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The prior aim of facial plastic-reconstructive surgery was and will be the adequate restitution of appearance and function so that patients with trauma- or tumorassociated defects as well as congenital malformations can be successfully rehabilitated. Nowadays, three major techniques are used to achieve this goal: local flaps, pedicled flaps and microsurgical flaps. This overview article describes in detail the three major techniques of facial plastic reconstructive surgery from past to present and gives an outlook on upcoming new techniques like the virtual planning of reconstructive measures.

Mt. Ushba is a famous mountain in the Great Caucasus characterized by its iconical double peak. In addition, the surrounding Georgian region of Svaneti is known for its medieval defense towers, what makes the area a rising tourism destination. Climbers, hikers and visitors alike need maps for planning their tours, so there is a demand for a reliable map. The paper aims to present the production of an Alpine Club map to demonstrate how high-quality map production is possible by combining open data and, wherever possible, open-source software. An important result is a widely transferable workflow for mapmakers. It offers lowcost solutions in the production of a digital elevation model, which combines multi-stereo satellite images from Planet Labs and GNSS measurements, and an organized, dynamic mapping with OpenStreetMap. Moreover, free satellite images have been used to derive land cover information. While the final map will be sold as a commercial product, most geo-data are freely available. The OpenStreetMap data is improved and completed through fieldwork, and toponyms are collected in a combination of existing maps, signposts and information by locals. Our contribution may strengthen the spread of this sustainable database to many other digital services, resp. maps, which are using OpenStreetMap. Due to the complexity of the overall project, this paper describes the current status, some aspects are still under development.

ABSTRACT Bacteria either duplicate their chromosome once per cell division or a new round of replication is initiated before the cells divide, thus cell cycles overlap. Here, we show that the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa switches from fast growth with overlapping cell cycles to sustained slow growth with only one replication round per cell division when cultivated under standard laboratory conditions. The transition was characterized by fast-paced, sequential changes in transcriptional activity along the ori-ter axis of the chromosome reflecting adaptation to the metabolic needs during both growth phases. Quorum sensing (QS) activity was highest at the onset of the slow growth phase with non-overlapping cell cycles. RNA sequencing of subpopulations of these cultures sorted based on their DNA content, revealed a strong gene dosage effect as well as specific expression patterns for replicating and nonreplicating cells. Expression of flagella and mexE, involved in multidrug efflux was restricted to cells that did not replicate, while those that did showed a high activity of the cell division locus and recombination genes. A possible role of QS in the formation of these subpopulations upon switching to non-overlapping cell cycles could be a subject of further research. IMPORTANCE The coordination of gene expression with the cell cycle has so far been studied only in a few bacteria, the bottleneck being the need for synchronized cultures. Here, we determined replication-associated effects on transcription by comparing Pseudomonas aeruginosa cultures that differ in their growth mode and number of replicating chromosomes. We further show that cell cycle-specific gene regulation can be principally identified by RNA sequencing of subpopulations from cultures that replicate only once per cell division and that are sorted according to their DNA content. Our approach opens the possibility to study asynchronously growing bacteria from a wide phylogenetic range and thereby enhance our understanding of the evolution of cell cycle control on the transcriptional level.

Political practice and academic discourse similarly assume that the local level has the potential to strengthen political cohesion in the European Union: it is the tier closest to citizens and implements a large share of European legislation. But what political cohesion actually is and how it can be achieved is less clear. The paper addresses this gap by analysing the local framing of political cohesion in Europe. Drawing on case studies in eight German cities, local Europe-related networks are investigated, focusing on how their ideas about their role in crafting political cohesion links to their Europe-related activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionExtracorporeal blood purification systems represent a promising alternative for treatment of blood stream infections with multiresistant bacteria.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to analyse the binding activity of S. aureus to Seraph affinity filters based on heparin coated beads and to identify effectors influencing this binding activity.ResultsTo test the binding activity, we used gfp-expressing S. aureus Newman strains inoculated either in 0.9% NaCl or in blood plasma and determined the number of unbound bacteria by FACS analyses after passing through Seraph affinity filters. The binding activity of S. aureus was clearly impaired in human plasma: while a percent removal of 42% was observed in 0.9% NaCl (p-value 0.0472) using Seraph mini columns, a percent removal of only 10% was achieved in human plasma (p-value 0.0934). The different composition of surface proteins in S. aureus caused by the loss of SarA, SigB, Lgt, and SaeS had no significant influence on its binding activity. In a clinically relevant approach using the Seraph® 100 Microbind® Affinity Filter and 1000 ml of human blood plasma from four different donors, the duration of treatment was shown to have a critical effect on the rate of bacterial reduction. Within the first four hours, the number of bacteria decreased continuously and the reduction in bacteria reached statistical significance after two hours of treatment (percentage reduction 64%, p-value 0.01165). The final reduction after four hours of treatment was close to 90% and is dependent on donor. The capacity of Seraph® 100 for S. aureus in human plasma was approximately 5 x 108 cells.ConclusionsThe Seraph affinity filter, based on heparin-coated beads, is a highly efficient method for reducing S. aureus in human blood plasma, with efficiency dependent on blood plasma composition and treatment duration.

Urban green spaces (UGSs) can provide important ecosystem services for citizens and their well-being. To make use of these services according to UGS user demands, urban residents, tourists, and city administrations should know where UGSs are located, what qualities they have and how to reach them on convenient routes. This paper presents a novel digital infrastructure which combines and fuses different data to map UGSs and their qualities, and makes this information available in a web app. The interactive information service of the app aims to support citizens to explore and search for suitable UGSs and to provide routing options to reach them based on their preferences. Via implicit and explicit feedback functions included in the app, further information on UGS users' preferences can be collected to enhance the overall knowledge basis, while respecting data privacy issues. The underlying data base consists primarily of open and volunteered geographic data, which allows for transferability to other cities. This paper describes the system design, its back-end and front-end components, as well as the process of development and deployment of the system in two pilot cities. Preliminary results of the piloting in the two cities are presented, focusing on user preferences for UGSs searches. The added value of the web app for city residents and the role of the newly gained knowledge for urban planning is discussed and reflected upon.

Town twinning comes with great expectations. Pursued after the Second World War as an instrument of reconciliation on the European continent, they are supposed to strengthen political and social cohesion in Europe. However, classic partnerships are undergoing changes. While some have died, others are used for new forms of cooperation. Is town twinning an outdated format? How can we capture and explain why some twinnings are very much "alive" while others "die"? Based on qualitative case studies in eight German cities, we identify institutional, actor-related and policy-related factors that contribute to the success or failure of town twinning as a form of horizontal Europeanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europeanisation situates local governments in a constantly changing environment, bringing challenges, opportunities, and constraints. These circumstances raise the question, how local authorities adapt to the process of European integration, face its challenges, and use its diverse opportunity structures. The article explores four dimensions, through which Europeanisation hits the ground of local government: downloading, uploading, dissemination, and horizontal networking. It examines the distribution of different types of Europe-related activities at the local level using data from a survey sent to all 396 independent cities, towns, and municipalities in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Our empirical analysis provides an overview of the most and least frequent Europe-related activities within the different types of local authorities. The findings of our multivariate analysis shows that next to the direct affectedness by Europeanisation, the municipalities' capacities in terms of financial and institutional resources have a major influence on their efforts towards Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]