Calamus javensis is polymorphic. Morphometry and molecular approach resulted in all names used in the complex are regarded as synonyms of C. javensis except C. tenompokensis, which is retained as a... Show moreCalamus javensis is polymorphic. Morphometry and molecular approach resulted in all names used in the complex are regarded as synonyms of C. javensis except C. tenompokensis, which is retained as a distinct species. One variety is here recognized, C. javensis var. polyphyllus (including C. acuminatus) Show less
The central question of this thesis is: What drives late Middle Paleolithic stone artifact variability? In its attempt to answer this question, this thesis is a contribution to understanding... Show moreThe central question of this thesis is: What drives late Middle Paleolithic stone artifact variability? In its attempt to answer this question, this thesis is a contribution to understanding variability within and between late Middle Paleolithic assemblages of the European Plain. The selected research area is rich in late Middle Paleolithic open-air sites but up to now lacking detailed quantitative comparisons between them. This thesis uses standardized, more quantitative methods to analyze stone tool variability across techno-complexes. Stone artifact assemblages where analyzed based on a detailed attribute analysis and compared using multivariate methods, like Principal Component Analysis and Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling. Additionally, methods from 3D geometric morphometrics where applied for the analysis of some individual tool types. The central finding of the studies presented in this thesis is that most of the variability observed in the record is not related to typo-technological classification, and it is not necessarily site-specific nor geographical. The variability can be related to raw materials, but it can also be related to the varying application of similar methods in blank and tool production. The analyses of individual tools suggest further that certain tool concepts, like the bifacial Keilmesser are not restricted to bifacial tools only. Show less
This thesis may be regarded as a concept work, to see how feasible drug discovery approaches still are. For this, a strain collection was built up consisting of actinomycetes from soil in the... Show moreThis thesis may be regarded as a concept work, to see how feasible drug discovery approaches still are. For this, a strain collection was built up consisting of actinomycetes from soil in the Qinling and Himalaya mountains, which were subsequently tested for antibiotic production against multi-drug resistant clinical isolates. This resulted in close to 100 strains that showed strong antimicrobial activity, which were then analyzed in more detail. Two of the strains were subjected to extensive NMR-based metabolomics assisted by mass spectrometry, and several known and also novel antimicrobial compounds were elucidated. Finally, we also focused on the antibiotic activity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) Show less
