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High-quality food and general good health are fundamental needs that have to be satisfied if society is to attain a high standard of living. Accordingly, a great deal of effort is expended in order to guarantee a high quality of food and ensure healthy living conditions. Among other things, these efforts entail massive substance flows. Significant substance flows are connected with the production and consumption of food and can be regarded from an economic, social, or environmental point of view. Substance flows are a part of both nature and the anthroposphere. This study demonstrates that food production at present is not linked to societal issues of production and sustainability; rather, it shows that a systematic approach and an analysis of issues and measures to be taken are required. This interconnectedness can be described as a timescape, in analogy to a landscape. For proper orientation in a landscape, a map is helpful, especially in combination with a compass. In the same way, we need a temporal orientation. Time scales serve as a compass to give orientation. A complete temporal analysis that includes all relevant temporalities provides the information that is encoded in a map. What has to be learned and exercised is the reading of such temporal maps. One method of doing this is temporal impact analysis (TIA). Temporal impact analysis brings issues that are not normally focused on into the foreground. It allows a better understanding of the implications of certain substance flows and the measures necessary for their management, and it provides an opportunity to develop a more sustainable management of substance flows.

Scavenging of VEGF by specific antibodies is a promising way to treat ocular conditions connected with neovascularization. Intravitreal injections of Avastin (bevacizumab) are performed frequently as a treatment of such conditions. In this study, the authors examine whether the retinal function in wild-type mice is affected by an intravitreal injection of Avastin.Electroretinography was performed in four different experimental groups of wild-type C57BL/6 mice before treatment and 1, 4, 12, and 25 days afterwards. The first group was injected intravitreally with BSS, the second one received injections of a vehicle solution, and the third group was injected with the commercial Avastin solution. In a fourth group, sham surgery was performed. Immunohistochemistry was performed in some eyes to evaluate penetration of the bevacizumab molecule through the retina.In all four groups, a similar behavior of the ERG parameters could be detected. One day after the injections, the amplitudes showed a clear decrease. Later on, they recovered gradually. No difference could be seen between eyes injected with Avastin or vehicle solution. Bevacizumab immunoreactivity was already present in the whole retina half an hour after the intravitreal injection and was not detectable 25 days later. Moreover, binding of bevacizumab to endogenous mouse VEGF could be shown.Based on the electroretinographic findings, the authors conclude that bevacizumab does not have any toxic effects on the mouse retina and its function. The bevacizumab molecule penetrates the retina quickly. Therefore, it can act safely and very quickly, also in deeper retinal layers after its injection.

Lens injury induced activation of retinal glia, and subsequent release of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) and leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) potently protect axotomised retinal ganglion cells from apoptosis and promotes axon regeneration in the injured optic nerve. The goal of the current study was to investigate if similar effects may also be applicable to rescue photoreceptors from degeneration in a model of retinitis pigmentosa. Lens injury was performed in the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats at the age of one month. The survival of photoreceptors was evaluated histologically, and retinal function was analysed by electroretinography (ERG). Expression of CNTF was also analysed. Lens injury significantly enhanced the survival of photoreceptors 1 month after surgery compared to untreated controls, which was associated with an enhanced ERG response. In addition, lens injury significantly protected photoreceptors from degeneration in the contralateral eye, although to a much lesser extent. We could show that lens injury is sufficient to transiently delay the degeneration of photoreceptors in the RCS rat. The observed neuroprotective effects may be at least partially mediated by an upregulation of CNTF expression seen after lens injury.

This contribution outlines the potential of the category of gender in critical analyses of land use policy and the perspectives it offers for the development of conceptual strategies for sustainable land management. It illustrates gender mainstreaming in urban development approaches, thus showing the potential for enhancing the quality of planning and the reduction of land consumption. The paper goes on to discuss the potential for extended and differentiated communication and participation within participative planning support systems. A major point of discussion is the constraints of computing formalisations and the means of developing software systems for planning support systems (PSS) for participative planning approaches.

In this article I discuss the significance of the temporal-spatial figure of transistion in relation to spatial planing and environmental planning. This discussion is based on the theory that change and renewal can be found in intermediate spaces. I consider the positive value accorded to the spatial figure of transition in the discourses of ecology, environmental education and town planning. The integrate function of transition as a liminal space of possibility was highlighted early on the feminst planning debates. This functions corresponds to the sustainable development model and is evidently inherent in the figure of transition. I therefore suggest that these debates should be used constructively in current research on sustainability, especially in the planning sciences ... In this article I discuss the significance of the temporal-spatial figure of transistion in relation to spatial planing and environmental planning. This discussion is based on the theory that change and renewal can be found in intermediate spaces. I consider the positive value accorded to the spatial figure of transition in the discourses of ecology, environmental education and town planning. The integrate function of transition as a liminal space of possibility was highlighted early on the feminst planning debates. This functions corresponds to the sustainable development model and is evidently inherent in the figure of transition. I therefore suggest that these debates should be used constructively in current research on sustainability, especially in the planning sciences.

PURPOSE. The penetration of intravitreally injected bevacizumab in its commercial formulation (Avastin; Roche, Grenzach, Germany) through the retina was studied, to determine whether a full-length antibody would be able to penetrate the retina as easily as an antibody fragment. METHODS. Six cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were used in this study. Two compositions of intravitreal injection into the right eyes were performed: one with commercial Avastin (group 1, four animals) and the other one with commercial Avastin labeled with 125 I (group 2, one animal). The animals in group 1 were killed 1, 4, 7, or 14 days after the injection for subsequent histologic analysis of the eyes by immunohistochemistry, and the animal in group 2 was killed 7 days after injection for autoradiography and electron microscopy. Funduscopy was performed before the injection and at several time points thereafter. Moreover, blood samples were collected at different time points from the group-2 animal. The sixth animal remained untreated and served as the control. RESULTS. No pathologic changes were obvious in the funduscopic images within the time of the experiment. Bevacizumab immunoreactivity was found in the choroid and the inner layers of the retina as early as 1 day after the injection and spread to the outer layers and the choroid within the following days, in particular to photoreceptors and blood vessels. Avastin labeled with 125 I showed radioactivity in blood serum 1 day after the intravitreal injection and remained relatively stable until day 7. CONCLUSIONS. The results clearly show that the bevacizumab molecule can penetrate the retina and is also transported into the retinal pigment epithelium, the choroid and, in particular, into photoreceptor outer segments after intravitreal injection of Avastin. Active transport mechanisms seem to be involved.