Refine
Year of publication
- 2018 (3230) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (1487)
- Part of Periodical (421)
- Book (274)
- Part of a Book (208)
- Doctoral Thesis (204)
- Contribution to a Periodical (195)
- Review (146)
- Working Paper (132)
- Preprint (75)
- Conference Proceeding (49)
Language
- English (1776)
- German (1342)
- Portuguese (35)
- Spanish (18)
- French (17)
- Multiple languages (17)
- Turkish (13)
- Italian (6)
- Ukrainian (2)
- Hebrew (1)
Has Fulltext
- yes (3230) (remove)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (3230) (remove)
Keywords
- taxonomy (61)
- Geschichte (52)
- Begriff (51)
- Deutsch (48)
- new species (38)
- Literatur (34)
- Übersetzung (20)
- Financial Institutions (17)
- Fremdsprachenunterricht (17)
- Vormärz (16)
Institute
- Medizin (520)
- Präsidium (304)
- Physik (224)
- Wirtschaftswissenschaften (179)
- Sustainable Architecture for Finance in Europe (SAFE) (129)
- Gesellschaftswissenschaften (117)
- Biowissenschaften (106)
- Center for Financial Studies (CFS) (102)
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) (97)
- Neuere Philologien (89)
Full reconstruction of large lobula plate tangential cells in Drosophila from a 3D EM dataset
(2018)
With the advent of neurogenetic methods, the neural basis of behavior is presently being analyzed in more and more detail. This is particularly true for visually driven behavior of Drosophila melanogaster where cell-specific driver lines exist that, depending on the combination with appropriate effector genes, allow for targeted recording, silencing and optogenetic stimulation of individual cell-types. Together with detailed connectomic data of large parts of the fly optic lobe, this has recently led to much progress in our understanding of the neural circuits underlying local motion detection. However, how such local information is combined by optic flow sensitive large-field neurons is still incompletely understood. Here, we aim to fill this gap by a dense reconstruction of lobula plate tangential cells of the fly lobula plate. These neurons collect input from many hundreds of local motion-sensing T4/T5 neurons and connect them to descending neurons or central brain areas. We confirm all basic features of HS and VS cells as published previously from light microscopy. In addition, we identified the dorsal and the ventral centrifugal horizontal, dCH and vCH cell, as well as three VSlike cells, including their distinct dendritic and axonal projection area.
Jede Gesellschaft oder Gemeinschaft wird von ihrer historischen Geschichte beeinflusst. Die gewachsenen Ansichten, Umgangsweisen und Strategien sind die Basis für die Weiterentwicklung jedes Gemeinwesens. Das Museum ist ein Ort der offenen und kritischen Auseinandersetzung mit dieser Geschichte und deren Wirkungen auf die Gegenwart. Es ist somit eine bildungspolitische Einrichtung, die aufgrund dieser gesellschaftlichen Aufgabe ihre besondere Bedeutung und Existenzberechtigung erhält. Museen sind in jeder Kultur und Gesellschaft ein wesentlicher Ort für die Fragen: Wo kommen wir her? Was verbindet uns? Besonderes in einer jungen Nation, die ihre Unabhängigkeit erst 1991 erlangt hat, ist eine Auseinandersetzung mit diesen Fragen dringend und wichtig.
Die Arbeit schlägt einen weiten Bogen vom Allgemeinen zum sehr Speziellen. Sie beginnt mit einer Darstellung der wichtigen Ansätzen und Studien zur Besucherforschung in Museen allgemein. Dabei wird nicht nur der Wandel in den Ansprüchen des Publikums aufgezeigt, sondern auch die Veränderungen der Konzeption und der Repräsentation der Museen selbst. Einen Schwerpunkt legt die Arbeit auf den Aspekt des Erzählens - das bedeutet, etwas sichtbar zu machen, was nicht offensichtlich ist: Kontexte, Reflexionen und Bezüge. Die Bedeutung der Kommunikation zwischen dem Museum und seinen Besuchern wurde in der Ethnologie bisher eher vernachlässigt.
The use of cardiac troponins (cTn) is the gold standard for diagnosing myocardial infarction. Independent of myocardial infarction (MI), however, sex, age and kidney function affect cTn levels. Here we developed a method to adjust cTnI levels for age, sex, and renal function, maintaining a unified cut-off value such as the 99th percentile. A total of 4587 individuals enrolled in a prospective longitudinal study were used to develop a model for adjustment of cTn. cTnI levels correlated with age and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in males/females with rage = 0.436/0.518 and with reGFR = −0.142/−0.207. For adjustment, these variables served as covariates in a linear regression model with cTnI as dependent variable. This adjustment model was then applied to a real-world cohort of 1789 patients with suspected acute MI (AMI) (N = 407). Adjusting cTnI showed no relevant loss of diagnostic information, as evidenced by comparable areas under the receiver operator characteristic curves, to identify AMI in males and females for adjusted and unadjusted cTnI. In specific patients groups such as in elderly females, adjusting cTnI improved specificity for AMI compared with unadjusted cTnI. Specificity was also improved in patients with renal dysfunction by using the adjusted cTnI values. Thus, the adjustments improved the diagnostic ability of cTnI to identify AMI in elderly patients and in patients with renal dysfunction. Interpretation of cTnI values in complex emergency cases is facilitated by our method, which maintains a single diagnostic cut-off value in all patients.
Vielleicht denken derzeit die meisten zuerst an das Auto, wenn von 'Trabant' die Rede ist. Vielleicht sogar an dessen himmelblaue Ausführung, selbst wenn sie im Straßenbild inzwischen fremd geworden ist. Und wenn man 'fremd' mit 'unbekannt' übersetzt, dann trifft das den Trabanten nicht nur, weil der Begriff ein Fremdwort ist, sondern auch, weil unbekannt ist, aus welcher Fremde es stammt. Seine Herkunft ist nicht zweifelsfrei belegt. So hat man seinen Ursprung im Italienischen, im Deutschen oder im Türkisch-Persischen vermutet, von wo es über das Ungarische und Rumänische in die westeuropäischen Sprachen gelangt sein könnte. Im Grimm'schen Wörterbuch werden diese Annahmen jedoch samt und sonders als nicht stichhaltig verworfen. Umso wahrscheinlicher aber sei seine Herkunft aus dem Tschechischen, woher es zur Zeit der ersten Hussitenkriege entlehnt wurde, wobei dem dort schon im 15. Jahrhundert nachweisbaren 'dráb', dem 'fuszkrieger', im Deutschen die Endung '‑ant' hinzugefügt worden sei, ein Muster, wie es auch bei 'sarjant' oder 'brigant' verwendet worden war.
The ATP-binding cassette transporter TAPL translocates polypeptides from the cytosol into the lysosomal lumen. TAPL can be divided into two functional units: coreTAPL, active in ATP-dependent peptide translocation, and the N-terminal membrane spanning domain, TMD0, responsible for cellular localization and interaction with the lysosomal associated membrane proteins LAMP-1 and LAMP-2. Although the structure and function of ABC transporters were intensively analyzed in the past, the knowledge about accessory membrane embedded domains is limited. Therefore, we expressed the TMD0 of TAPL via a cell-free expression system and confirmed its correct folding by NMR and interaction studies. In cell as well as cell-free expressed TMD0 forms oligomers, which were assigned as dimers by PELDOR spectroscopy and static light scattering. By NMR spectroscopy of uniformly and selectively isotope labeled TMD0 we performed a complete backbone and partial side chain assignment. Accordingly, TMD0 has a four transmembrane helix topology with a short helical segment in a lysosomal loop. The topology of TMD0 was confirmed by paramagnetic relaxation enhancement with paramagnetic stearic acid as well as by nuclear Overhauser effects with c6-DHPC and cross-peaks with water.
The Wolof imperfective auxiliary di is compatible with event-in-progress, habitual and future readings. Furthermore, while varieties of all these readings are available for di when it sits in a syntactically low position, only future readings are available when it sits in a syntactically high position. We aim to account for this puzzle by combining several ingredients independently motivated in the literature: (i) event-relative circumstantial modality for event-in-progress, habitual, and a subset of future readings; (ii) metaphyisical modality for generalized future readings; (iii) the idea that syntactic height determines the type of modal anchor that projects a modal base. This study contributes to our understanding of the relation between syntactic height and modal flavor, as well as the nature of modal-aspectual interactions cross-linguistically.
Acute cholecystitis – a cohort study in a real-world clinical setting (REWO study, NCT02796443)
(2018)
Background: For decades, the optimal timing of surgery for acute cholecystitis has been controversial. Recent meta-analyses and population-based studies favor early surgery. One recent large randomized trial has demonstrated that a delayed approach increases morbidity and cost compared to early surgery within 24 hours of hospital admission. Since cases of severe cholecystitis were excluded from this trial, we argue that these results do not reflect real-world clinical situations. From our point of view, these results were in contrast to the clinical experience with our patients; so, we decided to analyze critically all our patients with the null hypothesis that the patients treated with a delayed cholecystectomy after an acute cholecystitis have a similar or even better outcome than those treated with an early operative approach.
Patients and methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from all patients with cholecystectomies in the period between January 2006 and September 2015. A total of 1,723 patients were categorized into four groups: early (n=138): urgent surgery of patients with acute cholecystitis within the first 72 hours of the onset of symptoms; intermediate (n=297): surgery of patients with acute cholecystitis within an average of 10 days after the onset of symptoms; delayed (n=427): initial non-surgical treatment of acute cholecystitis with surgery performed within 6–12 weeks of the onset of symptoms; and elective (n=868): cholecystectomy within a symptom-free interval of choice in patients with symptomatic cholecystolithiasis without signs of acute cholecystitis.
Results: In a real-world scenario, early/intermediate cholecystectomy in acute cholecystitis was associated with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality (Clavien–Dindo score) compared to a delayed approach with surgery performed 6–12 weeks after the onset of symptoms. The adjusted linear rank statistics showed a decrease in the complication score with values of 2.29 in the early group, 0.48 in the intermediate group, –0.26 in the delayed group and –2.12 in the elective group. The results translate into a continuous decrease of the complication score from early over intermediate and delayed to the elective group.
Conclusion: These results demonstrate that delayed cholecystectomy can be performed safely. In cases with severe cholecystitis, early and/or intermediate approaches still have a relatively high risk of morbidity and mortality.
Die Autorin hat über vierzig Bücher über den Holocaust, die sich an junge Erwachsene richten, untersucht. Zusätzlich ist es ihr gelungen, durch die Einbeziehung aktueller Diskussionen über Neonazis, multikulturelle Erziehung, Rechte für Schwule und Lesben sowie über Toleranz den Bezug zur Gegenwart herzustellen. ...
Homollea Arènes (Rubiaceae, subfamily Ixoroideae, tribe Pavetteae) is a genus of shrubs and small trees endemic to western and northern Madagascar. The genus comprises five species occurring in dry deciduous forest, often in limestone areas. The five species are narrow endemics and their conservation status is either Endangered (4 species) or Critically Endangered (1 species). Homollea is characterized by few-flowered, pseudo-axillary, pedunculate inflorescences, well-developed calyces with the lobes much longer than the tube, laterally flattened seeds with a shallow, elongated to linear hilum and entire endosperm, ovules arising from the upper margin of the placenta, and, pollen grains with supratectal elements in the shape of microgemmae. Until now, three species were known and their descriptions are amended. Two further species, H. furtiva De Block sp. nov. and H. septentrionalis De Block sp. nov., are described as new for science. The five species are dealt with in detail: descriptions, distribution maps, conservation assessments, illustrations, lists of exsiccatae and an identification key are given.
Osthessen ist ein stark gegliederter Mittelgebirgsraum. Fruchtbare Tal- und Beckenlandschaften eignen sich für Ackerbau, die höheren Regionen vor allem zur Wald- und Weidewirtschaft. Es gibt zahlreiche salzhaltige Quellen. Kupferschiefer steht im nördlich gelegenen Richelsdorfer Gebirge an, und Eisenerze sind aus dem Vogelsberg und in lokalen Vorkommen zwischen Kalbach um Motten belegt. Während der Bronze- und Eisenzeit vollzieht Osthessen eine vielschichtige Entwicklung. Die Fulda-Werra-Gruppe, die in der Mittelbronzezeit einen einheitlichen Kulturraum bildet, zerfällt am Übergang zur Spätbronzezeit. Stattdessen befindet sich die Region nun im Kontakt- und Übergangsbereich verschiedener Kulturen. Auch in der Eisenzeit liegt Osthessen zunächst am nördlichen Rand der Hallstattkultur, bevor es in der Frühlatènezeit vorübergehend unmittelbarer Teil der Latènekultur wird. Nach den sog. Keltischen Wanderungen während der ausgehenden Mittel- und Spätlatènezeit rückt die Region dann wieder an die Peripherie der Latène- bzw. Oppidakultur. Während der gesamten Zeit ist Osthessen eine wichtige Kontakt- und Distributionszone, die stark durch Güter- und Ideenaustausch, aber auch durch Migration geprägt wird. Bei ersten Grabungen im Jahr 2016 wurde im Rahmen des LOEWE-Projekts der Stallberg näher untersucht, der von der älteren Forschung in die Eisenzeit datiert wurde, durch die Auffindung eines spätbronzezeitlichen Messers aber eine größere zeitliche Tiefe vermuten ließ. Bei den Ausgrabungen traten überraschenderweise Funde aus der Michelsberger Kultur zutage. Einige 14C-Daten konnten ein jungneolithisches Alter bestätigen, lieferten aber auch Daten aus dem Hochmittelalter.
Die Förderung von Fahrradmobilität und öffentlichem Verkehr ist ein wesentlicher Baustein zur Gestaltung einer ökologisch nachhaltigeren, sozial verträglicheren und ökonomisch tragfähigen Verkehrs- und Siedlungsentwicklung in Deutschland. Mit einer verbesserten intermodalen Verknüpfung werden beide Verkehrsträger attraktiver und somit häufiger genutzt. Öffentliche Verkehrsunternehmen gewinnen dadurch vergrößerte Einzugsbereiche von Haltestellen, können Spitzenbelastungen abfedern und verbessern ihr Image. Fahrradfahrenden ermöglicht die Kombination mit öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln größere Reichweiten, was gerade auch in randstädtischen, suburbanen oder ländlichen Regionen bedeutsam werden kann. Letztlich leistet die Verknüpfung der beiden Verkehrsträger einen Beitrag zur Daseinsvorsorge und für den Klimaschutz.
Der Handlungsleitfaden wurde innerhalb des Forschungsprojektes „Verbesserte Integration des Fahrrads in den öffentlichen Verkehr – Systematische Erschließung von Handlungsoptionen und Bewertung von Best-Practices“ erarbeitet. Das Projekt wurde vom Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur (BMVI) aus Mitteln zur Umsetzung des Nationalen Radverkehrsplans gefördert.
In seinem Buch Krisenproteste in Athen und Frankfurt. Raumproduktionen der Politik zwischen Hegemonie und Moment, das Ende des Jahres 2017 in der Reihe "Raumproduktionen" im Verlag Westfälisches Dampfboot erschienen ist, geht Daniel Mullis den Fragen nach, wie und unter welchen Bedingungen emanzipatorische Akteure Veränderungen erkämpfen können. Mullis ist es daran gelegen, Hegemonie und Moment als zwei sich ergänzende Modi der Politik zusammenzubringen und ein relationales und prozessuales Verständnis der gegenseitigen Bedingtheit von Raum und Politik zu entwickeln. Dazu verbindet er die politischen Philosophien von Ernesto Laclau und Chantal Mouffe (2000) einerseits und von Jacques Rancière (2002) andererseits mit der Raumtheorie Henri Lefebvres (1991). Illustriert wird dies mit den Krisenprotesten in Athen zwischen 2008 und 2014 und den Aktivitäten des Blockupy-Bündnisses in Frankfurt am Main zwischen 2012 und 2015. ...
Sphingosine kinase (SK) catalyses the formation of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), which acts as a key regulator of inflammatory and fibrotic reactions, mainly via S1P receptor activation. Here, we show that in the human renal proximal tubular epithelial cell line HK2, the profibrotic mediator transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) induces SK-1 mRNA and protein expression, and in parallel, it also upregulates the expression of the fibrotic markers connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and fibronectin. Stable downregulation of SK-1 by RNAi resulted in the increased expression of CTGF, suggesting a suppressive effect of SK-1-derived intracellular S1P in the fibrotic process, which is lost when SK-1 is downregulated. In a further approach, the S1P transporter Spns2, which is known to export S1P and thereby reduces intracellular S1P levels, was stably downregulated in HK2 cells by RNAi. This treatment decreased TGFβ-induced CTGF and fibronectin expression, and it abolished the strong induction of the monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) by the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α and interleukin (IL)-1β. Moreover, it enhanced the expression of aquaporin 1, which is an important water channel that is expressed in the proximal tubules, and reverted aquaporin 1 downregulation induced by IL-1β/TNFα. On the other hand, overexpression of a Spns2-GFP construct increased S1P secretion and it resulted in enhanced TGFβ-induced CTGF expression. In summary, our data demonstrate that in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells, SK-1 downregulation accelerates an inflammatory and fibrotic reaction, whereas Spns2 downregulation has an opposite effect. We conclude that Spns2 represents a promising new target for the treatment of tubulointerstitial inflammation and fibrosis.
After publication of Blahnik and Holzenthal (2017), it was noticed that a large portion of the text had been accidentally removed from the "Phylogenetic and evolutionary comments" section during the proofing stage. The beginning of the deleted section completes the sentence on line 6 of page 129, which begins "The species included in the subgenus...". The Insecta Mundi editorial staff apologizes for this oversight. In order to provide context for the deleted excerpt, the entire "Phylogenetic and evolutionary comments" section is reproduced here, with the deleted text reincorporated. Insecta Mundi has also released a revised version of the Blahnik and Holzenthal (2017) manuscript, with this error corrected. However, the revised version is merely for convenience, and not an official peerreviewed article. Anyone wishing to reference the findings of Blahnik and Holzenthal (2017) should cite the original 2017 manuscript or this erratum. The references and figure plates cited in this section have also been reproduced here. ...
Aus einem ultranationalistischen Blickwinkel skizzierte Kuffner auf 32 Seiten und fünf beigefügten Karten die aus seiner Sicht notwendige territoriale Neuordnung Europas, die sowohl die allslawische Frage "od Šumavy až po Bajkal či Tichý Oceán" [vom Böhmerwald bis zum Baikalsee bzw. Pazifik] lösen als auch einen dauerhaften Frieden garantieren sollte. Die Hauptrolle dabei hatte er einem neu zu formierenden Staat zugedacht, dem er zwar den Namen "Čechy" (Böhmen) gab, der jedoch nicht nur die historischen Grenzen des Königreichs, sondern auch diejenigen der 1918 gegründeten ČSR deutlich überschritt. [...] Mit dieser überzogenen Denkschrift sollte Kuffer (unbeabsichtigt) einer antitschechischen Propaganda dies- und jenseits der 1919 sanktionierten Grenzen für 20 Jahre Dauermunition liefern: Binnen weniger Jahre avancierte sie zum meistzitierten tschechischen Werk im völkisch-deutschnationalen Schrifttum der 1920er und 1930er Jahre. Man glaubte in Kuffners Schrift "das heimliche Grundkonzept des tschechischen Imperialismus" aufgedeckt zu haben.
A full understanding of the origin, formation and degradation of volatile compounds that contribute to wine aroma is required before wine style can be effectively managed. Fractionation of grapes represents a convenient and robust method to simplify the grape matrix to enhance our understanding of the grape contribution to volatile compound production during yeast fermentation. In this study, acetone extracts of both Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon grape berries were fractionated and model wines produced by spiking aliquots of these grape fractions into model grape juice must and fermented. Non-targeted SPME-GCMS analyses of the wines showed that several medium chain fatty acid ethyl esters were more abundant in wines made by fermenting model musts spiked with certain fractions. Further fractionation of the non-polar fractions and fermentation of model must after addition of these fractions led to the identification of a mixture of polyunsaturated triacylglycerides that, when added to fermenting model must, increase the concentration of medium chain fatty acid ethyl esters in wines. Dosage-response fermentation studies with commercially-available trilinolein revealed that the concentration of medium chain fatty acid ethyl esters can be increased by the addition of this triacylglyceride to model musts. This work suggests that grape triacylglycerides can enhance the production of fermentation-derived ethyl esters and show that this fractionation method is effective in segregating precursors or factors involved in altering the concentration of fermentation volatiles.
Nicht erst seit den scheinbar nicht enden wollenden Grimm-Publikationsjubiläen: 2012 Erstausgabe der Kinder- und Hausmärchen (KHM), 2016 Deutsche Sagen, 2019 Deutsche Grammatik erfährt die ›Gattung Grimm‹ eine erhöhte kulturelle und wissenschaftliche Aufmerksamkeit. Sie ist quasi ein ›Dauerbrenner‹, Jahr für Jahr, allerdings unter wechselnden Perspektiven. Die Fülle kann hier nur in einer fokussierten Auswahl vorgestellt werden. Ein gemeinsames Thema der drei vorliegenden Publikationen ist das Verhältnis der Gattung zu ganz unterschiedlichen Bildwelten. Erst die Verschränkung von Text und Bild hat, so eine Sicht, ein philologisches Editionsprojekt in einen kinderliterarischen Klassiker von Weltbedeutung transformiert. ...
There is a consensus among historians that the School of Salamanca brought something new to the development of early modern European legal thinking and methodology. Francisco de Vitoria is considered, not only by modern researchers but also by his contemporaries (from Melchor Cano onward), the origin of the school and its founding figure. He is famously claimed to have introduced Thomas Aquinas’s Summa theologiae as the fundamental text for theological lectures at the University of Salamanca and so prepared the ground for the upsurge of academic activity and intellectual brilliance of late or modern scholasticism at Spanish, Portuguese, and American universities. Regardless of the differences in the assessments of the late scholastics’ political stance (whether viewed as trailblazers on the way to human rights and a modern law of nations or as conservative imperialists, whose sole intent was the perpetuation and legitimation of the Spanish rule in the Americas), Vitoria and his followers are seen as intellectual innovators, opening the restrictive traditions of medieval scholarship to the modern exigencies of a globalized world. This almost universal image has recently been called into question, with Jacob Schmutz showing that Vitoria was not quite the first to introduce Aquinas’s Summa into the teaching of Salamanca’s theological faculty, and Thomas Duve recently asking outright: Did everything actually start with Francisco de Vitoria? ...
The conquista of the Americas confronted Spanish jurists educated in the legal concepts of the European medieval tradition with a different reality, pushing them to develop modern legal concepts on the basis of the European ius commune tradition. Traditionally, the School of Salamanca, theologians and jurists centred around the Dominican Francisco de Vitoria are credited with this intellectual renovation of moral and legal thought. However, the role earlier authors played in the process is still insufficiently researched. The Castilian crown jurist Juan López de Palacios Rubios is one of the most interesting authors of the early phase in the conquest of the Americas. His treatise about the Spanish dominion in the Americas is a central text that shows how at the beginning of the 16th century the knowledge and the experiences of the European past were applied to the American present and, in the process, were shaped into modern ideas.
Transmission of temporally correlated spike trains through synapses with short-term depression
(2018)
Short-term synaptic depression, caused by depletion of releasable neurotransmitter, modulates the strength of neuronal connections in a history-dependent manner. Quantifying the statistics of synaptic transmission requires stochastic models that link probabilistic neurotransmitter release with presynaptic spike-train statistics. Common approaches are to model the presynaptic spike train as either regular or a memory-less Poisson process: few analytical results are available that describe depressing synapses when the afferent spike train has more complex, temporally correlated statistics such as bursts. Here we present a series of analytical results—from vesicle release-site occupancy statistics, via neurotransmitter release, to the post-synaptic voltage mean and variance—for depressing synapses driven by correlated presynaptic spike trains. The class of presynaptic drive considered is that fully characterised by the inter-spike-interval distribution and encompasses a broad range of models used for neuronal circuit and network analyses, such as integrate-and-fire models with a complete post-spike reset and receiving sufficiently short-time correlated drive. We further demonstrate that the derived post-synaptic voltage mean and variance allow for a simple and accurate approximation of the firing rate of the post-synaptic neuron, using the exponential integrate-and-fire model as an example. These results extend the level of biological detail included in models of synaptic transmission and will allow for the incorporation of more complex and physiologically relevant firing patterns into future studies of neuronal networks.
We propose a spatiotemporal approach for modeling risk spillovers using time-varying proximity matrices based on observable financial networks and introduce a new bilateral specification. We study covariance stationarity and identification of the model, and analyze consistency and asymptotic normality of the quasi-maximum-likelihood estimator. We show how to isolate risk channels and we discuss how to compute target exposure able to reduce system variance. An empirical analysis on Euro-area cross-country holdings shows that Italy and Ireland are key players in spreading risk, France and Portugal are the major risk receivers, and we uncover Spain's non-trivial role as risk middleman.
Ich lernte Perry Rhodan 1961 kennen, als ich an einem Zeitungskiosk das erste Heft der Serie kaufte, das mittlerweile antiquarisch hoch gehandelt wird. Ich blieb der Serie ein paar Jahre treu, erwarb später auch die Schallplatte Count down (1969) des Sängers Norman Space (d. i. Uwe Reuss) sowie das Perry Rhodan Lexikon (1971) von H. G. Ewers und H. Scheer. In den Jahren, die uns Studenten kreativ politisierten, stellten wir Kauf und Lektüre der Serie ein und sprachen von Perry Rhodan nur noch als »Space Adolf«. Nicht als naiver Rezipient, sondern als Forschender, nahm ich später die Analyse eines Hefts der Serie in meine Habilitationsschrift Aspekte der literarischen Utopie (1976) auf. Soweit der persönliche Beitrag zur Rezeption. ...
We study tetraquark resonances with lattice QCD potentials computed for two static quarks and two dynamical quarks, the Born-Oppenheimer approximation and the emergent wave method of scattering theory. As a proof of concept we focus on systems with isospin I = 0, but consider different relative angular momenta l of the heavy b quarks. We compute the phase shifts and search for S and T matrix poles in the second Riemann sheet. We predict a new tetraquark resonance for l = 1, decaying into two B mesons, with quantum numbers I(JP) = 0(1−), mass MeV and decay width MeV.
The conception of the whole as a system, that is, as a totality determined by one principle or idea, has dominated the philosophical tradition from Kant and Hegel to Marxism - and, as Louis Althusser's critique of Hegelianism shows, not without implicit social, political, and ideological consequences. The possibility of breaking with the idealist tradition in all of these respects rests on the articulation of an alternative conception of the whole. Althusser advances the notion of the social whole as a complex unity that is constituted through its own effects - what he calls "overdetermination." Such overdetermination of the whole displaces the conception of the whole as totality (Hegel) in favor of Spinoza's notion of modal unity - the whole as singularity.
Four new species of the tribe Clytrini Kirby, 1837, Labidostomis bcharrensis sp. nov. (Lebanon), Tituboea friedmani sp. nov. (Israel), Tituboea harteni sp. nov. (United Arab Emirates) and Tituboea radeki sp. nov. (Yemen, Oman), and the formerly unknown females of Labidostomis damavandensis Rapilly, 1984 and Saudiclytra wittmeri Medvedev, 1979 are described. The following new synonyms are proposed: Coptocephala coptocephaloides (Lacordaire, 1848) = Coptocephala furthi Medvedev, 1992 syn. nov., Labidostomis rufa (Waltl, 1838) = Labidostomis rufa (Lacordaire, 1848) syn. nov., Tituboea olivieri (Lacordaire, 1848) = Tituboea femoralis Medvedev, 1962 syn. nov., Saudiclytra wittmeri (Medvedev, 1979) = Saudiclytra spinifemorata Medvedev, El Torkey & Al Dhafer, 2014 syn. nov. A neotype is designated for Clythra (Tituboea) olivieri Lacordaire, 1848. Tituboea decemguttata Walker, 1871 is considered as nomen dubium. The variability of the elytral pattern of Afrophthalma arabica (Bryant, 1957) is delimited. New country records and comments on distribution of Clytrini species from the eastern Mediterranean, the Near East and the Arabian Peninsula are presented.
Background/Aims: Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is considered as a key molecule regulating various cell functions including cell growth and death. It is produced by two sphingosine kinases (SK) denoted as SK-1 and SK-2. Whereas SK-1 has been extensively studied and has been appointed a role in promoting cell growth, the function of SK-2 is controversial, and both pro-proliferative and pro-apoptotic functions have been suggested. In this study we investigated whether renal mesangial cells isolated from transgenic mice overexpressing the human Sphk2 gene (hSK2-tg) showed an altered cell response towards growth-inducing and apoptotic stimuli.
Methods: hSK2-tg mice were generated by using a Quick KnockinR strategy. Renal mesangial cells were isolated by a differential sieving method and further cultivated in vitro. Lipids were quantified by mass spectrometry. Protein expression was determined by Western blot analysis, cell proliferation was determined by 3H-thymidine incorporation, and apoptosis was determined by a DNA fragmentation ELISA.
Results: We show here that kidneys and mesangial cells from hSK2-tg mice express the hSK2 as well as the endogenous mouse mSK2. hSK2 and mSK2 predominantly resided in the cytosol of quiescent transgenic cells. However, S1P accumulated strongly in the nucleus and only minimally in the cytosol of transgenic cells. Functionally, hSK2-tg cells proliferated less than control cells under normal growth conditions and were also more sensitive towards stress-induced apoptosis. On the molecular level, this was reflected by reduced ERK and Akt/PKB activation, and upon staurosporine treatment, by a sensitized mitochondrial pathway as manifested by reduced anti-apoptotic Bcl-XL expression and increased cleavage of caspase-9, downstream caspase-3 and PARP-1.
Conclusion: Altogether, these data demonstrate that SK-2 exerts an antiproliferative and apoptosis-sensitizing effect in renal mesangial cells which suggests that selective inhibitors of SK-2 may promote proliferation and reduce apoptosis and this may have impact on the outcome of proliferation-associated diseases such as mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis.
Seit einigen Jahren ist bekannt, dass Sphingolipide nicht nur eine strukturgebende Funktion in der Plasmamembran aufweisen, sondern ebenfalls als Botenstoffe intra- und extrazellulär aktiv sind. Sphingosin-1-Phosphat (S1P) bildet dabei einen Schlüssel-Metaboliten, da es verschiedene Zellfunktionen wie Wachstum und Zelltod beeinflusst. Es wird durch zwei Isoformen der Sphingosinkinasen, SK1 und SK2, gebildet. Die SK1 wurde bereits gut untersucht und es konnte gezeigt werden, dass sie eine wichtige Rolle beim Zellwachstum einnimmt und einen entscheidender Regulator bei inflammatorischen Erkrankungen und Krebs darstellt. Über die SK2 ist soweit wenig bekannt und die Ergebnisse sind zum Teil kontrovers. Sowohl pro-proliferative als auch anti-proliferative Funktionen der SK2 wurden beschrieben. Andererseits handelt meine Arbeit von Nierenfibrose, da beschrieben wurde, dass Sphingolipide einen wichtigen Einfluss auf die Entwicklung chronischer Nierenerkrankungen nehmen. Nierenfibrose stellt das Endstadium chronischer Nierenerkrankungen dar und führt zu einer Akkumulation der Extrazellulärmatrix, Organvernarbung und zum Verlust der Nierenfunktion. Die SK1 spielt dabei eine protektive Rolle bei der Entstehung von Nierenfibrose. Deshalb sollte in dieser Arbeit die Rolle der Sk2 bei der Entstehung von Nierenfibrose untersucht werden.
Im ersten Teil meiner Arbeit wurde das Mausmodell der unilateralen Ureterobstruktion (UUO) verwendet, welches zur Entwicklung einer tubulointerstitiellen Nephritits und nachfolgender Fibrose führt. Es konnte dabei gezeigt werden, dass sowohl die Protein-Expression als auch die Aktivität der SK2 im fibrotischen Nierengewebe gesteigert wurden. Allgemein wiesen die SK2-/--Mäuse eine verminderte Fibrose in Folge des UUO auf im Vergleich zu den Wildtyp-Mäusen. Dies wurde bestätigt durch eine reduzierte Kollagenakkumulation, sowie eine verminderte Protein-Expression von Fibronektin-1, Kollagen-1, α-smooth muscle actin, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) und Plasminogen-Aktivator-Inhibitor1 (PAI-1). Diese Effekte gingen einher mit einer gesteigerten Protein-Expression des inhibitorischen Smad7 und erhöhten Sphingosin-Spiegeln in SK2-/--UUO-Nieren. Auf mechanistischer Ebene vermindern die erhöhten Sphingosin-Spiegel die durch transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) induzierte Kollagenakkumulation, die PAI-1- und CTGF-Expression, aber induzieren die Smad7-Expression in primären Nierenfibroblasten. In einem komplementären Versuch mit hSK2 tg-Mäusen wurde eine verstärkte Entstehung von Nierenfibrose mit erhöhter Kollagenakkumulation, sowie erhöhte Protein-Expressionen von Fibronektin-1, Kollagen-1, α-smooth muscle actin, CTGF und PAI-1 festgestellt. Die Smad7-Expression dagegen war vermindert.
Im zweiten Teil meiner Arbeit stand der glomeruläre Teil der Niere im Fokus und es wurde untersucht, ob die Überexpression der SK2 zu einer phänotypischen Veränderung der glomerulären Mesangiumzellen führt. Mesangiumzellen wurden dazu aus den hSK2 tg-Mäuse isoliert und charakterisiert. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass hSK2 und mSK2 in den transgenen Zellen hauptsächlich in der zytosolischen Fraktion lokalisiert sind, während S1P ausschließlich im Kern akkumulierte. Weiterhin konnte eine verminderte Proliferation unter normalen Wachstumsbedingungen der hSK2 tg-Zellen im Vergleich zu den Kontrollzellen beobachtet werden. Die Zellen reagierten auch sensitiver auf Stress-induzierte Apoptose. Auf molekularer Ebene konnte dies durch eine reduzierte ERK- und Akt/PKB-Aktivierung erklärt werden. Nach Staurosporin-Behandlung wurde Apoptose durch den intrinsischen, mitochondrialen Apoptosesignalweg induziert. Dabei konnte eine reduzierte anti-apoptotische Bcl-xL-Expression und vermehrte Prozessierung von Caspase-9 und Caspase-3 und PARP beobachtet werden.
Zusammenfassend konnte in dieser Arbeit gezeigt werden, dass eine verminderte tubulointerstitielle Fibrose-Entstehung durch die Deletion der SK2, sowie anti-proliferative und Apoptose-induzierende Effekte durch die SK2 in Mesangiumzellen nachgewiesen werden konnten. Somit könnten SK2-Inhibitoren die Entstehung tubulointerstitieller Fibrose und mit Proliferation assoziierte Erkrankungen wie mesangioproliferative Glomerulonephritis positiv beeinflussen.
"Prognosen sind schwierig, besonders, wenn sie die Zukunft betreffen", sagt ein geflügeltes Wort. Die letzte Finanzkrise ist dafür ein gutes Beispiel, denn die wenigsten Analysten und Wirtschaftsweisen haben sie kommen sehen. Da Finanzkrisen glücklicherweise selten sind, ist es allerdings schwierig, Modelle zu entwickeln, die rechtzeitig vor einem Crash warnen.
Die forensische Entomologie nutzt nekrophage Insekten, hauptsächlich Dipteren und ihre juvenilen Stadien, zur Schätzung der minimalen Leichenliegezeit. Dem liegt zugrunde, dass nekrophage Dipteren binnen Minuten nach dem Todeseintritt potentiell in der Lage sind, einen Leichnam zu detektieren und zu besiedeln. Das anschließende Wachstum und die Entwicklung der juvenilen Stadien erfolgt als Funktion von der Art und der Umgebungstemperatur.
Mit Hilfe von Laborstudien konnten bislang für einige forensisch relevante Fliegenarten Entwicklungsdaten erhoben werden, die eine Altersbestimmung der sich an einem Leichnam entwickelnden Larven und Puppen erlauben und so eine Schätzung der minimalen Leichenliegezeit ermöglichen. Als Nährsubstrat für Laborstudien werden tierische Gewebe verwendet. Eine Übertragbarkeit der Daten auf humanes Gewebe wurde aber bislang nicht verifiziert. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde das larvale Wachstum und die juvenile Entwicklungsgeschwindigkeit der forensisch relevanten Schmeißfliege Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) auf humanem Muskelgewebe untersucht und mit dem Wachstum auf Schweineleber, magerem Schweinemuskelfleisch und Schweinehackfleisch verglichen. Die auf humanem Gewebe heranwachsenden Individuen waren mit bis zu 3,5 mm signifikant länger als die Individuen, die sich auf Leber und dem mageren Schweinemuskelfleisch entwickelten. Bei der Verwendung von Hackfleisch vom Schwein zeigte sich kein Unterschied. Darauf basierend wird die Empfehlung ausgesprochen, für zukünftige Entwicklungsstudien Schweinehackfleisch als Ersatz für humanes Gewebe zu verwenden.
Zahlreiche Anleitungen zur Asservierung forensisch-entomologischer Spuren empfehlen das Sammeln getrennt nach Körperregionen eines Leichnams. Dies soll eine mögliche gewebespezifische Entwicklungsrate berücksichtigen. Das für die vorliegende Arbeit durchgeführte systematische Absammeln von Fliegenlarven von 51 Leichnamen getrennt nach Körperregionen zeigte keine artspezifischen Präferenzen für bestimmte Gewebe oder Körperregionen. Das Artenspektrum entsprach größtenteils dem aufgrund von Studien an Schweinekadavern zu erwartendem Artenspektrum für Deutschland und Mitteleuropa. Insgesamt konnten 15 Schmeißfliegenarten nachgewiesen werden, von denen in der Regel mehrere gleichzeitig an einem Leichnam zu finden waren. Dies zeigt, dass ein Faktor wie interspezifische Konkurrenz in Zukunft mehr Beachtung in der Forschung erhalten sollte.
Bislang wurde in der forensischen Entomologie die minimale Leichenliegezeit durch die Untersuchung juveniler Stadien von Fliegen eingegrenzt. Eine eventuell mögliche Ausweitung dieses Zeitfensters könnte durch eine Altersbestimmung der adulten Fliegen oder der leeren Puparien gelingen. Der Nachweis, dass die dafür untersuchten Fliegen bzw. Puparien tatsächlich von dem fraglichen Leichnam stammen, war bislang nicht möglich. Die forensische relevante Schmeißfliege Lucilia sericata wurde in der vorliegenden Arbeit auf humanem Gewebe und Gewebe von elf weiteren Tierarten großgezogen. Durch die Analyse stabiler Kohlen- und Stickstoffisotope konnte ein von diesen elf Tierarten abgrenzbares humanes Isotopenprofil sowohl für die adulten Fliegen von L. sericata, als auch für ihre leeren Puparien detektiert werden. Dieses Profil spiegelte die Nahrungszusammensetzung der Wirte wider.
Die vorliegende Arbeit erhebt Daten zur Entwicklung einer forensisch relevanten Schmeißfliegenart auf humanem Gewebe, belegt das bislang lediglich am tierischen Modell erhobene Schmeißfliegeninventar als für menschliche Leichen relevant und hinterfragt die gewebespezifische Asservierungsempfehlung als ein akademisches Artefakt. Auf dieser Basis konnten Empfehlungen für die Weiterzucht fallrelevanter entomologischer Spuren ausgesprochen werden, die gerichtsverwertbar sind und die Verwendung von tierischem Gewebe oder Tierkadaver in der forensisch-entomologischen Forschung legitimieren. Die Analyse stabiler Isotope legt darüber hinaus einen neuen, innovativen Grundstein für die routinemäßige Spurenzuordnung älterer Entwicklungsstadien und ist damit Vorreiter auf dem Gebiet der forensischen Entomologie.
Background: Most smokers start smoking during their early adolescence, often with the idea that smoking is glamorous. Interventions that harness the broad availability of mobile phones as well as adolescents' interest in their appearance may be a novel way to improve school-based prevention. A recent study conducted in Germany showed promising results. However, the transfer to other cultural contexts, effects on different genders, and implementability remains unknown.
Objective: In this observational study, we aimed to test the perception and implementability of facial-aging apps to prevent smoking in secondary schools in Brazil in accordance with the theory of planned behavior and with respect to different genders.
Methods: We used a free facial-aging mobile phone app ("Smokerface") in three Brazilian secondary schools via a novel method called mirroring. The students’ altered three-dimensional selfies on mobile phones or tablets and images were "mirrored" via a projector in front of their whole grade. Using an anonymous questionnaire, we then measured on a 5-point Likert scale the perceptions of the intervention among 306 Brazilian secondary school students of both genders in the seventh grade (average age 12.97 years). A second questionnaire captured perceptions of medical students who conducted the intervention and its conduction per protocol.
Results: The majority of students perceived the intervention as fun (304/306, 99.3%), claimed the intervention motivated them not to smoke (289/306, 94.4%), and stated that they learned new benefits of not smoking (300/306, 98.0%). Only a minority of students disagreed or fully disagreed that they learned new benefits of nonsmoking (4/306, 1.3%) or that they themselves were motivated not to smoke (5/306, 1.6%). All of the protocol was delivered by volunteer medical students.
Conclusions: Our data indicate the potential for facial-aging interventions to reduce smoking prevalence in Brazilian secondary schools in accordance with the theory of planned behavior. Volunteer medical students enjoyed the intervention and are capable of complete implementation per protocol.
A tale of one exchange and two order books : effects of fragmentation in the absence of competition
(2018)
Exchanges nowadays routinely operate multiple, almost identically structured limit order markets for the same security. We study the effects of such fragmentation on market performance using a dynamic model where agents trade strategically across two identically-organized limit order books. We show that fragmented markets, in equilibrium, offer higher welfare to intermediaries at the expense of investors with intrinsic trading motives, and lower liquidity than consolidated markets. Consistent with our theory, we document improvements in liquidity and lower profits for liquidity providers when Euronext, in 2009, consolidated its order ow for stocks traded across two country-specific and identically-organized order books into a single order book. Our results suggest that competition in market design, not fragmentation, drives previously documented improvements in market quality when new trading venues emerge; in the absence of such competition, market fragmentation is harmful.
In optogenetics, rhodopsins were established as light-driven tools to manipulate neuronal activity. However, during long-term photostimulation using channelrhodopsin (ChR), desensitization can reduce effects. Furthermore, requirement for continuous presence of the chromophore all-trans retinal (ATR) in model systems lacking sufficient endogenous concentrations limits its applicability. We tested known, and engineered and characterized new variants of de- and hyperpolarizing rhodopsins in Caenorhabditis elegans. ChR2 variants combined previously described point mutations that may synergize to enable prolonged stimulation. Following brief light pulses ChR2(C128S;H134R) induced muscle activation for minutes or even for hours (‘Quint’: ChR2(C128S;L132C;H134R;D156A;T159C)), thus featuring longer open state lifetime than previously described variants. Furthermore, stability after ATR removal was increased compared to the step-function opsin ChR2(C128S). The double mutants C128S;H134R and H134R;D156C enabled increased effects during repetitive stimulation. We also tested new hyperpolarizers (ACR1, ACR2, ACR1(C102A), ZipACR). Particularly ACR1 and ACR2 showed strong effects in behavioral assays and very large currents with fast kinetics. In sum, we introduce highly light-sensitive optogenetic tools, bypassing previous shortcomings, and thus constituting new tools that feature high effectiveness and fast kinetics, allowing better repetitive stimulation or investigating prolonged neuronal activity states in C. elegans and, possibly, other systems.
Luftmenschen
(2018)
Wörter können zweifach bewegt werden: wie Erbschaften in der Zeit und wie Güter im Raum. Sie gedeihen nicht nur in ihrer eigenen Sprache, sondern auch in anderen, vor allem dann, wenn dort im Mündlichen oder in der Schriftsprache eine Art Bezeichnungs-"Vakuum" besteht: Wo immer sie dringend benötigt werden, dort haben sie potentiell auch Platz. Die Bewegung selbst erfolgt zuerst mit den Sprechern, und mit diesen bleiben Worte auch im Gebrauch lebendig; gehen sie dann in die Umgangs- oder sogar Hochsprache ein, weitet sich ihr linguistischer Einfluss aus, sie werden beständiger, erscheinen fest verknüpft mit ihrer neuen Umgebung. Mitunter ist dann ihre Herkunft im Rückblick nicht mehr so ohne weiteres zu eruieren. Trotzdem bleiben solche Begriffe Indikatoren für ein Milieu, das zu einer anderen Zeit an einem anderen Ort bestand und das ihnen ihre erste Ursprünglichkeit eingeschrieben hat. Die deutschen Lehnwörter im Hebräischen sind hierfür ein gutes Beispiel.
Considering the circumstance that literature dealing with the economic performance of agri-food businesses in general, or particularly with the German agricultural sector, mainly deals with strictly agricultural-related theory in order to explain the economic success of agri-food businesses, the present paper aims to extend existing discourses to further areas of thought. Consequently, the characteristics: a) increased size of agribusiness, b) pull-strategies, c) the development of new markets and d) focus on the processing industry, that all correspond to the current picture of the German agricultural sector and are considered to be significantly responsible for recently managing to outpace the French agri-food sector, will be first explained in their success against the background of mainly non-agricultural-related literature. By doing so helpful and rather unnoted perspectives can be contributed to existing discourses. Second, the paper presents scatter plots which portray correlations between a) the added value of agriculture and the regular labor force, b) the added value of agriculture and the number of agricultural holdings and c) the added value of agriculture and the number of enterprises concerning milk consumption. Corresponding scatter plots which show different developments in Germany and France can be related to the findings of the first part of the paper and allow new perspectives in existing discourses as well.
In this paper a study concerning the situation of the islamic headscarf in Germany is presented. This study relies on an analysis of the information from the mass media and from the laws issued after the debates related to this subject.
Der Band untersucht die Ursachen, Ausprägungen und Reaktionen auf die Entstehung bzw. Erstarkung populistischer Parteien und Bewegungen in Deutschland und Ostmitteleuropa.
Inhaltsverzeichnis:
Arthur Benz: Populismus als Herausforderung für Wissenschaft und Praxis - Einleitung
Dirk Jörke: Populismus – Ursachen und falsche Antworten
Michael Edinger: Mobilisierung gegen das Establishment. Zu einem Wesensmerkmal populistischer Strömungen
Claudia Landwehr und Nils D. Steiner: Populismus – eine Nachfrageperspektive
Joachim Klose: Ein Land, zwei Perspektiven? Zum Populismusin Ost- und Westdeutschland
Petra Guasti und Lenka Buštíková: Populismus in Ostmitteleuropa und der Verzicht auf Politik
Previous research on scalar implicature has primarily relied on metalinguistic judgment tasks and found varying rates of such inferences depending on the nature of the task and contextual manipulations. This paper introduces a novel interactive paradigm involving both a production and a comprehension component, thereby fixing a precise conversational context.
The main research question is what is reliably communicated by some in this communicative setting, when the quantifier occurs in unembedded positions as well as embedded positions. Our new paradigm involves an action-based task from which participants’ interpretation of utterances can be inferred. It incorporates a game–theoretic design, including a precise model to predict participants’ behaviour in the experimental context.
Our study shows that embedded and unembedded implicatures are reliably communicated by some. We propose two cognitive principles which describe what can be left unsaid. In our experimental context, a production strategy based on these principles is more efficient (with equal communicative success and shorter utterances) than a strategy based on literal descriptions.
In recent years, experimental research has demontrated great variability in the rates of scalar inferences across different triggering expressions (Doran et al. 2009, 2012, van Tiel et al. 2016). These studies have been taken as evidence against the so-called uniformity assumption, which posits that scalar implicature is triggered by a single mechanism and that the behaviour of one scale should generalize to the whole family of scales. In the following, we present an experimental study that tests negative strengthening for a variety of strong scalar terms, following up on van Tiel et al. (2016). For example, we tested whether the statement John is not brilliant is strengthened to mean that John is not intelligent (see especially Horn 1989). We show that endorsement rates of the scalar implicature (e.g., John is intelligent but not brilliant) are anti-correlated with endorsements of negative strengthening. Further, we demonstrate that a modified version of the uniformity hypothesis taking into account negative strengthening is consistent with van Tiel et al.’s data. Therefore, variation across scales may be more systematic than suggested by the van Tiel et al. study.
"Sozialwissenschaftlich aufschlussreich sind für mich nicht Zustände, sondern Verläufe – oder Zustände nur im Zusammenhang von Verläufen. Theorien, die Strukturen oder Ereignisse als freistehende Unikate in einem feststehenden Ereignis- und Möglichkeitsraum behandeln, können fundamental in die Irre führen. Alles Soziale spielt sich in der Zeit ab, entfaltet sich mit der Zeit und wird in und mit ihr sich selber ähnlicher. Was wir heute sehen, können wir nur verstehen, wenn wir wissen, wie es gestern ausgesehen hat und auf welchem Weg es sich befindet. Alles, was vorfindlich ist, ist immer auf einem Entwicklungspfad unterwegs. Auf diesen kommt es entscheidend an." ...
Background: The present study aims to elucidate the state of gender equality in high-quality research by analyzing the representation of female authorships in the last decade (from 2008 to 2016).
Methods: Based on the Gendermetrics platform, 293,557 research articles from 54 journals listed in the Nature Index were considered covering the categories Life Science, Multidisciplinary, Earth & Environmental and Chemistry. The core method was the combined analysis of the proportion of female authorships and the female-to-male odds ratio for first, co- and last authorships. The distribution of prestigious authorships was measured by the Prestige Index.
Results: 29.8% of all authorships and 33.1% of the first, 31.8% of the co- and 18.1% of the last authorships were held by women. The corresponding female-to-male odds ratio is 1.19 (CI: 1.18–1.20) for first, 1.35 (CI: 1.34–1.36) for co- and 0.47 (CI: 0.46–0.48) for last authorships. Women are underrepresented at prestigious authorships compared to men (Prestige Index = -0.42). The underrepresentation accentuates in highly competitive articles attracting the highest citation rates, namely, articles with many authors and articles that were published in highest-impact journals. More specifically, a large negative correlation between the 5-Year-Impact-Factor of a journal and the female representation at prestigious authorships was revealed (r(52) = -.63, P < .001). Women publish fewer articles compared to men (39.0% female authors are responsible for 29.8% of all authorships) and are underrepresented at productivity levels of more than 2 articles per author. Articles with female key authors are less frequently cited than articles with male key authors. The gender-specific differences in citation rates increase the more authors contribute to an article. Distinct differences at the journal, journal category, continent and country level were revealed. The prognosis for the next decades forecast a very slow harmonization of authorships odds between the two genders.
Objective: The present study aims to elucidate the state of gender equality in high-quality dermatological research by analysing the representation of female authorships from January 2008 to May 2017.
Design: Retrospective, descriptive study.
Setting: 113 189 male and female authorships from 23 373 research articles published in 23 dermatological Q1 journals were analysed with the aid of the Gendermetrics Platform.
Results: 43.0% of all authorships and 50.2% of the firstauthorships, 43.7% of the coauthorships and 33.1% of the last authorships are held by women. The corresponding female-to-male ORs are 1.41 (95% CI 1.37 to 1.45) for first authorships, 1.07 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.10) for coauthorships and 0.60 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.62) for last authorships. The annual growth rates are 1.74% overall and 1.45% for first authorships, 1.53% for coauthorships and 2.97% for last authorships. Women are slightly under-represented at prestigious authorships compared with men (Prestige Index=−0.11). The under-representation remains stable in highly competitive articles attracting the highest citation rates, namely, articles with many authors and articles that were published in highest-impact journals. Multiauthor articles with male key authors are only slightly more frequently cited than those with female key authors. Women publish slightly fewer papers compared with men (47.2% women hold 43.0% of the authorships). At the level of individual journals, there is a high degree of uniformity in gender-specific authorship odds. By contrast, distinct differences at country level were revealed. The prognosis for the next decades forecasts a consecutive harmonisation of authorship odds between the two genders.
Conclusions: In high-quality dermatological research, the integration of female scholars is advanced as compared with other medical disciplines. A gender gap consists mainly in the form of a career dichotomy, with many female early career researchers and few women in academic leadership positions. However, this gender gap has been narrowed in the last decade and will likely be further reduced in the future.
Subduction zone magmas are more oxidised on eruption than those at mid-ocean ridges. This is attributed either to oxidising components, derived from subducted lithosphere (slab) and added to the mantle wedge, or to oxidation processes occurring during magma ascent via differentiation. Here we provide direct evidence for contributions of oxidising slab agents to melts trapped in the sub-arc mantle. Measurements of sulfur (S) valence state in sub-arc mantle peridotites identify sulfate, both as crystalline anhydrite (CaSO4) and dissolved SO42− in spinel-hosted glass (formerly melt) inclusions. Copper-rich sulfide precipitates in the inclusions and increased Fe3+/∑Fe in spinel record a S6+–Fe2+ redox coupling during melt percolation through the sub-arc mantle. Sulfate-rich glass inclusions exhibit high U/Th, Pb/Ce, Sr/Nd and δ34S (+ 7 to + 11‰), indicating the involvement of dehydration products of serpentinised slab rocks in their parental melt sources. These observations provide a link between liberated slab components and oxidised arc magmas.
Alternative Questions with "or not" (NAQ) convey a cornering effect, which is not found with they polar counterparts (PQ). This effect has been claimed to consist of two parts (Biezma 2009): NAQs (i) cannot be used discourse-initially and (ii) they do not license followup questions/subquestions.
In this paper, we ask the following: Are both parts of cornering linked to the same property of NAQs? Or do they reflect distinct linguistic phenomena? We explore the issue by comparing the behavior of NAQs to Complement Alternative Questions (CAQ), a type of question that, like NAQs, presents logically opposite alternatives but, unlike NAQs, fully spells out the second one. Results from two experiments suggest that both parts of cornering can instead be explained in terms of independent semantic and pragmatic principles, which operate beyond the domain of alternative questions.
Sentences containing subjective predicates - e.g., "The movie was awesome"” - are intuitively anchored to a particular perspective; this makes them different from sentences describing objective facts - e.g., "The movie was set in 1995".
While authors have long debated on whether this intuition tracks a lexical distinction between subjective and factual predicates, much remains to be explored on whether, and how, the difference between these two assertions is reflected at the illocutionary level. Relying on evidence from two experiments, we show that assertions containing subjective predicates display different discourse behavior from objective assertions. We take these findings to support the idea that SAs should be assigned a special illocutionary profile, unveiling a genuine empirical difference between subjective and factual speech.
This paper analyses whether the post-crisis regulatory reforms developed by global-standard-setting bodies have created appropriate incentives for different types of market participants to centrally clear Over-The-Counter (OTC) derivative contracts. Beyond documenting the observed facts, we analyze four main drivers for the decision to clear: 1) the liquidity and riskiness of the reference entity; 2) the credit risk of the counterparty; 3) the clearing member’s portfolio net exposure with the Central Counterparty Clearing House (CCP) and 4) post trade transparency. We use confidential European trade repository data on single-name Sovereign Credit Derivative Swap (CDS) transactions, and show that for all the transactions reported in 2016 on Italian, German and French Sovereign CDS 48% were centrally cleared, 42% were not cleared despite being eligible for central clearing, while 9% of the contracts were not clearable because they did not satisfy certain CCP clearing criteria. However, there is a large difference between CCP clearing members that clear about 53% of their transactions and non-clearing members, even those that are subject to counterparty risk capital requirements, that almost never clear their trades. Moreover, we find that diverse factors explain clearing members’ decision to clear different CDS contracts: for Italian CDS, counterparty credit risk exposures matter most for the decision to clear, while for French and German CDS, margin costs are the most important factor for the decision. Clearing members use clearing to reduce their exposures to the CCP and largely clear contracts when at least one of the traders has a high counterparty credit risk.
In December 1965, in a smoke-filled hotel room in Morocco, South African journalist Terry Bell accepted a challenge: to paddle a kayak from London to Tangier. At the time, Terry and his wife Barbara were living as political exiles in London. By August 1967, they agreed it was time to get back to Africa. But they decided to up the ante. Their plan: paddle 11 000 kilometres from England to Dar es Salaam in a 5-metre glass fibre kayak.
A rare flowering event in a stand of Acacia pendula (Weeping Myall) (family Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) from the Hunter Valley of New South Wales is documented. This species flowers poorly in the region and (with the exception of horticultural specimens) has not been observed to fruit and develop viable seed for over a decade. One stand of this threatened Hunter Valley population of Acacia pendula was monitored over a seven month period (January to July 2018) to investigate this poor reproductive output. Despite copious bud production in January and February, the extent and condition of these, and all subsequent flowers rapidly declined, and none progressed to fruit.
Primary reasons for reproductive failure were postulated to be a combination of mass desiccation of capitula following extended dry conditions, infestation by native flower- and phyllode-galling midges and thrips (Asphondylia sp., Dasineura glomerata, Kladothrips rugosus), fungal galls (Uromycladium sp.), caterpillars (Ochrogaster lunifer), and mistletoe (Amyema quandang). Collectively, these stressors appear to be eliminating seed production from the study
population; survival is maintained only by the copious root-suckering observed around most plants, particularly after the pressure from stock grazing (cattle, sheep) has been removed. The age of trees studied, based on measures of girth and comparison with growth rates reported for other semi-arid Acacia, was inferred to be between 50 and 150 years. The level of Amyema quandang (mistletoe) infestation on Acacia trees was independent of tree size, and there was no evidence to suggest that mistletoe density alone influenced flowering progress.
Consequences of these observations on future management of Acacia pendula in the Hunter Valley are briefly discussed.
In this article, we profile an empirically grounded, cognitive approach to immersion in digital fiction by combining text-driven stylistic analysis with insights from theories of cognition and reader-response research. We offer a new analytical method for immersive features in digital fiction by developing deictic shift theory for the affordances of digital media. We also provide empirically substantiated insights to show how immersion is experienced cognitively by using Andy Campbell and Judi Alston’s (2015) digital fiction piece WALLPAPER as a case study. We add ‘interactional deixis’ and ‘audible deixis’ to Stockwell’s (2002) model to account for the multimodal nature of immersion in digital fiction. We also show how extra-textual features can contribute to immersion and thus propose that they should be accounted for when analysing immersion across media. We conclude that the analytical framework and reader response protocol that we develop here can be adapted for application to texts across media.
Summary statement When echolocating under demanding conditions e.g. noisy, narrow space, or cluttered environments, frugivorous bats adapt their call pattern by increasing the call rate within biosonar groups.
Abstract For orientation, echolocating bats emit biosonar calls and use echoes arising from call reflections. They often pattern their calls into groups which increases the rate of sensory feedback over time. Insectivorous bats emit call groups at a higher rate when orienting in cluttered compared to uncluttered environments. Frugivorous bats increase the rate of call group emission when they echolocate in noisy environments. Here, calls emitted by conspecifics potentially interfere with the bat’s biosonar signals and complicate the echolocation behavior. To minimize the information loss followed by signal interference, bats may profit from a temporally increased sensory acquisition rate, as it is the case for the call groups. In frugivorous bats, it remains unclear if call group emission represents an exclusive adaptation to avoid interference by signals from other bats or if it represents an adaptation that allows to orient under demanding environmental conditions. Here, we compared the emission pattern of the frugivorous bat Carollia perspicillata when the bats were flying in noisy versus silent, narrow versus wide or cluttered versus non-cluttered corridors. According to our results, the bats emitted larger call groups and they increased the call rate within the call groups when navigating in narrow, cluttered, or noisy environments. Thus, call group emission represents an adaptive behavior when the bats orient in complex environments.
Strong convergence rates for numerical approximations of stochastic partial differential equations
(2018)
In this thesis and in the research articles which this thesis consists of, respectively, we focus on strong convergence rates for numerical approximations of stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs). In Part I of this thesis, i.e., Chapter 2 and Chapter 3, we study higher order numerical schemes for SPDEs with multiplicative trace class noise based on suitable Taylor expansions of the Lipschitz continuous coefficients of the SPDEs under consideration. More precisely, Chapter 2 proves strong convergence rates for a linear implicit Euler-Milstein scheme for SPDEs and is based on an unpublished manuscript written by the author of this thesis. This chapter extends an earlier result1 by slightly lowering the assumptions posed on the diffusion coefficient and a different approximation of the semigroup. In Chapter 3 we introduce an exponential Wagner-Platen type numerical scheme for SPDEs and prove that this numerical approximation method converges in the strong sense with oder up to 3/2−. Moreover, we illustrate how the (mixed) iterated stochastic-deterministic integrals, that are part of our numerical scheme, can be simulated exactly under suitable assumptions.
The second part of this thesis, i.e. Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, is devoted to strong convergence rates for numerical approximations of SPDEs with superlinearly growing nonlinearities driven by additive space-time white noise. More specifically, in Chapter 4, we prove strong convergence with rate in the time variable for a class of nonlinearity-truncated numerical approximation schemes for SPDEs and provide examples that fit into our abstract setting like stochastic Allen-Cahn equations. Finally, in Chapter 5, we extend this result with spatial approximations and establish strong convergence rates for a class of full-discrete nonlinearity truncated numerical approximation schemes for SPDEs. Moreover, we apply our strong convergence result to stochastic Allen-Cahn equations and provide lower and upper bounds which show that our strong convergence result can, in general, not essentially be improved.
"... et quod hodie exemplis tuemur, inter exempla erit." Mit diesen Worten beendete der römische Historiograph Publius Cornelius Tacitus die von ihm konzipierte Version der Gallierrede aus dem Jahr 48 n. Chr., die er dem römischen Princeps Claudius in den Mund gelegt hatte. Tacitus griff hier mit den Exempla der Vorfahren ein wichtiges Argument der konservativen römischen Nobilität auf, durch das diese ihr Handeln häufig legitimierte, und ließ es seinen Claudius dafür nutzen, um die Aufnahme von gallischen Notabeln, also eine auf den ersten Blick noch nie dagewesene Neuerung, zu rechtfertigen. Dazu wählte er beispielhafte Episoden aus der römischen Geschichte, die verdeutlichten, dass die Vorfahren selbst ebenfalls Neuerungen zugelassen hatten, die sich im Nachhinein als sehr wichtig für die römischen Erfolge herausgestellt hatten. Damit widersprächen Neuerungen folglich nicht dem mos maiorum, dem für das römische Moralverständnis grundlegenden Wertekanon, sondern seien vielmehr integraler Bestandteil desselben. ...
UNDERSTANDING HOW HOUSEHOLDS REACT TO THE ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT AND TRANSITORY INCOME IS OF INTEREST FOR RESEARCHERS AND REGULATORS. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAD TO USE IMPRECISE SURVEY DATA TO MEASURE CONSUMPTION AND THUS CONCLUSIONS OFTEN DIVERGED. WE LEVERAGE GRANULAR PERSONAL FINANCE MANAGEMENT FINTECH DATA TO TEST FRIEDMAN'S PERMANENT INCOME HYPOTHESIS AND TO ASSESS HOUSEHOLD SPENDING ELASTICITY AND MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO CONSUME FOR VARIOUS SPENDING CATEGORIES IN RESPONSE TO DIFFERENT INCOME TYPES.
Cultural psychology assumes that the ecocultural conditions of a particular setting shape children’s pathways, resulting in multiple adaptive solutions to universal developmental tasks. While the adaptivity of attachment and children’s psychosocial development during the early years has been thoroughly investigated, attachment research during middle childhood continues to reflect Western ideals of family. Adhering to ideas of monotropy, most studies only focus on parental attachment figures. However, this restricted empirical perspective does not only result in a Eurocentric bias, it also neglects theoretical reflections on the growing complexity of attachment during middle childhood, thus only considering a limited selection of all individuals contributing to the children’s feeling of security, even in Western settings. To investigate the variability and adaptivity of attachment during middle childhood, this study assessed children’s attachment figures in two extreme settings of development, introducing an exhaustive network perspective on attachment during this developmental stage. Children of the Cameroonian Nseh (N = 11) and German children from Bad Nauheim (N = 11) identified and differentiated all individuals contributing to their attachment need in an exploratory and transdisciplinary approach. The socio-structural composition of children’s attachment networks follows the context-specific systems of care and concepts of interconnectedness and the ecological features of each setting, resulting in marked differences between both contexts. The functional composition, however, reflects children’s preoccupation with similar developmental challenges across settings. Same-aged peers contribute to the children’s feeling of safety in both settings, thereby deviating from previous reflections on their subordinate relevance during middle childhood. Overall, these results support the adaptiveness of children’s attachment patterns while also demonstrating universal trends across contexts. They highlight the collective nature of attachment during middle childhood that exceeds the impact of individual dyads. Thus, broad and context-sensitive research strategies become a necessary addition to attachment research in order to generate an exhaustive understanding for children’s development across cultural contexts.
Using photo elicitation to introduce a network perspective on attachment during middle childhood
(2018)
In this article, we develop a child-centered network approach to attachment during middle childhood. Following monotropic ideas, current attachment research focuses on parental attachment figures despite the expansion of the children’s social environment during middle childhood, failing to generate a comprehensive and structured overview of all individuals who ensure the children’s feeling of safety. Relying on quantitative methods, these studies are also dominated by an adult perspective, limiting the children’s contributions. While there have been theoretical drafts of attachment networks during childhood, this article constitutes the first practical implementation. Using photo elicitation interviews and participant observations, we developed an innovative assessment strategy that allows children to exhaustively identify and characterize all their attachment figures on sociostructural and functional dimensions, thus positioning the children at the center of their comprehensive attachment networks that collectively contribute to their feeling of security. We combine qualitative and quantitative data to assess the children’s own understanding of their feeling of security and to locate the individual attachment figure on context-specific social dimensions, thus making the research setting, a clan in Cameroon, an inherent part of the methodological development. The data are translated into multidimensional network diagrams to visualize the children’s perception of their attachment environment and the emerging patterns of their selection. We present an exemplary network, supplementing it with observational data to discuss the ecological validity of our approach.
Bindung bildet in der Erforschung langfristiger psychosozialer Entwicklung ein zentrales Konstrukt. In Bezug auf die Phase der mittleren Kindheit liegt dabei jedoch oft eine eingeschränkte Forschungsperspektive vor: dem Konzept der Monotropie folgend, wird trotz des wachsenden sozialen Umfelds allein Eltern eine besondere Aufmerksamkeit in ihrer Rolle als Bindungsfiguren zugeordnet. Zudem fehlen Studien jenseits westlich-europäischer Entwicklungsverläufe. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die explorative Erforschung der transkulturellen Spannbreite und der kontextspezifischen Adaptivität in der Auswahl und Funktionalität von Bindungsfiguren der mittleren Kindheit. Dazu werden Daten in zwei ökokulturell gegensätzlichen Settings erhoben, um kontextspezifische und globale Trends betrachten zu können.
Zunächst erfolgt eine ethnologische Annäherung an die frühste Kindheit im kamerunischen Setting der Nseh entlang des Tragetuchs als zentralem Care-Objekt. Diese offenbart eine symbiotische Beziehungsgestaltung, aber auch strenge Regeln des Aufbaus und der Abgrenzung im geteilten Care-System.
Anschließend wird eine methodische Strategie zur Erforschung der mittleren Kindheit entwickelt, die eine Netzwerkperspektive beinhaltet und der kindlichen Wahrnehmung folgt. Dabei werden teilnehmende Beobachtungen mit Photo Elicitation Interviews verbunden, um das vollständige Kollektiv der Bindungsfiguren zu identifizieren und in ihren soziostrukturellen und funktionellen Eigenschaften zu charakterisieren. Indem das Setting zum inhärenten Teil der Datenerhebung wird, werden dabei adaptive Prozesse zugänglich.
In Umsetzungen dieser kontextualisierend explorativen Strategie bei den kamerunischen Nseh und im deutschen Bad Nauheim werden die Bindungsnetzwerke der mittleren Kindheit erfasst und in ihrer Adaptivität diskutiert. Der Kontrastvergleich offenbart, dass die Kinder der Nseh im Vergleich zu den Kindern aus Bad Nauheim in der Altersstruktur vielfältigere, räumlich enger begrenzte und zeitlich stabilere Netzwerke beschreiben. In beiden Settings identifizieren die Kinder eine Aufteilung der inhaltlich-funktionelle Verantwortlichkeiten, die bei den Nseh gemäß den Altersgruppen verläuft.
Insgesamt zeichnet sich für die mittlere Kindheit ein komplexes Bindungsumfeld ab. Dabei verbinden sich settingspezifische Kindheitsbedingungen mit globalen Entwicklungsthemen. Das mehrdimensionale kindliche Sicherheitsgefühl kann auf die Wirkung eines Kollektivs an Bindungsfiguren zurückgeführt werden, zu dem kontextunabhängig in einem bedeutsamen Ausmaß auch Peers gehören.
It is shown that the description of a relativistic fluid at local thermodynamic equilibrium depends on the particular quantum stress-energy tensor operator chosen, e.g., the canonical or symmetrized Belinfante stress-energy tensor. We argue that the Belinfante tensor is not appropriate to describe a relativistic fluid whose macroscopic polarization relaxes slowly to thermodynamic equilibrium and that a spin tensor, like the canonical spin tensor, is required. As a consequence, the description of a polarized relativistic fluid involves an extension of relativistic hydrodynamics including a new antisymmetric rank-two tensor as a dynamical field. We show that the canonical and Belinfante tensors lead to different predictions for measurable quantities such as spectrum and polarization of particles produced in relativistic heavy-ion collisions.
The aim of this study is to trace back the translator of "Reinhold Lubenau Seyahatnamesi [Osmanlı Ülkesinde, 1587-1589]" and focus on her translation approach through paratexts. The traveller portrays the Muslim 'other' whom he met in the Ottoman Empire where he spent his time between the years 1587-1589, when the Ottoman Empire had the power and Islam was being perceived as a threat to them versus his own culture which he belonged to as a Prussian Protestant. The translation of this itinerary is available to Turkish readers after approximately 400 years in 2012. What makes this translation interesting is the translation of a source text, in which the target culture was being portrayed from the perspective of the 'other', into a target language. How was this 'foreign' perspective constructed by the traveler translated and reflected in the paratext? What was the approach of the translator against the challenges he encountered during the translation process? Answers to these questions among many others were being searched through an examination of paratexts. In addition, it was also discussed whether the author moved to the reader or the reader moved to the author. Paratexts encourage reading and direct the reception (Genette 2016). In this study, book covers, names, titles, genre, graphics illustration and footnotes were examined. Translator footnotes, which were provided by the translator in order to make the text clear, were classified in order to underline the functions of these footnotes. Translator footnotes are the tools, which make translators visible and help them to raise their voices in the texts. In peritexts, translator can provide extra information to the readers, explain and justify his/her translation decisions.
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
Rolf Schneider gehörte zu jenen DDR-Schriftstellern, deren Romane um 1970 überwiegend in der Bundesrepublik herauskamen. Auch war er Teil der Gruppe von Autoren, die von 1978 bis 1981 langfristige Visa erhielten und zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschland hin- und herpendelten. Es ist anzunehmen, dass der Umstand, gleichsam zwischen den Stühlen zu sitzen, Schneiders Autorschaft in hohem Maß bedingte. Damit ist zugleich die Frage aufgeworfen, in welcher Weise dies der Fall war. Im Beitrag soll dem anhand der 1965 erschienenen Erzählung Metamorphosen nachgegangen werden. Sie bietet sich hier deshalb als Textgrundlage an, da sie eine intertextuelle Relation zu Die Verwandlung von Franz Kafka aufweist, dessen Werk von den Kulturfunktionären der DDR bis in die 70er Jahre hinein abgelehnt und aus dem offiziellen "Erbe"-Kanon ausgeschlossen wurde. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist davon auszugehen, dass die in Metamorphosen enthaltenen Anspielungen auf den Kafka-Text Schneider zur Inszenierung seiner regimekritischen Autorschaft dienten. Wie dies im Einzelnen aussah, ist Gegenstand der Untersuchung, die sich den intertextuellen Bezügen von verschiedenen Seiten annähern wird, um so die Aspekte zu beleuchten, die für die literarische Selbstdarstellung Schneiders maßgeblich sind.
Nach der Befreiung des Konzentrationslagers Theresienstadt am 9. Mai 1945 fand die dort seit Februar inhaftierte Journalistin Eva Noack-Mosse eine kleine Anzahl von Gedichten und Gedichtfragmenten auf "Fetzen armseligen Papiers [...] meist mit Bleistift gekritzelt, vielfach durchgestrichen und verbessert, oft verlöscht und schwer lesbar." Sie wurden der dort am 19. April 1945 verstorbenen Kunsthistorikerin und Dichterin Gertrud Kantorowicz zugeschrieben und gehörten zu der "unübersehbaren Flut" von Versen, die sich laut Hans Günther Adlers monumentaler Geschichte von Theresienstadt über das Lager ergoss. Er sah in den meisten nur "ein einsames Gesellschaftsspiel mit sich selbst," denn noch "ein klapperndes Versmaß verspricht mehr Schutz und Bestand als das Fristen eines zerhämmerten und gnadenlosen Daseins." Geht man aber von der persönlichen Bekanntschaft der jungen Gertrud Kantorowicz mit Stefan George und den hiermit verbundenen lange nachwirkenden Anregungen aus und wird ferner berücksichtigt, welche Rolle im George-Kreis die Antike-Rezeption gespielt hat, so ist es nicht mehr so verwunderlich, dass die meisten Theresienstadt-Gedichte Kantorowicz' in antikisierenden Versformen und im hohen Stil gehalten sind; das ist nicht nur eine unerhörte Verfremdung der herabziehenden und demütigenden Lagererfahrung, sondern auch ein Sich-Erheben über Schmutz, Gewalt und Ungeist, eine ganz persönlich geprägte poetische Selbstbehauptung und Widerstandshandlung. Diesen Zusammenhängen soll im Folgenden nachgegangen werden.
This paper presents a contrastive analysis of auto- and hetero-stereotypes of Bosnians and Germans. The analysis is based on data collected from respondents choosing from a list of 140 characteristics. The anonymous online questionnaire asked respondents to identify those characteristics that they considered to be connected with their own culture or with the other culture, and to give their reasons for their choice (in the case of the most important characteristics). The analysis based on this data reveals how Germans and Bosnians perceive themselves and each other. It also enables the compilation of a list of stereotypes based on the most frequently identified characteristics, which can be used as a basis for further analysis and interpretation. This first analysis is intended as a foundation for future analyses of ethnic stereotypes among Germans and ethnic groups in the western Balkans: Bosnians, Serbs and Croats.
Game Plan
(2018)
Atrial septostomy (AS) is recommended for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-associated right ventricular (RV) failure, recurrent syncope, or pulmonary hypertensive crisis (PHC). We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of AS to manage PAH from infancy to adulthood. From June 2009 to December 2016, transcatheter atrial communications were created in 11 PAH patients (4 girls/women; median age = 4.3 years; range = 33 days–26 years; median body weight = 14 kg; range = 3–71 kg; NYHA-/Ross class IV; n = 11). PAH was classified as idiopathic (n = 6) or secondary (n = 5). History of syncope was dominant (n = 6); two with patent foramen ovale (PFO) admitted with recurrent PHC, three patients required resuscitation before AS. Three patients had PAH-associated low cardiac output. The average pulmonary arterial pressures (PAP systolic/diastolic) were 101/50 (±34/23); the corresponding systemic arterial pressures (SAP) were 99/54 (±23/11); and the mean ratio of PAPd / SAPd was 0.97 (±0.4). Percutaneous trans-septal puncture was uneventfully performed in nine patients; a PFO was dilated in two patients. There was no procedure-related mortality. The median balloon size was 10 mm (range = 6–14 mm); the mean catheter time was 174.6 ± 48 min; fluoroscopy time was 19.8 (±11) min. Syncope and PHC were successfully treated in all patients. The mean arterial oxygen saturation decreased from 97 ± 2 to 89 ± 11.7. One patient died awaiting lung transplantation, one continues to be listed; two patients received a reverse Potts-shunt, one patient died during follow-up; seven patients are stable with PAH-specific treatment. Percutaneous AS is an effective method palliating PAH-associated syncope, PHCs or right (bi-) ventricular heart failure.
Many cancers have the tumor suppressor p53 inactivated by mutation, making reactivation of mutant p53 with small molecules a promising strategy for the development of novel anticancer therapeutics. The oncogenic p53 mutation Y220C, which accounts for approximately 100,000 cancer cases per year, creates an extended surface crevice in the DNA-binding domain, which destabilizes p53 and causes denaturation and aggregation. Here, we describe the structure-guided design of a novel class of small-molecule Y220C stabilizers and the challenging synthetic routes developed in the process. The synthesized chemical probe MB710, an aminobenzothiazole derivative, binds tightly to the Y220C pocket and stabilizes p53-Y220C in vitro. MB725, an ethylamide analogue of MB710, induced selective viability reduction in several p53-Y220C cancer cell lines while being well tolerated in control cell lines. Reduction of viability correlated with increased and selective transcription of p53 target genes such as BTG2, p21, PUMA, FAS, TNF, and TNFRSF10B, which promote apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, suggesting compound-mediated transcriptional activation of the Y220C mutant. Our data provide a framework for the development of a class of potent, non-toxic compounds for reactivating the Y220C mutant in anticancer therapy.
During the Late Cretaceous and early Cenozoic the Earth experienced prolonged climatic cooling most likely caused by decreasing volcanic activity and atmospheric CO2 levels. However, the causes and mechanisms of subsequent major global warming culminating in the late Paleocene to Eocene greenhouse climate remain enigmatic. We present deep and intermediate water Nd-isotope records from the North and South Atlantic to decipher the control of the opening Atlantic Ocean on ocean circulation and its linkages to the evolution of global climate. The marked convergence of Nd-isotope signatures 59 million years ago indicates a major intensification of deep-water exchange between the North and South Atlantic, which coincided with the turning point of deep-water temperatures towards early Paleogene warming. We propose that this intensification of Atlantic overturning circulation in concert with increased atmospheric CO2 from continental rifting marked a climatic tipping point contributing to a more efficient distribution of heat over the planet.
Analyses of scope reconstruction typically fall into two competing approaches: 'semantic reconstruction', which derives non-surface scope using semantic mechanisms, and 'syntactic reconstruction', which derives it by positing additional syntactic representations at the level of Logical Form. Grosu and Krifka (2007) proposed a semantic-reconstruction analysis for relative clauses like the gifted mathematician that Dan claims he is, in which the relative head NP can be interpreted in the scope of a lower intensional quantifier. Their analysis relies on type-shifting the relative head into a predicate of functions. We develop an alternative analysis for such relative clauses that replaces type-shifting with syntactic reconstruction. The competing analyses diverge in their predictions regarding scope possibilities in head-external relative clauses. We use Hebrew resumptive pronouns, which disambiguate a relative clause in favor of the head-external structure, to show that the prediction of syntactic reconstruction is correct. This result suggests that certain type-shifting operations are not made available by Universal Grammar.
According to Ogihara (1995), the usage of the embedded present in a speech report such as John said that Mary is in the room is restricted by the cause of John’s belief (the state that made John think that Mary is in the room): the present tense can be used only if this cause still holds at the time that John said that Mary is in the room is uttered.
This paper presents experimental evidence demonstrating that this is only one of the factors that licenses a felicitous usage of the embedded present tense. In particular, we show that the cause of belief still holding is not a necessary condition, and identify two additional, sufficient (but not necessary) factors: in cases of false belief, who is aware of the falsity of the belief and duration of the reported state. While these factors are independent, they collectively support the idea that the present tense encodes ‘current relevance’, even in embedded contexts (e.g. Costa 1972; McGilvray 1974). This gives rise to the question of how we can derive ‘current relevance’ and, in particular, whether previous analyses of the embedded present tense are adequately equipped to do so.
Zielsetzung: Beteiligung von Medizinstudierenden im Rahmen der konzeptionellen Entwicklung eines zielgruppenspezifischen und attraktiven allgemeinmedizinischen Lehrangebots im ländlichen Raum.
Methodik: Es wurde ein Fragebogen entwickelt, der die Bewertung der Studierenden hinsichtlich des aktuellen Ablaufs ihres Studiums, den späteren Berufswunsch sowie die Anforderungen an ein zu entwickelndes allgemeinmedizinisches Schwerpunktprogramm im ländlichen Raum erfasst. Mittels einer Online-Befragung wurden im Sommer 2015 alle Medizinstudierende ab dem vierten vorklinischen Semester (n=2.150) der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt einmalig befragt. Die statistische Auswertung erfolgte primär deskriptiv. Die persönliche Einstellung hinsichtlich der Bereitschaft, als Hausarzt tätig zu werden, wurde auf statistische Signifikanz überprüft. Zudem wurde erhoben, ob ein messbarer Zusammenhang zwischen der eigenen Herkunft und dem späteren Wunscharbeitsort besteht.
Ergebnisse: Von insgesamt 2.150 kontaktierten Studierenden nahmen 617 an der Befragung teil (Rücklaufquote=28,7%). Die Ergebnisse repräsentieren eine große Bandbreite an Ideen und Anregungen, die sowohl die Meinung von Befürwortern als auch eher kritisch gegenüber der Lehre in der Allgemeinmedizin eingestellten Medizinstudierenden widerspiegeln. Von dem geplanten Schwerpunktprogramm erwarten die Studierenden einen starken Praxisbezug ebenso wie das Kennenlernen administrativer sowie wirtschaftlicher Hintergründe zum Führen einer Praxis.
Schlussfolgerungen: Durch die Einbeziehung der Zielgruppe am Entwicklungsprozess bestand die Möglichkeit, das zu entwickelnde Schwerpunktprogramm auf die späteren Teilnehmer passgenauer zuzuschneiden. Zudem ist zu erwarten, dass die Beteiligung der Studierenden zu einer höheren Akzeptanz des Programms führt. Die gewonnenen Ergebnisse zur Gestaltung eines Lehrangebots können als Orientierung für die mögliche Entwicklung ähnlicher Schwerpunktprogramme an anderen medizinischen Fakultäten dienen.
Aim: Participation of medical students in the conceptual development of targeted and attractive teaching content for rural areas.
Method: A questionnaire was developed to gather information on students' views of their current medical studies, career interests, and what requirements should be met by an optional rural health program in general practice. By means of an online survey in summer 2015, all medical students from the fourth preclinical semester onwards (n=2,150) at Goethe University Frankfurt were surveyed on one occasion. Statistical analysis was mainly descriptive. Personal attitudes towards a career as a family practitioner were examined for statistical significance. Further information was gathered on whether a measurable correlation exists between personal background and desired work location.
Results: Of the 2,150 students that were contacted, 617 participated in the survey (response rate=28.7%). The results covered a wide range of ideas and recommendations and were representative both of medical students with a positive attitude toward general practice, as well as those that were rather critical of teaching in general practice. The students expected the planned health program to be of strong practical relevance and to acquaint them with the administrative and economic aspects of running a practice.
Conclusions: By including the target group in the development process, it was possible to tailor the health program to meet the needs of future participants more precisely. Student participation can also be expected to result in greater acceptance of the program. The results on teaching content may also provide other medical faculties with orientation when developing comparable programs.
The blue light-dependent interaction between the proteins iLID and Nano allows recruiting and patterning proteins on GUV membranes, which thereby capture key features of patterns observed in nature. This photoswitchable protein interaction provides non-invasive, reversible and dynamic control over protein patterns of different sizes with high specificity and spatiotemporal resolution.
We present an abundance-based checklist of Pennsylvania planthoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoroidea) compiled from available literature and 13,718 specimens. A substantial portion of the latter were bycatch from Lindgren funnel and panel traps intended to intercept wood-boring beetle species, and a directed survey for the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula (White)). The known planthopper fauna of Pennsylvania consists of 10 families, 54 genera and 139 species including 34 new state species records (and 12 new genera). In an attempt to assess the level of completeness of this survey, we compiled an abundance-based checklist of planthopper species found in states adjacent to Pennsylvania and found similar numbers of planthopper species for each state (viz. Delaware 138 species, Maryland 147, New Jersey 145, New York 162 and Ohio 126), but the cumulative species list is comprised of 240 planthopper species, suggesting that the inventory for Pennsylvania and all adjacent states may be substantially incomplete.
Rhagoletis cerasi (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is reported from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara County, New York, United States for the first time, new records. Specimens from Ontario were collected in 2016, and New York in 2017. This fly is subject to regulatory control and poses a risk to cherry and honeysuckle in North America.
The new edition of the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification system for tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues was published in September 2017. Under the category of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), the revised document includes seven subcategories: chronic myeloid leukemia, chronic neutrophilic leukemia, polycythemia vera (PV), primary myelofibrosis (PMF), essential thrombocythemia (ET), chronic eosinophilic leukemia-not otherwise specified and MPN, unclassifiable (MPN-U); of note, mastocytosis is no longer classified under the MPN category. In the current review, we focus on the diagnostic criteria for JAK2/CALR/MPL mutation-related MPNs: PV, ET, and PMF. In this regard, the 2016 changes were aimed at facilitating the distinction between masked PV and JAK2-mutated ET and between prefibrotic/early and overtly fibrotic PMF. In the current communication, we (i) provide practically useful resource tables and graphs on the new diagnostic criteria including outcome, (ii) elaborate on the rationale for the 2016 changes, (iii) discuss the complementary role of mutation screening, (iv) address ongoing controversies and propose solutions, (v) attend to the challenges of applying WHO criteria in routine clinical practice, and (vi) outline future directions from the perspectives of the clinical pathologist.
Auswirkung der Chemisorption von Organothiolaten auf den elektrischen Widerstand dünner Goldfilme
(2018)
Hochgeordnete Monolagen von Organothiolaten auf Goldoberflächen bilden sich bei Kontakt einer Goldoberfläche mit einer Lösung eines Thiols oder Thioacetats spontan aus. Die Adsorption auf dünnen Metallfilmen mit Schichtdicken im Bereich von 25 - 100 nm führt zu einer Änderung des elektrischen Widerstandes des Films, die an Goldfilmen mit Schichtdicken von 25 - 40 nm über eine einfache Zweipunktmessung verfolgt wurde. Die Proportionalität der Widerstandsänderung mit der Menge an adsorbiertem Material konnte für die in dieser Arbeit verwendeten Dünnschichtsensoren bestätigt werden. Zu diesem Zweck wurden gleichzeitig Widerstands- und Oberflächenplasmonenresonanzmessungen an 40 nm starken Goldfilmen durchgeführt. In diesen Experimenten zeigt sich die Widerstandsmessung zur Beobachtung der Adsorptionskinetik als die überlegene Technologie.
Die durch Mikrokontaktdrucken und Freiätzen der gedruckten Strukturen hergestellten Sensoren zeigen eine individuelle Signalintensität. Die Normierung auf die maximale, durch Belegung mit Hexadecanthiol (HDT) oder Dodecanthiol erreichte, Signalstärke ermöglichte den Vergleich der maximalen Signalstärke von Thiolatmonolagen, die durch Belegung mit n-Alkanthiolen (CH_3(CH_2)_(n-1)-SH mit n = 12, 16, 19, 22 und 33, Cn), 11-Mercaptoundecyl-hexaethylenglycol (HSC11EG6OH), Adamantan-1-thiol (AdaSH), Triptycenthiol (TrpSH), Anthracen-2-thiol (Ant-0SH), Anthracen-2-alkanthiolen (Ant-(CH_2)_n-SH mit n = 1 - 5 und 10, Ant-nSH), p-Terphenyl-4-thiol (TP0SH), p-Terphenyl-4-alkanthiolen (TP-(CH_2)_n-SH mit n = 1 - 4, TPnSH) und p-Terphenyl-4-ethanthioacetat (TP2SAc) erzeugt wurden. Die Größe der Widerstandsänderung zeigt eine deutliche Abhängigkeit vom organischen Rest des Oberflächenadsorbats. Für die Verstärkung des Signals wurde die folgende Reihenfolge gefunden: Trp > Ada > Ant-0 > Ant-1 > TP0 > TP1 > Ant-2 > TP2 > Cn (n = 12 - 33) = C11EG6OH = Ant-n (n = 3 - 11) = TPn (n = 3, 4). Bei bekannter Verstärkung des Signals durch ein Adsorbat kann unabhängig von der Oberflächenrauigkeit die Oberflächenbedeckung durch Chemisorbate in einer Güte bestimmt werden, die der durch STM- und TEM-Messungen erreichten vergleichbar ist. Die Methode wurde angewendet, um Schichten von TP2SH und TP2SAc, die bei 20 und 60 °C aus ethanolischer Lösung abgeschieden wurden, zu vergleichen. Die Unterschiede in der Oberflächendichte, die durch eine Erhöhung der Abscheidungstemperatur zu beobachten sind, können durch eine Beschleunigung der Reaktion nach Arrhenius erklärt werden. Auch die Temperaturabhängigkeit der Abscheidungsgeschwindigkeit von HDT aus ethanolischer Lösung an Goldoberflächen, die in einem Bereich von -10 °C bis +30 °C betrachtet wurde, ist mit dem Arrhenius'schen Ansatz konform. Die Aktivierungsenergie der Adsorption von HDT auf Gold wurde auf E_a = 23 +-6 kJ/mol bestimmt.
Die Konzentrationsabhängigkeit der Abscheidung aus ethanolischer Lösung an Goldoberflächen wurde für HDT, AdaSH, TP2SH und TP2SAc untersucht. Um eine Präadsorption der Thiole vor dem eigentlichen Start der Messung zu verhindern, wurde eine Apparatur mit einem Diaphragma aus Aluminium entwickelt, das beim Start der Messung mit dem Sensor durchstoßen wird. Mit Ausnahme von TP2SH zeigen alle Adsorptive ein Adsorptions-Desorptions-Gleichgewicht. Die Adsorptionsisothermen bei 20 °C lassen sich am besten durch die Freundlich-Isotherme beschreiben. Während die Reaktionsordnung im Adsorbat für die Adsorption der Thiole nahe an 1 liegt, hat sie für die Adsorption von TP2SAc einen Wert von ca. 1/4. Damit ergibt sich für die Geschwindigkeitskonstante der Adsorption k_a(HDT) = (2,3 +-0,2) 10^4 L/(mol s), k_a(AdaSH) = (6,1 +-0,2) 10^4 L/(mol s), k_a(TP2SH) = (7,3 +-0,4) 10^3 L/(mol s) und k_a(TP2SAc) = (8 +-3) 10^-2 L^(1/4)/(mol^(1/4) s). Die Adsorptionskurven der Thiole weisen bei Konzentrationen unterhalb von 5 10^-5 mol/L einen linearen Bereich auf, der einer zwischenzeitlichen Diffusionskontrolle zugeordnet wird.
An die aufgenommenen Adsorptionskurven der Thiole wurden literaturbekannte Modelle numerisch angepasst und teilweise weiterentwickelt. Die Anpassung konnte durch die Einführung einer vor der Oberfläche gelagerten Diffusionsgrenzschicht, in welcher der zeitabhängige Verlauf der Analytkonzentration in einem System von 10 Schichten berechnet wurde, deutlich verbessert werden. Von allen getesteten Modellen zeigt nur die Adsorption mit Ausschlussmuster keine Konzentrationsabhängigkeit der Geschwindigkeitskonstante der Desorption. Dieses Modell bezieht den Verlust von Adsorptionsplätzen mit ein, die einem besetzten Adsorptionsplatz benachbart sind und durch das adsorbierte Teilchen verdeckt werden. Der daraus resultierende Zusammenhang zwischen der Konzentration freier Adsorptionsplätze und dem Bedeckungsgrad der Oberfläche Theta_F(Theta) ist abhängig vom Verhältnis der Stoßfrequenz zwischen den Teilchen und der Oberfläche zur Platzwechselfrequenz der Teilchen auf der Oberfläche. Zur Bestimmung von Theta_F(Theta) für die numerische Anpassung der Adsorptionskurven von HDT und TP2SH wurde die Oberflächenbesetzung in einem Monte-Carlo-Verfahren für eine Konzentrationsreihe in Zehnerpotenzschritten simuliert.
We examine how a firms' investment behavior affects the investment of a neighboring firm. Economic theory yields ambiguous predictions regarding the direction of firm peer effects and consistent with earlier work, we find that firms display similar investment behavior within an area using OLS analysis. Exploiting time-variation in the rise of U.S. states' corporate income taxes and utilizing heterogeneity in firms' exposure to increases in corporate income tax rates, we identify the causal impact of local firms' investments. Using this as an instrumental variable in a 2SLS estimation, we find that an increases in local firms' investment reduces the investment of a local peer firm. This effect is more pronounced if local competition among firms is stronger and supports theories that firm investments are strategic substitutes due to competition.
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common symptom in people participating in exercise, sport, or recreational physical activities. Several remedies have been proposed to prevent and alleviate DOMS. In 2008 and 2015, two studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of acupuncture on symptoms and muscle function in eccentric exercise-induced DOMS of the biceps brachii muscle. In 2008 a prospective, randomized, controlled, observer and subject-blinded trial was undertaken with 22 healthy subjects (22–30 years; 12 females) being randomly assigned to three treatment groups: real acupuncture (deep needling at classic acupuncture points and tender points; n = 7), sham-acupuncture (superficial needling at non-acupuncture points; n = 8), and control (n = 7). In 2015, a five-arm randomized controlled study was conducted with 60 subjects (22 females, 23.6 ± 2.8 years). Participants were randomly allocated to needle, laser, sham needle, sham laser acupuncture, and no intervention.
In both cases treatment was applied immediately, 24 and 48 hours after DOMS induction.
The outcome measures included pain perception (visual analogue scale; VAS), mechanical pain threshold (MPT), maximum isometric voluntary force (MIVF) and pressure pain threshold (PPT).
Results: In 2008, following nonparametric testing, there were no significant differences between groups in outcome measures at baseline. After 72 hours, pain perception (VAS) was significantly lower in the acupuncture group compared to the sham acupuncture and control subjects. However, the mean MPT and MIVF scores were not significantly different between groups. This lead to the conclusion, that acupuncture seemed to have no effects on MPT and muscle function, but reduced perceived pain arising from exercise-induced DOMS.
The more recent results from 2015 indicated that neither verum nor sham interventions significantly improved outcomes within 72 hours when compared with the no treatment control (P > 0.05).
Cell–matrix adhesion and cell migration are physiologically important processes that also play a major role in cancer spreading. In cultured cells, matrix adhesion depends on integrin-containing contacts such as focal adhesions. Flotillin-1 and flotillin-2 are frequently overexpressed in cancers and are associated with poor survival. Our previous studies have revealed a role for flotillin-2 in cell–matrix adhesion and in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. We here show that flotillins are important for cell migration in a wound healing assay and influence the morphology and dynamics of focal adhesions. Furthermore, anchorage-independent growth in soft agar is enhanced by flotillins. In the absence of flotillins, especially flotillin-2, phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and extracellularly regulated kinase is diminished. Flotillins interact with α-actinin, a major regulator of focal adhesion dynamics. These findings are important for understanding the molecular mechanisms of how flotillin overexpression in cancers may affect cell migration and, especially, enhance metastasis formation.
Background: Definite diagnosis and therapeutic management of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) remains a challenge. The aim of the current study was to investigate feasibility and potential impact on clinical management of targeted sequencing of intraductal biopsies.
Methods: Intraductal biopsies with suspicious findings from 16 patients with CCA in later clinical course were analyzed with targeted sequencing including tumor and control benign tissue (n = 55 samples). A CCA-specific sequencing panel containing 41 genes was designed and a dual strand targeted enrichment was applied.
Results: Sequencing was successfully performed for all samples. In total, 79 mutations were identified and a mean of 1.7 mutations per tumor sample (range 0–4) as well as 2.3 per biopsy (0–6) were detected and potentially therapeutically relevant genes were identified in 6/16 cases. In 14/18 (78%) biopsies with dysplasia or inconclusive findings at least one mutation was detected. The majority of mutations were found in both surgical specimen and biopsy (68%), while 28% were only present in biopsies in contrast to 4% being only present in the surgical tumor specimen.
Conclusion: Targeted sequencing from intraductal biopsies is feasible and potentially improves the diagnostic yield. A profound genetic heterogeneity in biliary dysplasia needs to be considered in clinical management and warrants further investigation.
Translational impact: The current study is the first to demonstrate the feasibility of sequencing of intraductal biopsies which holds the potential to impact diagnostic and therapeutical management of patients with biliary dysplasia and neoplasia.
Background: There currently are no internationally recognised treatment guidelines for patients with advanced gastric cancer/gastro-oesophageal junction cancer (GC/GEJC) in whom two prior lines of therapy have failed. The randomised, phase III JAVELIN Gastric 300 trial compared avelumab versus physician’s choice of chemotherapy as third-line therapy in patients with advanced GC/GEJC.
Patients and methods: Patients with unresectable, recurrent, locally advanced, or metastatic GC/GEJC were recruited at 147 sites globally. All patients were randomised to receive either avelumab 10 mg/kg by intravenous infusion every 2 weeks or physician’s choice of chemotherapy (paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 or irinotecan 150 mg/m2 on days 1 and 15, each of a 4-week treatment cycle); patients ineligible for chemotherapy received best supportive care. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and safety.
Results: A total of 371 patients were randomised. The trial did not meet its primary end point of improving OS {median, 4.6 versus 5.0 months; hazard ratio (HR)=1.1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.9–1.4]; P= 0.81} or the secondary end points of PFS [median, 1.4 versus 2.7 months; HR=1.73 (95% CI 1.4–2.2); P> 0.99] or ORR (2.2% versus 4.3%) in the avelumab versus chemotherapy arms, respectively. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of any grade occurred in 90 patients (48.9%) and 131 patients (74.0%) in the avelumab and chemotherapy arms, respectively. Grade ≥3 TRAEs occurred in 17 patients (9.2%) in the avelumab arm and in 56 patients (31.6%) in the chemotherapy arm.
Conclusions: Treatment of patients with GC/GEJC with single-agent avelumab in the third-line setting did not result in an improvement in OS or PFS compared with chemotherapy. Avelumab showed a more manageable safety profile than chemotherapy.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02625623.
The Luck Charm
(2018)
Tomasi Manda, an intelligent boy whose rational mind rejects belief in witchcraft, does something that causes his mother and elder brother to fear that he might be bewitched. They decide to put 'protective medicine' into his blood. But their problem is how to get Tomasi to accept the medicine, having once before failed to convince him to have such protection. However, when Tomasi passes his primary school examinations and is selected for a boarding secondary school away from home, the two approach him with the medicine disguised as a charm, something that would bring him good luck from the strangers among whom he will now be living. Tomasi initially rejects the o?er, but when, to his surprise, he sees that this causes his mother great pain, he lets her insert into his blood 'the totally useless powder.' Then certain things begin to happen to Tomasi which, unable to explain them otherwise, he can't help thinking are being caused by the potion his mother has put in his blood. Eventually he becomes convinced that he now has a potent luck charm in his body, and reaches the frightening conclusion that from now on his life will be run by this charm. What is he to do?
Sekani's Solution
(2018)
Andreya Soko manages to win the love of his college mate, Sekani Zuza, the most beautiful, most sought-after girl in college. After ?nishing college, Andreya works hard to save for Sekani's bride price from his meager salary as a primary school teacher. From the same slim salary he also struggles to ?nance the education of his younger brothers. When his parents get killed in an accident and the problems providing the bride price are further increased, Sekani steps in with an unusual solution...
The missionary work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church started in Southern Malawi in 1902, and histories of churches are usually told from that starting point. This book uses a different approach, it tells the story of Lunjika Mission (earlier called Mombera Mission) which begins in 1932, showing how the SDA Church met a new culture, that of the strongly patrilineal Ngoni and their neighbours to the North, and how it dealt with other churches that had started missionary work in that broad area up to two generations before.
Aim: To evaluate the ability of PillCamColon2 to visualize colonic segments missed by incomplete optical colonoscopy (OC) and to assess the diagnostic yield.
Methods: This prospective multicentre study included 81 patients from nine centres who underwent second-generation colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) following incomplete OC performed by an experienced gastroenterologist (> 1000 colonoscopies). Patients with stenosis were excluded. According to patient preferences, CCE was performed the following day (protocol A) after staying on clear liquids and 0.75 L Moviprep in the morning or within 30 d after new split-dose Moviprep (protocol B). Boosts consisted of 0.75 L and 0.25 L Moviprep, and phospho-soda was given as a rescue if the capsule was not excreted after seven hours.
Results: Seventy-four patients were analysed (51% of them in group A; 49% in group B). Bowel cleansing was adequate in 67% of cases, and CCE could visualize colonic segments missed by incomplete colonoscopy in 90% of patients under protocol A and 97% of patients under protocol B (P = 0.35, n.s.). Significant polyps including adenocarcinoma were detected in 24% of cases. Detection rates for all polyps and significant polyps per patient were similar in both protocols. Polyps were found predominantly in the right colon (86%) in segments that were not reached by OC. Extracolonic findings - such as reflux esophagitis, suspected Barrett esophagus, upper GI-bleeding, gastric polyps, gastric erosions and angiectasia - were detected in eight patients. PillCamColon2 capsule was retained in the ileum of one patient (1.4%) without symptoms and removed during an uneventful resection for unknown Crohn’s disease that was diagnosed as the cause of anemia, which was the indication for colonoscopy. CCE was well tolerated. One patient suffered from self-limiting vomiting after consuming the phospho-soda.
Conclusion: Second-generation CCE using a low-volume preparation is useful after incomplete OC, and it allows for the detection of additional relevant findings, but cleansing efficiency could be improved.
Background. The purpose of this systematic review was to accurately assess the procedural success of ridge preservation technique through the application of strict inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Data Sources. A methodical search of PubMed of the US National Library of Medicine and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted for applicable articles. Only randomized controlled trials comparing ridge preservation treatment with a nongrafting control, ten-subject minimum sample size, and three or more months of follow-up were included in our study.
Types of Studies Reviewed. In a screening between January 1980 and September 2017, articles meeting predetermined criteria were further examined in a qualitative data analysis. A thorough search of the databases provided 1876 articles. Of these records, 174 were assessed for eligibility through the systematic employment of inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Results. Two records were appropriate for further data analysis. One study used a mixture of a deproteinized cancellous bovine bone and porcine collagen fibers in a block form (DBB/CF), while the other study used leukocyte-platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF). The use of DBB/CF reduced the magnitude of vertical bone resorption, yet the study showed high risk of bias. The use of L-PRF reduced the magnitude of both the horizontal and vertical crestal bone resorption; however, the low sample size created wide standard deviations between the test and control groups. Inherent weaknesses were present in both studies. Through methodical analysis of both records, the dissimilarities prevented the conduction of a meta-analysis.
Implications of Key Findings. Within the limitations of this systematic review, L-PRF reduced the magnitude of vertical and horizontal bone resorption, which places L-PRF as a potential material of choice for ridge preservation procedures. Conclusions. Within the limitations and weaknesses of both studies, the use of DBB/CF prevented the vertical crestal bone resorption while the L-PRF prevented both the horizontal and vertical crestal bone resorption. More randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to eliminate all the confounding factors, which bias the outcome of ridge preservation techniques.
Der im Alltag wie auch in medialen Darstellungen immer wieder anzutreffende Befund, dass Arbeit "irgendwie" mit der ganzen Gesellschaft zu tun habe, das heißt auch mit unserem gesamten privaten Leben, lässt sich aus einer doppelten Blickrichtung heraus sehr viel genauer beantworten als es bisher vielfach der Fall war: nämlich erstens vom Spektrum der für den komplexen Bereich der Arbeit relevanten Diskurse aus und zweitens von der medial und sprachlich erfolgenden Zusammenführung dieser Diskurse und des dabei vermittelten Wissens.
The leptonic decay of the charged pion in the presence of background magnetic fields is investigated using quenched Wilson fermions. It is demonstrated that the magnetic field opens up a new channel for this decay. The magnetic field-dependence of the decay constants for both the ordinary and the new channel is determined. Using these inputs from QCD, we calculate the total decay rate perturbatively.