Refine
Year of publication
- 2014 (2796) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (1079)
- Part of Periodical (372)
- Book (269)
- Working Paper (213)
- Contribution to a Periodical (173)
- Doctoral Thesis (168)
- Report (148)
- Review (146)
- Part of a Book (83)
- Conference Proceeding (50)
Language
- German (1401)
- English (1232)
- Croatian (70)
- Portuguese (28)
- French (19)
- Turkish (12)
- Multiple languages (11)
- Spanish (7)
- Danish (3)
- Bosnian (2)
Keywords
- Deutsch (38)
- Literatur (35)
- Rilke, Rainer Maria (35)
- Ukraine (24)
- USA (22)
- taxonomy (22)
- Deutschland (21)
- Russland (21)
- Benjamin, Walter (19)
- new species (19)
Institute
- Präsidium (355)
- Medizin (274)
- Gesellschaftswissenschaften (204)
- Wirtschaftswissenschaften (182)
- Center for Financial Studies (CFS) (146)
- Physik (133)
- Sustainable Architecture for Finance in Europe (SAFE) (101)
- Biowissenschaften (99)
- House of Finance (HoF) (99)
- Exzellenzcluster Die Herausbildung normativer Ordnungen (86)
Wrack burial reduces germination and establishment of the invasive cordgrass Spartina densiflora
(2014)
Germination and emergence of halophytes may decrease significantly by seed burial in dead plant material, or wrack, which is common and abundant in tidal marshes. The effects of plant debris (wrack) burial on seed germination and seedling establishment of Spartina densiflora, an invasive cordgrass, were studied under greenhouse conditions and compared with field observations. Five wrack burial depths were applied: control without wrack, 1 cm (1235 ± 92 g DW wrack m-2), 2 cm (3266 ± 13 g DW m-2), 4 cm (4213 ± 277 g DW m-2), and 8 cm (6138 ± 227 g DW m-2). Sediment pH, electrical conductivity, redox potential and temperature were recorded. Quiescence increased with wrack load up to ~20% at 8 cm deep. Germination decreased with wrack load from 96% to 14%, which could be related with anoxic conditions under the debris since sediment redox potential was as low as -83 ± 7 mV at 8 cm. Germination percentage increased and quiescent and dormant percentages decreased at higher daily sediment temperatures and with higher daily temperature fluctuations, conditions that were recorded without or under low loads of wrack. Spartina densiflora did not show primary dormancy, but its seeds entered into a non-deep physiological dormancy below 1 cm deep in plant debris. The establishment of S. densiflora seedlings was also greatly reduced by wrack burial since only 6 seedlings (11 ± 5 % of germinated seeds) emerged above plant debris from 1 cm and all seedlings died from deeper than 1 cm. S. densiflora seedling development was also reduced by wrack burial. The inverse relationship between germination and emergence of S. densiflora with wrack burial recorded in our study is useful to predict its invasion dynamics and to plan the management of invaded marshes.
The Crusade movement is one of the most important occurrences of medieval history. It took place throughout two centuries in the Levant and affected both Muslims and Crusaders and in turn changed the way in which West and East related to one another.1 When the Crusaders took control of the Holy Land and many Islamic cities in the Levant, they transferred their feudal European system there. They established four main fiefdoms or lordships, Jerusalem, Edessa, Antioch and Tripoli. In addition, there were another twelve secondary fiefdoms,2 of which Tibnīn was one. Tibnīn was called “Toron” by the Crusaders. Once the Crusaders had captured Tibnīn, they began building its fortified castle, from which the fief of Tibnīn gained its importance throughout the period of the Crusades.
This paper traces the military role of Tibnīn and its rulers in the Latin East against the Muslims until 1187/ 583. Tibnīn played a key role in overcoming the Muslims in Tyre and controlled it in 1124. It also played a vital role in the conflict between Damascus and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Tibnīn participated in defending Antioch, Banyas, Hebron and Transjordan several times. Furthermore, its soldiers and Knights joined the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem to capture Ascalon in 1153, and joined the campaigns of Amaury I, King of Jerusalem, against Egypt from 1164 to1169. The military situation of Tibnīn under the rule of the royal house until its fall to the Muslims in 1187/ 583 will be studied as well.
Death and the King's Grey Hair and Other Plays is a collection of three plays, 'Death and the King's Grey Hair, ' 'Truce with the Devil, ' and 'Fringe Benefits, ' which are all experimental plays from the early period of the writing career of Denja Abdullahi, who is presently renowned as a poet of populist expressions. 'Death and the King's Grey Hair' examines the use and misuse of absolute power based on an ancient Jukun myth of young kings and short reigns. 'Truce with the Devil' is a satire on the later abandonment of the creed of Marxism by its adherents, a kind of mockery of turncoat revolutionaries in the grip of practical social realities. 'Fringe Benefits', a radio play, is an expose of the happening in Nigeria's ivory towers, seen from the eyes of a participant-observer.
In high--energy heavy--ion collisions, the correlations between the emitted particles can be used as a probe to gain insight into the charge creation mechanisms. In this Letter, we report the first results of such studies using the electric charge balance function in the relative pseudorapidity (Δη) and azimuthal angle (Δφ) in Pb--Pb collisions at sNN−−−−√=2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The width of the balance function decreases with growing centrality (i.e. for more central collisions) in both projections. This centrality dependence is not reproduced by HIJING, while AMPT, a model which incorporates strings and parton rescattering, exhibits qualitative agreement with the measured correlations in Δφ but fails to describe the correlations in Δη. A thermal blast--wave model incorporating local charge conservation and tuned to describe the pmT spectra and v2 measurements reported by ALICE, is used to fit the centrality dependence of the width of the balance function and to extract the average separation of balancing charges at freeze--out. The comparison of our results with measurements at lower energies reveals an ordering with sNN−−−−√:the balance functions become narrower with increasing energy for all centralities. This is consistent with the effect of larger radial flow at the LHC energies but also with the late stage creation scenario of balancing charges. However, the relative decrease of the balance function widths in Δη and \dphi with centrality from the highest SPS to the LHC energy exhibits only small differences. This observation cannot be interpreted solely within the framework where the majority of the charge is produced at a later stage in the evolution of the heavy--ion collision.
In high-energy heavy-ion collisions, the correlations between the emitted particles can be used as a probe to gain insight into the charge creation mechanisms. In this Letter, we report the first results of such studies using the electric charge balance function in the relative pseudorapidity (Δη) and azimuthal angle (Δφ) in Pb--Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The width of the balance function decreases with growing centrality (i.e. for more central collisions) in both projections. This centrality dependence is not reproduced by HIJING, while AMPT, a model which incorporates strings and parton rescattering, exhibits qualitative agreement with the measured correlations in Δφ but fails to describe the correlations in Δη. A thermal blast-wave model incorporating local charge conservation and tuned to describe the pT spectra and v2 measurements reported by ALICE, is used to fit the centrality dependence of the width of the balance function and to extract the average separation of balancing charges at freeze-out. The comparison of our results with measurements at lower energies reveals an ordering with sNN−−−√: the balance functions become narrower with increasing energy for all centralities. This is consistent with the effect of larger radial flow at the LHC energies but also with the late stage creation scenario of balancing charges. However, the relative decrease of the balance function widths in Δη and Δφ with centrality from the highest SPS to the LHC energy exhibits only small differences. This observation cannot be interpreted solely within the framework where the majority of the charge is produced at a later stage in the evolution of the heavy--ion collision.
A measurement of the transverse momentum spectra of jets in Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=2.76 TeV is reported. Jets are reconstructed from charged particles using the anti-kT jet algorithm with jet resolution parameters R of 0.2 and 0.3 in pseudo-rapidity |η|<0.5. The transverse momentum pT of charged particles is measured down to 0.15 GeV/c which gives access to the low pT fragments of the jet. Jets found in heavy-ion collisions are corrected event-by-event for average background density and on an inclusive basis (via unfolding) for residual background fluctuations and detector effects. A strong suppression of jet production in central events with respect to peripheral events is observed. The suppression is found to be similar to the suppression of charged hadrons, which suggests that substantial energy is radiated at angles larger than the jet resolution parameter R=0.3 considered in the analysis. The fragmentation bias introduced by selecting jets with a high pT leading particle, which rejects jets with a soft fragmentation pattern, has a similar effect on the jet yield for central and peripheral events. The ratio of jet spectra with R=0.2 and R=0.3 is found to be similar in Pb-Pb and simulated PYTHIA pp events, indicating no strong broadening of the radial jet structure in the reconstructed jets with R<0.3.
Transverse momentum spectra of π±, K± and p(p¯) up to pT = 20 GeV/c at mid-rapidity in pp, peripheral (60–80%) and central (0–5%) Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV have been measured using the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The proton-to-pion and the kaon-to-pion ratios both show a distinct peak at pT ≈ 3 GeV/c in central Pb–Pb collisions. Below the peak, pT < 3 GeV/c, both ratios are in good agreement with hydrodynamical calculations, suggesting that the peak itself is dominantly the result of radial flow rather than anomalous hadronization processes. For pT > 10 GeV/c particle ratios in pp and Pb–Pb collisions are in agreement and the nuclear modification factors for π±, K± and p(p¯) indicate that, within the systematic and statistical uncertainties, the suppression is the same. This suggests that the chemical composition of leading particles from jets in the medium is similar to that of vacuum jets.
The ALICE Collaboration at the LHC reports measurement of the inclusive production cross section of electrons from semi-leptonic decays of beauty hadrons with rapidity |y| < 0.8 and transverse momentum 1 < pT < 10 GeV/c, in pp collisions at √s = 2.76 TeV. Electrons not originating from semi-electronic decay of beauty hadrons are suppressed using the impact parameter of the corresponding tracks. The production cross section of beauty decay electrons is compared to the result obtained with an alternative method which uses the distribution of the azimuthal angle between heavy-flavour decay electrons and charged hadrons. Perturbative QCD predictions agree with the measured cross section within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties. The integrated visible cross section, σb→e = 3.47 ± 0.40(stat) +1.12 −1.33(sys) ± 0.07(norm) μb, was extrapolated to full phase space using Fixed Order plus Next-to-Leading Log (FONLL) calculations to obtain the total bb production ¯ cross section, σbb¯ = 130 ± 15.1(stat) +42.1 −49.8(sys) +3.4 −3.1(extr) ± 2.5(norm) ± 4.4(BR) μb.
Transverse momentum spectra of π±, K± and p(p¯) up to pT = 20 GeV/c at mid-rapidity in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√= 2.76 TeV have been measured using the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The proton-to-pion and the kaon-to-pion ratios both show a distinct peak at pT≈3GeV/c in central Pb-Pb collisions. Below the peak, pT < 3 GeV/c, both ratios are in good agreement with hydrodynamical calculations, suggesting that the peak itself is dominantly the result of radial flow rather than anomalous hadronization processes. For pT > 10 GeV/c particle ratios in pp and Pb-Pb collisions are in agreement and the nuclear modification factors for π±, K± and p(p¯) indicate that, within the systematic and statistical uncertainties, the suppression is the same. This suggests that the chemical composition of leading particles from jets in the medium is similar to that of vacuum jets.
We report on the production of inclusive Υ(1S) and Υ(2S) in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV at the LHC. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector at backward (−4.46<ycms<−2.96) and forward (2.03<ycms<3.53) rapidity down to zero transverse momentum. The production cross sections of the Υ(1S) and Υ(2S) are presented, as well as the nuclear modification factor and the ratio of the forward to backward yields of Υ(1S). A suppression of the inclusive Υ(1S) yield in p-Pb collisions with respect to the yield from pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions is observed at forward rapidity but not at backward rapidity. The results are compared to theoretical model calculations including nuclear shadowing or partonic energy loss effects.
We report on the production of inclusive Υ(1S) and Υ(2S) in p-Pb collisions at sNN−−−√=5.02 TeV at the LHC. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector at backward (−4.46<ycms<−2.96) and forward (2.03<ycms<3.53) rapidity down to zero transverse momentum. The production cross sections of the Υ(1S) and Υ(2S) are presented, as well as the nuclear modification factor and the ratio of the forward to backward yields of Υ(1S). A suppression of the inclusive Υ(1S) yield in p-Pb collisions with respect to the yield from pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions is observed at forward rapidity but not at backward rapidity. The results are compared to theoretical model calculations including nuclear shadowing or partonic energy loss effects.
The differential charged jet cross sections, jet fragmentation distributions, and jet shapes are measured in minimum bias proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energy s√=7 TeV using the ALICE detector at the LHC. Jets are reconstructed from charged particle momenta in the mid-rapidity region using the sequential recombination kT and anti-kT as well as the SISCone jet finding algorithms with several resolution parameters in the range R=0.2 to 0.6. Differential jet production cross sections measured with the three jet finders are in agreement in the transverse momentum (pT) interval 20<pjet,chT<100 GeV/c. They are also consistent with prior measurements carried out at the LHC by the ATLAS collaboration. The jet charged particle multiplicity rises monotonically with increasing jet pT, in qualitative agreement with prior observations at lower energies. The transverse profiles of leading jets are investigated using radial momentum density distributions as well as distributions of the average radius containing 80% (⟨R80⟩) of the reconstructed jet pT. The fragmentation of leading jets with R=0.4 using scaled pT spectra of the jet constituents is studied. The measurements are compared to model calculations from event generators (PYTHIA, PHOJET, HERWIG). The measured radial density distributions and ⟨R80⟩ distributions are well described by the PYTHIA model (tune Perugia-2011). The fragmentation distributions are better described by HERWIG.
Event-by-event fluctuations of the mean transverse momentum of charged particles produced in pp collisions at s√ = 0.9, 2.76 and 7 TeV, and Pb-Pb collisions at sNN−−−−√ = 2.76 TeV are studied as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity using the ALICE detector at the LHC. Dynamical fluctuations indicative of correlated particle emission are observed in all systems. The results in pp collisions show little dependence on collision energy. The Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET are in qualitative agreement with the data. Peripheral Pb-Pb data exhibit a similar multiplicity dependence as that observed in pp. In central Pb-Pb, the results deviate from this trend, featuring a significant reduction of the fluctuation strength. The results in Pb--Pb are in qualitative agreement with previous measurements in Au-Au at lower collision energies and with expectations from models that incorporate collective phenomena.
The ALICE collaboration at the LHC reports measurement of the inclusive production cross section of electrons from semi-leptonic decays of beauty hadrons with rapidity |y|<0.8 and transverse momentum 1<pT<10 GeV/c, in pp collisions at s√= 2.76 TeV. Electrons not originating from semi-electronic decay of beauty hadrons are suppressed using the impact parameter of the corresponding tracks. The production cross section of beauty decay electrons is compared to the result obtained with an alternative method which uses the distribution of the azimuthal angle between heavy-flavour decay electrons and charged hadrons. Perturbative QCD calculations agree with the measured cross section within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties. The integrated visible cross section, σb→e=3.47±0.40(stat)+1.12−1.33(sys)±0.07(norm)μb, was extrapolated to full phase space using Fixed Order plus Next-to-Leading Log (FONLL) predictions to obtain the total bb¯ production cross section, σbb¯=130±15.1(stat)+42.1−49.8(sys)+3.4−3.1(extr)±2.5(norm)±4.4(BR)μb.
Freeze-out radii extracted from three-pion cumulants in pp, p–Pb and Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC
(2014)
In high-energy collisions, the spatio-temporal size of the particle production region can be measured using the Bose–Einstein correlations of identical bosons at low relative momentum. The source radii are typically extracted using two-pion correlations, and characterize the system at the last stage of interaction, called kinetic freeze-out. In low-multiplicity collisions, unlike in high-multiplicity collisions, two-pion correlations are substantially altered by background correlations, e.g. mini-jets. Such correlations can be suppressed using three-pion cumulant correlations. We present the first measurements of the size of the system at freeze-out extracted from three-pion cumulant correlations in pp, p–Pb and Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC with ALICE. At similar multiplicity, the invariant radii extracted in p–Pb collisions are found to be 5–15% larger than those in pp, while those in Pb–Pb are 35–55% larger than those in p–Pb. Our measurements disfavor models which incorporate substantially stronger collective expansion in p–Pb as compared to pp collisions at similar multiplicity.
We report on the measurement of the inclusive Υ (1S) production in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV carried out at forward rapidity (2.5 < y < 4) and down to zero transverse momentum using its μ+μ−decay channel with the ALICE detector at the Large Hadron Collider. A strong suppression of the inclusive Υ (1S) yield is observed with respect to pp collisions scaled by the number of independent nucleon–nucleon collisions. The nuclear modification factor, for events in the 0–90% centrality range, amounts to 0.30 ± 0.05(stat) ± 0.04(syst). The observed Υ (1S) suppression tends to increase with the centrality of the collision and seems more pronounced than in corresponding mid-rapidity measurements. Our results are compared with model calculations, which are found to underestimate the measured suppression and fail to reproduce its rapidity dependence.
A Torrent of Terror
(2014)
Rome Aboh's poetry unmistakably enwraps the condition of the politically and socially cannibalised segment of his society; and the beauty of the verse radiates from his facility with language as the stylist and linguist. The section 'patriotism' with such poems as 'hour of truth' aptly brings out the socially obligatory role of the poets whose mission goes beyond versifying and sharing their personal fantasies and urges. Similarly the poem 'letter to the mp' echoes the agonies of the common masses who feel deceived by the ruling elite in their so-called democratic nations.
This paper deals with left and right dislocation in Embɔsi, a Bantu language (C25) spoken in Congo-Brazzaville. The prosody of dislocation has gathered considerable attention, as it is particularly informative for the theories of the syntax-prosody mapping of Intonation Phrases (a.o. Selkirk, 2009, 2011; Downing, 2011). Concentrating on selected Bantu languages, Downing (2011) identifies two main phrasing patterns. She primarily distinguishes languages in which only right dislocated phrases display a lack of prosodic integration ("asymmetric" languages), from languages in which both left and right dislocations phrase separately ("symmetric" languages). Hiatus avoidance processes, boundary tones and register expansion/reduction indicate that Embɔsi displays a somewhat more intricate phrasing pattern. In this language, both left and right dislocated items sit outside of the Intonation Phrase formed by the core-clause, but only the latter form their own Intonation Phrase. We also discuss the prosody of multiple dislocations (i.e. with two dislocated arguments), which have not so far received all the attention they deserve. What we observe in Embɔsi is that either the two dislocated items phrase together and are not integrated to the core Intonation Phrase, or only the outermost dislocated element phrases separately.
Construction and commissioning of a setup to study ageing phenomena in high rate gas detectors
(2014)
In high-rate heavy-ion experiments, gaseous detectors encounter big challenges in terms of degradation of their performance due to a phenomenon dubbed ageing. In this thesis, a setup for high precision ageing studies has been constructed and commissioned at the GSI detector laboratory. The main objective is the study of ageing phenomena evoked by materials used to build gaseous detectors for the Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at the future Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR).
The precision of the measurement, e.g., of the gain of a gaseous detector, is a key element in ageing studies: it allows to perform the measurement at realistic rates in an acceptable time span. It is well known the accelerating ageing employing high intensity sources might produce misleading results. The primary objective is to build an apparatus which allows very accurate measurements and is thus sensitive to minute degradations in detector performance. The construction and commissioning of the
setup has been carried out in two steps. During the first step of this work, a simpler setup which already existed in the detector laboratory of GSI had been utilised to define all conditions related to ageing studies. The outcome of these studies defined the properties and characteristics that must be met to build and operate a new, sophisticated and precise setup. The already existing setup consisted of two identical Multi Wire Proportional Chambers (MWPCs), a gas mixing station, an 55Fe source, an x-ray generator, an outgassing box and stainless steel tubing. In a first step, the gain and electric field configuration of the MWPCs were simulated by a combination of a gas simulation (Magboltz) and electric field simulation program (Garfield). The performance and operating conditions of the chambers have been thoroughly characterised before utilising them in first preparatory ageing test. The main diagnostic parameter in ageing studies is the detector gain, thus it is mandatory for precise ageing studies to minimise the systematic and statistical variation of the pressure and temperature corrected gain. To achieve the required accuracy, several improvements of the chamber design and the gas system have been implemented. In addition, the temperature measurement has been optimised. During the preparatory tests, several ageing studies have been carried out. The ageing effect of seven materials and gases have been carried out during these tests: RTV-3145, Ar/CO2 gas, Durostone flushed with Ar/Isobutane gas, Vetronit G11, Vetronit G11 contaminated with Micro 3000 and Gerband 705. The results of these studies went into the design of the new sophisticated ageing setup. For example some tests revealed that there was, even after cleaning, a certain level of contamination with "ageing agents" in the existing setup, which made it imperative to ensure a very high level cleanness of all components during the construction of the setup. The curing period of some testing samples like glues or the gas flow rate were found to be very important factors that must be taken into account to obtain comparable results. Very important changes in the chamber design have been made, i.e., the aluminium-Kapton cathodes used in MWPCs have been replaced with multi-wire planes and the fibreglass housing of the chamber has been changed to metal. The second step started with building the new setup which was designed based on the findings from the first step. The new ageing setup consists of three MWPCs, two moving platforms, an 55Fe source, a copper-anode x-ray generator, two outgassing boxes, both flexible and rigid stainless steel tubes. Before fabrication of the chambers, simulations of their electric field and the gain have been done using Magboltz and Garfield programs. After that, the chambers were installed and tested. A 0.3% peak-to-peak residual variation of the corrected gain has been achieved. Finally, the complete setup has been operated with full functionality in no-ageing conditions during one week. This test revealed very stable gain in all three chambers. After that two materials (Gerban 705 and RTV-3145) have been inserted in the two outgassing boxes and tested. They revealed an ageing rate of about 0.3%/mC/cm and 3%/mC/cm respectively. The final test proves the stability and accuracy of the ageing measurements carried out with the ageing setup at the detector laboratory at GSI which is ready to conduct the envisaged systematic ageing studies.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has finalized its comprehensive assessment of the solvency of the largest banks in the euro area and on October 26 disclosed the results of this assessment. In the present paper, Acharya and Steffen compare the outcomes of the ECB's assessment to their own benchmark stress tests conducted for 39 publically listed financial institutions that are also included in the ECB's regulatory review. The authors identify a negative correlation between their benchmark estimates for capital shortfalls and the regulatory capital shortfall, but a positive correlation between their benchmark estimates for losses under stress both in the banking book and in the trading book. They conclude that the regulatory stress test outcomes are potentially heavily affected by discretion of national regulators in measuring what is capital, and especially the use of risk-weighted assets in calculating the prudential capital requirement.
Polypharmakologie hat in den letzten Jahren mehr und mehr an Bedeutung in der pharmazeutischen Forschung gewonnen und könnte in Zukunft zu einem Umdenken in der Entwicklung neuer Wirkstoffe führen. Das wachsende Verständnis für biologische Zusammenhänge, im speziellen für die starke Vernetzung zwischen verschiedenen Signalwegen oder Gewebearten, und die daran beteiligten Proteine, könnten zu gänzlich neuen Strategien führen. Beispiele aus dem Bereich der Onkologie und der Entwicklung von Neuroleptika haben bereits gezeigt, dass eine Intervention an mehreren Stellen eines solchen komplexen Netzwerkes zu wirksameren und gleichzeitig sichereren Wirkstoffen führen kann. Erkenntnisse aus der Systembiologie und die retrospektive Analyse bereits zugelassener Wirkstoffe machen deutlich, dass viele erfolgreiche Wirkstoffe nur aufgrund ihres polypharmakologischen Wirkprofils so effektiv sind – wenngleich dies bei Ihrer Entwicklung oftmals nicht beabsichtigt war.
Das rationale Design sogenannter „multitarget Wirkstoffe“ stellt bis heute eine große Herausforderung dar. Aus Sicht eines medizinischen Chemikers bedeutet es die Verknüpfung zweier, auf unterschiedliche Targets aktiver, Liganden zu einem neuen Wirkstoff, ohne einen signifikanten Aktivitätsverlust auf die einzelnen Targets herbeizuführen. Ein naheliegender Ansatz zur Verbindung zweier Liganden ist die Verknüpfung der Moleküle über einen flexiblen Linker. Dieser Ansatz kann zwar in vitro zu sehr potenten Wirkstoffen führen, birgt jedoch pharmakokinetische Nachteile, bedingt durch das hohe Molekulargewicht, die sich oft erst in vivo zeigen. Die Schwierigkeit besteht also zum einen in der Aufrechterhaltung der individuellen Aktivität auf das jeweilige Target und zum anderen im Erreichen einer guten Balance zwischen Aktivität und Komplexität des Liganden. Damit soll ausreichend Raum für spätere Optimierung von pharmakokinetischen und pharmakodynamischen Eigenschaften gewährleistet werden. Bisher wurden nur wenige Computer-gestützte Ansätze entwickelt um diese und ähnliche Fragestellungen zu bearbeiten. Aus diesem Grund ist die Entwicklung neuer in silico Verfahren zur Identifzierung von multitarget Liganden ein Kernthema dieser Arbeit. Die Implementierung eines Fragment-basierten Ansatzes hält die Komplexität der Liganden möglichst gering und bietet genügend Raum für eine anschließende, multi-dimensionale Optimierung an zwei oder mehreren Targets.
In der ersten Studie wurde eine Pharmakophor-basierte Strategie verfolgt. Die Repräsentation eines Liganden durch ein Pharmakophormodell stellt eine abstrakte dreidimensionale Darstellung der für die biologische Aktivität relevanten Strukturmerkmale dar. Diese Abstraktion vereinfacht den Vergleich zweier Verbindungen und erlaubt gleichzeitig Spielraum für chemische Variabilität. Bei diesem Ansatz wurden Pharmakophormodelle, jeweils für eine Vielzahl aktiver Liganden zweier Targets, erzeugt und paarweise miteinander verglichen. Sobald zwei Pharmakophormodelle eine genügend große Anzahl an Pharmakophorpunkten in räumlich ähnlicher Orientierung teilen, stellt dieses gemeinsame Pharmakophor die Basis eines potentiellen multitarget Liganden dar. In der beschriebenen Studie wurde dieses Verfahren anhand von aktiven Liganden der löslichen Epoxid Hydrolase (sEH) und 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LO) evaluiert. Die auf dieser Grundlage identifizierten multitarget Pharmakophormodelle wurden zum anschließenden Screening einer Fragement-Datenbank verwendet und führten zu 9 aktiven Liganden für sEH und 5-LO. Diese Liganden besitzen chemische Grundgerüste (Scaffolds), die in der Literatur bisher noch nicht als aktive sEH- oder 5-LO-Liganden beschrieben wurden und somit eine ideale Grundlage für die Entwicklung neuer Wirkstoffe darstellen. Für eine der gefundenen Verbindungen, basierend auf einem Benzimidazol-Gerüst, wurden Aktivitäten im niedrig mikromolaren Bereich für beide Targets bestimmt. Diese Verbindung und weitere Derivate werden zu diesem Zeitpunkt weiter charakterisiert um eine erste Struktur-Aktivitäts-Beziehung aufzustellen und die Eignung dieser Substanzklasse als potentielle Leitstruktur für neue, duale sEH/5-LO Liganden zu überprüfen.
Parallel dazu wurde eine Substruktur-basierte Strategie verfolgt um Rückschlüsse auf jene Strukturmerkmale zu ziehen, die für die Aktivität auf dem jeweiligen Target verantwortlich sein könnten. Dazu wurden in einem ersten Schritt alle aktiven Liganden zweier Targets auf ihre möglichst maximalen gemeinsamen Substrukturen reduziert. Für jedes Target wird damit ein Set von Substrukturen generiert, welches die für die Bindung an das jeweilige Target charakteristische Strukturmerkmale enthält. Diese Substrukturen, repräsentieren den chemischen Raum des jeweiligen Targets und stellten die Trainingsdaten für den entwickelten multiSOM Ansatz dar. Dieser Ansatz basiert auf dem automatisierten Vergleich von selbst-organisierenden Karten und hebt Gemeinsamkeiten zwischen diesen Substruktursets in einer leicht zu interpretierenden, visuellen Form hervor. Dies erlaubt die Identifizierung von gemeinsamen Substrukturen aus beiden verwendeten Substruktursets, welche potentielle duale Strukturelemente darstellen.
Die Validierung dieses Ansatzes erfolgte erneut auf Basis bekannter 5-LO- und sEH-Liganden. Unter 24 ausgewählten Verbindungen konnten neun Fragmente identifiziert werden, die auf einem der beiden Targets und 5 Fragmente, die auf beiden Targets im niedrig mikromolaren Bereich inhibierend wirken. Einer dieser dualen Fragmente wurden anschließend als Basis für eine Substruktursuche in einer Inhouse Datenbank verwendet. Die daraus resultierende Verbindung, die einen Teil des ursprünglichen Fragments beinhaltet, wirkt sowohl auf sEH als auch 5-LO in nanomolaren Konzentrationen inhibierend. Auch diese Verbindung wird zu diesem Zeitpunkt weiter charakterisiert und stellt eine vielversprechende Basis als Leitstruktur neuer dualer sEH/5-LO-Liganden dar.
Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass die vorgestellten Methoden neue Möglichkeiten bieten, das rationale Design von multitarget Liganden zu unterstützen. Die Pharmakophor-basierte Methode kann besonders dann von Vorteil sein, wenn bereits Strukturinformationen für beide Targets bzw. die bioaktiven Konformationen der Liganden vorliegen. Für einen ausschließlichen Liganden-basierten Ansatz stellt die Verwendung der MultiSOM, und damit die Identifizierung gemeinsamer Strukturelemente der Liganden, die bessere Methode dar.
Im zweiten Teil dieser Arbeit werden Studien zur Identifizierung neuer Farnesoid-X-Rezeptor (FXR) Partialagonisten beschrieben. Auch in diesem Fall wurden zwei unterschiedliche Strategien verfolgt. Da FXR eine starke strukturelle Anpassung abhängig vom gebundenen Liganden aufweist („induced fit“), sind rein strukturbasierte virtuelle Screening-Methoden nur eingeschränkt einsetzbar. Aus diesem Grund sollte zunächst ein Liganden-basierter Drug Repurposing Ansatz verfolgt werden, bei dem bereits zugelassene Wirkstoffe mit potentiell FXR-modulierenden Eigenschaften identifiziert werden sollten. Der Vorteil des Drug Repurposing besteht darin, dass die betrachteten Wirkstoffe bereits intensiv hinsichtlich Sicherheit und Bioverfügbarkeit untersucht wurden. Somit kann man sich bei der Entwicklung verstärkt auf die biologische Aktivität auf das neue Target konzentrieren.
Erneut wurden selbstorganiserende Karten (SOMs) verwendet, um zugelassene Wirkstoffe mit FXR-Aktivität zu identifizieren. Trainiert wurde die SOM auf einem Datensatz bestehend aus bekannten FXR-Agonisten zum einen und der DrugBank Datenbank mit zugelassen Wirkstoffen zum anderen. Die Eigenschaft der SOM Verbindungen mit ähnlicher biologischer Aktivität in räumlicher Nähe auf der Karte zu clustern führte zu einer Anhäufung an bekannten FXR-Agonisten auf einigen wenigen Neuronen. Auf solchen sogenannten Aktivitätsinseln wurden zusätzlich auch zugelassene Wirkstoffe platziert, wenn ihre Ähnlichkeit zu den FXR-Agonisten ausreichend hoch war. Die auf den Aktivitätsinseln angesiedelten Wirkstoffe wurden anschließend bestellt und hinsichtlich ihrer FXR-Aktivität in einem Transaktivierungs-Assay untersucht. Unter den bestellten Verbindungen konnten sechs Liganden mit einer signifikanten relativen FXR-Aktivierung identifiziert werden. Weitere Hinweise auf eine mögliche FXR-Aktivierung der Verbindungen gaben in der Literatur beschriebene Nebeneffekte, die mit einer FXR-Aktivierung in Zusammenhang stehen könnten. Die potentenste Verbindung, der zugelassenen Tyrosinkinase-Inhibitor Imatinib, wurde zusätzlich in Bezug auf FXR-basierte SHP mRNS Induktion untersucht. In qPCR-Experimenten konnte dabei eine mit GW4064 vergleichbare Induktion in HepG2 Zellen gezeigt werden. Diese Ergebnisse untermauern die aus der Literatur gewonnen Vermutung, dass Imatinib FXR-modulierende Eigenschaften besitzt und somit eine interessante Grundlage für die Entwicklung neuer FXR-Partialagonisten darstellt. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt werden weitere Imatinib-Derivate synthetisiert und diese Struktur als mögliche Leitstruktur charakterisiert.
In einer zweiten Studie wurde eine Kombination aus Liganden- und Struktur-basierten Ansatz verfolgt. Dabei wurden sämtliche Struktur-Informationen aus publizierten FXR-Kristallstrukturen und den darin kokristallisierten Liganden gebündelt, um die Auswirkungen des zu Beginn erwähnten induced-fit Effekts zu minimieren. Auf Basis der ko-kristallisierten Liganden wurden zunächst zwei Konsensus-Pharmakophormodelle erstellt. Diese Modelle wurden in einem anschließenden Schritt jeweils mit einem Konsensus-Pharmakophormodell, das mit Hilfe von Protein-Ligand-Interaktions-Fingerprints (PLIF) aus den korrespondieren Kristallstrukturen abgeleitet wurde, überlagert und kombiniert. Diese kombinierten Modelle vereinten sowohl Informationen der strukturellen Gemeinsamkeiten der Liganden als auch gemeinsame, relevante Interaktionspunkte zwischen Ligand und Rezeptor aus den Kristallstrukturen. Das Pharmakophor-Screening mit anschließender Docking Analyse führte zu 42 getesteten Verbindungen, von denen 12 Strukturen eine signifikante relative FXR-Aktivierung zeigten. Darunter konnte ein Partial-Agonist mit einem EC50 von 480 nM bei einer maximalen Aktivierung von ca. 14% im Vergleich zur Referenz GW4064 identifiziert werden. Auch diese Verbindung wird zum aktuellen Zeitpunkt weiter charakterisiert und könnte in Zukunft als Leitstruktur für neue FXR-Partialagonisten dienen.
In beiden Studien konnten neue FXR-Agonisten mit bisher noch nicht beschriebenen Scaffolds identifiziert werden. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Verwendung bereits zugelassener Wirkstoffe für neue Indikationen eine attraktive Quelle für neue Leitstrukturen darstellen kann und im Zuge dessen bisher ungeklärte Nebeneffekte bekannter Wirkstoffe aufgeklärt werden können.
Abschließend lässt sich festhalten, dass selbstorganisierende Karten eine universelle Methode zur Erkennung und Analyse von polypharmakologischen Zusammenhängen darstellen. Des Weiteren lassen sich mit ihrer Hilfe chemische Räume repräsentieren und durch den in dieser Arbeit entwickelten MultiSOM-Ansatz direkt vergleichen. Dies ermöglicht auf intuitive und effiziente Weise die Identifizierung von überlappenden chemischen Räumen und somit möglicher polypharmakologischer Zusammenhänge.
Was lässt sich also vorerst über eine mögliche Rilke-Rezeption bei Thomas Bernhard sagen? Am ehesten kann man das Verhältnis der beiden Autoren darstellen, indem man Rilkes "Auftritte" in Bernhards Werk mit dem Dasein der verstorbenen Christine Brahe in Urnekloster vergleicht. Wäre er leibhaftig dort, er würde sich selbst sicherlich nicht in einem Spiegel erkennen, zu unterschiedlich sind Formen und Inhalte. Auch fehlt das Rilke-Portrait jedenfalls in Bernhards selbst gewählter Ahnengalerie. Es gibt allerdings einzelne Momente in den Texten, bei denen man vermeint, Rilke durch eine an sich "stets verschlossene Türe" in Bernhards Werk hineinschreiten zu sehen, gemessenen Schrittes geht er an den Figuren vorbei und verschwindet fast durchsichtig, fast unbemerkt wieder. Nur ein Geist, in dieser Welt gestorben und nicht mehr verlässlich zuhaus, ein Nachhall von einem vergangenen Zustand, dadurch aber dennoch, zumindest zwischen den Buchstaben, Zeilen und Seiten, zwischen den Buchtiteln und Klappentexten, vorhanden.
We report on a polarization measurement of inclusive J/ψ mesons in the di-electron decay channel at mid-rapidity at 2 < pT < 6 GeV/c in p + p collisions at √s = 200 GeV. Data were taken with the STAR detector at RHIC. The J/ψ polarization measurement should help to distinguish between different models of the J/ψ production mechanism since they predict different pT dependences of the J/ψ polarization. In this analysis, J/ψ polarization is studied in the helicity frame. The polarization parameter λθ measured at RHIC becomes smaller towards high pT , indicating more longitudinal J/ψ polarization as pT increases. The result is compared with predictions of presently available models.
This paper investigates the risk channel of monetary policy on the asset side of banks’ balance sheets. We use a factoraugmented vector autoregression (FAVAR) model to show that aggregate lending standards of U.S. banks, such as their collateral requirements for firms, are significantly loosened in response to an unexpected decrease in the Federal Funds rate. Based on this evidence, we reformulate the costly state verification (CSV) contract to allow for an active financial intermediary, embed it in a New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model, and show that – consistent with our empirical findings – an expansionary monetary policy shock implies a temporary increase in bank lending relative to borrower collateral. In the model, this is accompanied by a higher default rate of borrowers.
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) in root nodules of grain legumes such as chickpea is a highly complex process that drastically affects the gene expression patterns of both the prokaryotic as well as eukaryotic interacting cells. A successfully established symbiotic relationship requires mutual signaling mechanisms and a continuous adaptation of the metabolism of the involved cells to varying environmental conditions. Although some of these processes are well understood today many of the molecular mechanisms underlying SNF, especially in chickpea, remain unclear. Here, we reannotated our previously published transcriptome data generated by deepSuperSAGE (Serial Analysis of Gene Expression) to the recently published draft genome of chickpea to assess the root- and nodule-specific transcriptomes of the eukaryotic host cells. The identified gene expression patterns comprise up to 71 significantly differentially expressed genes and the expression of twenty of these was validated by quantitative real-time PCR with the tissues from five independent biological replicates. Many of the differentially expressed transcripts were found to encode proteins implicated in sugar metabolism, antioxidant defense as well as biotic and abiotic stress responses of the host cells, and some of them were already known to contribute to SNF in other legumes. The differentially expressed genes identified in this study represent candidates that can be used for further characterization of the complex molecular mechanisms underlying SNF in chickpea.
A checklist and classification of the species of Elateridae reported from mainland Ecuador are given. Anchastus boulardi Chassain, Cardiorhinus apicalis Golbach, Physorhinus marginatus Candèze, and P. sexnotatus Steinheil are reported from Ecuador for the first time. The recorded elaterid fauna of Ecuador is now represented by 140 species, 38 genera, and 9 subfamilies, which are low taxon richness numbers when compared to those of neighboring countries.
The Crusade movement is one of the most important occurrences of medieval history. It took place throughout two centuries in the Levant and affected both Muslims and Crusaders and in turn changed the way in which West and East related to one another. When the Crusaders took control of the Holy Land and many Islamic cities in the Levant, they transferred their feudal European system there. They established four main fiefdoms or lordships, Jerusalem, Edessa, Antioch and Tripoli. In addition, there were another twelve secondary fiefdoms, of which Tibnīn was one. Tibnīn was called “Toron” by the Crusaders. Once the Crusaders had captured Tibnīn, they began building its fortified castle, from which the fief of Tibnīn gained its importance throughout the period of the Crusades.
This paper traces the military role of Tibnīn and its rulers in the Latin East against the Muslims until 1187/ 583. Tibnīn played a key role in overcoming the Muslims in Tyre and controlled it in 1124. It also played a vital role in the conflict between Damascus and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Tibnīn participated in defending Antioch, Banyas, Hebron and Transjordan several times. Furthermore, its soldiers and Knights joined the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem to capture Ascalon in 1153, and joined the campaigns of Amaury I, King of Jerusalem, against Egypt from 1164 to1169. The military situation of Tibnīn under the rule of the royal house until its fall to the Muslims in 1187/ 583 will be studied as well.
Batten disease refers to neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs), which are inherited lysosomal storage diseases with diverse ages of onset and cause progressive neurodegeneration. The most common NCL is Juvenile NCL (JNCL), which begins in early childhood and is characterized by lysosomal accumulation of subunit c of the mitochondrial ATP synthase (subunit c). JNCL is caused by mutations in the gene CLN3. This gene encodes the CLN3 protein, a transmembrane protein of unknown structure. Localization of CLN3 is ambiguous, and its exact cellular function is not known. Thereby, it is unclear what mechanisms lead to neurodegeneration in JNCL. Models of JNCL present disturbed membrane bound organelles and cytoskeleton as well as impaired autophagy and lysosomal function. The JNCL gene defect that most patients harbor is deletion of the exons 7 and 8 of CLN3. In the Cln3Δex7/8/Δex7/8 mouse model of JNCL, this deletion has been introduced to the mouse Cln3 gene.
The actin cytoskeleton consists of filaments formed through polymerization of actin and provides a framework which defines cellular morphology and also facilitates cell motility, cytokinesis, and cell surface remodeling. Rho GTPases are signaling proteins which regulate the assembly and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton and play an important role in neuronal morphology. Rho GTPases need to be membrane-anchored in order to become active and initiate a signaling cascade. Their membrane anchorage is achieved through their geranylgeranyl tails, which they acquire through prenylation. Protein prenylation refers to the attachment of a geranylgeranyl or farnesyl group to the C-terminus of a protein. The enzyme geranylgeranyl transferase (GGTase) catalyzes geranylgeranylation, whereas geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) is the donor of the geranylgeranyl group. Cells produce GGPP as well as cholesterol and other lipids through the mevalonate pathway (MVA pathway).
The aim of this study was to analyze how the JNCL gene defect affects cellular morphology, especially the actin cytoskeleton and Rho GTPases, and the MVA pathway which is connected with Rho GTPase activation. These important cellular components play crucial roles in neurons and are implicated in other neurodegenerative diseases, but have received little attention in JNCL. The immortalized CbCln3Δex7/8/Δex7/8 cerebellar precursor cell line from Cln3Δex7/8/Δex7/8 mice was used for the experiments and provides a genetically accurate, neuronal cell model of JNCL. CbCln3Δex7/8/Δex7/8 cells present subunit c accumulation only when aged at confluency, but sub-confluent cells display other phenotypes. The experiments of this study were performed both with confluency-aged and sub-confluent cells. Filamentous actin was visualized, and protein levels as well as membrane localization of several small Rho GTPases was analyzed biochemically. Also the protein levels of GGTase and the key enzymes of the mevalonate pathway were determined.
Staining pattern of filamentous actin was disturbed in confluency-aged CbCln3Δex7/8/Δex7/8 cells. Additionally it was found out that these cells did not grow to wild-type size and exhibited an elongated peroxisomal morphology. Rho GTPases had reduced total levels and showed a tendency of decreased membrane localization. Levels of GGTase and the MVA pathway enzymes were altered. Results of sub-confluent CbCln3Δex7/8/Δex7/8 cells were similar with the exception of HMG-CoA reductase, which is the rate-limiting enzyme of the MVA pathway: while its level in confluency-aged CbCln3Δex7/8/Δex7/8 cells was increased, at sub-confluency it showed a reduced level. Also, in contrast with the confluency-aged cells, Rho GTPases presented a tendency of increased membrane localization.
The results of this study reveal that the accurate JNCL gene defect alters cellular morphology and the activity of the MVA pathway in neuronal cells. Small cell size and disrupted architecture of the actin cytoskeleton are confirmed as neuronal JNCL phenotypes, and the peroxisome is introduced as a novel cellular component affected in JNCL. Through defects in endocytosis, autophagy, lysosomal and mitochondrial function, and cytoskeleton, the JNCL gene defect may prevent cells from growing to wild-type size. The JNCL gene defect may attenuate the MVA pathway via mitochondrial dysfunction and/or upregulation of degradative processes. Attenuation of the MVA pathway may contribute to impaired membrane rafts, which are an established phenotype of JNCL cells. As indicated by reduced GGTase level and supported by downregulation of lipid production through the MVA pathway, the JNCL gene defect might also decrease prenylation of proteins.
Women?s contributions against apartheid under the auspices of the Namibian liberation movement SWAPO and their personal experiences in exile take center stage in this study. Male and female leadership structures in exile are analysed whilst the sexual politics in the refugee camps and the public imagery of female representation in SWAPO?s nationalism receive special attention. The party?s public pronouncements of women empowerment and gender equality are compared to the actual implementations of gender politics during and after the liberation struggle.
Physics at its core is an experimental pursuit. If one theory does not agree with experimental results, then the theory is wrong. However, it is becoming harder and harder to directly test some theories of fundamental physics at the high energy/small distance frontier exactly because this frontier is becoming technologically harder to reach. The Large Hadron Collider is getting near the limit of what we can do with present accelerator technology in terms of directly reaching the energy frontier. The motivation for this special issue was to try and collect together ideas and potential approaches to experimentally probe some of our ideas about physics at the high energy/small distance frontier. Some of the papers in this special issue directly deal with the issue of what happens to spacetime at small distance scales. In the paper by A. Aurilia and E. Spallucci a picture of quantum spacetime is given based on the effects of ultrahigh velocity length contractions on the structure of the spacetime. The work of P. Nicolini et al. further pursues the idea that spacetime has a minimal length. The consequences of this minimal length are investigated in terms of the effects it would have on the gravitational collapse of a star to form a black hole. In the article by G. Amelino-Camelia et al. the quantum structure of spacetime is studied through the Fermi LAT data on the Gamma Ray Burst GRB130427A. The article by S. Hossenfelder addressed the question of whether spacetime is fundamentally continuous or discrete and postulates that in the case when spacetime is discrete it might have defects which would have important observational consequences. ...
So-called medicanes (Mediterranean hurricanes) are meso-scale, marine, and warm-core Mediterranean cyclones that exhibit some similarities to tropical cyclones. The strong cyclonic winds associated with medicanes threaten the highly populated coastal areas around the Mediterranean basin. To reduce the risk of casualties and overall negative impacts, it is important to improve the understanding of medicanes with the use of numerical models. In this study, we employ an atmospheric limited-area model (COSMO-CLM) coupled with a one-dimensional ocean model (1-D NEMO-MED12) to simulate medicanes. The aim of this study is to assess the robustness of the coupled model in simulating these extreme events. For this purpose, 11 historical medicane events are simulated using the atmosphere-only model, COSMO-CLM, and coupled model, with different setups (horizontal atmospheric grid-spacings of 0.44°, 0.22°, and 0.08°; with/without spectral nudging, and an ocean grid-spacing of 1/12°). The results show that at high-resolution, the coupled model is able to not only simulate most of medicane events but also improve the track length, core temperature, and wind speed of simulated medicanes compared to the atmosphere-only simulations. The results suggest that the coupled model is more proficient for systemic and detailed studies of historical medicane events, and that this model can be an effective tool for future projections.
This book is a comprehensive appraisal of the political history of Nigeria since colonisation, with emphasis on political parties. The author argues that party coalitions in Nigeria can be explained by the factors of heterogeneity as well as the political systems the country has experimented with. He asserts the influence of the institution of the presidency in the current trend towards a two-party system.
This thesis is structured into 7 chapters:
• Chapter 2 gives an overview of the ultrashort high intensity laser interaction with matter. The laser interaction with an induced plasma is described, starting from the kinematics of single electron motion, followed by collective electron effects and the ponderamotive motion in the laser focus and the plasma transparency for the laser beam. The three different mechanisms prepared to accelerate and propagate electrons through matter are discussed. The following indirect acceleration of protons is explained by the Target Normal Sheath Acceleration (TNSA) mechanism. Finally some possible applications of laser accelerated protons are explained briefly.
• Chapter 3 deals with the modeling of geometry and field mapping of magnetic lens. Initial proton and electron distributions, fitted to PHELIX measured data are generated, a brief description of employed codes and used techniques in simulation is given, and the aberrations at the solenoid focal spot is studied.
• Chapter 4 presents a simulation study for suggested corrections to optimize the proton beam as a later beam source. Two tools have been employed in these suggested corrections, an aperture placed at the solenoid focal spot as energy selection tool, and a scattering foil placed in the proton beam to smooth the radial energy beam profile correlation at the focal spot due to chromatic aberrations. Another suggested correction has been investigated, to optimize the beam radius at the focal spot by lens geometry controlling.
• Chapter 5 presents a simulation study for the de-neutralization problem in TNSA caused by the fringing fields of pulsed magnetic solenoid and quadrupole. In this simulation, we followed an electrostatic model, wherethe evolution of both, self and mutual fields through the pulsed magnetic solenoid could be found, which is not the case in the quadrupole and only the growth of self fields could be found. The field mapping of magnetic elements is generated by the Matlab program, while the TraceWin code is employed to study the tracking through magnetic elements.
• Chapter 6 describes the PHELIX laser parameters at GSI with chirp pulse amplification technique (CPA), and Gafchromic Radiochromic film RCF) as a spatial energy resolver film detector. The results of experiments with laser proton acceleration, which were performed in two experimental areas at GSI (Z6 area and PHELIX Laser Hall (PLH)), are presented in section 6.3.
• Chapter 7 includes the main results of this work, conclusions and gives a perspective for future experimental activities.
Der ,Neue Mann' zwischen Familie und Beruf : Erkundungen bei Hans Fallada und Joseph Breitbach
(2014)
Falladas „Kleiner Mann“ gehört zu den Erfolgstiteln der späten Weimarer Republik und darf bis heute mit uneingeschränktem Publikumsinteresse rechnen. Empathisch, realitätsnah, detailreich, aber wenig politisch engagiert, rief die Darstellung der absinkenden Mittelschicht schon in der Weimarer Republik den Vorwurf der „linken Melancholie“ hervor, der neben Fallada auch Kästner traf. Noch 1970 diente diese Kategorie dem Literaturwissenschaftler Helmut Lethen als Kampf- und Abwehrbegriff gegen einen vorgeblich „weißen“ Sozialismus, dem er die Absicht sozialer Pazifizierung zuschrieb. Die Farbwahl deutet auf die Langlebigkeit des politisch-literarischen Topos hin, hatte doch Kurt Tucholsky schon 1926 die deutsche Sozialdemokratie in dem Gedicht „Feldfrüchte“ als „außen rot und innen weiß“ charakterisiert. Joseph Breitbach greift in seinen Erzählungen „Rot gegen Rot“ und „Das Radieschen“ von 1928/29 diese Metaphorik ebenso auf wie die mit ihr assoziierten widerstreitenden Positionen. „Rot gegen Rot“ lautet auch der Titel seines 1929 bei der Deutschen Verlagsanstalt erschienenen ersten Erzählbandes. Im Gegensatz zu den politischen Kampffronten sind diejenigen zwischen den Geschlechtern erst spät, dafür aber mit eindeutigem und nachhaltigem Interesse an der „Neuen Frau“ ins Blickfeld der Literaturwissenschaft geraten. Es scheint geradezu, als habe das Erlöschen der politischen Utopie, die sich zunächst in der Weimarer Republik, dann für zahlreiche, vor allem angloamerikanische, Forscher in der DDR verkörperte, die vorherigen Hoffnungen nun auf eine grundlegende Neudefinition des Geschlechterverhältnisses verlagert: Die „Neue Frau“ sollte im Privaten und Öffentlichen realisieren, was politisch eben nicht gelungen war. […] Parallel wäre zu wünschen, dass der Literarisierung des „Neuen Mannes“ die gleiche differenzierte Aufmerksamkeit zukäme - selbst wenn er massenmedial weit weniger präsent ist als seine Geschlechtsgenossinnen. Zeichen seiner Schwäche sind schon in den 20er Jahren unübersehbar. Der „Neue Mann“ ist zumeist – ob im wörtlichen oder übertragenen Sinne – der „Kleine Mann“.
Explizite Notenzitate in der Schönen Literatur sind selten, weisen sie doch auf die grundsätzliche Fremdheit zwischen den beiden Medien hin. Diese wurde schon in der romantischen Musikliteratur ebenso oft beschworen wie zu widerlegen versucht. Musik sei die bessere Sprache, meinten zahlreiche romantische Autoren, niemals würde die verbale Sprache sie zu erreichen vermögen. Gleichwohl kämpften Wackenroder und Tieck, Heine und Grillparzer um jene poetische Sprache, die so viel mehr sein soll als die Prosa. So überrascht es nicht, wenn nur wenige Autoren sich der Herausforderung stellen, mit dem Notentext selbst auch die Grenzen ihres eigenen Mediums zu bezeichnen - und noch weniger nutzen sie das Notenzitat als Indiz ihrer poetologischen Grundüberzeugungen. Nicht zufällig sind Hans Henny Jahnn, Arthur Schnitzler und Ingeborg Bachmann die wichtigsten nach wie vor seltenen Zeugen einschlägiger medienkomparatistischer Betrachtungen.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) offers an effective interventional option for treating symptomatic chronic pancreatitis. Endoscopic pancreatic sphincterotomy is performed to facilitated endoscopic treatment. Pancreatic duct strictures can be treated by inserting plastic stents, and a 10 Fr endoprosthesis is adequate in many cases. Before stent insertion, hydrostatic balloon dilation is needed in some cases. Pancreatic stones can be removed with a dormia basket, but combining ERCP and extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) is often most effective.
Standard and advanced endoscopic treatment approaches are delineated in this article and include stricture dilation with a Soehendra retriever, cSEMS placement and multi-stenting.
In der Arbeit wird ein Testverfahren zum Prüfen der Varianzhomogenität der Lebenszeiten eines Erneuerungsprozesses entwickelt. Das Verfahren basiert auf der "Filtered-Derivative"-Methode. Zur Herleitung des Annahmebereichs werden zunächst Bootstrap-Permutationen genutzt, bevor zu einer asymptotischen Methode übergangen wird. Ein entsprechender funktionaler Grenzwertsatz wird skizziert. Aufbauend auf dem Test wird ein Multiple-Filter-Algorithmus zur genauen Detektion der Varianz-Change-Points besprochen. Schließlich folgt die Inklusion von vorher detektierten Ratenänderungen in das Verfahren. Der Test und der Algorithmus werden in Simulationsstudien evaluiert. Abschließend erfolgt eine Anwendung auf EEG-Daten.
In many cases, the dire situation of public finances calls into question the very soundness of sovereigns and prompts corrective actions with far-reaching consequences. In this context, European authorities responded with several measures on different fronts, for instance by passing the "Fiscal Compact", which entered into force on January 1, 2013. Of critical importance in this framework is the assessment of a country’s situation by way of statistical measures, in order to take corrective actions when called for according to the letter of the law. If these statistics are not correct, there is a risk of imposing draconian measures on countries that do not really need it.
The implications of delegating fiscal decision making power to sub-national governments has become an area of significant interest over the past two decades, in the expectation that these reforms will lead to better and more efficient provision of public goods and services. The move towards decentralization has, however, not been homogeneously implemented on the revenue and expenditure side: decentralization has materialized more substantially on the latter than on the former, creating "vertical fiscal imbalances". These imbalances measure the extent to which sub-national governments’ expenditures are financed through their own revenues. This mismatch between own revenues and expenditures may have negative consequences for public finances performance, for example by softening the budget constraint of sub-national governments. Using a large sample of countries covering a long time period from the IMF’s Government Finance Statistics Yearbook, this paper is the first to examine the effects of vertical fiscal imbalances on fiscal performance through the accumulation of government debt. Our findings suggest that vertical fiscal imbalances are indeed relevant in explaining government debt accumulation, and call for a degree of caution when promoting fiscal decentralization.
We show that the correct experiment to evaluate the effects of a fiscal adjustment is the simulation of a multi year fiscal plan rather than of individual fiscal shocks. Simulation of fiscal plans adopted by 16 OECD countries over a 30-year period supports the hypothesis that the effects of consolidations depend on their design. Fiscal adjustments based upon spending cuts are much less costly, in terms of output losses, than tax-based ones and have especially low output costs when they consist of permanent rather than stop and go changes in taxes and spending. The difference between tax-based and spending-based adjustments appears not to be explained by accompanying policies, including monetary policy. It is mainly due to the different response of business confidence and private investment.
We develop a methodology to identify and rank “systemically important financial institutions” (SIFIs). Our approach is consistent with that followed by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) but, unlike the latter, it is free of judgment and it is based entirely on publicly available data, thus filling the gap between the official views of the regulator and those that market participants can form with their own information set. We apply the methodology to annual data on three samples of banks (global, EU and euro area) for the years 2007-2012. We examine the evolution of the SIFIs over time and document the shifs in the relative weights of the major geographic areas. We also discuss the implication of the 2013 update of the identification methodology proposed by the FSB.
The answer to the question – Which can be the best way to teach and to learn to understand foreign people and culture in ethnically, culturally and linguistically homogenous teaching contexts? – is simple: through language teaching and learning. This process is per definitionem the encounter between a culture of origin and a target culture. The process of learning and teaching foreign languages generates the encounter with languages and cultures, which implies on the one hand a comparison of different cultural contexts and on the other hand self-reflection.
Starting from data, which were collected based on a survey, the present contribution attempts to answer the following questions:
1. What is the role of foreign language teachers in ethnically, culturally and linguistically homogenous teaching contexts?
2. To what extent do foreign language teachers and students perceive the intercultural dimensions of foreign language education in such contexts?
pH and Na+ homeostasis in all cells requires Na+/H+ antiporters. The crystal structure, obtained at pH 4, of NhaA, the main antiporter of Escherichia coli, has provided general insights into an antiporter mechanism and its unique pH regulation. Here, we describe a general method to select various NhaA mutants from a library of randomly mutagenized NhaA. The selected mutants, A167P and F267C are described in detail. Both mutants are expressed in Escherichia coli EP432 cells at 70–95% of the wild type but grow on selective medium only at neutral pH, A167P on Li+ (0.1 M) and F267C on Na+ (0.6 M). Surprising for an electrogenic secondary transporter, and opposed to wild type NhaA, the rates of A167P and F267C are almost indifferent to membrane potential. Detailed kinetic analysis reveals that in both mutants the rate limiting step of the cation exchange cycle is changed from an electrogenic to an electroneutral reaction.
Much discussion of the comparative correlative construction exemplified by The more I read, the more I understand has been concerned with how much cross–linguistic variation there is in this area. Culicover and Jackendoff (1999) suggest that there is considerable variation, but Den Dikken (2005) suggests with data from a variety of languages that the variation is quite limited. Modern Standard Arabic has a comparative correlative construction which is quite different from Engish and the other languages that Den Dikken considers, suggesting that there is more variation in this domain than he assumes. However, it is not difficult to provide an analysis of the construction and other related constructions within the HPSG framework.
The Late Cretaceous is known to be mostly affected by warm periods interrupted temporarily by a number of cooling events. The reconstruction of the paleoclimatic conditions during a period of high concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is of great importance for the creation of future climate models. We applied the recently developed method reconstructing the SST from the TEX86 (TetraEther indeX of tetraethers consisting of 86 carbon atoms).
The sample material used for the present study was obtained from the tropical Late Cretaceous southern Tethys upwelling system (Negev/Israel), lasting from the Late Santonian to the Early Maastrichtian (~ 85 to 68 Ma). On the core samples from the Shefela basin, representing the outer belt of the upwelling system and the outcrop profile from the open mine Mishor Rotem (Efe Syncline), representing the inner belt, various bulk geochemical and biomarker studies were performed in this thesis.
Derived from TEX86 data, a significant long-term SST cooling trend from 36.0 to 29.3 °C is recognized during the Late Santonian and the Early Campanian in the southern Tethys margin. This is consistent with the opening and deepening of the Equatorial Atlantic Gateway (EAG) and the intrusion of cooler deep water from the southern Atlantic Ocean influencing the global SSTs and also the Tethys Ocean. Furthermore, the cooler near shore SST usually found in modern upwelling systems could be verified in case of the ancient upwelling system investigated in the present study. The calculated mean SST in the inner belt (27.7 °C) represented in the Efe Syncline was 1.5 °C cooler in comparison to the more seaward located outer belt (Shefela basin).
Moreover, geochemical and biomarker analyses were used to identify both the accumulation of high amounts of phosphate in the PM and good preservation of organic matter (OM) in the lower part of the OSM section. Total organic carbon (TOC) contents are highly variable over the whole profile reaching from 0.6 % in the MM, to 24.5 % in the OSM. Total iron (TFe) varies from 0.1 % in the PM to 3.3 % in the OSM and total sulfur (TS) varies between 0.1 % in the MM and 3.4 % in the OSM. Different correlations of TS, TOC and TFe were used to identify the conditions during the deposition of the different facies types. Natural sulfurization was found to play a key role in the preservation of the OM particularly in the lower part of the OSM. Samples from the OSM and the PM were deposited under dysoxic to anoxic conditions and iron limitation lasted during the deposition of the OSM and the PM, which effected the incorporation of sulfur into OM.
Phosphorus is highly accumulated in the sediments of the PM with a mean proportion of 11.5 % total phosphorus (TP), which is drastically reduced to a mean value of 0.9 % in the OSM and the MM. From the correlation of the bulk geochemical parameters TOC/TOCOR ratio and TP a major contribution of sulfate reducing bacteria to the phosphate deposition is concluded. This interrelation has previously been investigated in recent coastal upwelling systems off Peru, Chile, California and Namibia. This was further supported by the analysis of branched and monounsaturated fatty acids indicating the occurrence of sulfate reducing and sulfide oxidizing bacteria during the deposition.
According to the results from the analysis of n-alkanes and C27- to C29-steranes up to 95 % of the OM was of marine origin.
Organic sulfur compounds (OSC) were a major compound class in the aromatic hydrocarbon fraction and n-Alkyl and isoprenoid thiophenes were the most abundant, with highest amounts found for 2-methyl-5-tridecyl-thiophene (28 µg/g TOC). The relatively high abundance of ββ-C35 hopanoid thiophenes and epithiosteranes is equivalent to an incorporation of sulfur during the early stages of diagenesis.
Moreover, the geochemical parameters δ13Corg, δ15Norg, C/N and the pristane/phytane (Pr/Ph) ratio, were studied for reconstruction of seafloor and water column depositional environments. The high C/N ratio along with relatively low values of δ15Norg (4 ‰ to 6 ‰) and δ13Corg (-29 ‰ to -28 ‰) are consistent with a significant preferential loss of nitrogen-rich organic compounds during diagenesis. Oxygen-depleted conditions lasted during the deposition of the PM and the bottom of the OSM, reflected by the low Pr/Ph ratio of 0.11–0.7. In the upper part of the OSM and the MM the conditions changed from anoxic to dysoxic or oxic conditions. This environmental trend is consistent with co-occurring foraminiferal assemblages in the studied succession and implies that the benthic species in the Negev sequence were adapted to persistent minimum oxygen conditions by performing complete denitrification as recently found in many modern benthic foraminifera.
Furthermore, the anammox process could have influenced the nitrogen composition of the sediments. In this anaerobically process nitrite and ammonia are converted to molecular nitrogen.
Xylotrechus rameyi, new species, (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is described from southern Utah. Comments on its biology including habitat, host plants and larval history are provided along with photographs of the holotype, allotype, the related species X. insignis LeConte, and the larval galleries and pupal chamber.
Fluctuations of the water level at the edges of temporary water bodies provide favourable living conditions for annual plant communities of the phytosociological class Isoëto-Nanojuncetea. Such communities of periodically flooded ponds within the agricultural landscape of NE Germany are particularly rich in rare plant species of that class. During the past decades drainage, fertilisation and herbicides in the surrounding arable fields have led to a severe decline in diversity of these species. To develop efficient conservation strategies it is essential to understand the factors driving the species composition. Therefore, we studied how varying water regimes, soil properties and agricultural practices affect the diversity and species composition of these temporary ponds. The study was carried out in seven ponds on a conventionally managed farm in NE Brandenburg. At each of these wetlands mixed soil samples were taken to determine the pH, total nitrogen and phosphorus concentration. The plant species were recorded in 177 plots, each covering 1 x 1 m2. For each plot, the water level was recorded in April, July and August 2013, respectively, resulting in five "water level regimes". Total species number and percentages of Isoëto-Nanojuncetea species were determined per plot, to evaluate water level effects on the vegetation. In addition, mean Ellenberg indicator values for light, moisture and nutrients were calculated to assess the environmental conditions.
Die Familie von der Tann entstammt altem fuldischem Lehnsadel und war in den Prozess der Entstehung der fränkischen Reichsritterschaft von Beginn an eingebunden. Zur Reformationszeit taten sich vor allem die Brüder Eberhard und Alexander von der Tann hervor, die als fürstliche Ratgeber in Kursachsen bzw. Hessen tätig waren. Vor allem Eberhard von der Tann hat in vielfacher Weise an der Verwirklichung von Luthers Reformvorstellungen mitgewirkt. So war er 1555 auf dem Reichstag zu Augsburg als protestantischer Verhandlungsführer entscheidend am Zustandekommen des Religionsfriedens beteiligt, eine Tatsache, die in der einschlägigen Forschung bis heute noch wenig beachtet wurde.
The subject of this thesis is the experimental investigation of the neutron-capture cross sections of the neutron-rich, short-lived boron isotopes 13B and 14B, as they are thought to influence the rapid neutron-capture process (r process) nucleosynthesis in a neutrino-driven wind scenario.
The 13;14B(n,g)14;15B reactions were studied in inverse kinematics via Coulomb dissociation at the LAND/R3B setup (Reactions with Relativistic Radioactive Beams). A radioactive beam of 14;15B was produced via in-flight fragmentation and directed onto a lead-target at about 500 AMeV. The neutron breakup of the projectile within the electromagnetic field of the target nucleus was investigated in a kinematically complete measurement. All outgoing reaction products were detected and analyzed in order to reconstruct the excitation energy.
The differential Coulomb dissociation cross sections as a function of the excitation energy were obtained and first experimental constraints on the photoabsorption and the neutron-capture cross sections were deduced. The results were compared to theoretical approximations of the cross sections in question. The Coulomb dissociation cross section of 15B into 14B(g.s.) + n was determined to be s(15B;14B(g:s:)+n) CD = 81(8stat)(10syst) mb ; while the Coulomb dissociation cross section of 14B into a neutron and 13B in its ground state was found to be s(14B;13B(g:s:)+n) CD = 281(25stat)(43syst) mb: Furthermore, new information on the nuclear structure of 14B were achieved, as the spectral shape of the differential Coulomb dissociation cross section indicates a halolike structure of the nucleus.
Additionally, the Coulomb dissociation of 11Be was investigated and compared to previous measurements in order to verify the present analysis. The corresponding Coulomb dissociation cross section of 11Be into 10Be(g.s.) + n was found to be 450(40stat)(54syst ) mb, which is in good agreement with the results of Palit et al.
During an entomological survey in Santiago Island, Cape Verde Islands, in November-December 2011 in order to study the bio-ecology and susceptibility to insecticides of Anopheles arabiensis Patton, 1905, Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles, 1901 was found to be present in the Santa Cruz District. Both adult and immature specimens were collected and a description of both is given. Further confirmation of the taxonomic identity of the specimens was obtained from studying the male genitalia. This is the first known occurrence of Culex tritaeniorhynchus (a primary vector of Japanese encephalitis in eastern and southern Asia and a potential vector of West Nile Virus, Sindbis and Rift Valley Fever Virus) in the Cape Verde Islands.
Tarr Béla ist der international einflussreichste mitteleuropäische Filmemacher der Nach-1989er-Dekaden – was nicht heißt, dass sein Schaffen allgemein geläufig und regelmäßig zu sehen wäre, ganz im Gegenteil.
Davon abgesehen: Wenn die Leute vom Schaffen Tarrs schwärmen, der Radikalität seiner Ästhetik, dann reden sie in Wirklichkeit eigentlich immer nur von einem Film: Sátántangó (1994), ein rund siebeneinhalb Stunden langes Monument, das damals, noch während seiner ersten internationalen Vorführung bei der Berlinale 1994, zum Axiom einer ästhetischen Spätmoderne akklamiert worden war. Wobei kaum jemand Sátántangó je zu sehen bekam, was daran liegt, dass sich Kinos nur in Ausnahmefällen dazu aufschwingen, solche Normensprenger zu zeigen. Freilich gibt es DVD-Veröffentlichungen; da sieht und hört man zwar was, nur gelebt hat man Sátántangó so nicht. Wie auch, wenn weder der Film selbst atmet noch eine Menschenmasse oder zumindest -menge um einen herum, und man mit ihr? Und darum geht es bei diesem Brocken filmgewordenen Lebens, überhaupt dem Schaffen Tarrs: Die Erfahrung von Gegenwart und Gemeinschaft, Dauer und Raum angelegentlich einer Präsentation schwarzweißer Bilder und einiger weniger Klänge, die mal Worte sind und mal Töne und mal Musik. Sátántangó, dieses Antiepos vom Zerfall einer landwirtschaftlichen Produktionsgenossenschaft in spät- bis postkommunistischen Zeiten, besteht im Wesentlichen aus Plansequenzen, die auch mal zehn, zwölf Minuten lang sein können.
We compared Chatham Island endemic species Xanthocnemis tuanuii to its congenerics from the New Zealand South Island: X. zealandica (newly collected specimens)and X. sinclairi (type specimens plus newly collected material). Two independent tests were performed –geometric morphometrics and molecular. Both analyses were consistent in supporting the status of X. tuanuiias a good species. Species differed statistically in the following morphological traits: head (dorsal view), male appendages (dorsal, lateral, posterior and ventral views), thorax (dorsal view), and penis (dorsal and lateral view). In addition to the original diagnostic features (mainly shape of the male superior appendages), a new morphological character is suggested here which reliably distinguishes the species based on the shape of the inferior appendages. There was no statistical support for the species status of X. sinclairi. The only feature re-ported as diagnostic (lower lobe of male superior appendages) was found to be variable and insufficient to warrant the previously proposed taxonomic rank for X. sinclairi. Molecular analysis of specimens showing identical appendages to the X. sinclairi holotype grouped them with X. zealandica specimens. Therefore X. sinclairi is synonymised with X. zealandica.
It has become increasingly apparent over the last decades that cooking pottery played a considerable role as a trade commodity in ancient times, yet relatively little research has yet been done on this topic for its own sake. By taking a closer look at the cooking pottery found in Priene, a small city in southern Ionia re-founded in the middle of the 4th century BCE, we want to trace some of the broader developments within the cooking wares that were used over a period of roughly 300 years. The aim is not only to outline the general shapes that were in use over this period of time, but also to register if and how these shapes correlate with the different fabrics observed in Priene so far.
Die Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten, waren in der letzten Woche aus asiatischem Holz geschnitzt. Gleich drei bedeutende Gipfel fanden im Zeitraum vom 10. bis zum 13. November in Ost- und Südostasien statt: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Peking, der ASEAN-Gipfel und der East Asian Summit (EAS) in Naypyidaw. Die letzte Woche machte bisher am deutlichsten, was die neue Rolle Asiens in der Welt bedeuten kann. Ein Überblick über die drei Gipfel, auf denen eine ganze Reihe an wichtigen Themen besprochen, aber auch und vor allem Positionen abgesteckt, Ansprüche formuliert und Hierarchien neu vermessen wurden.
OBJECTIVES: Outcome of aortic valve replacement may be influenced by the choice of bioprosthesis. Pericardial heart valves are described to have a favourable haemodynamic profile compared with porcine valves, although the clinical notability of this finding is still controversially debated. Herein, we compared the long-term results of two commonly implanted bioprosthesis at a single centre.
METHODS: All consecutive patients undergoing isolated aortic valve replacement with either a Carpentier-Edwards Magna pericardial prosthesis or a Medtronic Mosaic porcine prosthesis between 2002 and 2008 were analysed regarding preoperative characteristics, short- and long-term survival, valve-related complications and echocardiographic findings.
RESULTS: The Medtronic Mosaic was implanted in 163 patients and the Carpentier-Edwards Magna in 295 patients. The sizes of implanted valves were 22.4 ± 1.5 mm for the Mosaic and 21.8 ± 1.8 mm for the Magna (P = 0.001). The long-term survival rate was 76 and 56% after 5 and 10 years for the Medtronic Mosaic, which was comparable with the Carpentier-Edwards Magna (77 and 57%; P = 0.92). Overall long-term survival was comparable with an age- and sex-matched Austrian general population for both groups. Valve-related adverse events were similar between groups. The postoperative mean transvalvular gradient was significantly increased in the Mosaic group (24 ± 9 mmHg vs 17 ± 7 mmHg; P < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Both types of aortic bioprostheses offer excellent results after isolated aortic valve replacement. Despite relevant differences in gradients, long-term survival was comparable with the expected normal survival for both bioprostheses. Patients with a porcine heart valve had a higher postoperative transvalvular gradient.
In this concise volume, author and legal scholar Michael Stolleis provides an overview of the development of the modern German welfare state. Stolleis’ analysis focuses on labor law and social policy, while acknowledging the influence of economic, social, and cultural factors thereon. Origins of the German Welfare State does not emphasize a complete understanding of its subject; rather it seeks to provide insight into the development of German social policy in relation to the political/ historical eras in which it finds itself, leading to a deeper understanding of the foundations of social policy. ...
Exit strategies
(2014)
We study alternative scenarios for exiting the post-crisis fiscal and monetary accommodation using a macromodel where banks choose their capital structure and are subject to runs. Under a Taylor rule, the post-crisis interest rate hits the zero lower bound (ZLB) and remains there for several years. In that condition, pre-announced and fast fiscal consolidations dominate - based on output and inflation performance and bank stability - alternative strategies incorporating various degrees of gradualism and surprise. We also examine an alternative monetary strategy in which the interest rate does not reach the ZLB; the benefits from fiscal consolidation persist, but are more nuanced.
Cameroon's Predicaments
(2014)
This book deals with a variety of socio-cultural, economic and political problems facing Cameroon and the rest of Africa, with particular reference to unemployment, corruption, poverty, criminality, violence, insecurity, and moral decadence. It presents a critical analysis of government policies from the colonial era to the present time; arguing that most of these policies have been stalled by an uncommitted leadership. The regime in Cameroon has drifted away from basic managerial and democratic principles in in favour of the ethnicisation of politics, sterile consumption, clientelism and patronage. The book contends that corruption has become the main instrument of governance whereby the political and economic elites control the wealth of the nation at the expense of a majority who wallow in abject poverty and misery. Faced with the difficult economic and political situation, most youth and the intelligentsia have adopted ?official and ?unofficial? means to circumvent all immigration rules to travel to affluent Western countries, the consequences notwithstanding. Brain drain is often the outcome. Further, it examines issues of social exclusion, political representation and marginalization with special focus on the predicament of Anglophone Cameroonians as a socio-cultural community. The inclusion of examples and case studies based on empirical and secondary data from Africa is intended to foreground the importance of comparison, and attract the interest of both academic and non-academic readership.
Die Arbeit „Zwischen Kooperation und Wetteifer – Interaktionen und mediale Organisation von Kreativität am Beispiel des koopetitiven Ideennetzwerks jovoto“ untersucht internetbasierte Kokreativität – die gemeinsame Ideenentwicklung im Mediennetzwerk. Im Unterschied zu vorangegangen Untersuchungen, die sich mit den Motiven für die häufig unentgeltlichen kokreativen Aktivitäten und dem Innovationspotential dieser Organisationsform beschäftigten, liegt der Fokus dieser Studie auf der Kommunikation der Akteure untereinander während der Kokreation. Als Fallbeispiel wird die Design-Ideenplattform jovoto ausgewählt, die Kreativität auf der Basis von Koopetition – der Gleichzeitigkeit von Kooperation und Wettbewerb – unter den Teilnehmern fördert. Die Ideenautoren im Netzwerk von jovoto entwickeln kreative Lösungen in den Bereichen Produktdesign, Kampagnen, Innovation und Architektur. Die Teilnehmer treten mit ihren Ideen im Wettbewerb gegeneinander an; gleichzeitig kommentieren und bewerten sie sich gegenseitig im Prozess der Ideenentwicklung. Aus den Bewertungen der Community ergeben sich die Gewinner des ausgeschriebenen Preisgeldes. Aus dieser Gleichzeitigkeit von Wettbewerb und Kooperation ergibt sich die Forschungsfrage dieser Untersuchung: Wie ist das Verhältnis zwischen Kooperation und Wettbewerb im Kokreationsnetzwerk jovoto bestimmt, und wie wirkt dies auf Kreativität? Um diese Frage zu beantworten, untersuche ich die auf der Plattform dokumentierten Interaktionen (Kommentar-Threads) zwischen den Ideenentwicklern und anderen Community-Mitgliedern mit qualitativen und quantitativen Methoden und analysiere zwanzig von mir geführte halbstrukturierte Leitfaden-Interviews mit den Ideenautoren auf jovoto. Zur theoretischen Einordnung der beobachteten Phänomene stütze ich mich sowohl auf Kultur- und Kommunikationstheorien des radikal-konstruktivistischen Erkenntnismodells als auch auf die kulturellen Spieltheorien von Johan Huizinga und Roger Caillois. Ich beziehe zudem Ansätze ein, die Kokreativität als eine Form der kulturellen Produktivität beschreiben. Einen weiteren Anhaltspunkt bilden Studien, die sich mit der produktiven Beziehung zwischen Kooperation und Wettbewerb auseinandersetzen. Ergänzt werden diese Erkenntnisse bspw. durch die These zur Intelligenz der Crowd in heterogenen Gruppen von Entscheidern und durch Untersuchungen zum positiven Einfluss von Differenzen und Konflikten auf die Gruppenkreativität. Ich führe diese Vorarbeiten zu einer Modellvorstellung zusammen: In dieser verknüpft der koopetitive Handlungskontext ein Kooperationsspiel mit einem Wettbewerbsspiel, und zwar mithilfe von Kreativität: Diese ermöglicht, dass der Fokus im Spiel – von der Betonung und Vergrößerung des Gemeinsamen zwischen den Teilnehmern zur Betonung ihrer Differenzen – wechseln kann. Hieraus leite ich Hypothesen ab, die ich empirisch überprüfe: Während einer sechsmonatigen Beobachtung des Plattformgeschehens habe ich Daten zu 135 Wettbewerben auf jovoto erhoben. Die Analyse von über 2.400 Kommentaren ergibt, dass die beiden Leitkategorien „Bestätigung“ und „Herausforderung“ das kokreative Kommunikationsgeschehen charakterisieren. Hiervon ausgehende qualitative und quantitative Untersuchungen zu 54 Diskussions-Threads ergeben: In der Platzierung erfolgreiche Ideen werden von intensiveren Diskussionen begleitet als weniger erfolgreiche. Bemerkenswert ist, dass sie nicht nur eine größere Zahl bestätigender Kommentare erhalten, sondern auch mehr Herausforderungen. Die im Schnitt höchste Punktzahl geht mit einem Verhältnis von rund acht Bestätigungen je Herausforderung einher. Dieses Ergebnis bestätigt die Ausgangshypothese, dass es sich bei den Ideenwettbewerben um ein Kommunikationsspiel mit kooperativer, wetteifernder und kreativer Komponente handelt: In den Interaktionen zu den Ideenbeiträgen, insbesondere den erfolgreichen, herrscht ein Wechsel zwischen Bestätigungen und Herausforderungen vor. Aus den Aussagen der Ideenautoren in den geführten Interviews wird ein zentraler Konflikt deutlich: Die Tätigkeit bringt einen hohen Aufwand und wenig Aussicht auf Gewinn mit sich. Unterm Strich scheint sie jedoch lohnenswert, da die Akteure wichtige Lernerfahrungen im Netzwerk sammeln können und die eigenen Fähigkeiten einzuschätzen lernen. Dass die kreativen Beiträge anderer Wettbewerbsteilnehmer von anderen rege diskutiert werden, belegt den Erfolg des Organisationsmodells der Kokreation. Dieser verhält sich konträr zu den Vorhersagen herkömmlicher ökonomischer Theorie, die rein eigennützige Akteure annimmt, und deutet auf die Relevanz von Theorien hin, die wechselseitiges Feedback und dessen Gratifikationen als Faktoren in der netzwerkbasierte Produktion zentral berücksichtigen.
Anhand von zwei auf Deutsch verfassten essayistischen Texten von Jiří Gruša - 'Beneš als Österreicher' (2012) und 'Die Gebrauchsanweisung für Tschechien und Prag' (2003) - wird gezeigt, wie die Konzepte von Nationalgeschichte und Nationalliteratur an ihre Grenzen gebracht werden können: Durch vervielfältigende, ironisierende und verdichtende Verfahren werden nationale Selbst-Behauptungen entstellt, sowie die Konstitution und Funktion kollektiver Identitätsnarrative ausgestellt. Während in der Gebrauchsanweisung ausgerechnet ein 'pluralis nationalis' die Selbstvergewisserungen subvertiert, zeigt sich im bzw. durch den Beneš-Essay, wie die Erzählungen der Figur Beneš die Geister der Nation scheiden. Insofern werden die beiden Texte als Beispiele dafür gelesen, wie durch Schreibstrategien, aber auch angesichts editionsgeschichtlicher Zusammenhänge sowie im Hinblick auf die Rezeption eindeutige Zuweisungen zu einer Nationalliteratur oder Nationalgeschichte in Frage gestellt werden.
Blood Lines and other Plays
(2014)
Chris Anyokwu's new creative offerings are snapshots of a the quotidian reality in the playwrights homeland, Nigeria, where polygamy and its associated evils, crass materialism and its classless followers still predominate. Even the ivory towers are not left out as petty rivalry, dirty politics and even fetishism seem to be the name of the game.
We examine the impact of so-called "Crisis Contracts" on bank managers' risk-taking incentives and on the probability of banking crises. Under a Crisis Contract, managers are required to contribute a pre-specified share of their past earnings to finance public rescue funds when a crisis occurs. This can be viewed as a retroactive tax that is levied only when a crisis occurs and that leads to a form of collective liability for bank managers. We develop a game-theoretic model of a banking sector whose shareholders have limited liability, so that society at large will suffer losses if a crisis occurs. Without Crisis Contracts, the managers' and shareholders' interests are aligned, and managers take more than the socially optimal level of risk. We investigate how the introduction of Crisis Contracts changes the equilibrium level of risk-taking and the remuneration of bank managers. We establish conditions under which the introduction of Crisis Contracts will reduce the probability of a banking crisis and improve social welfare. We explore how Crisis Contracts and capital requirements can supplement each other and we show that the efficacy of Crisis Contracts is not undermined by attempts to hedge.
Friedrich Kittler gilt als "Begründer einer der eigenwilligsten und zugleich umstrittensten Medientheorien." Bekannt wurde er mit seiner Frühschrift 'Austreibung des Geistes aus den Geisteswissenschaften' von 1980, wo er den Geist aus den Geisteswissenschaften zugunsten von Naturwissenschaft und Technik austreiben wollte. Gegen dieses Phantom ging dann auch seine spätere Schrift 'Grammophon, Film, Typewriter' von 1986 an, um den Geist endgültig in den "Schaltungen" dingfest zu machen. Denn, so heißt es wenig später, "nichts ist, was nicht schaltbar ist". Aber nicht dieses "technische Apriori" hat ihm den Ruf eingebracht, sondern dass er alle zivile Medientechnik von der Kriegstechnologie herleitete. Darüber hinaus lautet ein gegen Kittler vorgebrachter Einwand, er verwechsle die technischen, mathematischen, formalen Sprachen der Medien mit symbolischen Sprachen, mit Bedeutung, Sinn, Denken, Deutung, Reden und Kommunikation. Diese Verwechselung funktioniert dann nach dem Dualismus - denn von Dialektik kann man hier kaum noch reden - von Wesen und Erscheinung, wobei hinter der medialen Erscheinung immer das Wesen der Medien als militärische Natur steckt.
Genau diese Interpretation von Kittlers Medientheorie - obwohl sie nicht ganz falsch liegt - geht aber, wie ich zeigen möchte, an Kittlers Denken vorbei, wie wir inzwischen auch dem Buch 'Die Wahrheit der technischen Welt' entnehmen können, wie aber spätestens seit 'Musik und Mathematik I/1' oder 'Musen, Nymphen und Sirenen' ganz deutlich wurde. So zeigen auch die dreiundzwanzig zwischen 1978 und 2010 veröffentlichten Kittler-Essays, die das neue Buch zusammenbringt, dass das "technologische Kriegswesen" hinter der Erscheinung nur eine Tarnung war.
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the cutting edge in innate and adaptive immunity. The major functions of these antigen-presenting cells are the capture, endosomal processing and presentation of antigens, providing them an exclusive ability to provoke adaptive immune responses and to induce and control tolerance. Immature DCs capture and process antigens, migrate towards secondary lymphoid organs where they present antigens to naive T cells in a well-synchronized sequence of procedures referred to as maturation. Indeed, recent research indicated that sphingolipids are modulators of essential steps in DC homeostasis. It has been recognized that sphingolipids not only modulate the development of DC subtypes from precursor cells but also influence functional activities of DCs such as antigen capture, and cytokine profiling. Thus, it is not astonishing that sphingolipids and sphingolipid metabolism play a substantial role in inflammatory diseases that are modulated by DCs. Here we highlight the function of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) on DC homeostasis and the role of S1P and S1P metabolism in inflammatory diseases.
Cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability : neural and behavioral correlates in men and mice
(2014)
The ability to flexibly adjust behavior according to a changing environment is crucial to ensure a species' survival. However, the successful pursuit of goals also requires the stable maintenance of behavior in the face of potential distractors. Thus, cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability are important processes for the cognitive control of behavior. There is a large body of behavioral and neuroimaging research concerning cognitive control in general, but also specifically on cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability, albeit most often assessed in separate task paradigms. Nevertheless, whether cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability depend upon separate or shared neuronal bases is still a matter of debate. Complementing empirical research, computational models have become an important strategy in neuroscientific research, as they have the potential of providing mechanistic explanations of empirical observations, for example by allowing for the direct manipulation of molecular parameters in simulated neural networks. The computational model underlying the so-called Dual-State Theory contains specific hypotheses with respect to cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability. The neural networks simulated by this model exhibit multiple stable firing states, i.e., the neural network can maintain a high firing state also without continuing external input due to a network architecture consisting of recurrently connected neurons. Transitions between such network states, also called attractor states, can be induced by external input, and represent working memory contents or active task rules. Simulations showed that the stability of these attractor states, and thus of task rule representations, depend on the dopamine state of the system and can consequently vary between persons. The Dual-State Theory predicts an antagonistic relationship between cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability, as robust attractor states would facilitate the inhibition of distractors, but impair efficient task switching, while rather unstable attractor states would promote efficient transitions between representations but would also come at the cost of increased distractibility.
Based on the Dual-State Theory, a task paradigm was designed allowing for the simultaneous assessment of cognitive flexibility, in the sense of rule-based task switching, and cognitive stability, in the sense of inhibiting irrelevant distractors. Furthermore, a behavioral measure was developed to assess the individual attractor state stability, named spontaneous switching rate (SSR). In the first study of this work, this paradigm was tested in a sample of healthy human subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). An overlapping fronto-parietal network was activated for both cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability. Furthermore, behavioral as well as neuroimaging results are in favor of an antagonistic relationship between cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability. A specific prefrontal region, the inferior frontal junction (IFJ), was implied to potentially contain the relevant neural networks mediating the transitions between attractor states, i.e., task rule representations, as its activity was modulated by the SSR such that persons with rather unstable attractor states activated it less during task switching while showing better performance. Most importantly, functional connectivity of the IFJ was antagonistically modulated by the SSR: more flexible persons connected it less to another prefrontal area during task switching, while showing higher functional connectivity during distractor inhibition.
In a second study, a larger human sample was assessed and further hypotheses derived from the Dual-State Theory on variability of neural processing were tested: we hypothesized that persons with high brain signal variability should have less stable network states and thus benefit on tasks requiring cognitive flexibility but suffer from it when the task requires a higher degree of cognitive stability. Furthermore, recent fMRI-research on brain signal variability revealed beneficial effects of higher brain signal variability on cognitive performance in general. Using a novel customized analysis pipeline to measure trial-to-trial fMRI-signal variability, we indeed found differential effects of brain signal variability: higher levels of brain signal variability were found to be beneficial for effectiveness, i.e., performance in terms of error rates, for both cognitive flexibility and stability. However, brain signal variability impaired the efficiency in terms of response times of inhibiting distractors, i.e., cognitive stability.
Due to further predictions of the Dual-State Theory concerning schizophrenia and the dopaminergic system, it was considered valuable to pursue a translational approach and thus allowing for the employment of animal models of psychiatric diseases. Consequently, in a first step the human paradigm was translated for a murine population using an innovative touchscreen approach. Results showed analogous behavioral effects in wildtype mice as before in healthy humans: the antagonistic relation between cognitive flexibility and cognitive stability was replicated and also for mice, a behavioral measure for the individual attractor stability was established and validated, named the individual spontaneous switching score.
To conclude, we established a novel paradigm assessing both cognitive flexibility and stability simultaneously showing an antagonistic relationship between these two cognitive functions on the behavioral level in two different species, which supports predictions from the Dual-State Theory. This was further underlined by evidence on the activation, functional connectivity and signal variability level in the human brain.
The taxonomy of the family Desmodoridae (Nematoda: Desmodorida) is partially revised based on morphology. The diagnoses of the Desmodoridae and the subfamilies Desmodorinae and Spiriniinae are emended to accommodate re-analyzed morphological features. Eight known species are redescribed and the implication of the new findings for the taxonomy of the group is discussed. Amphispira and Metadesmodora are confirmed as genera inquirendae. Alaimonema and Sigmophoranema, and their corresponding type species, are proposed as inquirendae due to poor descriptions of the type material. The other three species of Sigmophoranema are transferred to the genus Onyx because they bear the diagnostic features of this group: spear-like dorsal tooth and s-shape precloacal supplements. Echinodesmodora, Paradesmodora and Stygodesmodora are transferred to the Spiriniinae based on the absence of a head capsule and on the amphidial fovea being surrounded by cuticle striation. Paradesmodora toreutes is transferred to the genus Acanthopharyngoides as A. toreutes comb. nov. The genus Onepunema does not fit in the family Desmodoridae because of diorchic males; thus, it is regarded as taxon incertae sedis.
Lists of valid genera for the two subfamilies are provided. A dichotomic key for the identification of the 14 genera within the Spiriinae is provided.
So-called ''Exhaustive Conditionals'' (ECs, also known as ''Unconditionals'') have been an important focus of recent research. We develop an HPSG analysis of governed ECs (e.g. 'no matter how intelligent the students are ...'), sketch an approach to ungoverned ECs (e.g. 'however intelligent the students are...'), and evaluate three possible analyses of reduced ECs (e.g. 'no matter how intelligent the students ...', 'however intelligent the students...').
Antigenic and 3D structural characterization of soluble X4 and hybrid X4-R5 HIV-1 Env trimers
(2014)
Background: HIV-1 is decorated with trimeric glycoprotein spikes that enable infection by engaging CD4 and a chemokine coreceptor, either CCR5 or CXCR4. The variable loop 3 (V3) of the HIV-1 envelope protein (Env) is the main determinant for coreceptor usage. The predominant CCR5 using (R5) HIV-1 Env has been intensively studied in function and structure, whereas the trimeric architecture of the less frequent, but more cytopathic CXCR4 using (X4) HIV-1 Env is largely unknown, as are the consequences of sequence changes in and near V3 on antigenicity and trimeric Env structure.
Results: Soluble trimeric gp140 Env constructs were used as immunogenic mimics of the native spikes to analyze their antigenic properties in the context of their overall 3D structure. We generated soluble, uncleaved, gp140 trimers from a prototypic T-cell line-adapted (TCLA) X4 HIV-1 strain (NL4-3) and a hybrid (NL4-3/ADA), in which the V3 spanning region was substituted with that from the primary R5 isolate ADA. Compared to an ADA (R5) gp140, the NL4-3 (X4) construct revealed an overall higher antibody accessibility, which was most pronounced for the CD4 binding site (CD4bs), but also observed for mAbs against CD4 induced (CD4i) epitopes and gp41 mAbs. V3 mAbs showed significant binding differences to the three constructs, which were refined by SPR analysis. Of interest, the NL4-3/ADA construct with the hybrid NL4-3/ADA CD4bs showed impaired CD4 and CD4bs mAb reactivity despite the presence of the essential elements of the CD4bs epitope. We obtained 3D reconstructions of the NL4-3 and the NL4-3/ADA gp140 trimers via electron microscopy and single particle analysis, which indicates that both constructs inherit a propeller-like architecture. The first 3D reconstruction of an Env construct from an X4 TCLA HIV-1 strain reveals an open conformation, in contrast to recently published more closed structures from R5 Env. Exchanging the X4 V3 spanning region for that of R5 ADA did not alter the open Env architecture as deduced from its very similar 3D reconstruction.
Conclusions: 3D EM analysis showed an apparent open trimer configuration of X4 NL4-3 gp140 that is not modified by exchanging the V3 spanning region for R5 ADA.
In diesem Beitrag wird der Sprach(en)gebrauch der venezianischen Juden im 16./17. Jhd. untersucht. Dabei geht es um die Sprachen der verschiedenen jüdischen Gruppen, die gemeinsam im neu eingerichteten Ghetto wohnten. Insbesondere wird der Frage nachgegangen, welchen Gebrauch sie von unterschiedlichen Sprachen/Varietäten in unterschiedlichen kommunikativen Situationen und zu unterschiedlichen Zwecken gemacht haben. Dabei traten selbstverständlich auch Sprachmischungen auf, die von unbewussten Interferenzen über Entlehnungen (aus dem Hebräischen/Aramäischen, aber auch aus dem Venezianischen und den anderen von Juden gesprochenen Sprachen), bis hin zu ganz bewusst verwendeter Zwei- und Mehrsprachigkeit in literarischen Texten z. B. mit sprachspielerischer Absicht reichen. Die verschiedenen Textsorten, die hierzu analysiert werden (etwa Texte religiösen Inhalts, Testamente, Grabinschriften und Gedichte), spiegeln auf vielfältige Weise zugleich das Sprach- und Sprachenbewusstsein der venezianischen Juden jener Zeit wider.
Dieser Beitrag untersucht die Beziehung zwischen den Diskursen Literatur und Recht in der deutschsprachigen Gegenwartsliteratur. Ausgehend von der langen Tradition der sogenannten Dichterjuristen (Goethe, Kleist, Kafka) werden aktuelle Tendenzen dieser Beziehung in den Blick genommen. Nach theoretischen Überlegungen zum Teilaspekt law in literature (Recht in der Literatur) erfolgt die Bestimmung von spezifischen Themen, Genres und ästhetischen Besonderheiten der in Frage stehenden Texte. Als Textgrundlage dienen Romane von Juli Zeh und Ferdinand von Schirach. In dieser Analyse werden auch die Adaptionen für Kino und TV einbezogen (die Serie "Verbrechen" für den TV-Sender ZDF, die auf Ferdinand von Schirachs gleichnamiger Kurzgeschichtensammlung beruht, und die Miniserie "A Menina sem Qualidades", eine Adaption von Juli Zehs "Spieltrieb" für MTV Brasilien).
Cross-frequency coupling (CFC) has been proposed to coordinate neural dynamics across spatial and temporal scales. Despite its potential relevance for understanding healthy and pathological brain function, the standard CFC analysis and physiological interpretation come with fundamental problems. For example, apparent CFC can appear because of spectral correlations due to common non-stationarities that may arise in the total absence of interactions between neural frequency components. To provide a road map towards an improved mechanistic understanding of CFC, we organize the available and potential novel statistical/modeling approaches according to their biophysical interpretability. While we do not provide solutions for all the problems described, we provide a list of practical recommendations to avoid common errors and to enhance the interpretability of CFC analysis.
Türkiye'de Akademik Açık Erişim Dergi Yayıncılığı ve Çeviribilim Alanındaki Açık Erişim Dergiler
(2014)
Bu çalışmada Türkiye'nin akademik açık erişim dergi yayıncılığında geldiği noktayı ortaya koymak, 70'li yıllardan itibaren dilbilim ve filolojiden ayrılarak kendi bilimsel çerçevesini çizen ve kendi bilimsel iletişim sistemini oluşturan Çeviribilim alanının, bilimsel iletişim sisteminin en önemli araçlarından biri olan akademik açık erişim dergicilik konusunda aldığı mesafeyi görmek, bu konuda mevcut eksiklikleri tespit etmek ve bunlara çözüm önerilerinde bulunmak amaçlanmaktadır. Bu amaçla ulusal ve uluslararası açık erişim veritabanları incelenerek elde edilen bilgiler değerlendirilmeye çalışıldı. Çalışmanın birinci aşamasında Türkiye'nin akademik açık erişim dergicilik konusundaki mevcut durumu değerlendirilirken ikinci aşamada Çeviribilim alanının durumu ele alındı. Son aşamada ise elde edilen verilerden anlamlı sonuçlar çıkarılarak genel bir değerlendirme yapıldı ve çeşitli öneriler sunuldu.
Touring Girls
(2014)
Touring Girls tells the story of Jacob Mbuy a young Cameroonian whose primary objective in life is having affairs with as many women as possible. He is obsessed with abusing young girls as well as instilling hopeless hope in adult women. His demise comes when he changes his world from the Christian to the Moslem world where he confronts a new type of women who behave strangely and cannot dance to his tunes. Protected by Islamic traditions and strict government laws, Jacob lands into a hell of unprecedented problems.
Bilimsel Metin Üretimi
(2014)
Rezension zu Canan Şenöz Ayata: Bilimsel Metin Üretimi. İstanbul: Papatya Yayıncılık Eğitim, 2014.
Nichtinvasive Detektoren für ortsaufgelöste Strahlprofilmessungen gewinnen mit zunehmenden Strahlströmen und -energien immer mehr an Bedeutung. An der Universität Frankfurt im Institut für Angewandte Physik (IAP) wird ein “Figure Eight”-förmiger magnetostatischer Speichering mit Stellarator-Konfiguration (F8SR) entwickelt. Einige Aspekte der Strahldynamik in einem solchen Ring können mit einem experimentellen Aufbau am IAP untersucht werden. Die Herausforderung bei der Entwicklung eines Detektors an einem (F8SR) liegt auf der einen Seite darin den Strahl nichtinvasiv zu detektieren, und andererseits müssen magnetisch unempfindliche Komponenten für den Detektor ausgewählt werden. Dabei sollte der Detektor so flexibel sein, dass der Strahl entlang der Flugbahn transversal gemessen werden kann. In dieser Arbeit geht es um einen Detektor mit radial um den Strahl angeordneten Photodioden, mit deren Hilfe die strahlinduzierte Fluoreszenz detektiert wird und mit einem geeigneten Rekonstruktionsverfahren, Strahlposition und den Strahldurchmesser ermittelt werden kann. Die Messungen werden mit einem weiteren schon erprobten Detektor - einem Szintillationsschirm verglichen.
"Von einer Vereinigung des Christenthums mit der Philosophie kann ich mir nichts Bestimmtes denken", schreibt Friedrich Schleiermacher am 28. März 1801 an Friedrich Heinrich Christian Schwarz, den später nach Heidelberg berufenen Theologen und Pädagogen. "Was wollen Sie vereinigen, wo gar kein Streit ist? Die Religion kann nicht umhin, die philosophierende Anlage im Menschen anzuerkennen, und das tut sie auch wohl jetzt durchaus; und ebenso kann man die Philosophie nötigen, die religiöse Stimmung anzuerkennen, wenn sie sich gleich etwas ungebärdig dabei anstellt." Man glaubt in diesen Worten das irenische, zum Ausgleich geneigte Gemüt Schleiermachers zu vernehmen, welches gleichwohl nicht hat verhindern können, dass er mehrfach in seinem Leben in heftigen religiösen, politischen und literarischen Streit verwickelt wurde.
In seinen Worten klingt jedoch auch noch das Bewusstsein nach, dass die Harmonie von Philosophie und Religion, falls es sie überhaupt gibt, jedenfalls jüngeren Datums ist. Die Philosophie stellt sich immer noch ungebärdig dabei an, die religiöse Stimmung anzuerkennen. Umgekehrt scheint die Religion eben erst jetzt - um 1800 - ihren Frieden mit der philosophierenden Anlage im Menschen gemacht zu haben. Man muss hier nicht unbedingt an jene jahrtausendealte Tradition der Auseinandersetzung zwischen Philosophie und Religion denken, die wir heute noch mit dem Stichwort Athen vs. Jerusalem bezeichnen.
Es genügt, sich ans 17. und 18. Jahrhundert zu erinnern, an die philosophes, die kritischen Intellektuellen Frankreichs, die einen zähen, nach und nach immer besser organisierten Kampf gegen die katholische Kirche führen, oder an die nach der Massenflucht der Hugenotten aus Frankreich vor und nach 1685 und der Glorious Revolution (1688) besonders in England und den niederländischen vereinigten Provinzen intensiv und erbittert geführte Debatte über religiöse Toleranz und katholische wie protestantische Intoleranz.
Immatrikulationsfeiern gehörten zum festen Ritual der universitären Kultur, bis in den 1960er Jahren bewusst mit dieser Tradition gebrochen wurde. Heute werden die Studierenden an der Goethe-Universität beim "unistart" begrüßt. Ist diese Veranstaltung ein Brückenschlag zwischen Gegenwart und alten Zeiten oder eher ein Spiegel des sich wandelnden universitären Selbstverständnisses?
If we take Benjamin's definitions to their logical conclusion, then the monad and the reproduced copy are set unequivocally into binary opposition, as we, the masses capable and most needful of action, are implicitly denied the potential for liberation through aesthetic experience. This denial could not have been his long-term intention. When we take into account the breadth of his writings in response to Fascism, and we look at the artistic movements, Dada in particular, that Benjamin defines as 'politicizing art,' it seems as though we risk too narrow a reading of Benjamin's theories by assuming the aura can be, or must be, done away with. Rather, I would argue that this moment of auratic interaction is crucial to effectively politicizing art at all. Mechanically-produced art, in order to function politically, must allow its audience the space necessary to step back, awaken their 'Geistesgegenwart', and take action 'before' the present moment is finished and past. The elimination of aura - as per Benjamin’s own definitions of aura - neuters the interaction this awakening requires. While Benjamin provides the framework and asks the right questions, when determining what will allow his definitions to realize their aims most fully, I submit that he draws his line in the wrong place.
Seit Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts werden das Volkslied und die Ballade als Ausdruck der Natur verstanden, der unvermittelt und darum echt ist. Doch nicht nur editorische Eingriffe im Zuge der Herausgabe dieser zumeist nur vermeintlich mündlich tradierten Dichtung lassen die Echtheit der Texte problematisch erscheinen. In der Kunstballadendichtung bildet sich zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts der so genannte Volksliedton heraus. Die epigonale oder ironische Imitation dieses einfachen Stils kann nicht mehr im Paradigma der Herder'schen Ausdrucksästhetik verstanden werden. Insbesondere Heinrich Heines Lieder gelten als ironische Nachahmung volksliedhafter Dichtung und als Ausweis, dass diese Form von "Lied [...] keine authentische Kunst" sei.
Heine verhandelt die Problematik der Echtheit in seinen Schriften zu Volkslied und Ballade über die zentralen Begriffe des Diskurses - Einfachheit und Wahrhaftigkeit. Er verwirft diese Konzepte jedoch nicht einfach, sondern modifiziert sie. Heine, so soll im Folgenden gezeigt werden, variiert die Idee eines 'echten' Volksliedes, indem er den Gedanken ausprägt, bestimmte Texte stünden im Zeichen eines "Geist[es] der Volkslied-Formen". Die Problematik der Wahrhaftigkeit verhandelt Heine in 'Die romantische Schule' sowie in seinem Buch der Lieder im Bild der Kostümierung und Maskierung. Sie wird hier zur Frage der Ehrlichkeit und Treue, die interpersonell und kommunikativ gefasst ist.
Trends in Nollywood: A Study of Selected Genres is a welcome addition to the growing body of works on the Nigerian cinema. It is part film history and part film theory and criticism. The history part traces the origin of the Nigerian cinema up to the present era of video productions. The work examines in detail, the contextual issues which have helped to define emergent trends within the industry.
Background: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) due to C1 inhibitor deficiency is a rare but serious and potentially life-threatening disease marked by spontaneous, recurrent attacks of swelling. The study objective was to characterize direct and indirect resource utilization associated with HAE from the patient perspective in Europe.
Methods: The study was conducted in Spain, Germany, and Denmark to assess the real-world experience of HAE via a cross-sectional survey of HAE patients, including direct and indirect resource utilization during and between attacks for patients and their caregivers over the past 6 months. A regression model examined predictors of medical resource utilization.
Results: Overall, 164 patients had an attack in the past 6 months and were included in the analysis. The most significant predictor of medical resource utilization was the severity of the last attack (OR 2.6; p < 0.001). Among patients who sought medical care during the last attack (23%), more than half utilized the emergency department. The last attack prevented patients from their normal activities an average of 4-12 hours. Patient and caregiver absenteeism increased with attack severity and frequency. Among patients who were working or in school (n = 120), 72 provided work/school absenteeism data, resulting in an estimated 20 days missing from work/school on average per year; 51% (n = 84) indicated that HAE has hindered their career/educational advancement.
Conclusion: HAE poses a considerable burden on patients and their families in terms of direct medical costs and indirect costs related to lost productivity. This burden is substantial at the time of attacks and in between attacks.
Schiller'in Edebiyat Görüşü
(2014)
Schiller'in edebiyat üzerine yazdığı makalesi "Über naive und sentimentalische Dichtung", Goethe ile yakın ve verimli dostluğuna dayanır. Mektuplaşmalarında eserleri hakkında karşılıklı ifadeleri bunu göstermektedir. Schiller'in çıkardığı "Die Horen" adlı edebi ve felsefi dergi, Goethe'nin katkısıyla nerdeyse Alman Klasisizminin program dergisi olmuştur. Felsefeye olan büyük merakı ile Schiller Goethe'nin eserlerini ve "Horen" dergisindeki yazılarını okuyunca, kendisi ile onun arasında önemli bir farkı keşfetmek durumunda kalmıştır. Doğalcı ve düşünselci edebiyat hakkında yazdığı görüşleri bunun kanıtlarıdır.
Feathers in Reverse
(2014)
Feathers in Reverse is the ideal gift for a loved one who is scared of poetry. It engages and immerses readers with the luring subtlety of a serpent. Themes treated include good and evil, heaven and earth, man and woman, birth and death, urbanism and rural life, wealth and poverty. As much as the poet highlights salient issues and conflicts in everyday life, he suggests answers to burning problems as well. A common thread runs through the over 300 poems feathered and featured in this collection. The notion of the 'feather' is cross-cultural. It reminds us of the feather used as a pen in ancient Europe and the 'red feather' that is stuck on the caps of African notables as a mark of distinction. Feathers in Reverse is a magic pudding to be sampled, shared and indulged.
We study self- and cross-excitation of shocks in the Eurozone sovereign CDS market. We adopt a multivariate setting with credit default intensities driven by mutually exciting jump processes, to capture the salient features observed in the data, in particular, the clustering of high default probabilities both in time (over days) and in space (across countries). The feedback between jump events and the intensity of these jumps is the key element of the model. We derive closed-form formulae for CDS prices, and estimate the model by matching theoretical prices to their empirical counterparts. We find evidence of self-excitation and asymmetric cross-excitation. Using impulse-response analysis, we assess the impact of shocks and a potential policy intervention not just on a single country under scrutiny but also, through the effect on cross-excitation risk which generates systemic sovereign risk, on other interconnected countries.
An extensive survey of the relevant literature of dry grassland communities described for the territory of Serbia allowed us to check the validity and legitimacy of the nomenclature of this vegetation. Nomenclature rules of the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature were strictly followed. The syntaxonomic affiliation of communities to higher syntaxa was assessed according to existing syntaxonomic schemes for Serbia and the position determined by the original source. Higher syntaxa followed the synsystem of the socalled “EuroVegChecklist”. We have highlighted problems and some disagreement with the existing classification of dry grassland communities in Europe. A total of 134 dry grassland communities have so far been registered for Serbia. This list of syntaxa may serve for further research of grassland vegetation and its appropriate positioning within a syntaxonomical scheme of Europe.
FRAUEN.SCHREIBEN. So hieß das Thema des Symposiums, in dessen Zusammenhang dieser Text entstand. Die Frage, wie "Frau" in Texten von Schriftstellerinnen aus Österreich und China "geschrieben" wird, sollte dabei in den Blick genommen werden - Elfriede Jelinek stand dabei mit im Fokus der Analysen und ist auch meine Wahl im nachfolgenden Text. Diese Frage, nach dem "Wie-Frauen-Schreiben", die zunächst scheinbar recht simpel und unproblematisch gestellt werden kann, evoziert eine komplexe Auseinandersetzung mit Themen und Problemen, die der Literaturwissenschaft und Literaturtheorie konstitutiv zugrunde liegen - Fragen etwa nach einer potentiellen ('weiblichen') Autorschaft, einer 'weiblichen' Ästhetik, Fragen der Repräsentation 'von Frauen', hier im Besonderen 'in Texten von Frauen'.
"wir haben ein land aus worten." In Semier Insayif Roman 'Faruq' (2009) geht es um Worte und Erinnerungen, um das (Nicht-)Sprechen-Können und darum, Sprache und Gedächtnis zu verlieren. Es geht um das Schreiben, Sprechen und Rezitieren im Bereich des Dazwischen von Sprachen und Kulturen. Ausgehend von der Perspektive des Ich-Erzählers im Text entfalten sich die Nuancen und Facetten des Lebens als Geschichten, als Texturen der Erinnerung und als eine Art Sprach- und Klanggewebe. Bezugnehmend auf eben diese poetischen und rhetorischen Aspekte des Textes wird eine Lektüre unternommen, die auf postkolonialen und dekonstruktiven Ansätzen wie auch auf Gedächtnistheorien basiert. Die Lektüre versucht sowohl auf die Anforderungen und Besonderheiten des Textes in allen Facetten des Dazwischens zu reagieren als auch jene Perspektiven zu ergründen, die für die zeitgenössische Entwicklung der sogenannten Migrationsliteratur signifikant sind.
ND3, ND1 and 39kDa subunits are more exposed in the de-active form of bovine mitochondrial complex I
(2014)
An intriguing feature of mitochondrial complex I from several species is the so-called A/D transition, whereby the idle enzyme spontaneously converts from the active (A) form to the de-active (D) form. The A/D transition plays an important role in tissue response to the lack of oxygen and hypoxic deactivation of the enzyme is one of the key regulatory events that occur in mitochondria during ischaemia. We demonstrate for the first time that the A/D conformational change of complex I does not affect the macromolecular organisation of supercomplexes in vitro as revealed by two types of native electrophoresis. Cysteine 39 of the mitochondrially-encoded ND3 subunit is known to become exposed upon de-activation. Here we show that even if complex I is a constituent of the I+III2+IV (S1) supercomplex, cysteine 39 is accessible for chemical modification in only the D-form. Using lysine-specific fluorescent labelling and a DIGE-like approach we further identified two new subunits involved in structural rearrangements during the A/D transition: ND1 (MT-ND1) and 39kDa (NDUFA9). These results clearly show that structural rearrangements during de-activation of complex I include several subunits located at the junction between hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains, in the region of the quinone binding site. De-activation of mitochondrial complex I results in concerted structural rearrangement of membrane subunits which leads to the disruption of the sealed quinone chamber required for catalytic turnover.
Quarks and gluons are the building blocks of all hadronic matter, like protons and neutrons. Their interaction is described by Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), a theory under test by large scale experiments like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN and in the future at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) at GSI. However, perturbative methods can only be applied to QCD for high energies. Studies from first principles are possible via a discretization onto an Euclidean space-time grid. This discretization of QCD is called Lattice QCD (LQCD) and is the only ab-initio option outside of the high-energy regime. LQCD is extremely compute and memory intensive. In particular, it is by definition always bandwidth limited. Thus—despite the complexity of LQCD applications—it led to the development of several specialized compute platforms and influenced the development of others. However, in recent years General-Purpose computation on Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU) came up as a new means for parallel computing. Contrary to machines traditionally used for LQCD, graphics processing units (GPUs) are a massmarket product. This promises advantages in both the pace at which higher-performing hardware becomes available and its price. CL2QCD is an OpenCL based implementation of LQCD using Wilson fermions that was developed within this thesis. It operates on GPUs by all major vendors as well as on central processing units (CPUs). On the AMD Radeon HD 7970 it provides the fastest double-precision D= kernel for a single GPU, achieving 120GFLOPS. D=—the most compute intensive kernel in LQCD simulations—is commonly used to compare LQCD platforms. This performance is enabled by an in-depth analysis of optimization techniques for bandwidth-limited codes on GPUs. Further, analysis of the communication between GPU and CPU, as well as between multiple GPUs, enables high-performance Krylov space solvers and linear scaling to multiple GPUs within a single system. LQCD calculations require a sampling of the phase space. The hybrid Monte Carlo (HMC) algorithm performs this. For this task, a single AMD Radeon HD 7970 GPU provides four times the performance of two AMD Opteron 6220 running an optimized reference code. The same advantage is achieved in terms of energy-efficiency. In terms of normalized total cost of acquisition (TCA), GPU-based clusters match conventional large-scale LQCD systems. Contrary to those, however, they can be scaled up from a single node. Examples of large GPU-based systems are LOEWE-CSC and SANAM. On both, CL2QCD has already been used in production for LQCD studies.
Recent density functional theory (DFT) calculations for KFe2As2 have been shown to be insufficient to satisfactorily describe angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) measurements as well as observed de Haas–van Alphen (dHvA) frequencies. In the present work, we extend DFT calculations based on the full-potential linear augmented plane-wave method by dynamical mean field theory (DFT+DMFT) to include correlation effects beyond the local density approximation. We present results for two sets of reported crystal structures. Our calculations indicate that KFe2As2 is a moderately correlated metal with a mass renormalization factor of the Fe $3{\rm d}$ orbitals between 1.6 and 2.7. Furthermore, the obtained shape and size of the Fermi surface are in good agreement with ARPES measurements and we observe some topological changes with respect to DFT calculations such as the opening of an inner hole cylinder at the Z point. As a result, our calculated dHvA frequencies differ greatly from existing DFT results and qualitatively agree with experimental data. On this basis, we argue that correlation effects are important to understand the -presently under debate- nature of the superconducting state in KFe2As2.
Wie leider erst jetzt bekannt wurde, verstarb im März dieses Jahres Herr Kollege Teuber mit 95 Jahren. Geboren am Ende des 1. Weltkrieges in Berlin, studierte er dort ab 1937 gleichzeitig Chemie und Medizin. Nach Promotion und Habilitation an der Universität Heidelberg wechselte er 1953 an die Universität Frankfurt. Es folgte 1960 die Ernennung zum apl. Professor, 1970 zum Wissenschaftlichen Rat und Professor. 1984 trat Kollege Teuber in den Ruhestand.
Na tragu učenja praške funkcionalne (aktualne) rečenične perspektive o osnovnom i aktualiziranom redu riječi razmatrat će se redoslijed sastavnica u složenim strukturama (subordiniranima i koordiniranima). U prvome redu zanimat će nas poredak surečenica (klauza) u sastavu zavisnosložene rečenice. Postavlja se naime pitanje čime sve može biti uvjetovana anteponiranost zavisne surečenice (tzv. inverzija), i to u različitim tipovima tekstova odnosno komunikacijskim situacijama (npr. u akademskom/ znanstvenom i/ili predavačkom diskursu, potom u privatnim razgovorima itd.). U tu svrhu pozornost ćemo obratiti na primjere poput ovih: Kao što je naslovom najavljeno, bavit ćemo se složenim rečenicama.; Kako bismo ubrzali objavljivanje zbornika, želja nam je što prije skupiti radove.; Kao što je prethodno rečeno, nastava počinje u listopadu.; Ako ne prekineš s glupostima, odlazim!; Dok ne ispraviš jedinice, ništa od izlazaka! i sl. Što se pak nezavisnosloženih rečenica tiče, ponajprije ćemo se suočiti s pitanjem utvrđivanja primarnog redoslijeda sastavnica (Sjedim i razmišljam. ili Razmišljam i sjedim.), da bismo potom pokušali utvrditi moguće razloge remećenja toga redoslijeda (npr. Umro – brao trešnje i pao sa stabla. prema Popeo se, brao trešnje, pao sa stabla, umro.). Naposljetku budući da pristajemo uz gledište da se već složena rečenica može smatrati činjenicom teksta (J. Silić), ali i zbog toga što se aktualizirani red riječi/komponenata ostvaruje upravo u (kon)tekstualno uključenoj rečenici, u svjetlu ćemo novije lingvistike teksta (R. de Beaugrande i W. Dressler) o redoslijedu komponenata promišljati kao o kohezivnom sredstvu.