as cancer. In the general population, such exposures are likely to be a consequence of the lifestyle choices of the parents, with exposure to tobacco smoke one of the most pervasive and easily documented. Previous studies attempting to establish a direct link between active smoking and levels of somatic mutation have largely discounted the effects of passive or secondary exposure, and have produced contradictory results. METHODS: Data from three studies of possible smoking effects on in utero mutagenesis at the HPRT locus were compiled and reanalyzed, alone and in combination. Where possible, passive exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was considered as a separate category of exposure, rather than being included in the non-smoking controls. Molecular spectra from these studies were reanalyzed after adjustment for reported mutation frequencies from the individual studies and the entire data set. RESULTS: A series of related studies on mutation at the X-linked HPRT locus in human newborn cord blood samples has led to the novel conclusion that only passive maternal exposure to tobacco mutagens has a significant effect on the developing baby. We performed a pooled analysis of the complete data from these studies, at the levels of both induced mutation frequency and the resulting mutational spectrum. CONCLUSION: Our analysis reveals a more commonsensical, yet no less cautionary result: both active maternal smoking and secondary maternal exposure produce quantitatively and qualitatively indistinguishable increases in fetal HPRT mutation. Further, it appears that this effect is not perceptibly ameliorated if the mother adjusts her behavior (i.e. stops smoking) when pregnancy is confirmed, although this conclusion may also be affected by continued passive exposure

Perinatal Tobacco Smoke Exposure Increases Vascular Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Damage in Non-Human Primates

Epidemiological studies suggest that events occurring during fetal and early childhood development influence disease susceptibility. Similarly, molecular studies in mice have shown that in utero exposure to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increased adult atherogenic susceptibility and mitochondrial damage; however, the molecular effects of similar exposures in primates are not yet known. To determine whether perinatal ETS exposure increased mitochondrial damage, dysfunction and oxidant stress in primates, archived tissues from the non-human primate model Macaca mulatta (M. mulatta) were utilized. M. mulatta were exposed to low levels of ETS (1 mg/m3 total suspended particulates) from gestation (day 40) to early childhood (1 year), and aortic tissues were assessed for oxidized proteins (protein carbonyls), antioxidant activity (SOD), mitochondrial function (cytochrome oxidase), and mitochondrial damage (mitochondrial DNA damage). Results revealed that perinatal ETS exposure resulted in significantly increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and damage which were accompanied by significantly decreased mitochondrial antioxidant capacity and mitochondrial copy number in vascular tissue. Increased mitochondrial damage was also detected in buffy coat tissues in exposed M. mulatta. These studies suggest that perinatal tobacco smoke exposure increases vascular oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage in primates, potentially increasing adult disease susceptibility

Parental smoking and childhood cancer: results from the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study

There are strong a priori reasons for considering parental smoking behaviour as a risk factor for childhood cancer but case – control studies have found relative risks of mostly only just above one. To investigate this further, self-reported smoking habits in parents of 3838 children with cancer and 7629 control children included in the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS) were analysed. Separate analyses were performed for four major groups (leukaemia, lymphoma, central nervous system tumours and other solid tumours) and more detailed diagnostic subgroups by logistic regression. In the four major groups, after adjustment for parental age and deprivation there were nonsignificant trends of increasing risk with number of cigarettes smoked for paternal preconception smoking and nonsignificant trends of decreasing risk for maternal preconception smoking (all P-values for trend >0.05). Among the diagnostic subgroups, a statistically significant increased risk of developing hepatoblastoma was found in children whose mothers smoked preconceptionally (OR=2.68, P=0.02) and strongest (relative to neither parent smoking) for both parents smoking (OR=4.74, P=0.003). This could be a chance result arising from multiple subgroup analysis. Statistically significant negative trends were found for maternal smoking during pregnancy for all diagnoses together (P<0.001) and for most individual groups, but there was evidence of under-reporting of smoking by case mothers. In conclusion, the UKCCS does not provide significant evidence that parental smoking is a risk factor for any of the major groups of childhood cancers

Kommentar und moderierte Diskussion zum Nachmittagsplenum „Moderne Geschichtsvermittlung“, 25.9.,14.45 Uhr

Zu Beginn stellt Moderator Dr. Hans Wupper-Tewes die Bitte um Sachfragen, verbunden mit dem Vorschlag, diese zunächst zu sammeln und im Anschluss zu beantworten. Zwecks Übersichtlichkeit werden die Fragen im Folgenden gemeinsam mit den darauf erfolgten Antworten gelistet. Die erste Wortmeldung aus dem Plenum bemängelt den ausgesprochen geringen Umfang der Schwerpunktsetzung im Unterricht des Abitur-Leistungskurses des Sohnes einer Bekannten, der lediglich zwei Stunden für den gesamten Ersten ..