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Records of Odonata from Sarawak's Bintulu Division are presented. One hundred and sixtysix (or more) species are listed, of which three (Oligoaeschna amata (Förster, 1903), O. buehri (Förster, 1903) and Oligoaeschna (?) species) had not previously been recorded in Sarawak and Macromia species cf dione Lieftinck, 1971 had not previously been recorded from Borneo. Additionally this is the first published record of Prodasineura tenebricosa Lieftinck, 1937 from Sarawak, although it had been found at another location in the state prior to its discovery in Bintulu, and the first published record of Phyllothemis raymondi Lieftinck, 1950 from Borneo, although specimens from Kalimantan are present in the collections of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden. Other notable records include "Elattoneura" longispina Lieftinck, 1937, Pericnemis dowi Orr & Hämäläinen, 2013, Linaeschna polli Martin, 1909, Burmagomphus arthuri Lieftinck, 1953, Heliogomphus borneensis Lieftinck, 1964, Merogomphus femoralis Laidlaw, 1931, Chlorogomphus species, Macromidia genialis erratica Lieftinck, 1948 and Tetrathemis flavescens Kirby, 1889. Altogether there do not appear to be any previous published records from Bintulu Division of 52 of the species listed in this paper. The status of Rhyothemis fulgens Kirby, 1889 is discussed and illustrations of its anal appendages and those of R. pygmaea (Brauer, 1867) are provided. Illustrations of the anal appendages of Tetrathemis hyalina Kirby, 1889 and T. irregularis Brauer, 1868 are also provided. Identification problems when using COIbased DNA barcoding with some species of Archibasis are discussed, and the nuclear marker ITS is shown to be a successful alternative in these cases; COI and ITS gene trees for part of the genus are included. Some COI data for Macromia species are published and the marker is used to identify larvae of M. corycia Laidlaw, 1922 and establish the relationship of another Macromia larva with M. dione, a very poorly known species from Sumatra. Macromia euterpe Laidlaw, 1915 is considered to be the same species as M. westwoodii Selys, 1874 and dropped from the list of species known from Sarawak, however formal combination of the two species is left for a peer reviewed publication. A detailed list of previously unpublished specimens from the locations covered is given in an appendix. Concise checklists for two of the locations covered Similajau National Park (54 species) and the Bukit Mina Wildlife Corridor (84 species) are given in another appendix.
This study investigates the history of Odonata studies in the Republic of Vanuatu and presents results from a two week field sampling mainly on three islands – Efate, Aneityum and Malekula. A total of 32 species are recognised as currently valid names for the country. Three new species have been collected and will be described elsewhere. Various taxonomic, faunistic and biogeographic issues are discussed in the light of the new material collected during the current study in comparison to already published research.
The general conclusion is that provisional species checklist is far from complete. The territory of Vanuatu is still highly insufficiently studied for its Odonata fauna. The local endemic genus Vanuatubasis Ober & Staniczek, 2009 is believed to be far more diverse than currently known with three described and three new species collected during the present study.
Objectives: To compare efficacy and safety of ixekizumab (IXE) to adalimumab (ADA) in biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naïve patients with both active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and skin disease and inadequate response to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARDs).
Methods: Patients with active PsA were randomised (1:1) to approved dosing of IXE or ADA in an open-label, head-to-head, blinded assessor clinical trial. The primary objective was to evaluate whether IXE was superior to ADA at week 24 for simultaneous achievement of a ≥50% improvement from baseline in the American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR50) and a 100% improvement from baseline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI100). Major secondary objectives, also at week 24, were to evaluate whether IXE was: (1) non-inferior to ADA for achievement of ACR50 and (2) superior to ADA for PASI100 response. Additional PsA, skin, treat-to-target and quality-of-life outcome measures were assessed at week 24.
Results: The primary efficacy endpoint was met (IXE: 36%, ADA: 28%; p=0.036). IXE was non-inferior for ACR50 response (IXE: 51%, ADA: 47%; treatment difference: 3.9%) and superior for PASI100 response (IXE: 60%, ADA: 47%; p=0.001). IXE had greater response versus ADA in additional PsA, skin, nail, treat-to-target and quality-of-life outcomes. Serious adverse events were reported in 8.5% (ADA) and 3.5% (IXE) of patients.
Conclusions: IXE was superior to ADA in achievement of simultaneous improvement of joint and skin disease (ACR50 and PASI100) in patients with PsA and inadequate response to csDMARDs. Safety and tolerability for both biologicals were aligned with established safety profiles.
Malignant germ cell tumors (GCT) are the most common malignant tumors in young men between 18 and 40 years. The correct identification of histological subtypes, in difficult cases supported by immunohistochemistry, is essential for therapeutic management. Furthermore, biomarkers may help to understand pathophysiological processes in these tumor types. Two GCT cell lines, TCam-2 with seminoma-like characteristics, and NTERA-2, an embryonal carcinoma-like cell line, were compared by a quantitative proteomic approach using high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) in combination with stable isotope labelling by amino acid in cell culture (SILAC). We were able to identify 4856 proteins and quantify the expression of 3936. 347 were significantly differentially expressed between the two cell lines. For further validation, CD81, CBX-3, PHF6, and ENSA were analyzed by western blot analysis. The results confirmed the MS results. Immunohistochemical analysis on 59 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) normal and GCT tissue samples (normal testis, GCNIS, seminomas, and embryonal carcinomas) of these proteins demonstrated the ability to distinguish different GCT subtypes, especially seminomas and embryonal carcinomas. In addition, siRNA-mediated knockdown of these proteins resulted in an antiproliferative effect in TCam-2, NTERA-2, and an additional embryonal carcinoma-like cell line, NCCIT. In summary, this study represents a proteomic resource for the discrimination of malignant germ cell tumor subtypes and the observed antiproliferative effect after knockdown of selected proteins paves the way for the identification of new potential drug targets.
The success of social insects is largely intertwined with their highly advanced chemical communication system that facilitates recognition and discrimination of species and nest-mates, recruitment, and division of labor. Hydrocarbons, which cover the cuticle of insects, not only serve as waterproofing agents but also constitute a major component of this communication system. Two cryptic Crematogaster species, which share their nest with Camponotus ants, show striking diversity in their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile. This mutualistic system therefore offers a great opportunity to study the genetic basis of CHC divergence between sister species. As a basis for further genome-wide studies high-quality genomes are needed. Here, we present the annotated draft genome for Crematogaster levior A. By combining the three most commonly used sequencing techniques—Illumina, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore—we constructed a high-quality de novo ant genome. We show that even low coverage of long reads can add significantly to overall genome contiguity. Annotation of desaturase and elongase genes, which play a role in CHC biosynthesis revealed one of the largest repertoires in ants and a higher number of desaturases in general than in other Hymenoptera. This may provide a mechanistic explanation for the high diversity observed in C. levior CHC profiles.
The combination of high-throughput sequencing and in vivo crosslinking approaches leads to the progressive uncovering of the complex interdependence between cellular transcriptome and proteome. Yet, the molecular determinants governing interactions in protein-RNA networks are not well understood. Here we investigated the relationship between the structure of an RNA and its ability to interact with proteins. Analysing in silico, in vitro and in vivo experiments, we find that the amount of double-stranded regions in an RNA correlates with the number of protein contacts. This relationship —which we call structure-driven protein interactivity— allows classification of RNA types, plays a role in gene regulation and could have implications for the formation of phase-separated ribonucleoprotein assemblies. We validate our hypothesis by showing that a highly structured RNA can rearrange the composition of a protein aggregate. We report that the tendency of proteins to phase-separate is reduced by interactions with specific RNAs.
Men and women differ in their vulnerability to a variety of stress-related illnesses, but the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are not well understood. This is likely due to a comparative dearth of neurobiological studies that assess male and female rodents at the same time, while human neuroimaging studies often don’t model sex as a variable of interest. These sex differences are often attributed to the actions of sex hormones, i.e. estrogens, progestogens and androgens. In this review, we summarize the results on sex hormone actions in the hippocampus and seek to bridge the gap between animal models and findings in humans. However, while effects of sex hormones on the hippocampus are largely consistent in animals and humans, methodological differences challenge the comparability of animal and human studies on stress effects. We summarise our current understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie sex-related differences in behavior and discuss implications for stress-related illnesses.
Die Idee und inhaltliche Ausrichtung der Ausstellung HOUSE OF NORWAY stand bereits fest, als ich Mitte März in das Frankfurter Museum Angewandte Kunst als Projektkoordinatorin für eben diese Ausstellung kam. Dass die gesamte Fläche des Museums bespielt werden sollte, erinnerte mich an die Schau The Empty House im Jahr 2013, bei der ich damals als Praktikantin mitgewirkt hatte: Auch die Performance des Konzeptkünstlers Olaf Nicolai fand im gesamten Richard-Meier-Bau statt, welcher zuvor in seinen Originalzustand von 1985 zurückversetzt worden war. HOUSE OF NORWAY war so zumindest in seiner Dimension vorangegangenen Ausstellungen nicht unähnlich – auch die Ausstellung Jil Sander. Präsens vor zwei Jahren wurde im gesamten Museumsgebäude gezeigt. ...
The ‘European Alliance Against Depression’ community-based intervention approach simultaneously targets depression and suicidal behaviour by a multifaceted community based intervention and has been implemented in more than 115 regions worldwide. The two main aims of the European Union funded project “Optimizing Suicide Prevention Programmes and Their Implementation in Europe” were to optimise this approach and to evaluate its implementation and impact. This paper reports on the primary outcome of the intervention (the number of completed and attempted suicides combined as ‘suicidal acts’) and on results concerning process evaluation analysis. Interventions were implemented in four European cities in Germany, Hungary, Portugal and Ireland, with matched control sites. The intervention comprised activities with predefined minimal intensity at four levels: training of primary care providers, a public awareness campaign, training of community facilitators, support for patients and their relatives. Changes in frequency of suicidal acts with respect to a one-year baseline in the four intervention regions were compared to those in the four control regions (chi-square tests). The decrease in suicidal acts compared to baseline in the intervention regions (-58 cases, -3.26%) did not differ significantly (χ2 = 0.13; p = 0.72) from the decrease in the control regions (-18 cases, -1.40%). However, intervention effects differed between countries (χ2 = 8.59; p = 0.04), with significant effects on suicidal acts in Portugal (χ2 = 4.82; p = 0.03). The interviews and observations explored local circumstances in each site throughout the study. Hypothesised mechanisms of action for successful implementation were observed and drivers for ‘added-value’ were identified: local partnership working and ‘in-kind’ contributions; an approach which valued existing partnership strengths; and synergies operating across intervention levels. It can be assumed that significant events during the implementation phase had a certain impact on the observed outcomes. However, this impact was, of course, not proven.
In ihrer Dankesrede für den Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels argumentierte Susan Sontag 2003, der Gegensatz zwischen "alt" und "neu" stehe im Zentrum dessen, was wir unter Erfahrung verstünden. Mehr noch: "Alt" und "neu" seien die ewigen, unumstößlichen Pole aller Wahrnehmung und Orientierung in der Welt. Ohne das Alte kämen wir nicht aus, weil sich mit ihm unsere ganze Vergangenheit, unsere Weisheit, unsere Erinnerungen, unsere Traurigkeit, unser Realitätssinn verbinde. Ohne den Glauben an das Neue wiederum kämen wir nicht aus, weil sich mit dem Neuen unsere Tatkraft, unsere Fähigkeit zum Optimismus, unser blindes biologisches Sehnen, unsere Fähigkeit zu vergessen verbinde – diese heilsame Fähigkeit, ohne die Versöhnung nicht möglich sei. Mit anderen Worten: Erst eine noch so unpräzise und temporal begrenzte Unterscheidung zwischen "alt" und "neu" gestattet es uns, soziopolitische Phänomene historisch zu vergleichen, zu ordnen, zu periodisieren, und sie schließlich als Geschichte(n) zu erzählen. "Alt" und "neu" – diese mit dem Konzept des "Fortschritts" eng verbundene Dichotomie ist grundlegend nicht nur für Kants kosmopolitische Teleologie, für Hegels Dialektik, für den "alten" und "neuen" Marxismus, sondern auch für moderne Völker-Rechtsgeschichte(n). Das zeigt auch das gut lesbare und pointierte Buch von Oona A. Hathaway und Scott J. Shapiro. Und umso interessanter sind die teleologischen Verkürzungen, die die Autoren vornehmen, um ihr Narrativ vom Neuen zu bedienen. ...
Im Jahr 2017 sind zwei Sammelbände erschienen, die aus beinahe zeitgleichen Tagungen im November 2015 zur Entwicklung des öffentlichen Rechts in Frankreich 1914–1918 hervorgegangen sind: Der eine ist der von Elina Lemaire (Universität Bourgogne – Franche-Comté) herausgegebene Band zum öffentlichen Recht während des Krieges, der andere der vom Conseil d’État selbst herausgegebene Band zu seiner Funktion und (gestaltenden) Rolle während der Kriegsjahre. Insoweit die Entwicklung des öffentlichen Rechts in Frankreich ohne den Conseil d’État kaum sinnvoll untersucht werden kann und umgekehrt eine Geschichte dieses Conseil kaum unter Auslassung seines Einflusses auf die Rechtsentwicklung geschrieben werden kann, nähern sich beide Bände aus unterschiedlichen (aber auf das öffentliche Recht fokussierten) Perspektiven gewissermaßen einem gemeinsamen Gegenstand: der Rechtsstaatlichkeit im Krieg und namentlich der Rechtsstaatlichkeit in einer Republik im Krieg. ...
Secukinumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that selectively neutralizes interleukin 17A, a key cytokine involved in the development of psoriasis. Secukinumab has shown long-lasting efficacy and safety in the complete spectrum of psoriatic disease, including disease localized to nails, scalp, palms and soles, and joints (peripheral and axial arthritis). Given the chronic and relapsing nature of psoriasis, long-term data might help to fully characterize the efficacy and safety profile of secukinumab as well as its impact on quality of life.
Es ist nicht zu übersehen, dass spätestens seit der Jahrtausendwende in den Geisteswissenschaften ein gesteigertes Bedürfnis nach einer Historisierung der eigenen Zunft existiert, bei der es nicht um die eher pflichtschuldige Übung eines einleitenden Forschungsstandes geht, von dem aus die eigene Arbeit vorangetrieben wird, sondern die die Wissensbestände des Fachs selbst zum Thema hat. Auch die Rechtsgeschichte reiht sich hier ein in einen allgemeinen Trend zu (geisteswissenschaftlicher) Wissenschaftsgeschichte und vielleicht ist es nicht verfehlt, mit Ernst-Wolfgang Böckenförde und seiner 1961 erschienenen (philosophischen) Dissertation einen gleichermaßen frühen wie wirkmächtigen rechtsgeschichtlichen Innovator zu identifizieren. ...
Täglich nutzen wir Einrichtungen, die uns selbstverständlich geworden sind. Sie gehören uns, den Bürgern, nur in einem übertragenen Sinn, und wir beherrschen sie auch nicht. Die hinter ihnen stehenden technischen und politischen Voraussetzungen verstehen wir meist nur ansatzweise. Wir verbrauchen Strom und Trinkwasser, werden mit Fernwärme, Erdgas oder Öl "versorgt", informieren uns (man beachte die Wassermetaphern) "aus allgemein zugänglichen Quellen" einschließlich des "Surfens" im Internet (Art. 5 Abs. 1 GG), steigen in öffentliche Verkehrsmittel, fahren über wohlgeglättete Straßen oder fliegen mit gebremsten Angstgefühlen von Kontinent zu Kontinent. Währenddessen werden unsere Abwässer geklärt und wird unser Müll entsorgt. Dies alles vollzieht sich durch gewaltige Netzwerke, Röhrensysteme und Kabel im Untergrund sowie über der Erde auf Verkehrsflächen und Schienen, durch Überlandleitungen, Versorgungs- und Entsorgungseinrichtungen, die wir kaum noch wahrnehmen. Wir sind auf sie angewiesen und bezahlen sie auch, mehr oder weniger stillschweigend, über Gebühren oder Steuern. Wir erwarten, dass ein weit verstandener "Staat" oder eine von ihm kontrollierte Privatwirtschaft dies alles unterhält und finanziert, einschließlich ehrgeiziger Großprojekte wie "Stuttgart 21", "Flughafen Berlin" oder "Elbphilharmonie". Was seit Ernst Forsthoffs berühmter Studie von 1938 "Daseinsvorsorge" genannt und ständig erweitert wurde, heißt seit den fünfziger Jahren – vermittelt über den Wortgebrauch der NATO – "Infrastruktur". In ihr versammeln sich alle Garantien unseres Lebensstils, aber sie bilden zugleich das "Gehäuse unserer Hörigkeit" wie man mit Max Weber sagen könnte. Insgeheim fürchten wir die damit verbundenen Abhängigkeiten, die alltäglichen Risiken, die Gefahren des Kollapses und die Verletzlichkeit gegenüber externen Angriffen. ...
Background: The prognostic factors and outcome of aneurysms appear to be dependent on its locations. Therefore, we compared left- and right- sided aneurysms in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in terms of differences in outcome and prognostic factors.
Methods: Patients with SAH were entered into a prospectively collected database. A total of 509 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage were retrospectively selected and stratified in two groups depending on side of ruptured aneurysm (right n = 284 vs. left n = 225). Midline aneurysms of the basilar and anterior communicating arteries were excluded from the analysis. Outcomes were assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS; favorable (mRS 0–2) vs. unfavorable (mRS 3–6)) six months after SAH.
Results: We did not identify any differences in outcome depending on left- and right-sided ruptured aneurysms. In both groups, the significant negative predictive factors included clinical admission status (WFNS IV+V), Fisher 3- bleeding pattern in CT, the occurrence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), early hydrocephalus and later shunt-dependence. The side of the ruptured aneurysm does not seem to influence patients´ outcome. Interestingly, the aneurysm side predicts the side of infarction, with a significant influence on patients´ outcome in case of left-sided infarctions. In addition, the in multivariate analysis side of aneurysm was an independent predictor for the side of cerebral infarctions.
Conclusion: The side of the ruptured aneurysms (right or left) did not influence patients’ outcome. However, the aneurysm-side predicts the side of delayed infarctions and outcome appear to be worse in patients with left-sided infarctions.
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) provides a potentially curative treatment option for relapsed and refractory lymphomas. Obesity displays an emerging epidemic risk factor for global mortality and is associated with an increased mortality in cancer patients. To date, the impact of obesity on the outcome of lymphoma patients undergoing auto-HSCT is understudied. We conducted a retrospective single-center study assessing 119 lymphoma patients who underwent auto-HSCT. Overall survival (OS) served as the primary endpoint whereas progression free survival (PFS), cumulative incidence of non-relapse related mortality (NRM) and cumulative incidence of relapse were analyzed as secondary endpoints. Obese patients (Body mass index, BMI≥30) had significantly lower OS (45.3% vs. 77.9%; p = 0.005) and PFS (29.8% vs. 67.2%; p<0.001) compared to non-obese patients at 48 months post-transplantation. The cumulative incidence of NRM displayed no significant differences while the cumulative incidence of relapse was significantly increased in patients with BMI≥30 (66.2% vs. 21.5%; p<0.001). Patients with a BMI<25 and overweight patients (BMI 25–30; 76.1% vs. 80.9%; p = 0.585), showed no significant difference in OS, whereas patients with BMI≥30 exhibited significant lower OS when compared to either of both groups (76.1% vs. 45.3%; p = .0.021 and 80.9% vs. 45.3%; p = 0.010). Furthermore, in a multivariate analysis, obesity was identified as an independent risk factor for death (Hazard ratio 2.231; 95% CI 1.024 to 4.860; p = 0.043). Further studies are needed to evaluate the reasons for the higher relapse rate causing higher mortality in obese patients.
Biodiversity is threatened worldwide because of ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation, overexploitation, pollution, biological invasions and a changing global climate. Due to the major importance of biological diversity for modern human living, efficient conservation and management strategies are required to protect endangered habitats and species. For this purpose, ambitious multilateral agreements on regional and global scale were declared to prevent biodiversity loss.
Efficient biomonitoring methods are required to adequately implement these biodiversity conventions. Species monitoring as a core activity in biodiversity research is an effective tool to assess the status of species and trends within habitats. Data collection can be obtained with visual, electronic or genetic surveys. Still, these monitoring programs can be expensive, laborious and inefficient for accurate species assessments. New techniques based on environmental DNA (eDNA) allows for the detection of DNA traces in environmental samples (soil, sediment, water and air samples) and open up new possibilities for species monitoring. The eDNA methodology enables detection of single species in a qualitative (presence/absence) or (semi-) quantitative way. eDNA metabarcoding approaches can be an effective community structure assessment method.
This thesis, located at the interface between experimental and applied research, illustrates the suitability of the eDNA methodology in applied biomonitoring using the example of the water-borne crayfish plague pathogen Aphanomyces astaci (Schikora 1906). The obtained results provide new insights into A. astaci sporulation dynamics in natural water courses. A. astaci sporulation is influenced by seasonal variation of water temperatures and life history traits (molting, activity, mating) of infected crayfish. The results also imply a high transmission risk of A. astaci spores during the complete year. This thesis compares two eDNA methods, which are successfully and consistently detecting A. astaci spores. Each approach is suitable for different biomonitoring tasks due to the method-specific requirements. The obtained results also reveal spatial variation in A. astaci occurance in the tested water bodies. A. astaci spore estimates are positively correlated with population density and pathogen loads of captured A. astaci- positive crayfish. eDNA results show a downstream zoospore transport of up to three kilometres distance from a distribution hot spot area of A. astaci-infected crayfish. The eDNA methodology is helpful in gaining reliable information on A. astaci occurrence in large water bodies. This information is urgently needed to initiate efficient management decisions for the conservation of European crayfish species.
eDNA-based methods such as for A. astaci detection are a useful complement for conventional monitoring and should have a strong impact on conservation policy. eDNA methodology will be helpful for the practical implementation of the main aims of key conservation agreements and thus will make important contributions to biodiversity protection.
This thesis revolves around the development of a new critical approach to contemporary anglophone postcolonial literature in the form of a concept of ‘corporate ingression.’ This term denotes a globally recurring process of biopolitical (re)structuring of a community by corporate power and its extended cultural influence on society.
Through an analysis of contemporary engagements with similarly explored events over time and space in the form of three novels (Helon Habila’s Oil on Water, Lauren Beukes’ Moxyland and David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet), this thesis explores the relevance of the concept of corporate ingression as a new approach to such imaginative works. By reading these texts closely, with and against the grain, I enter into dialogue with their discussion of corporate power as the major structural influence in the societies they explore. I also show that a comparative analysis of these texts reveals similarities between the exploration of the period of early colonialism as acted out by the various trade corporations in existence and contemporary forms of corporate dominance. This research thus concerns various contexts and explorations of corporate power and explores the concept of recurring forms of corporate ingression as a new perspective within literary postcolonial and globalisation studies.
Oil on Water (2010) as a political novel explores the complex intricacies of communities structured around corporate power and presents a full account of the stakeholders that are influenced by or connected to the Niger Delta’s oil industry. Moxyland (2008) as a futuristic cyberpunk novel nuances the destruction implied in Oil on Water as a major factor of corporate ingression by exploring corporate power’s potential for constructive influence over a community. The Thousand Autumns (2010) as a historical novel explores an instance of corporate ingression in which the Dutch East India Company in Japan, despite its significant cultural influence, is subordinate to the host state to its activity. Corporate power is explored as a fallible construction that can be controlled by a strong regime as well as benefited from.
Despite the geographic and temporal distance between the three cases, and despite their exploration of widely differing industries, circumstances and levels of success, the common factors remain recognisable. Critical analysis shows that the contrasts between especially the constructive and destructive corporate activity in the three texts is of great interest, as it highlights the potential of corporate power both for construction and destruction of value. This research also shows how each novel actively resists a binary ethical narrative, instead presenting a set of complex power dynamics within the respective communities.
With this research I show that reading corporate ingression both significantly informs the reading of various postcolonial texts, while also showing that the analysis of these texts reveals that a conventional postcolonial binary approach is insufficient to account for what these works describe and investigate. The concept of a process of corporate ingression as a new perspective on literary explorations of historical, contemporary or futuristic forms of corporate power is thus shown to be a relevant addition to current postcolonial literary scholarship.
The brain is a large complex system which is remarkably good at maintaining stability under a wide range of input patterns and intensities. In addition, such a stable dynamical state is able to sustain essential functions, including the encoding of information about the external environment and storing memories. In order to succeed in these challenging tasks, neural circuits rely on a variety of plasticity mechanisms that act as self-organizational rules and regulate their dynamics. Based on toy models of self-organized criticality, this stable state has been proposed to be a phase transition point, poised between distinct types of unhealthy dynamics, in what has become known as the critical brain hypothesis. It is not yet known, however, if and how self-organization could drive biological neural networks towards a critical state while maintaining or improving their learning and memory functions.
Here, we investigate the emergence of criticality signatures in the form of neuronal avalanches due to self-organizational plasticity rules in a recurrent neural network. We show that power-law distributions of events, widely observed in experiments, arise from a combination of biologically inspired synaptic and homeostatic plasticity but are highly dependent on the external drive. Additionally, we describe how learning abilities and fading memory emerge and are improved by the same self-organizational processes. We finally propose an application of these enhanced functions, focusing on sequence and simple language learning tasks.
Taken together, our results suggest that the same self-organizational processes can be responsible for improving the brain’s spatio-temporal learning abilities and memory capacity while also giving rise to criticality signatures under particular input conditions, thus proposing a novel link between such abilities and neuronal avalanches. Although criticality was not verified, the detailed study of self-organization towards critical dynamics further elucidates its potential emergence and functions in the brain.
Als Plasmafenster wird ein Aufbau bezeichnet, welcher zwei Bereiche unterschiedlicher Drücke voneinander trennt, Teilchenstrahlen jedoch nahezu verlustfrei passieren lässt.
Diese Anwendung einer kaskadierten Bogenentladung wurde von A. Hershcovitch vorgeschlagen.
Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde ein solches Plasmafenster mit Kanaldurchmessern von 3.3 mm und 5.0 mm aufgebaut sowie die erreichbaren Druckunterschiede untersucht.
Auf der Bestimmung des Einflusses der Plasmaparametern und deren Abhängigkeit von äußeren Parametern auf die erreichbare Trennung der Druckbereiche liegt der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit.
Ein ausgeklügeltes optisches System ermöglicht die simultane Aufnahme mehrerer Spektren entlang der Entladungsachse, welche die gleichzeitige Bestimmung der Elektronendichte und -temperatur ermöglichen.
Für die Analyse der Plamaparameter aus über 6700 Spektren wird eine selbst entwickelte Software genutzt.
Die gemessenen Elektronendichte reicht von 8e14 cm^-3 bis zu 4.2e16 cm^-3.
Sie skaliert sowohl mit der Entladungsstromstärke als auch dem Teilchenfluss.
Für die Elektronentemperatur stellen sich Werte zwischen 1 eV und 1.3 eV ein, sie variiert nur leicht mit der Stromstärke und dem Teilchenfluss.
Wie später gezeigt wird, stimmen die hier präsentierten Daten gut mit Ergebnissen aus Simulationen und Experimenten anderer Arbeitsgruppen überein.
Als Betriebsgas wurde eine 98%Ar-2%H2 Mixtur genutzt, da die Stark-Verbreiterung der H-beta-Linie sowie die physikalischen Eigenschaften von Argon gut beschrieben sind und somit eine akkurate Elektronendichte- und -temperaturbestimmung ermöglichen.
Während die Drücke auf der Niederdruckseite einigen mbar entsprechen, werden auf der Hochdruckseite Drücke bis zu 750 mbar bei Teilchenflüsse zwischen 4.5e20 s^-1 und 18e20 s^-1 sowie Stromstärken von 45 A bis 60 A erreicht.
Die erzielten Druckverhältnisse entsprechen Werten zwischen 40 und 150, was eine Steigerung um einen Faktor von bis zu 12 gegenüber dem Druckverhältnis einer einfachen differentiellen Pumpstufe entspricht.
Zusätzlich zur Trennung der Druckbereiche kann am vorgestellten Experiment die Starkverbreiterung von Emissionslinien untersucht werden.
Vorteilhaft gegenüber anderen Aufbauten ist hier die Möglichkeit, zeitgleich Spektren unterschiedlicher Elektronendichten aufzunehmen.
Die entwickelte Software ist in der Lage, akkurate Halbwertsbreiten zu bestimmen und daher für eine solche Anwendung gut geeignet.
Alleinstellungsmerkmale dieses Aufbaus sind unter anderem die angesprochene Möglichkeit der simultanen Bestimmung von Plasmaparamertern und Linienverbreiterungen sowie der Verzicht auf Keramikisolatoren zwischen den Kühlplatten des Aufbaus.
Optische Analysen ergaben keine signifikante Schädigung der Bestandteile des Aufbaus nach einer Betriebsdauer von über 10 h; einzig die Kathodenspitzen müssen alle 5 h ausgetauscht werden.
Im Rahmen der hier vorgestellten Arbeit wurden eine Master- sowie Bachelorarbeit betreut und erfolgreich zum Abschluss gebracht.
Wie im Rahmen dieser Arbeit gezeigt, ist das entwickelte Plasmapfenster in der Lage, zwei Bereiche unterschiedlicher Drücke zu trennen und diese Trennung sicher aufrecht zu erhalten.
Die zugrundeliegenden Plasmaparameter sind erforscht und ihr Einfluss auf die Trennungseigentschaft des Plasmafensters beschrieben.
Als nächsten Schritt bietet sich die Erschließung technischer Einsatzmöglichkeiten des Plasmafensters an, so könnte dieses als Plasmastripper oder zum Schutz einer Beschleunigerstruktur vor durch Kollisionsexperimente entstandene radioaktive Isotope oder Sekundärteilchen.