Refine
Year of publication
- 2010 (974) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (974) (remove)
Language
- German (546)
- English (353)
- Portuguese (28)
- Croatian (26)
- French (7)
- Italian (6)
- Spanish (3)
- Multiple languages (2)
- mis (1)
- Polish (1)
Has Fulltext
- yes (974)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (974) (remove)
Keywords
- Filmmusik (94)
- Deutsch (42)
- Literatur (20)
- Gefühl (13)
- Habitus (12)
- Linguistik (10)
- Rezension (10)
- Tschechisch (10)
- Rezeption (9)
- Cape Verde Islands (8)
Institute
- Medizin (116)
- Extern (94)
- Biochemie und Chemie (45)
- Biowissenschaften (41)
- Gesellschaftswissenschaften (40)
- Geowissenschaften (39)
- Physik (25)
- Geschichtswissenschaften (22)
- Philosophie (20)
- E-Finance Lab e.V. (17)
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that are implicated in the regulation of lipid and glucose homeostasis. PPAR agonists have been shown to control inflammatory processes, in part by inhibiting distinct proinflammatory genes (e.g. Il-1β and IFN-γ). IL-8 is a member of the proinflammatory chemokine family that is important for various functions, such as mediating the adhesion of eosinophilic granulocytes onto endothelial cells. The influence of PPARδ activators on the expression of IL-8 in noninduced quiescent endothelial cells is unclear. Therefore, we explored the influence of PPARδ activators on the expression of IL-8 in nonstimulated endothelial cells. PPARδ agonists induce IL-8 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. This induction is demonstrated at the level of both protein and mRNA expression. Transcriptional activation studies using IL-8 reporter gene constructs and DNA binding assays revealed that PPARδ agonists mediated their effects via an NFκB binding site. It is well known that IL-8 is also regulated by mRNA stability. To provide further evidence for this concept, we performed mRNA stability assays and found that PPARδ agonists induce the mRNA stability of IL-8. In addition, we showed that PPARδ agonists induce the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38, which are known to be involved in the increase of mRNA stability. The inhibition of these MAPK signaling pathways resulted in a significant suppression of the induced IL-8 expression and the reduced mRNA stability. Therefore, our data provide the first evidence that PPARδ induces IL-8 expression in nonstimulated endothelial cells via transcriptional as well as posttranscriptional mechanisms.
Experience-dependent alterations in the human brain's white-matter microstructure occur in early adulthood, but it is unknown whether such plasticity extends throughout life. We used cognitive training, diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI), and structural MRI to investigate plasticity of the white-matter tracts that connect the left and right hemisphere of the frontal lobes. Over a period of about 180 days, 20 younger adults and 12 older adults trained for a total of one hundred and one 1-h sessions on a set of three working memory, three episodic memory, and six perceptual speed tasks. Control groups were assessed at pre- and post-test. Training affected several DTI metrics and increased the area of the anterior part of the corpus callosum. These alterations were of similar magnitude in younger and older adults. The findings indicate that experience-dependent plasticity of white-matter microstructure extends into old age and that disruptions of structural interhemispheric connectivity in old age, which are pronounced in aging, are modifiable by experience and amenable to treatment.
Human exposure to endocrine disruptors is well documented by biomonitoring data. However, this information is limited to few chemicals like bisphenol A or phthalate plasticizers. To account for so-far unidentified endocrine disruptors and potential mixture effects we employ bioassays to detect endocrine activity in foodstuff and consequently characterize the integrated exposure to endocrine active compounds. Recently, we reported a broad contamination of commercially available bottled water with estrogenic activity and presented evidence for the plastic packaging being a source of this contamination. In continuation of that work, we here compare different sample preparation methods to extract estrogen-like compounds from bottled water. These data demonstrate that inappropriate extraction methods and sample treatment may lead to false-negative results when testing water extracts in bioassays. Using an optimized sample preparation strategy, we furthermore present data on the estrogenic activity of bottled water from France, Germany, and Italy: eleven of the 18 analyzed water samples (61.1%) induced a significant estrogenic response in a bioassay employing a human carcinoma cell line (MCF7, E-Screen). The relative proliferative effects ranged from 19.8 to 50.2% corresponding to an estrogenic activity of 1.9-12.2 pg estradiol equivalents per liter bottled water. When comparing water of the same spring that is packed in glass or plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), estrogenic activity is three times higher in water from plastic bottles. These data support the hypothesis that PET packaging materials are a source of estrogen-like compounds. Furthermore, the findings presented here conform to previous studies and indicate that the contamination of bottled water with endocrine disruptors is a transnational phenomenon.
ϕ-meson production in In–In collisions at Elab=158A GeV: Evidence for relics of a thermal phase
(2010)
Yields and transverse mass distributions of the ϕ-mesons reconstructed in the ϕ→μ+μ− channel in In+In collisions at Elab=158A GeV are calculated within an integrated Boltzmann+hydrodynamics hybrid approach based on the Ultrarelativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD) transport model with an intermediate hydrodynamic stage. The analysis is performed for various centralities and a comparison with the corresponding NA60 data in the muon channel is presented. We find that the hybrid model, that embeds an intermediate locally equilibrated phase subsequently mapped into the transport dynamics according to thermal phase-space distributions, gives a good description of the experimental data, both in yield and slope. On the contrary, the pure transport model calculations tend to fail in catching the general properties of the ϕ meson production: not only the yield, but also the slope of the mT spectra, compare poorly with the experimental observations at top SPS energies.
We demonstrate that a Quark–Gluon Plasma (QGP) with a dilute admixture of heavy quarks has, in general, a lower speed of sound than a “pure” QGP without effects from heavy flavors. The change in the speed of sound is sensitive to the details of the theory, making the hydrodynamic response to “flavoring” a sensitive probe of the underlying microscopic dynamics. We suggest that this effect may be measured in ultrarelativistic heavy ion collisions by relating the event-by-event number of charm quarks to flow observables such as the average transverse momentum.
Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of primary charged particles in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV have been measured by the ALICE Collaboration at the LHC. The data are presented for central and peripheral collisions, corresponding to 0–5% and 70–80% of the hadronic Pb–Pb cross section. The measured charged particle spectra in |η|<0.8 and 0.3<pT<20 GeV/c are compared to the expectation in pp collisions at the same sNN, scaled by the number of underlying nucleon–nucleon collisions. The comparison is expressed in terms of the nuclear modification factor RAA. The result indicates only weak medium effects (RAA≈0.7) in peripheral collisions. In central collisions, RAA reaches a minimum of about 0.14 at pT=6–7 GeV/c and increases significantly at larger pT. The measured suppression of high-pT particles is stronger than that observed at lower collision energies, indicating that a very dense medium is formed in central Pb–Pb collisions at the LHC.
The first measurement of two-pion Bose–Einstein correlations in central Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN=2.76 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than those measured at RHIC.
The inclusive charged particle transverse momentum distribution is measured in proton–proton collisions at s=900 GeV at the LHC using the ALICE detector. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|η|<0.8) over the transverse momentum range 0.15<pT<10 GeV/c. The correlation between transverse momentum and particle multiplicity is also studied. Results are presented for inelastic (INEL) and non-single-diffractive (NSD) events. The average transverse momentum for |η|<0.8 is 〈pT〉INEL=0.483±0.001 (stat.)±0.007 (syst.) GeV/c and 〈pT〉NSD=0.489±0.001 (stat.)±0.007 (syst.) GeV/c, respectively. The data exhibit a slightly larger 〈pT〉 than measurements in wider pseudorapidity intervals. The results are compared to simulations with the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET.
In this Letter we derive the gravity field equations by varying the action for an ultraviolet complete quantum gravity. Then we consider the case of a static source term and we determine an exact black hole solution. As a result we find a regular spacetime geometry: in place of the conventional curvature singularity extreme energy fluctuations of the gravitational field at small length scales provide an effective cosmological constant in a region locally described in terms of a de Sitter space. We show that the new metric coincides with the noncommutative geometry inspired Schwarzschild black hole. Indeed, we show that the ultraviolet complete quantum gravity, generated by ordinary matter is the dual theory of ordinary Einstein gravity coupled to a noncommutative smeared matter. In other words we obtain further insights about that quantum gravity mechanism which improves Einstein gravity in the vicinity of curvature singularities. This corroborates all the existing literature in the physics and phenomenology of noncommutative black holes.
In this Letter we study the radiation measured by an accelerated detector, coupled to a scalar field, in the presence of a fundamental minimal length. The latter is implemented by means of a modified momentum space Green's function. After calibrating the detector, we find that the net flux of field quanta is negligible, and that there is no Planckian spectrum. We discuss possible interpretations of this result, and we comment on experimental implications in heavy ion collisions and atomic systems.
Fuzziness at the horizon
(2010)
We study the stability of the noncommutative Schwarzschild black hole interior by analysing the propagation of a massless scalar field between the two horizons. We show that the spacetime fuzziness triggered by the field higher momenta can cure the classical exponential blue-shift divergence, suppressing the emergence of infinite energy density in a region nearby the Cauchy horizon.
In this Letter, we propose a new scenario emerging from the conjectured presence of a minimal length ℓ in the spacetime fabric, on the one side, and the existence of a new scale invariant, continuous mass spectrum, of un-particles on the other side. We introduce the concept of un-spectral dimension DU of a d-dimensional, euclidean (quantum) spacetime, as the spectral dimension measured by an “un-particle” probe. We find a general expression for the un-spectral dimension DU labelling different spacetime phases: a semi-classical phase, where ordinary spectral dimension gets contribution from the scaling dimension dU of the un-particle probe; a critical “Planckian phase”, where four-dimensional spacetime can be effectively considered two-dimensional when dU=1; a “Trans-Planckian phase”, which is accessible to un-particle probes only, where spacetime as we currently understand it looses its physical meaning.
This review critically analyzes the clinical data of patients with suspected kava hepatotoxicity and suggests recommendations for minimizing risk. Kava is a plant (Piper methysticum) of the pepper family Piperaceae, and its rhizome is used for traditional aqueous extracts in the South Pacific Islands and for commercial ethanolic and acetonic medicinal products as anxiolytic herbs in Western countries. A regulatory ban for ethanolic and acetonic kava extracts was issued in 2002 for Germany on the basis of reports connecting liver disease with the use of kava, but the regulatory causality assessment was a matter of international discussions. Based on one positive reexposure test with the kava drug, it was indeed confirmed that kava is potentially hepatotoxic. In subsequent studies using a structured, quantitative and hepatotoxicity specific causality assessment method in 14 patients with liver disease described worldwide, causality for kava ± co-medicated drugs and dietary supplements including herbal ones was highly probable (n = 1), probable (n = 4) or possible (n = 9) regarding aqueous extracts (n = 3), ethanolic extracts (n = 5), acetonic extracts (n = 4), and mixtures containing kava (n = 2). Risk factors included overdose, prolonged treatment, and comedication with synthetic drugs and dietary supplements comprizing herbal ones in most of the 14 patients. Hepatotoxicity occurred independently of the used solvent, suggesting poor kava raw material quality as additional causative factor. In conclusion, in a few individuals kava may be hepatotoxic due to overdose, prolonged treatment, comedication, and probably triggered by an unacceptable quality of the kava raw material; standardization is now required, minimizing thereby hepatotoxic risks.
Rhinoliths are mineralised foreign bodies in the nasal cavity that are a chance finding at anterior rhinoscopy. Undiscovered, they grow appreciably in size and can cause a foul-smelling nasal discharge and breathing problems. Giant nasal stones are now a very rare occurrence, since improved diagnostic techniques, such as endoscopic/microscopic rhinoscopy, now make it possible to identify foreign bodies at an early stage of development. We report the case of a 37-year-old patient who, at the age of 5-6 years, introduced a foreign body, probably a stone, into his right nasal cavity. On presentation, he complained of difficulty in breathing through the right nostril that had persisted for the last 10 years. For the past four years a strong fetid smell from the nose had been apparent to those in his vicinity. Under general anaesthesia, the stone was removed in toto from the right nasal cavity. The possible genesis of the rhinolith is discussed, our case compared with those described in the literature, and possible differential diagnoses are considered.
The present paper is a contribution to the ongoing discussion on the various relationships between language and law. It is impossible to deal with all these relationships in the present study. Therefore the relationship between language and law will be dealt with in this paper as far as it points out the relationships between linguistics and jurisprudence. Considering the diverse relationships between the fields of linguistics and jurisprudence, the interdisciplinary collaboration between these two disciplines could be improved by establishing a branch of study dealing with legal linguistics.
The following analysis is based on a practical experience of translation and tries to offer a series of solutions to the problem posed by culture-specific elements known in German translation studies as „Realia”. The recent translation studies generally acknoledge the importance of maintaining certain culture-specific elements as such in the target text; Antoine Berman speaks about ethic versus ethnocentric translation. Several authors describe four possible solutions for dealing with culture-specific elements in translation in order to preserve to a certain degree the cultural identity of the target text. The translation of „Realia” belonging to the sphere of nationalsocialism raised a series of difficulties during the actual translation of Das Buch Hitler, a document which was put together for Stalin by soviet intelligence in the years following WW II. Three types of „Realia” were identified in the source text and treated as such in the translation, following the theoretical guidelines proposed by Markussen and Berman.
Presenting the actual theoretical debates (of Göhlich, Welsch, de Nancy, Bachmann-Medick) with respect to the concept of transculturality, underlining the related aspects such as hybridity, intertextuality, globalisation, the author traces the aspects of transculturality in the process of the translations from Romanian to German. The success of the literary transfer is conditioned by the intra- and intercultural competence, by the knowledge of the identity factors, of the specific operational frame and of the key texts (translations or originals) from the literatures that come into contact with it. As in other countries, where there are specific basic cultural notions with a certain symbolic charge like „birch” in Russia, „hut” in the Czech republic, the traditional cultural universe affirmatively or polemically resorts to cultural words such as „plai” (poetic realm), „codru” (forest), „mioritic” (mioritical). Tracing by means of rich examples the history of translations, the author distinguishes the stages of translations motivated by philological, ethnographic, political interests and lastly and parallel to it, by aesthetical interests. These translations contribute to the identitary image of the Romanians, being normally recorded with an increased attention and sensibility. Concretely applying the discussed theoretical concepts on a text, the author presents the German translation of an essayistic text by Andrei Pleşu, arguing the possible interest of the German public for the writer, emphasizing the ironical hybrid and ludic signs that are important for the translation, with all untranslatabilities of the word games, in order to find at least an adequate, if not equivalent, transfer. The annotations and the translation (starting with the analysis of the title) constitute a demonstration of transculturality applied live.
In this work we aim to analyze the statute of the Romansh language and of its idioms in the Grison/Graubűnden Canton (Switzerland), from the Sursilvan lyrics perspective of Tresa Rűther-Seeli and her contemporary, Linard Candreia. Because of the massive split of the five Romanic idioms with own writing, of the fact that none of them had developed into a standard literary language, as well as of the massive decrease in the population who speaks them, the situation of these idioms becomes dramatic, in spite of and because of the intervention of the political factor to impose a standard official language – Romansh.
"Hoch soll er leben!" : Routineformeln als Forschungsaufgabe der phraseologischen Kontrastivik
(2010)
Phraseological issues are of great interest to researchers in the field of German studies outside German-speaking countries as well. If one looks back upon the achievements and insights of phraseological research elsewhere, it becomes obvious that there are lots of areas of investigation still to be expanded, as far as the German and the Romanian languages are concerned. The research approaches suggested here are meant to highlight more specific aspects of linguistic phraseological material.