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Abstract
This work reports on the spatio-temporal characterization of the multiple current pulse regime of diffuse barrier discharges driven by sine-wave feeding voltage at a frequency of 2 kHz in helium with small nitrogen admixtures. The discharge gap of 3 mm is bounded by glass plates on both plane electrodes. Priority is given to the lateral discharge inhomogeneities, underlying volume- and surface-memory effects, and the breakdown mechanism. Therefore, relevant processes in the discharge volume and on the dielectric surfaces were investigated by ICCD camera imaging and optical emission spectroscopy in combination with electrical measurements and surface charge diagnostics using the electro-optic Pockels effect of a bismuth silicon oxide crystal. The number of current pulses per half-cycle of the sine-wave voltage rises with increasing nitrogen admixture to helium due to the predominant role of the Penning ionization. Here, the transition from the first glow-like breakdown to the last Townsend-like breakdown is favored by residual species from the former breakdowns which enhance the secondary electron emission during the pre-phase of the later breakdowns. Moreover, the surface charge measurements reveal that the consecutive breakdowns occur alternately at central and peripheral regions on the electrode surface. These spatial inhomogeneities are conserved by the surface charge memory effect as pointed out by the recalculated spatio-temporal development of the gap voltage.
Background: The association of polyomaviruses BK and JC with other opportunistic infections and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in allogeneic stem cell transplantation is controversially discussed. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 64 adult patients who received their first allogeneic stem cell transplantation between March 2010 and December 2014; the follow-up time was 2 years. Results: Acute leukemia was the most frequent underlying disease (45.3%), and conditioning included myeloablative (67.2%) and nonmyeloablative protocols (32.8%). All patients received 10 mg of alemtuzumab on day -2 (20 mg in case of mismatch) as GvHD prophylaxis. Twenty-seven patients (41.5%) developed cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation. BKPyV-associated hemorrhagic cystitis was diagnosed in 10 patients (15.6%). Other opportunistic infections caused by viruses or protozoa occurred rarely (<10%). There was no association of BKPyV or JCPyV with CMV reactivation, Epstein-Barr virus reactivation, human herpes virus 6, or parvovirus B19 infection requiring treatment. There was a significant correlation of BKPyV-associated hemorrhagic cystitis with toxoplasmosis (p = 0.013). Additionally, there was a significant link of simultaneous BKPyV and JCPyV viruria with toxoplasmosis (p = 0.047). BKPyV and JCPyV were not associated with GvHD, relapse, or death. Conclusion: We found no association of BKPyV or JCPyV with viral infections or GvHD. Only the correlation of both polyomaviruses with toxoplasmosis was significant. This is a novel and interesting finding.
Background
There is a lack of data concerning socioeconomic outcome and quality of life (QoL) in patients after status epilepticus (SE) in Germany.
Patients and methods
Adult patients treated between 2011 and 2015 due to SE at the university hospitals in Frankfurt, Greifswald, and Marburg were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding long-term outcome of at least 3 months after discharge. The SE cohort consisted of 25.9% patients with an acute symptomatic, 42% with a remote symptomatic and previous epilepsy, 22.2% with a new-onset remote symptomatic, and 9.9% with other or unknown etiology. A matched case–control analysis was applied for comparison with patients with drug refractory epilepsy and seizure remission, both not previously affected by SE.
Results
A total of 81 patients (mean age: 58.7 ± 18.0 years; 58% female) participated. A non-refractory course was present in 59.3%, while 27.2% had a refractory SE (RSE) and 13.6% had a superrefractory SE (SRSE). Before admission, a favorable modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 0–3 was found in 82.7% (67/81), deteriorating to 38.3% (31/81) (p = 0.003) at discharge. The majority returned home [51.9% (42/81)], 32.1% entered a rehabilitation facility, while 12.3% were transferred to a nursing home and 3.7% to another hospital. The overall mRS at follow-up did not change; 61.8% (45/74) reached an mRS of 0–3. In RSE and SRSE, the proportion with a favorable mRS increased from 45.5% at discharge to 70% at follow-up, while QoL was comparable to a non-refractory SE course. Matched epilepsy controls in seizure remission were treated with a lower mean number of anticonvulsants (1.3 ± 0.7) compared to controls with drug refractory epilepsy (1.9 ± 0.8; p < 0.001) or SE (1.9 ± 1.1; p < 0.001). A major depression was found in 32.8% of patients with SE and in 36.8% of drug refractory epilepsy, but only in 20.3% of patients in seizure remission. QoL was reduced in all categories (QOLIE-31) in SE patients in comparison with patients in seizure remission, but was comparable to patients with drug refractory epilepsy.
Discussion
Patients after SE show substantial impairments in their QoL and daily life activities. However, in the long term, patients with RSE and SRSE had a relatively favorable outcome comparable to that of patients with a non-refractory SE course. This underlines the need for efficient therapeutic options in SE.
Background: We assessed the effect of the uniform donor questionnaire (UDQ) on deferral rates in first-time and repeat donors. We focused on the introduced question about unprotected sexual contact with a new partner. Another goal was a stratified comparison of the deferral rates of the donor questionnaire (DQ) and UDQ. Methods: Data on donors and deferrals using the DQ and UDQ were collected at four blood establishments. The comparison included a 2-year period by questionnaire version. For the comparison of the questionnaires, an adjusted multinomial logistic regression was performed. Results: The analysis included 260,848 donations. First-time (FTD) and repeat donations (RD) showed higher deferral rates with the UDQ (FTD +5.4%, RD +1.4%). Deferral due to a new partner was 3.0% in first-time and 0.4% in repeat donors. The majority of these occurred in the youngest age groups. The most frequent deferral criterion was ‘disease' (5.1%). Conclusion: The regression revealed stronger predictors for deferral than the questionnaire version. Especially younger age carried a higher and independent risk for deferral. The additional deferrals of mainly young first-time donors due to a new sexual partner may identify those donors with potential heterosexual risk behavior who would otherwise not be identified.
The dissertation describes an Indigenous dream framework that underscores the significance of dreams as a mirror of trauma and a way that leads back to Indigenous knowledges. Significant differences of Western and Indigenous epistemology are exemplified by juxtaposing Western and Indigenous dream discourses. The selected prose fiction allows for a dream categorization that emphasizes the significance and meaning of dreams as a metaphorical as well as narrative device.
Nightmares/Anxiety dreams are often the result of the devastating effects of colonization and especially Residential School. Nightmares in the texts are often exact replicas of the abuse suffered in the boarding schools. They are discussed in the context of Robert Arthur Alexie’s novel Porcupines and China Dolls (2001/2009) represents dreams and traumatic nightmares and deals with the fictional Blue People First Nation. The community’s collective intergenerational trauma of Residential School experience keeps them stuck in dysfunctional dynamics dominated by suicides, sexual and physical abuse, drug and sex addictions.
Telling dreams, categorized as “instructing dreams,” and “announcing dreams,” teach the dreamer what will happen in the future. They are discussed in the context of Richard Van Camp’s short stories “On the Wings of this Prayer” and “The Fleshing” (Godless but Loyal to Heaven, 2012), which represent the category of the ecological nightmare as well as of telling dreams. Ecological nightmares display environmentally destructive effects of capitalist globalization that have come to “infect” the world. The Windigo figure in the stories serves as a manifestation of resource and in particular petro-capitalism and Western society’s constant need to subjugate nature. Ecological dreams hence call for ecological vigilance and establish Indigenous knowledges as a source of resurgence and restoration.
Existential dreams function as decolonizing tools that facilitate liberation. The thesis provides a literary analysis of Richard Wagamese’ novel Ragged Company (2008) and Cherie Dimaline’s short story “room 414” (Red Rooms, 2007) where homelessness is postulated as the manifestation of individual and tribal/communal disjointedness and isolation. Through existential dreaming, the urban lives of most of the characters dwelling in the shadows and margins of society are existentially transformed and healing seems possible. Paternalistic colonial mindsets continue to patronize Indigenous knowledges (as unreliable and unscientific) until Western “discoveries” prove what has been known for decades.
The thesis underscores dreams as an essential part of Indigenous Knowledges, i.e. as knowledge sources. Surmounting Western dream perceptions and instead valorizing Indigenous knowledges, the characters in the texts discussed in my thesis, unremittingly follow their dreams’ instruction and eventually achieve reconciliation and healing. In the fictional texts discussed, nightmares represent homelessness, trauma, stagnation, and a disconnection to one’s (Native) background, whereas dreams represent continuity through the restoration of identity, finding home, and a sense of belonging. The notion of a dream reality and a waking reality influencing and informing each other relies on sharing dreams with the community, eventually leading to an enactment of the dream or vision. Dreaming and identity are significantly linked and foster processes of intellectual self-determination. The characters’ inability to externalize their internal wishes, desires, and needs results in further denial and consequential bitterness that feed into the spiral of alcohol and drug abuse as well as metaphorical and literal homelessness. The dreams’ semantic field strongly alludes to ceremonial traditions and provides the prospect of a rooted Indigeneity. At the turning points in the lives of the characters, when dreams and visions start to appear, they are lost in translation. The characters’ own illiteracy towards Native epistemology and spirituality has them trapped in the inability to read and act on their dream messages. Strong (often female) Indigenous presences that go hand in hand with the appearance of dreams provide the protagonists with guidance and lead the way back to the “Old Ways.” Through dreaming, the spiral of colonialism is disrupted and replaced by the circle of reconciliation and relationality.
Background: Mild-to-moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD G3a) is prevalent in older adults. Substantial evidence suggests that individuals with advanced CKD face a high risk for common geriatric conditions, like functional impairment and cognitive decline, whereas the relationships between mild-to-moderate CKD and functional impairment and cognitive decline, but also poor nutritional status and mood disorders, are still unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore associations between mild-to-moderate CKD and impairments in the core domains of geriatric assessment (GA) in a large cohort of community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of 1,476 participants of the Berlin Aging Study II. Study participants were stratified as to presence or absence of CKD G3a (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 45-59 mL/min/1.73 m<sup>2</sup> vs. eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m<sup>2</sup>). GA comprised the following instruments: the Activities of Daily Living Scale (ADL), the Timed up and Go (TUG), the Tinetti test (Tinetti), the Mini-Mental-State Examination (MMSE), the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). We used logistic regression models to estimate multivariable-adjusted associations between CKD G3a and impairments in the respective domains. Results: A total of 282 subjects with mild-to-moderate CKD (CKD G3a) were identified (19.1%). Overall, the prevalence of impairments identified was higher among subjects with compared to without CKD G3a (21 vs. 15.9%, p = 0.043). In multivariable-adjusted models, CKD G3a was consistently associated with increased odds of an impaired gait performance as to the TUG (adjusted odds ratio 2.06, 95% CI 1.04-4.09). In contrast, on average, individuals with and without CKD G3a did not differ as to their results in the MMSE, the ADL, the MNA, and the GDS. Conclusion: GA identified impairments in 21 versus 15.9% of older adults with and without mild-to-moderate CKD, respectively. However, except for an increased likelihood of impaired gait performance (TUG) with mild-to-moderate CKD, we did not find independent associations between mild-to-moderate CKD and geriatric conditions.
Background: ‘Quality in medicine' is a term used in a broad sense. In this work the definition and dimensions of quality in medicine and the implementation of a measurement and reporting system in Germany are discussed. Existing applications are described and possible future effects are pointed out. Methods: The ongoing process of implementing a quality reporting system into the German healthcare system is studied by publicly available legal texts, published reactions of stakeholders and publications of G-BA and IQTIG. Definitions of quality, dimensions of quality and quality measurement in medicine are studied by using textbooks as well as the world wide web and PubMed search. Results: Donabedian‘s ‘dimensions of quality' are fundamental in dealing with quality in medicine. Existing measurement and reporting systems have immanent strengths and weaknesses, as the definition of quality is affected by one‘s point of view. The legislator will have to decide which ‘dimension of quality' is mandatory and how to measure it. Conclusion: Quality has become a control instrument with unforeseeable consequences. A clear definition of the used quality concept is as essential as the use of feasible measurement and reporting systems. The use of routine data could be an interesting option.
Less invasive caries management techniques for treating cavitated carious primary teeth, which involve the concept of caries control by managing the activity of the biofilm, are becoming common. This study aimed to compare the clinical efficacy (minor/major failures) and survival rates (successful cases without any failures) of 3 carious lesion treatment approaches, the Hall Technique (HT), non-restorative caries treatment (NRCT), and conventional restorations (CR), for the management of occlusoproximal caries lesions (ICDAS 3-5) in primary molars. Results at 2.5 years are presented. A total of 169 children (3- to 8-year-olds) were enrolled in this secondary care-based, 3-arm parallel-group, randomised controlled trial. Participants were allocated to: HT (n = 52; sealing caries with stainless-steel crowns without caries removal), NRCT (n = 52; opening up the cavity and applying fluoride varnish), CR (n = 65; control arm, complete caries removal and compomer restoration). Statistical analyses were: non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U test and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. One hundred and forty-two participants (84%; HT = 40/52; NRCT = 44/52; CR = 58/65) had follow-up data of 1-33 months (mean = 26). Overall, 25 (HT = 2, NRCT = 9, CR = 14) of 142 participants (17.6%) presented with at least 1 minor failure (reversible pulpitis, caries progression, or secondary caries; p = 0.013, CI = 0.012-0.018; Mann-Whitney U test). Ten (HT = 1, NRCT = 4, CR = 5) of 142 participants (7.04%) experienced at least 1 major failure (irreversible pulpitis, abscess, unrestorable tooth; p = 0.043, CI = 0.034-0.045). Independent comparisons between 2 samples found that NRCT-CR had no statistically significant difference in failures (p > 0.05), but for CR-HT (p = 0.037, CI = 0.030-0.040) and for NRCT-HT (p = 0.011, CI = 0.010-0.016; Kruskal-Wallis test) significant differences were observed. Cumulative survival rates were HT = 92.5%, NRCT = 70.5%, and CR = 67.2% (p = 0.012). NRCT and CR outcomes were comparable. HT performed better than NRCT and CR for all outcomes. This study was funded by the Paediatric Dentistry Department, Greifswald University, Germany (Trial registration No. NCT01797458).
Objective: We performed a pilot RCT to prove the hypothesis that a controlled ingestion of polyphenol-rich beverages (soy drink, decaffeinated black tea) in nutritive dosages by nursing women has an effect on the composition (flavonoid concentration, total antioxidant capacity) of breast milk. Methods: Healthy nursing women were supplemented with either 250 mL of a soy drink (12 mg isoflavones; n = 18), 300 mL decaffeinated black tea (67 mg catechins; n = 18), or 300 mL water (n = 8, control) for 6 days. Milk samples were collected before, during, and after intervention. Flavonoid content (isoflavones/catechins, HPLC) and total antioxidant capacity of milk and test drinks in milk specimens were assessed. Results: Isoflavone content (genistein and daidzein) in breast milk increased up to 12 nmol/L after soy drink consumption; the major flavonoids constituents of black tea (catechin, epicatechin, and respective conjugates) could not be detected in milk samples. With both interventions, the total antioxidant capacity of breast milk was not affected. Conclusions: Mothers' daily consumption of a soy drink considerably increases isoflavone content of breast milk resulting in an estimated daily exposure of 9.6 nmol isoflavones in a 4-month-old suckling infant. Luminal flavanol uptake from black tea consumed by the nursing mother may be too low to affect flavanol concentrations in breast milk.
The aims of this study were to quantify the key mineralization processes and the resulting nutrient release potentials of different sediment types, their ranges of extent and dependency on varying environmental conditions such as seasonal variations or shifts in oxygen availability. Benthic phosphate fluxes and flux potentials were of particular interest as P is an essential nutrient for algal growth in marine systems and phosphate is often limiting primary production, hence strongly promotes the production of new biomass. A major P source in marine environments are mineralization products of early diagenetic processes.
To gain insight into the pathways of organic matter mineralization and subsequent secondary reactions, key reactants in the solid and the dissolved phase were considered in typical sediments of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. Seven study sites in the German Baltic Sea region, representative of the major depositional environments, including coarse and fine grained sediments, both rich or poor in organic carbon, were intensively studied. The investigations were conducted on a seasonal basis during ten ship-based expeditions between July 2013 and March 2016, covering spring- and autumn algal blooms, stagnation periods with bottom water hypoxia and winter dormancy. Hypoxic conditions frequently developed in the bottom waters of the Bay of Mecklenburg, Stoltera and the Arkona Basin sites, shallower stations like the Tromper Wiek, the Oder Bank and the Darss Sill were usually not affected by hypoxia. Increased nutrient concentrations in the bottom waters coincided with oxygen depletion. High salinity dynamics were observed in the bottom waters above the studied sediments, which were due to frequent salt water inflows from the North Sea. Bottom water temperature variability was seasonally conditioned.
The studied sands showed 2-3 orders of magnitude higher permeability values and about one order of magnitude lower organic matter contents compared to the studied muds. Occasionally, strongly increased organic matter contents were observed in the sands, likely induced by downward mixing of plankton bloom derived particles. The organic matter was found to be essentially supplied by marine phytoplankton, indicated by its elemental composition and isotopic signature.
Additionally, an adapted approach of the Keeling plot method was made to characterize the source material of organic matter mineralization. In marine environments, dissolved inorganic carbon concentrations often increase with depth together with an isotopic carbon signature shift to lighter values due to organic matter mineralization. The Keeling plot method was commonly used to determine the isotopic signature of carbon sources for ecosystem respiration. Conventionally, the influence of respiratory depletion of 13CO2 on the isotopic composition of the atmosphere was studied in terrestrial and limnic biogeochemistry. The same approach was applied on organic matter mineralization in sediments and the water column during this study. Mixing of bottom water derived background DIC and DIC released into the environment during organic carbon decomposition was assumed. In a modification of previous approaches, where changes in concentration and δ13C of DIC were followed over time, vertical profiles were analyzed in this study, which represent time-dependent variations superimposed by transport processes . DI13C gradients in the water column of the Black Sea and pore water profiles in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea were used to estimate the 13C signature of the mineralized organic carbon via Keeling plot analysis. The Black Sea water column revealed a δ13C signature of the organic matter source close to the signature of typical particulate organic matter in the ocean and previously reported values for the Black Sea euphotic zone. In the pore waters of Black Sea sediments (from short and long sediment cores), Keeling plot analysis clearly demonstrates that the released DIC at depth can be derived from different sources. An isotopically very light carbon source (< –60 ‰) was associated with anaerobic oxidation of methane in the Black Sea. Marine organic matter was the principal source for DIC in the deeps of Baltic Sea basins, while the calculated carbon source isotopic signature in sediments of sand flats and bays was shifted to heavier δ13C signatures compared to marine organic matter. These shifts were attributed to potential dissolution of sedimentary carbonates or organic inputs of terrestrial C4 vascular plants like maize and other agricultural plants. The carbon source isotopic composition calculated via Keeling plot analysis correlated well with directly measured δ13C signatures of surface sediments POM.
Organic matter mineralization activity in the southern Baltic Sea sediments was studied via gross sulfate reduction rate analysis and total oxygen uptake measurements in sands and muds. Oxygen penetration depths were less than 4 mm in both, muddy and sandy sediments. Oxygen uptake rates were similar in muds (10.2 mmol m–2 d–1) and sands (10.7 mmol m–2 d–1), while significantly higher rates were measured in the coastal near sites of the Bay of Mecklenburg (about 12 mmol m–2 d–1) than in the deeper Arkona Basin (about 9 mmol m–2 d–1). Substantial sulfate reduction was measured in the muddy (about 4 mmol m–2 d–1) and the sandy (about 1 mmol m–2 d–1) study sites. Highest sulfate reduction rates (4.4 – 5 mmol m–2 d–1) were detected in the muds of the Bay of Mecklenburg during summer, about twice as high as in the Arkona Basin muds. Increased mineralization activity of the coastal near muds of the Bay of Mecklenburg is attributed to enhanced input of fresh organic matter during algal blooms.
About twofold higher oxygen consumption and sulfate reduction rates were measured in summer compared to winter in sandy and muddy sediments.
The studied sites were usually characterized by a typical biogeochemical zonation with oxic, suboxic and sulfidic zones. The concentration profiles in the muds reflected sulfate reduction and secondary redox-reactions, liberating dissolved carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and hydrogen sulfide into the interstitial waters. Orders of magnitude lower concentrations were detected in the sands, while their top centimeters were mostly irrigated and mineralization products only accumulated below.
A several centimeter thick suboxic zone was sustained by active downward transport of oxidized material in the southern Baltic Sea coastal sediments, presumably mainly through bioturbation. Especially sulfur and iron species were involved in the secondary reactions between the metabolites of early diagenetic processes occurring in the suboxic zone. Partly high temporal variability was observed in the form of vertical migration of the sulfidic zone and a corresponding expansion and shrinking of the suboxic zone. The Arkona Basin site showed the most stable geochemical zonation over time, while the Luebeck Bight site and especially the Mecklenburg Bight site showed striking dynamics. The consequent redox-regime shifts within the surface sediments might promote mineralization of organic matter as higher sulfate reduction rates and higher total oxygen uptake were measured in these more dynamic muds. The vertical shifts of the redox-gradients can largely be explained by temporal and spatial variability of bioturbation activity, but also anthropogenic activities may play a role. Bottom trawling, may be the dominant mixing process at the Mecklenburg Bight site.
In the sands, less reactive iron and manganese contents were available compared to the studied muds, which may be due to frequent irrigation of the top centimeters leading to a loss of pore water reservoirs like dissolved Fe and Mn.
Another mixing process, storm induced sediment resuspension, was suggested to be important for the sediments in the study area. A severe sediment resuspension event at the silty Tromper Wiek site was indicated by steep gradients in pore water concentration and particulate mater content profiles in the top ∼ 5 cm sediments. Carrying out non steady state modeling (Bo Liu, IOW), the successive re-development of the pore water profiles towards a steady-state was simulated and the time span necessary to establish measured pore water profiles after the sediment disturbance event was approximated. In the predicted time span, daily average wind speeds reached an annual high of the category ‘gale’ which was probably sufficient to resuspend and irrigate the surface silt-type sediments.
This study showed that sediment mixing processes have a strong influence on early diagenetic reactions, solute release potentials and actual fluxes from the sediments. Also the sediment mixing via bottom trawl fishing can be regarded as an event-like disturbance. The newly developed approach of non-steady-state modeling of pore water sets (Bo Liu; IOW) can help to answer the question, how long it takes to reach a steady-state after a sediment disturbance event.
The concentration profiles in interstitial waters were used to calculate net transformation rates via the transport-reaction models REC and PROFILE. The calculations revealed net release of H4SiO4 and PO4 within the top 20 cm of the studied muds, while net DIC and NH+4 consumption and sulfate production was clearly evident within the top ∼ 5 cm. Intensive reoxidation of sulfide that was produced via sulfate reduction was also indicated by large deviations between the modeled net sulfate transformation rates and experimentally derived gross sulfate reduction rates. These surface near transformations were probably associated with microbial chemosynthesis.
The studied sands of the southern Baltic Sea were usually characterized by very low pore water gradients, probably due to their frequent irrigation. Accordingly, calculated transformation rates were one to two orders of magnitude lower in the studied sands compared to the muds of the southern Baltic Sea. However, during a situation with a stratified water column, substantial pore water reservoirs with the typical concentration trends were present in the sandy Darss Sill sediments. Integrated production rates of PO4, Mn2+ and H4SiO4 derived from these concentration profiles were in the same order of magnitude as in the muddy Arkona Basin.
Intensive pore water irrigation is also capable to transport fresh organic matter into the sediment as was occasionally indicated by strongly increased surface near TOC in the sands. Considerable gross sulfate reduction rates and total oxygen uptake rates were measured in the sandy Oder Bank sediments, where pore water concentration profiles rather suggested absence of diagenetic processes. The studied sands were, hence, not unreactive substrates but usually rather unable to preserve the mineralization products.
This reflects the often limited significance of pore water evaluations in irrigated sandy sites but also the high mineralization potentials of coastal sands. Early diagenetic processes and the impact of intense benthic-pelagic exchange in such shallow marine environments is still poorly understood, as they were rarely investigated in the past and are methodologically more difficult to investigate.
The Baltic Sea deeps Gotland Deep and Landsort Deep were mainly controlled by sulfate reduction and shallow anaerobic oxidation of methane. Calculated rates of net sulfate reduction and net sulfide production were equivalent, indicating a lack of sulfide re-oxidation reactions. Phosphate liberation rates were low in the surface sediments, but strong linear concentration gradients indicated liberation at depth.
The euxinic Black Sea sediments were purely controlled by sulfate reduction via anaerobic oxidation of methane at the sulfate-methane transition zone in sediment depths of up to several meters. Subsequent diffusive concentration gradients clearly dominated pore water profiles in the surface sediments.
Benthic solute reservoirs of the top 10 cm pore waters were generally higher in the muds than in the sands of the southern Baltic Sea. The smaller reservoirs in the sands were cause by intensive exchange between pore water and bottom water in these permeable sediments. The three studied muddy sites of the southern Baltic Sea showed great dissimilarities with respect to their pore water compositions. Large observed pools of dissolved Fe2+ and PO4 clearly point to reduction of reactive Fe and release of adsorbed P pools. Multi-dimensional scaling analysis showed that seasonal variability played only a minor role for the observed variability of the benthic solute reservoirs. Principal component analysis revealed that the studied sediments can be characterized by essentially two factors based on their pore water reservoirs of the top 10 cm: 1) their mineralization and accumulation efficiency and 2) their secondary reactions in the suboxic zone, reflecting fundamental differences in their sedimentation conditions and mixing processes. While the sands were similar to each other due to their overall low reservoirs, sands, silts and muds mainly differed in their mineralization and accumulation efficiency. Large variability was also observed within the studied muds regarding their predominating redox metabolites. Highest dissimilarities were evident between the neighboring sites Mecklenburg Bight (mostly suboxic) and Luebeck Bight (mostly sulfidic). Therefore, the biogeochemical state in the studied sediments were shown to be mainly controlled by their sediment type and the transport of reactive iron into the sediments. The supply of organic matter to the sea floor controlled the overall mineralization activity, while the sediment permeability determined the accumulation efficiency of the sediment. Mixing of surface sediments together with the complex relation of oxygen, sulfur, iron and phosphorus in the solid and aqueous phase is controlling benthic nutrient fixation/liberation reactions. Salinity variability showed no noticeable effects on early diagenetic processes. During four sampling occasions in the Arkona Basin, bottom water salinity showed strong variability which was also effecting pore water concentration profiles in more than 15 cm depth. However, concentration profiles of typical organic matter mineralization products remained remarkably stable. Also gross sulfate reduction rates seemed to be unaffected by the variable pore water sulfate concentrations.
Nutrient fluxes across the sediment-water interface were obtained by the interpretation of vertical pore water concentration profiles via different models (diffusive fluxes) and via incubation of intact sediment cores (total fluxes). Benthic diffusive fluxes represent potential release of solutes into the water column. They were often strongly associated with the benthic reservoirs, thus fluxes were highest in the muds, considerably lower in the organic-poorer silts, and generally close to zero in the sands. The dissimilarities between diffusive fluxes in the different sediments were mainly controlled by the sediment type. Highest variability was observed within the muds, controlled by their different diagenetic pathways due to different sediment mixing intensities.
In the muddy sediments, diffusive PO4 fluxes were much higher than mineralization of organic matter with the common element ratios of marine organic matter can provide, indicating active recycling of phosphorus within the muds due to recurring adsorption and re-release on reactive iron oxyhydroxide phases. Especially in the strongly mixed Mecklenburg Bight sediments, pore water dissolved PO4 was primarily controlled by the release of adsorbed P. Actual PO4 release into the bottom waters (determined via core incubation experiments) was only measured under extended bottom water oxygen deficiency conditions. The same applied to the redox-sensitive solutes Fe2+, Mn2+ and sulfide.
For the less redox-sensitive solutes, diffusion usually accounted only for a fraction of the total interfacial flux. The proportion of advective to diffusive transport was estimated with different methods. Bioturbation induced sediment mixing was quantified by comparing the diffusive H4SiO4 fluxes derived from pore water modeling with the total fluxes derived from the core incubations. The studied muds showed infauna induced advection proportions of about 35 – 100 %. Only when infauna was absent, diffusion became the dominant transport process across the sediment-water interface. In the studied sands, advection was the dominating transport process, since their generally low surface near reservoirs lead to diffusive fluxes close to zero. However, it remains unclear whether bioturbation or hydrodynamic irrigation are responsible for that. An attempt was made to estimate the effect of hydrodynamic irrigation for a range of reasonable bottom water velocities from the sediment bedform geometry after Neumann et al. (2017). However, resulting potential hydrodynamic irrigation was found to be rather low compared to reported values from the literature and may significantly underestimate actual irrigation of the sandy sediments.
In a new non steady-state multi-element diagenetic modeling approach (Bo Liu, IOW), vertical δ13C pore water profiles were used to estimate the significance of advective transport processes. Mixing processes at the sediment-water interface were expressed as multiple of pure diffusion (ε). By adjusting this mixing coefficient as boundary condition for best fits of predicted to measured pore water profiles, the degree of these mixing processes was estimated. In the Arkona Basin surface sediments, this approach revealed best fits assuming a mixing depth of 3.5 cm with a tenfold higher total mixing degree based on diffusional transport. The calculated mixing depths and intensities were similar to bioturbation depths and rates obtained via traditional methods (Morys, 2016). The novel modeling approach is a promising method to evaluate surface sediment mixing processes.
Increased mineralization activity during productive seasons lead to increased oxygen consumption and therefore frequent bottom water hypoxia. The effects of hypoxic bottom water conditions on the early diagenetic processes in the sediments were studied via prolonged core incubation experiments. Shifts to bottom water oxygen deficiency had various consequences for benthic reservoirs and fluxes. The oxygen consumption decreased during hypoxic incubation phases. Decreased bioturbation activity diminished advective transport so that total fluxes of redox-insensitive solutes (e.g. H4SiO4) were decreased. Reactive iron and manganese oxides act as barrier (“iron curtain”) in the suboxic zone, preventing redox-sensitive solutes from their release into the water column. After a shift to bottom water hypoxia, these reactive oxides are re-dissolved and liberated into the water column. Prolonged incubation experiments suggested that the Mn-oxide reservoirs were depleted first before the Fe-oxides with the adsorptively bound phosphate were liberated.
The release of nutrients (especially phosphorus), dissolved inorganic carbon, and redox- sensitive compounds (e.g. hydrogen sulfide) strongly varied in the different studied environments, covering coastal-near oxic, temporary hypoxic and euxinic conditions.
In environments, where advection through hydrodynamic irrigation or bioturbation do not occur, like in anoxic or euxinic systems, surface-near pore water gradients reflect total solute interfacial fluxes. They depend on the supply of organic matter to the sea floor, the mineralization rates in the sediments and the composition of the overlying bottom water. In the Black Sea, much of the organic matter mineralization was performed already in the water column and not in the sediments, leading to a decreasing export of organic matter to the sediment and increasing concentrations of mineralization products in the bottom water with increasing water depth. Accordingly, benthic fluxes across the sediment-water interface of the deep Black Sea sites were the lowest of the entire study, essentially reflecting the low mineralization rates of AOM in deeper layers. Highest fluxes in the Black Sea were observed at the continental slope at intermediate water depths, but were still lower than in the Baltic Sea deeps.
In contrast, highest DIC fluxes were detected in the oxygen depleted Baltic Sea deeps Gotland Deep and Landsort Deep. These basins are shallow enough that reactive organic matter reaches the sea floor, where it is mineralized via sulfate reduction close to the sediment surface. Strong concentration gradients and therefore high diffusive interfacial fluxes across the sediment-water interface were evident. As bioturbation was absent, these diffusive fluxes were representative for total interfacial fluxes unlike in sediments with additional advective flux components.
In more complex environments, like coastal oxic sediments, inhabited by macrofauna, overflowed by currents and affected by resuspension events, the sediment surface represents an interface between turbulent and calm conditions, high and low concentrations and/or different redox-states. Such gradients are the basis for intensive exchange processes. The surface sediments in the coastal sites of the southern Baltic Sea were characterized by active organic matter mineralization via sulfate reduction and mixing induced secondary reactions taking place in the suboxic zone. This included the removal of dissolved sulfide due to iron oxide reduction with simultaneous liberation of PO4 into the interstitial waters. High surface near P reservoirs existed due to internal P cycling within the sediments, which was in turn driven by continuous re-oxidation of the reduced iron by downwards transported oxygen. These reservoirs were only actually released into the water column during bottom water oxygen deficiency situations, when the iron re-oxidation was inhibited.
This also applies for sediments of the Gulf of Finland and the deeper Baltic Sea basins Bornholm Basin and Gdanks basin, where temporary hypoxic conditions are responsible for recurrent benthic phosphate release.
The widespread occurring phosphate adsorption on sedimentary solid iron phases is a much debated ecosystem service of marine sediments. As discussed in this work, the sedimentary P liberation rates and pools of readily bio-available dissolved phosphate can be substantial in Baltic Sea muddy sediments. Actual phosphate fluxes across the sediment-water interface, though, are relatively small because phosphate is scavenged by adsorption on iron oxyhydroxides that are usually an integral part of coastal marine sediments if overlain by oxic bottom waters. Although muddy sediments often show only an oxic layer of only few millimeters thickness, adsorption capacities of iron oxyhydroxides are large enough to substantially retain P from being liberated into the water column. Falling under reducing conditions, iron oxyhydroxides are re-dissolved, liberating high amounts of PO4 into the surrounding waters. While permanently oxic sediments will preserve adsorbed P, permanently anoxic sediments steadily release mineralized P into the water column. However, sedimentary environments of oscillating redox conditions are predestined for high, burst-like benthic P fluxes. Especially in a quasi isolated environment like the Baltic Sea, with high nutrient inputs but only few sinks, these internal recycling processes promote eutrophication in the long-term. Further expanding hypoxia and anoxia in the Baltic Sea with a subsequent loss of benthic fauna and altered nutrient dynamics in the surface sediments may be the consequence.
Coastal and marginal seas – like the Baltic Sea – serve as natural reaction sites for the turnover and accumulation of land-derived inputs. The main location for the modification and deposition of the introduced material is, in most cases, not the water mass, but the sediment. Its key function as central reactor in the interaction between land and sea has so far been insufficiently studied and assessed. This study was part of the interdisciplinary SECOS project that aimed to identify and evaluate the service functions of sediments in German coastal seas in the context of human use with a focus on the Baltic Sea. One of its goals was to assess sediment functions related to the intermediate storage or final sink of imported material like nutrients and contaminants, and quantify their inventory as well as their mass accumulation rates on multi-decadal to multi-centennial time scales. For that, a detailed examination of the natural and anthropogenic processes that interfere with sediment accumulation in the south-western Baltic Sea basins is essential.
Background: The plasminogen activator system plays a key role in ovarian cancer (OC) tumor progression. The plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and the recently identified PAI-1 RNA binding protein 1 (PAI-RBP1) are primary regulators of plasminogen activation and thus are putative biomarkers for OC progression. Methods: One hundred fifty six OC patients were analyzed to identify the presence of PAI-1 and PAI-RBP1 and subsequently correlated to clinicopathological parameters. Primary cells obtained from OC patient samples were applied in fluorescence microscopy analysis for examination of PAI-1 and PAI-RBP1 distribution. Results: PAI-1 and PAI-RBP1 have been found to be predictive markers for OC patients' outcome. PAI-1 levels significantly correlated with volume of ascites, FIGO staging, and lymph node status. PAI-RBP1 expression significantly correlated with age at first diagnosis, histological tumor type, presence of distant metastasis (pM), and recurrence. PAI-1 showed a trend toward association and PAI-RBP1 was significantly associated with progression-free survival. Notably, PAI-1 protein in recurrent OC tissues was exclusively localized in the nucleus. Conclusion: This study has shown that a combination of PAI-1 and PAI-RBP1 may represent novel prognostic factor for OC. Prospective trials are needed.
The “East German National Park Programme” of 1989/1990 was considered a coup de main, resulting in the immediate protection of 4.5% of the GDR’s territory. The authors of this programme later described the approach and its success as “using a window of opportunity during the transition phase of state and nation.” This leads to the question whether a state’s transformation period constitutes a preferred time frame and momentum for spatial conservation success.
Conservation efforts in Azerbaijan showed a similar success as the East German National Park Programme. In a country with the highest biodiversity in Europe, increasing the share of protected land from 5.0 % in 2001 to 10.3% in 2015 constitutes a remarkable achievement. Thus, the country became an interesting case study regarding the question whether “hot moments for conservation” exist in times of political and governmental changes, and if spatial success in nature conservation can be linked to political transformation. This thesis attempts to identify how the protected area (PA) network in Azerbaijan could be expanded by 100%, what achievements were made, and what conditions still need to be met for the quantitative and qualitative improvement of the PA network. To this end, I consider this increase under landscape-ecological, historical and institutional aspects. The local culture and political pre-sets in the country present additional issues for analysing the past 25 years of nature conservation in Azerbaijan.
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a positive-sense RNA virus of the family Picornaviridae that comprises of seven serotypes and is distinguished by a high contagiosity with the ability of rapid spread. Strategies for abatement and control are based on an early detection, quick initiation of retaliatory actions and mass vaccinations. Therefore, aim of the study was the development of a fast and easy method for genome sequencing as well as an investigation into the causes, why some cell lines that are mainly used for vaccine production, are resistant towards FMDV infection. Finally, adaptive sequence changes in different cell culture systems and associated effects on particle stability and immunogenicity were examined.
In case of an outbreak it is of major importance to detect and rapidly characterize the circulating virus isolate to choose an appropriate vaccine to minimize the viral spread. In addition, comprehensive genome analysis of the outbreak strain provides information about the origin of the virus and allows molecular epidemiology. A universal primer set, covering most parts of the open reading frame of the viral genome, was developed to perform quick sequence analyses, independently of the viral serotype (Paper I). Especially in endemic regions, vaccination of susceptible animal species is the main action to combat foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in an acute outbreak situation as well as a preventive measure. Reasons, why some baby hamster kidney (BHK) cell lines are resistant towards an infection with FMDV, were examined in a second study that narrowed down the cause for this phenomenon to an impaired attachment of the virus to the cell surface. Furthermore, an alternative approach could be developed to successfully adapt the virus to the resistant vaccine-production cell line by using a FMDV-sensitive “wet-nurse” cell line (Paper II). Adaptive changes in the capsid-coding region of the viral genome caused through cultivation and passaging of the virus in different BHK cell systems were the topics of the third study. It was shown that capsid alterations are rather serotype-specific and dependent on the cell line used than influenced by the cell media. Viral titers and neutralization profiles of the adapted isolates were not affected compared to the original viruses (Paper III).
Overall, this work expanded our knowledge on the control and eradication of FMD and will support the global effort to combat the disease.
Since its introduction in 2006, the NOD/scid mouse model has greatly contributed to the understanding of the pathomechanisms of antibody-mediated thrombocytopenia. This progress has however been hampered by inter-laboratory differences. With this work, we make several suggestions to minimise these differences:
We suggest that human platelets (blood group 0) be injected into the mice (age- and sex-matched, 8-16 weeks) via the tail vein. For antibody injection, scientists may choose between intraperitoneal and tail vein injection, each of which has strengths and drawbacks. In case of low antibody titer or low avidity antibodies, preincubation of the platelets with the patient serum prior to injection promotes platelet elimination where standard protocols fail. For subsequent sample preparation, we found that newly-launched ready-to-use kits present a good alternative to classical density gradient centrifugation by reducing man-hours and turnover time without affecting the quality of flow cytometry analysis.
In a second part, we used the revised mouse model to study anti-CD36 mediated thrombocytopenia in vivo. Anti-CD36 antibodies have been suggested as frequent case for FNAIT in Asia. The mechanisms behind this remain partly unclear. After injecting anti-CD36 monoclonal antibody or anti-CD36 patient immunoglobulin into the system, circulating human platelets were rapidly cleared. Interestingly, the polyclonal patient immunoglobulins used were not uniform in their anti-platelet reactivity. On further examination, we found that the anti-CD36 antibodies induce platelet activation and aggregation, which we were able to inhibit by the addition of an Fcγ-receptor blocking agent. This suggests a possible role for Fcγ-receptor in the activation and elimination process.
As our results from the experiments on the role of complement in the elimination process are however ambiguous, further studies are needed. The clinical relevance of anti-CD36 antibody-mediated platelet activation and aggregation for the high abortion rates in affected women has yet to be evaluated.
This work examines the influence of monovalent and divalent cations on tetramyristoyl cardiolipin (TMCL) monolayers. A lipid monolayer can undergo an ordering transition of the lipid alkyl chains from a disordered fluid phase (liquid-expanded (LE)) to an ordered gel phase (liquid-condensed (LC)). Compression of the lipid monolayer in a Pockels-Langmuir trough was monitored with a Wilhelmy plate tensiometer, yielding the surface pressure π in dependence of the area a molecule can occupy on average A, as a π-A-isotherm. The onset of the first order LE/LC phase transition is marked by an abrupt change in the isotherm at surface pressure πc.
These associated lipid membrane changes were characterized by variation of the compression speed, kind and concentration of the monovalent and divalent salt, pH, and temperature. The CL monolayer phase transition was found to depend on the compression speed, yielding only a small variation in the compression isotherms.
For monovalent cations on the cardiolipin monolayer, the dependence on salt concentration of the lipid liquid gel phase transition surface pressure πc was determined and a non-monotonic behavior was found, with a maximum in πc for a salt concentration of 0.1 mol/l. The maximum in πc can be shifted with pH (e.g. pH = 4.2). This behavior extended to potassium, sodium and cesium cations in the subphase. No ion specific effects were observed, which pointed to the prevalence of electrostatic interactions in the system.
Different divalent salt subphases, of either magnesium, calcium, strontium, manganese, iron or zinc salts, with fixed sodium chloride concentration of 0.15 mol/l at pH of 5.8 and 25 °C were investigated. πc decreases upon addition of divalent salts to the subphase. This points to increased screening and binding effects. Strongest binding effects were observed for calcium and manganese cations.
The electrostatic interactions of the system were modeled with a mean-field theory: Grahame’s equation, and a simple law of mass action. CL is modeled at half its molecular area and half its charge, with a proton dissociation constant of the phosphate group Ka,intrinsic(PO4) = 0.1 mol/l. The agreement with the experiment was satisfactory.
A linear dependence of πc on the temperature was found for cardiolipin monolayers on all subphases. The isothermal area compressibility modulus KA is calculated from selected isotherms. It was found that the flexibility of the monolayer decreases with temperature and the area per molecule for the cardiolipin fluid phase.
The compression speed, monovalent salt concentration, pH, and selected divalent cations were investigated with the BAM. For all a sigmoidal growth of xgel with compression was observed. For high salt concentrations non-circular and dendritic domains were observed.
A simple model for the nucleation process was introduced, yielding an estimate of 20 nm for the critical domain radius, which is below the resolution of the BAM, but a common length scale in biological systems.
Inwiefern ist es strafbar, Schülern den Gang zur Toilette während des Unterrichts zu verbieten?
(2017)
Certain basal Teleostei from the Early Jurassic of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Germany) and the Late Jurassic of the Franconian Alb (Bavaria, Germany), the Swabian Alb (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) and the western Jura-Mountains (Ain, France) are described. The present doctoral dissertation includes four studies, dealing with representatives of “Pholidophoriformes”, Leptolepidae and Orthogonikleithridae. These studies include anatomical descriptions of new taxa and reviews of poorly known fishes. Furthermore, the stratigraphic and palaeobiogeographical distributions of the examined taxa are discussed.
Costs of reproduction. A demographical approach to examine life-history trade-offs ─ Abstract. Resource-allocation trade-offs are fundamental constraints of life-history evolution. In particular the trade-offs between reproduction and longevity and between present and future reproduction are expected to form reproductive patterns. Unfortunately, exploring such trade-offs in natural populations is complicated and may not be possible. In face of several limitations, zoo data appear to be useful to better understand the reproductive biology of endangered, rare or cryptic species. In the first step, it was sought after with a data-mining, comparative multi-species approach for broad patterns of correlations between lifespan and variables in bird-eating spiders (Theraphosidae). The subfamily Eumenophoriinae on average lived longest, followed by the Theraphosinae, Ornithoctinae, Grammostolinae, Selenocosmiinae, Ischnocolinae and finally the Avicularinae. Species inhabiting tropical, more humid and/or low-altitude environments lived longer, suggesting that more predictable environments favour the evolution of longer lifespans. Furthermore, large range size, low abundance, sub-terrestrial life-style, and aggressive behaviour were all linked with longer lifespans. An argument for resource allocation trade-offs was found as larger spiderling and prosoma size were negatively related to longevity. In the second step, a demographical approach has been applied for two old-world deer species (Vietnamese sika deer Cervus nippon pseudaxis, Mesopotamian fallow deer Dama dama mesopotamica). In both species, births peaked right before the onset of the rainy season in natural environments. Females reached high reproductive output earlier in life and had (in one species only) higher survival rates than males. Offspring number covaried positively rather than negatively with longevity. In females, the length of the reproductive phase correlated positively with longevity, birth rate within the entire lifespan, and offspring number, while it was negatively correlated to the birth rate during the reproductive phase (in one species). The length of the post-reproductive phase was positively related to longevity and negatively to birth rate during the entire lifespan. In the third section, life-histories of Asiatic (Equus hemionus ssp.) and African wild asses (Equus africanus ssp.) have been anlaysed in a comparative way with another demographical long-term approach. All taxa showed even in captivity peak birth rates during the periods of highest food availability in their natural environments. Sex-specific survival rates with females living longer than males were evident in Kulan and Onager but not in Kiang and Somali wild ass, pointing towards different life-history strategies even among closely related taxa. Females achieved their highest reproductive output earlier than males, which is typical for polygynous mating systems. Offspring number and longevity were rather positively correlated than negatively. Taken together evidence for reproductive trade-offs was weak, though the length of the reproductive period was negatively related to birth rates within the reproductive period. Birth intervals increased with female age, probably reflecting detrimental effects of senescence.
Quang Xuong is considered as one of the most developed districts in Thanh Hoa Province in terms of agricultural. The major purpose of this research is to find good places to suggest for annual crops production in the case study. Therefore, the assessment of land potential productivity, land suitability, and land cover/land use change in different periods is essential for making strategies of sustainable agricultural development as this will help land-users and land managers to discover the potential and limitations of the current existing land conditions to make appropriate policies and plans for future land use. Its results will provide basic information to make reasonable decisions for investments and rational reclamations of cultivated land before and after each crop season in order to meet the objectives of sustainable development in terms of economic efficiency, social acceptability, and environmental protection. The research site is located at latitudes 19 degree 34 minute N - 19 degree 47 minuteN and at longitudes 105 degree 46 minute E - 105 degree 53 minute E. The total area is about 227km2; in which 128km2 is in use for agricultural activities. Based on soil classification methods by FAO-UNESCO (1988), the agricultural land is classified into six main soil groups, including Arenosols, Salic Fluvisols, Fluvisols, Gleysols, Acrisols, and Leptosols, 12 soil units and 18 sub-units. The largest area belongs to the Fluvisols group with 9358.29ha and the smallest area is identified as the Leptosol group with 219.33ha. Most of the soil in this district has low to moderate nutrition, but in general, they are still suitable for agricultural production. There are 42 land units defined in the land mapping, which can be different from each other by one or more land characteristics. The land mapping unit is created from the overlay of all thematic maps of soil chemicals, soil physical characteristics, and relative topography together by application of GIS techniques. It presents land characteristics and properties in this case study and will be used in comparasion with a particular crop requirement for growth in land suitability evaluation process. A certain land unit may be suitable for one or more types of different land use. It is also classified as highly suitable for a specific land utilization type, but less suitable or unsuitable for other crops. For example, in this study, land unit 26 is determined as highly suitable (S1) for growing paddy rice and maize, but it falls into moderately suitability (S2) for groundnut crop by using parametric (square root) method used in this thesis. Depending on the kind of crops need to be evaluated and its requirement for development compared with each land unit characteristics, land-users will determine the best suitable place for crop production. Identification of land use change in different periods of time has become a central key to monitoring of land resources. It is relatively important for effective land management to protect the land resources, especially the land used for agricultural production from overuse and environmental changes. The sprawl of inhabitant areas, development of rural infrastructures, and industrialization are responsible for serious losses of agricultural land. In this study, remote sensing techniques were applied to studying the trends of land cover change in the abovementioned district in a period of about 24 years from 1989 to 2013. ArcGIS software was adopted to develop the land cover and the change of land use maps from 1989 to 2013. Two satellite images with moderate resolution were collected from USGS Earth Explorer website, Landsat5 TM for 1989 and Landsat8 OLI & TIRS for 2013. After image geo-processing, the images were classified into six land cover categories by applying supervised classification method (Maximum Likelihood). The six main obtained land cover types were built-up areas, agricultural land, forest land, water surface area, salty land, and unused land. The overall accuracies of land cover maps for 1989 and 2013 were 94.08% and 92.91%, respectively. The results of change detection analysis indicate that the cultivated, water surface and unused lands decreased by 22%, 17%, and 91%, respectively. In other side, the built-up and salty land increased by 78%, 58%, respectively and forest land increased from 52.69ha in 1989 to 395.76ha in 2013. The assessment of land potential productivity for agricultural production and land suitability for selected annual crops was based on FAO guidelines for land evaluation (FAO, 1976, 1985, and 1993) which were adopted and slightly modified for compatibility with Vietnamese conditions. All related data were stored, analyzed, mapped and presented in ArcGIS software. Weighted Linear Combination Method developed by Hopkins (1977) and GIS techniques were used to analyze and determine the land potential for agricultural use in the study area. The results show that 5.26%, 83.10%, 10.06%, and 1.57% of the investigated areas were assessed as high potential, moderate potential, low potential and very low potential for growing crops. Regarding land suitability evaluation, the simple limitation, parametric (square root), and AHP methods were used to evaluate the suitability levels for selected crops, including paddy rice, sweet potato, groundnut, maize, potato, sesame, soybean, and green pepper. The obtained results indicate that each applied method provides different results of land suitability level for a specific crop in certain land units compared to the other two methods, and OM, soil pH, soil texture, and relative topography were found out as the main limitation factors which affected land suitability level. The study also suggests that three different methods as abovementioned can be expanded and applied in other places with the appropriate factors used for land suitability evaluation according to particular area conditions.