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Plasticity resembling spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity: the evidence in human cortex
(2010)
Spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) has been studied extensively in a variety of animal models during the past decade but whether it can be studied at the systems level of the human cortex has been a matter of debate. Only recently newly developed non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have made it possible to induce and assess timing dependent plasticity in conscious human subjects. This review will present a critical synopsis of these experiments, which suggest that several of the principal characteristics and molecular mechanisms of TMS-induced plasticity correspond to those of STDP as studied at a cellular level. TMS combined with a second phasic stimulation modality can induce bidirectional long-lasting changes in the excitability of the stimulated cortex, whose polarity depends on the order of the associated stimulus-evoked events within a critical time window of tens of milliseconds. Pharmacological evidence suggests an NMDA receptor mediated form of synaptic plasticity. Studies in human motor cortex demonstrated that motor learning significantly modulates TMS-induced timing dependent plasticity, and, conversely, may be modulated bidirectionally by prior TMS-induced plasticity, providing circumstantial evidence that long-term potentiation-like mechanisms may be involved in motor learning. In summary, convergent evidence is being accumulated for the contention that it is now possible to induce STDP-like changes in the intact human central nervous system by means of TMS to study and interfere with synaptic plasticity in neural circuits in the context of behavior such as learning and memory. Keywords: spike-timing dependent plasticity, long-term potentiation, long-term depression, paired associative stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, human, cortex, translational neuroscience
Die Wissens'poetologie' bezeichnet eine 'Praxis', die ein Tableau verschiedener Wissensfelder freilegt, um die Bedingungen der historisch-epistemologischen Möglichkeiten verschiedener Wissensordnungen zu hinterfragen und zu untersuchen. Doch wie werden diese Praktiken 'in concreto' von der Literatur vollzogen? Zwei mögliche wissenspoetologische Praktiken sollen anhand der Schriften Walter Benjamins und Jorge Luis Borges' verdeutlicht werden, um sie weiterführend als Paradigma für komparatistische Nachforschungen in der Wissenspoetologie zu verwenden: die 'Fiktionalisierung' und das 'Experiment'.
Doppeltgänger — man fasst diesen Begriff bei Jean Paul gerne im heutigen Sinne auf, also als Beschreibung zweier Menschen, die sich äußerlich gleichen und daher von dritten miteinander verwechselt werden. Das 18. und frühe 19. Jahrhundert hat jedoch vor allem die Dimension des "geistige[n] Doppeltgänger[s]" im Blick, also die psychische, ja psychopathologische Innenansicht einer solchen Verwechslung. Es handelt sich bei einem oder mehreren Doppeltgängern dementsprechend um "Leute, die sich selber sehen" oder genauer:'um "eine Person, von verbrannter Embildungskraft, welche wahnt, daß sie doppelt zu sehen sei, oder zu einer und derselben Zeit an zwei verschiedenen Orten zugleich sei".'
The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [K(C5HF6N2)(H2O)2]n, is composed of two 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolide anions, two potassium cations and four water molecules. The water molecules and 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolide anions act as bridges between the potassium cations. Each potassium cation is surrounded by four O atoms [K—O = 2.705 (3)–2.767 (3) Å] and four F atoms [K—F = 2.870 (7)–3.215 (13) Å]. The water molecules and the 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolide anions are connected by O—H ... N hydrogen bonds, forming layers in the ab plane. All –CF3 groups show rotational disorder between two orientations each.
Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorders which are characteristically comprised of impairments in social interaction, communication and restricted interests/behaviours. Several cell adhesion transmembrane leucine-rich repeat (LRR) proteins are highly expressed in the nervous system and are thought to be key regulators of its development. Here we present an association study analysing the roles of four promising candidate genes - LRRTM1 (2p), LRRTM3 (10q), LRRN1 (3p) and LRRN3 (7q) - in order to identify common genetic risk factors underlying ASDs.
Methods: In order to gain a better understanding of how the genetic variation within these four gene regions may influence susceptibility to ASDs, a family-based association study was undertaken in 661 families of European ancestry selected from four different ASD cohorts. In addition, a case-control study was undertaken across the four LRR genes, using logistic regression in probands with ASD of each population against 295 ECACC controls.
Results: Significant results were found for LRRN3 and LRRTM3 (P < 0.005), using both single locus and haplotype approaches. These results were further supported by a case-control analysis, which also highlighted additional SNPs in LRRTM3.
Conclusions: Overall, our findings implicate the neuronal leucine-rich genes LRRN3 and LRRTM3 in ASD susceptibility.
Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are produced during hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation (H/R), which may contribute to multiple organ failure. The AIM of this study was to test the hypothesis that green tea (Camellia sinenesis) extract containing 85% polyphenols decreases injury after H/R in rats by scavenging ROS and RNS. Method: S: Female Sprague Dawley rats were given 100 mg polyphenol extract/kg body weight or vehicle 2 h prior to hemorrhagic shock. H/R was induced by two protocols: 1) withdrawal of blood to a mean arterial pressure of 40 mm Hg followed by further withdrawals to decrease blood pressure progressively to 28 mm Hg over 1 h (severe), and 2) withdrawal of blood to a sustained hypotension of 40 mm Hg for 1 h (moderate). Rats were then resuscitated over 1 h with 60% of the shed blood volume plus twice the shed blood volume of lactated Ringer's solution. Serum samples were collected at 10 min and 2 h after resuscitation. At 2 or 18 h, livers were harvested for cytokine and 3-nitrotyrosine quantification, immunohistochemical detection of 4-hydroxynonenol (4-HNE) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression. Results: After severe H/R, 18-h survival increased from 20% after vehicle to 70% after polyphenols (p<0.05). After moderate H/R, survival was greater (80%) and not different between vehicle and polyphenols. In moderate H/R, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increased at 10 min and 2 h postresuscitation to 345 and 545 IU/L, respectively. Polyphenol treatment blunted this increase to 153 and 252 IU/L at 10 min and 2 h (p<0.01). Polyphenols also blunted increases in liver homogenates of TNFalpha (7.0 pg/mg with vehicle vs. 4.9 pg/mg with polyphenols, p<0.05), IL-1beta (0.80 vs. 0.37 pg/mg, p<0.05), IL-6 (6.9 vs. 5.1 pg/mg, p<0.05) and nitrotyrosine (1.9 pg/mg vs. 0.6 pg/mg, p<0.05) measured 18 h after H/R. Hepatic 4-HNE immunostaining indicative of lipid peroxidation also decreased from 4.8% after vehicle to 1.5% after polyphenols (p<0.05). By contrast, polyphenols did not block increased iNOS expression at 2 h after H/R. CONCLUSION: Polyphenols decrease ROS/RNS formation and are beneficial after hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation.
This paper presents a study on a population of Pulsatilla patens conducted in 2009 in the Natura 2000 wildlife refuge called "Grasslands in the Military Training Grounds in Orzysz" in the Masurian Lake District (NE Poland). The purpose of the study was to determine the population structure of Pulsatilla patens, especially with regard to abundance, density, and percentage of life cycle stages in the total population. Correlations were examined between these population features and selected environmental characteristics including cover of phanerogams, cryptogams, litter, and bare soil. For the evaluation of the linear relationship between the variables, Spearman's correlation coefficient was used. In order to identify the factors that have significant influence on the values of the dependent variables, a multiple regression analysis was performed. In total, 316 individuals of Pulsatilla patens were recorded: 62 flower ing adults, 202 vegetative adults and 52 juveniles. The number of flowers per individual varied from one to 12, the average being three flowers. Most individuals occurred in dry heath, and the smallest number of individuals was found in pine forest. The mean density per habitat ranged from one to 11 individuals per 4 m2. Increased cover of phanerogams and cryptogams caused a decrease in the density of Pulsatilla patens individuals.
Turmfalke (Falco tinnunculus) und Schleiereule (Tyto alba)
sind seit Jahrhunderten avifaunistischer Bestandteil der Kulturräume
Süddeutschlands, wobei deren jährliche Reproduktionsraten
erheblichen Schwankungen unterliegen und bei
beiden Arten nicht synchron verlaufen müssen. Diese Arbeit
beruht auf Untersuchungen der Populationsentwicklung von
Schleiereule und Turmfalke, die über zehn Jahre auf einer
Probefläche in der Region Kraichgau (Südwestdeutschland)
durchgeführt wurden. Unsere Daten belegen einen positiven
Effekt der Schaffung neuer bzw. der Optimierung alter Brutplätze
auf die Populationsentwicklung beider Vogelarten. 81 %
der gebäudebrütenden Turmfalken und 99 % der Schleiereulen
brüteten in künstlichen Nisthilfen. Die Brutpaardichte der
Schleiereule schwankte von 1,4 Paaren/100 km2 bis 8,6
Paaren/100km2, die des Turmfalken von 6,6 Paaren/100 km2
bis 19,7 Paaren/100 km2. Im Mittel lag die Reproduktionsrate
der Schleiereule während des Untersuchungszeitraumes bei
4,7 Jungvögeln pro erfolgreicher Erstbrut, die des Turmfalken
ebenfalls bei 4,7 Jungvögeln pro erfolgreicher Brut. Für die
Schleiereule zeigte sich aktuell im Vergleich zu früheren Perioden
keine direkte Abhängigkeit der Brutpopulation von der
Anzahl der Schneetage des vorausgegangenen Winters. Beim
Turmfalken fiel eine ausgeprägte Jugenddispersion auf. Unsere
Daten sprechen zudem für eine Brutplatzkonkurrenz zwischen
Dohle, Turmfalke und Schleiereule im Siedlungsraum.
Posljedice globalizacijskih procesa vidljive su i u jeziku kao tendencija k internacionalizaciji. Internacionalizacija, ili možda preciznije angloamerikanizacija, zahvatila je sve jezike modernoga svijeta. Hrvatski jezik nije iznimka. U ovom ćemo radu spomenuti samo neke od posljedica internacionalizacije, i to na leksičkoj, tvorbenoj i semantičkoj razini.
The article analyses the early novels stillborn, Terminifera und Magma by Michael Stavarič in respect of their compliance with the theory of postmodern novels. The analysis concludes that the works of th e academically educated writer correspond in very high proportions to the theory and attitudes of post-modernism.
Potentiation of glycine-gated NR1/NR3A NMDA receptors relieves Ca2+-dependent outward rectification
(2010)
Glycine has diverse functions within the mammalian central nervous system. It inhibits postsynaptic neurons via strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors (GlyRs) and enhances neuronal excitation through co-activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Classical Ca2+-permeable NMDA receptors are composed of glycine-binding NR1 and glutamate-binding NR2 subunits, and hence require both glutamate and glycine for efficient activation. In contrast, recombinant receptors composed of NR1 and the glycine binding NR3A and/or NR3B subunits lack glutamate binding sites and can be activated by glycine alone. Therefore these receptors are also named “excitatory glycine receptors”. Co-application of antagonists of the NR1 glycine-binding site or of the divalent cation Zn2+ markedly enhances the glycine responses of these receptors. To gain further insight into the properties of these glycine-gated NMDA receptors, we investigated their current-voltage (I–V) dependence. Whole-cell current-voltage relations of glycine currents recorded from NR1/NR3B and NR1/NR3A/NR3B expressing oocytes were found to be linear under our recording conditions. In contrast, NR1/NR3A receptors displayed a strong outwardly rectifying I–V relation. Interestingly, the voltage-dependent inward current block was abolished in the presence of NR1 antagonists, Zn2+ or a combination of both. Further analysis revealed that Ca2+ (1.8 mM) present in our recording solutions was responsible for the voltage-dependent inhibition of ion flux through NR1/NR3A receptors. Since physiological concentrations of the divalent cation Mg2+ did not affect the I–V dependence, our data suggest that relief of the voltage-dependent Ca2+ block of NR1/NR3A receptors by Zn2+ may be important for the regulation of excitatory glycinergic transmission, according to the Mg2+-block of conventional NR1/NR2 NMDA receptors. Keywords: NMDA receptor, excitatory glycine receptor, voltage block, NR3 subunit, supralinear potentiation, Zn2+, NR1 antagonist, ligand-binding domain
Background: Current conventional vaccination approaches do not induce potent CD8 T-cell responses for fighting mostly variable viral diseases such as influenza, avian influenza viruses or HIV. Following our recent study on vaccine penetration by targeting of vaccine to human hair follicular ducts surrounded by Langerhans cells, we tested in the first randomized Phase-Ia trial based on hair follicle penetration (namely transcutaneous route) the induction of virus-specific CD8 T cell responses. Methods and Findings: We chose the inactivated influenza vaccine – a conventional licensed tetanus/influenza (TETAGRIP®) vaccine – to compare the safety and immunogenicity of transcutaneous (TC) versus IM immunization in two randomized controlled, multi-center Phase I trials including 24 healthy-volunteers and 12 HIV-infected patients. Vaccination was performed by application of inactivated influenza vaccine according to a standard protocol allowing the opening of the hair duct for the TC route or needle-injection for the IM route. We demonstrated that the safety of the two routes was similar. We showed the superiority of TC application, but not the IM route, to induce a significant increase in influenza-specific CD8 cytokine-producing cells in healthy-volunteers and in HIV-infected patients. However, these routes did not differ significantly for the induction of influenza-specific CD4 responses, and neutralizing antibodies were induced only by the IM route. The CD8 cell response is thus the major immune response observed after TC vaccination. Conclusions: This Phase Ia clinical trial (Manon05) testing an anti-influenza vaccine demonstrated that vaccines designed for antibody induction by the IM route, generate vaccine-specific CD8 T cells when administered transcutaneously. These results underline the necessity of adapting vaccination strategies to control complex infectious diseases when CD8 cellular responses are crucial. Our work opens up a key area for the development of preventive and therapeutic vaccines for diseases in which CD8 cells play a crucial role.
The continuous progress in the structural and functional characterization of aquaporins increasingly attracts attention to study their roles in certain mammalian diseases. Although several structures of aquaporins have already been solved by crystallization, the challenge of producing sufficient amounts of functional proteins still remains. CF (cell free) expression has emerged in recent times as a promising alternative option in order to synthesize large quantities of membrane proteins, and the focus of this report was to evaluate the potential of this technique for the production of eukaryotic aquaporins. We have selected the mouse aquaporin 4 as a representative of mammalian aquaporins. The protein was synthesized in an E. coli extract based cell-free system with two different expression modes, and the efficiencies of two modes were compared. In both, the P-CF (cell-free membrane protein expression as precipitate) mode generating initial aquaporin precipitates as well as in the D-CF (cell-free membrane protein expression in presence of detergent) mode, generating directly detergent solubilized samples, we were able to obtain mg amounts of protein per ml of cell-free reaction. Purified aquaporin samples solubilized in different detergents were reconstituted into liposomes, and analyzed for the water channel activity. The calculated Pf value of proteoliposome samples isolated from the D-CF mode was 133 µm/s at 10°C, which was 5 times higher as that of the control. A reversible inhibitory effect of mercury chloride was observed, which is consistent with previous observations of in vitro reconstituted aquaporin 4. In this study, a fast and convenient protocol was established for functional expression of aquaporins, which could serve as basis for further applications such as water filtration.
U prilogu se s kontrastivnog aspekta analiziraju frazemi hrvatskoga i češkoga jezika kojima je sastavnica zoonim. Životinja je još od pradavnih vremena najbliži čovjekov suputnik. U svim se narodima životinjama pripisuju simbolična značenja i ljudske osobine i to najčešće one negativne što ćemo i pokušati dokazati ovim prilogom. Naime, ljudi su kroz povijest pripisivali životinjama određene stereotipe. Tako se pozitivno određuju domaće životinje i to one od kojih čovjek ima više koristi, za razliku od divljih prema kojima je puno kritičniji i skloniji negativnome određenju. S obzirom na to da zoonimska frazeologija obuhvaća širok dijapazon različitih značenja u ovome ćemo se prilogu baviti onim frazemima koji svojim značenjem ulaze u koncept ljudskih osobina, stanja, izgleda, načina kretanja te odnosa prema jelu i piću. Pri tome se objašnjava i simbolika pojedine životinje jer se time razumije i pozadinska slika pojedina frazema. Također u prilogu se provodi i kontrastivna analiza izdvojenih hrvatskih i čeških frazema s obzirom na navedene koncepte te se utvrđuju podudarnosti i razlike.
Ključne riječi: frazem; zoonim; frazemska pozadinska slika; kontrastivna analiza; hrvatski jezik; češki jezik
WE STUDY WHETHER PRIVATE EQUITY (PE) FIRMS HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF THEIR GERMAN PORTFOLIO COMPANIES BEFORE AND AFTER THE IPO. OUR EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS IS BASED ON A UNIQUE AND LARGE DATASET OF ALL IPOS IN GERMANY BETWEEN 2000 AND 2007. WE FIND THAT PE FIRMS SELECT COMPANIES WITH BELOW AVERAGE PERFORMANCE AND THEN IMPROVE PERFORMANCE SUBSTANTIALLY UNTIL THE IPO DATE AND IN MANY CASES ALSO THEREAFTER. THIS IMPLIES THAT PE FIRMS FILL A VOID ALSO IN GERMAN FINANCIAL MARKETS AND THAT THEY WILL ALSO PLAY A FUTURE ROLE IN FINANCING GERMAN ENTERPRISES.
Fasst man das Konzept der Katharsis als die wohltuende Auflösung eines durch eine Erzählung ausgelösten, emotionalen Spannungszustandes auf, dann lässt sich wohl behaupten, dass diese nach wie vor das aristotelisch-klassische Ziel des modernen Mainstream Kinos ist. Das Besondere an dem Film The Reader ist nun, dass diese Katharsis nicht nur ein latent verfolgtes Ziel des Filmes, d.h. ein unbewusstes Nebenprodukt eines Happy Ends ist, sondern gleichzeitig auch expliziter Teil der Erzählung (und somit eine begriffliche Ausweitung erfährt): Ist eine Katharsis angesichts der Schrecken von Auschwitz überhaupt möglich? Die folgende Deutung glaubt, dass der Film diese Frage versucht zu bejahen, indem er auf die Möglichkeiten eines ‚poetischen Kinos’ verweist. Diese bestehen nicht zuletzt in der Symbolisierung des ‚Unaussprechlichen’, die zwar keine rationale, dafür aber eine emotionale Integration der NS-Vergangenheit zu leisten können beansprucht.
Anhand des Fallbeispiels studiumdigitale, der zentralen eLearning-Einrichtung der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, werden verschiedene Thesen zur Einrichtung und Entwicklung einer so genannten Third Space-Einrichtung dargelegt, die einerseits den Erfolg und das Überleben einer Einrichtung wie auch ihre Fortentwicklung betreffen. Der Schwerpunkt liegt dabei auf der Ausgestaltung der Austauschbeziehung der Einrichtung zu ihren ‚Kunden’, den Lehrenden, zu ihren Nachbareinrichtungen und sowie der Definition und Ausprägung der Aufgaben der Institution.
On August 13, 2010 Horst Schuller, university professor, former head of the German Studies Department of the University of Sibiu, Romanian-born German critic and literary historian reached the age of 70 years. The present article pays homage to the well-known scientist at reaching the venerable age.
Programmatik und Verfahren des Direct Cinema (mit besonderem Augenmerk auf Don Alan Pennebaker)
(2010)
Das amerikanische Direct Cinema, wie es 1960 unter der Leitung von Robert Drew mit PRIMARY, dem ersten Film der Gruppe um Richard Leacock und D.A. Pennebaker, entstanden war, gab rasch dem amerikanischen Dokumentarfilm und bald auch der internationalen Szene revolutionierende und revitalisierende Impulse. Es basiert auf der Erfindung Leacocks und anderer, mithilfe der Pilotton-Technik ein tragbares Tonaufzeichnungsgerät mit der 16mm-Kamera zu synchronisieren. Damit war der Dokumentarfilm sozusagen freigesetzt, man konnte den gefilmten Personen überallhin folgen und den authentischen Ton vor Ort aufzeichnen, während zuvor ein Tonstudio nötig war.
The title compound, C15H14N2O4, has a trans–gauche [O/C/C/C–O/C/C/C] (TG) conformation. The angle between the planes of aromatic rings is 76.4 (3)°. The crystal structure is stabilized by van der Waals interactions and C—H ... O hydrogen bonds. The crystal used was a non-merohedral twin with a fractional contribution of the minor component of 0.443 (5).
The title compound. C15H14N2O4, (I), has a gauche–gauche (O/C/C/C—O/C/C/C or GG) conformation and is a positional isomer of propane-1,3-diyl bis(pyridine-3-carboxylate), (II). The molecule of (I) lies on a twofold rotation axis, which passes through the central C atom of the aliphatic chain, giving one half-molecule per asymmetric unit. There is excellent agreement of the geometric parameters of (I) and (II). The most obvious differences between them are the O/C/C/C—O/C/C/C torsion angles [56.6 (2)° in (I) and 174.0 (3)/70.2 (3)° in (II) for GG and TG conformations, respectively] and the dihedral angle between the planes of the aromatic rings [80.3 (10)° in (I) and 76.5 (3)° in (II)]. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak C—H ... N and C—H ... O hydrogen bonding.
Proteins can be acetylated at the alpha-amino group of the N-terminal amino acid (methionine or the penultimate amino acid after methionine removal) or at the epsilon-amino group of internal lysines. In eukaryotes the majority of proteins are N-terminally acetylated, while this is extremely rare in bacteria. A variety of studies about N-terminal acetylation in archaea have been reported recently, and it was revealed that a considerable fraction of proteins is N-terminally acetylated in haloarchaea and Sulfolobus, while this does not seem to apply for methanogenic archaea. Many eukaryotic proteins are modified by differential internal acetylation, which is important for a variety of processes. Until very recently, only two bacterial proteins were known to be acetylation targets, but now 125 acetylation sites are known for E. coli. Knowledge about internal acetylation in archaea is extremely limited; only two target proteins are known, only one of which--Alba--was used to study differential acetylation. However, indications accumulate that the degree of internal acetylation of archaeal proteins might be underestimated, and differential acetylation has been shown to be essential for the viability of haloarchaea. Focused proteomic approaches are needed to get an overview of the extent of internal protein acetylation in archaea.
Activation of Notch1 signaling in neural progenitor cells (NPCs) induces self-renewal and inhibits neurogenesis. Upon neuronal differentiation, NPCs overcome this inhibition, express proneural genes to induce Notch ligands, and activate Notch1 in neighboring NPCs. The molecular mechanism that coordinates Notch1 inactivation with initiation of neurogenesis remains elusive. Here, we provide evidence that Prox1, a transcription repressor and downstream target of proneural genes, counteracts Notch1 signaling via direct suppression of Notch1 gene expression. By expression studies in the developing spinal cord of chick and mouse embryo, we showed that Prox1 is limited to neuronal precursors residing between the Notch1+ NPCs and post-mitotic neurons. Physiological levels of Prox1 in this tissue are sufficient to allow binding at Notch1 promoter and they are critical for proper Notch1 transcriptional regulation in vivo. Gain-of-function studies in the chick neural tube and mouse NPCs suggest that Prox1-mediated suppression of Notch1 relieves its inhibition on neurogenesis and allows NPCs to exit the cell cycle and differentiate. Moreover, loss-of-function in the chick neural tube shows that Prox1 is necessary for suppression of Notch1 outside the ventricular zone, inhibition of active Notch signaling, down-regulation of NPC markers, and completion of neuronal differentiation program. Together these data suggest that Prox1 inhibits Notch1 gene expression to control the balance between NPC self-renewal and neuronal differentiation.
Quantification of circulating endothelial progenitor cells using the modified ISHAGE protocol
(2010)
Aims: Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC), involved in endothelial regeneration, neovascularisation, and determination of prognosis in cardiovascular disease can be characterised with functional assays or using immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Combinations of markers, including CD34+KDR+ or CD133+KDR+, are used. This approach, however may not consider all characteristics of EPC. The lack of a standardised protocol with regards to reagents and gating strategies may account for the widespread inter-laboratory variations in quantification of EPC. We, therefore developed a novel protocol adapted from the standardised so-called ISHAGE protocol for enumeration of haematopoietic stem cells to enable comparison of clinical and laboratory data. Methods and Results: In 25 control subjects, 65 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD; 40 stable CAD, 25 acute coronary syndrome/acute myocardial infarction (ACS)), EPC were quantified using the following approach: Whole blood was incubated with CD45, KDR, and CD34. The ISHAGE sequential strategy was used, and finally, CD45dimCD34+ cells were quantified for KDR. A minimum of 100 CD34+ events were collected. For comparison, CD45+CD34+ and CD45-CD34+ were analysed simultaneously. The number of CD45dimCD34+KDR+ cells only were significantly higher in healthy controls compared to patients with CAD or ACS (p = 0.005 each, p<0.001 for trend). An inverse correlation of CD45dimCD34+KDR+ with disease activity (r = -0.475, p<0.001) was confirmed. Only CD45dimCD34+KDR+ correlated inversely with the number of diseased coronaries (r = -0.344; p<0.005). In a second study, a 4-week de-novo treatment of atorvastatin in stable CAD evoked an increase only of CD45dimCD34+KDR+ EPC (p<0.05). CD45+CD34+KDR+ and CD45-CD34+KDR+ were indifferent between the three groups. Conclusion: Our newly established protocol adopted from the standardised ISHAGE protocol achieved higher accuracy in EPC enumeration confirming previous findings with respect to the correlation of EPC with disease activity and the increase of EPC during statin therapy. The data of this study show the CD45dim fraction to harbour EPC.
O presente artigo oferece um breve panorama acerca do ensino da língua alemã no Brasil. Seguindo os conceitos e dimensões de bilinguismo e bilingualidade , identifica o ensino de língua alemã como segunda língua e trata do aspecto da interculturalidade restrito à análise da prática em duas escolas bilíngues do Rio de Janeiro, onde a língua/cultura alemã é a segunda língua.(L2) Propõese uma reflexão sobre a questão da interculturalidade no âmbito da comemoração de datas festivas em escolas bilíngues. Dentro dessa temática e no contexto escolar bilíngue, delimitamos o estudo a eventos comemorativos como a Páscoa, marcados pela distribuição de ovinhos de Páscoa/Ostereier. O estudo baseia-se em uma perspectiva sociocultural da linguagem e ressalta as relações entre língua, identidade e estrutura social.
Background: A delta and C fibers are the major pain-conducting nerve fibers, activate only partly the same brain areas, and are differently involved in pain syndromes. Whether a stimulus excites predominantly A delta or C fibers is a commonly asked question in basic pain research but a quick test was lacking so far. Methodology/Principal Findings: Of 77 verbal descriptors of pain sensations, "pricking", "dull" and "pressing" distinguished best (95% cases correctly) between A delta fiber mediated (punctate pressure produced by means of von Frey hairs) and C fiber mediated (blunt pressure) pain, applied to healthy volunteers in experiment 1. The sensation was assigned to A delta fibers when "pricking" but neither "dull" nor "pressing" were chosen, and to C fibers when the sum of the selections of "dull" or "pressing" was greater than that of the selection of "pricking". In experiment 2, with an independent cohort, the three-descriptor questionnaire achieved sensitivity and specificity above 0.95 for distinguishing fiber preferential non-mechanical induced pain (laser heat, exciting A delta fibers, and 5-Hz electric stimulation, exciting C fibers). Conclusion: A three-item verbal rating test using the words "pricking", "dull", and "pressing" may provide sufficient information to characterize a pain sensation evoked by a physical stimulus as transmitted via A delta or via C fibers. It meets the criteria of a screening test by being easy to administer, taking little time, being comfortable in handling, and inexpensive while providing high specificity for relevant information.
Background: R-flurbiprofen, one of the enantiomers of flurbiprofen racemate, is inactive with respect to cyclooxygenase inhibition, but shows analgesic properties without relevant toxicity. Its mode of action is still unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: We show that R-flurbiprofen reduces glutamate release in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord evoked by sciatic nerve injury and thereby alleviates pain in sciatic nerve injury models of neuropathic pain in rats and mice. This is mediated by restoring the balance of endocannabinoids (eCB), which is disturbed following peripheral nerve injury in the DRGs, spinal cord and forebrain. The imbalance results from transcriptional adaptations of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and NAPE-phospholipase D, i.e. the major enzymes involved in anandamide metabolism and synthesis, respectively. R-flurbiprofen inhibits FAAH activity and normalizes NAPE-PLD expression. As a consequence, R-Flurbiprofen improves endogenous cannabinoid mediated effects, indicated by the reduction of glutamate release, increased activity of the anti-inflammatory transcription factor PPAR gamma and attenuation of microglia activation. Antinociceptive effects are lost by combined inhibition of CB1 and CB2 receptors and partially abolished in CB1 receptor deficient mice. R-flurbiprofen does however not cause changes of core body temperature which is a typical indicator of central effects of cannabinoid-1 receptor agonists. Conclusion: Our results suggest that R-flurbiprofen improves the endogenous mechanisms to regain stability after axonal injury and to fend off chronic neuropathic pain by modulating the endocannabinoid system and thus constitutes an attractive, novel therapeutic agent in the treatment of chronic, intractable pain.
Background: Early inner ear development requires the strict regulation of cell proliferation, survival, migration and differentiation, coordinated by the concerted action of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Deregulation of these processes is associated with embryonic malformations and deafness. We have shown that insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) plays a key role in embryonic and postnatal otic development by triggering the activation of intracellular lipid and protein kinases. RAF kinases are serine/threonine kinases that regulate the highly conserved RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK signaling cascade involved in transducing the signals from extracellular growth factors to the nucleus. However, the regulation of RAF kinase activity by growth factors during development is complex and still not fully understood.
Methodology/Principal Findings: By using a combination of qRT-PCR, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we show that C-RAF and B-RAF are expressed during the early development of the chicken inner ear in specific spatiotemporal patterns. Moreover, later in development B-RAF expression is associated to hair cells in the sensory patches. Experiments in ex vivo cultures of otic vesicle explants demonstrate that the influence of IGF-I on proliferation but not survival depends on RAF kinase activating the MEK-ERK phosphorylation cascade. With the specific RAF inhibitor Sorafenib, we show that blocking RAF activity in organotypic cultures increases apoptosis and diminishes the rate of cell proliferation in the otic epithelia, as well as severely impairing neurogenesis of the acoustic-vestibular ganglion (AVG) and neuron maturation.
Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that RAF kinase activity is essential to establish the balance between cell proliferation and death in neuroepithelial otic precursors, and for otic neuron differentiation and axonal growth at the AVG.
Rani razvoj goranskih govora
(2010)
U radu se razmatra povijest hrvatskih govora u Gorskome kotaru, koji se obično smatraju kajkavskim govorima. Obrađuju se različite promjene u akcentuaciji, konsonantizmu i vokalizmu do približno 16. stoljeća. One se uspoređuju sa sličnim promjenama u susjednim kajkavskim, slovenskim, čakavskim i štokavskim dijalektima. Najstarije nam izoglose pokazuju da goranske govore ne možemo smatrati doseljenim izdaleka ili miješanim. Moramo ih smjestiti u Gorski kotar već prije otomanskih nadiranja u 15. i 16. stoljeću. Raspravlja se o tome da je Gorski kotar dijalektno područje kroz koje teče više izoglosa koje postaju razumljive kad smještamo ovo područje u perspektivu okolnih južnoslavenskih narječja.
Raoul Sage
(2010)
Raoul Sage
(2010)
Raoul Sage
(2010)
We report the first measurements of 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (HFC-227ea), a substitute for ozone depleting compounds, in remote regions of the atmosphere and present evidence for its rapid growth. Observed mixing ratios ranged from below 0.01 ppt in deep firn air to 0.59 ppt in the northern mid-latitudinal upper troposphere. Firn air samples collected in Greenland were used to reconstruct a history of atmospheric abundance. Year-on-year increases were deduced, with acceleration in the growth rate from 0.026 ppt per year in 2000 to 0.057 ppt per year in 2007. Upper tropospheric air samples provide evidence for a continuing growth until late 2009. Fur- thermore we calculated a stratospheric lifetime of 370 years from measurements of air samples collected on board high altitude aircraft and balloons. Emission estimates were determined from the reconstructed atmospheric trend and suggest that current "bottom-up" estimates of global emissions for 2005 are too high by more than a factor of three.
Based on newly collected samples and data from the literature, an updated list of the marine bivalves of the Cape Verde Islands is presented. From 2004 to 2006, collections were made at 22 sampling points in the islands of Santiago, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Boavista and Maio. Using qualitative and direct sampling methods, 39 species of bivalves, belonging to 20 families, were identified. Families most represented were Veneridae (6 species), Cardiidae (5 species), Arcidae (4 species) and Mytilidae (4 species). Islands with the largest diversity of species were São Vicente (30 species) and Santiago (23 species), probably due to the larger number of sample points (64% of total). Six species not previously reported from the archipelago were collected, i.e. Irus irus, Venus declivis, Timoclea ovata, Diplodonta rotundata, Plagiocardium papillosum and Tagelus adansoni. Corbicula fluminea, supposedly a man assisted introduction, was also collected.
Based on both stranding and sighting records, recent data on the status and distribution of whales and dolphins in the Cape Verde Islands are presented, including records of four taxa new to the archipelago, viz. Common minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima, beaked whale Mesoplodon cf. europaeus and False killer whale Pseudorca crassidens. Distribution elsewhere in the tropical eastern Atlantic and some taxonomic issues are discussed.
Observations on the longevity and ecology of Isopogon prostratus McGill. (Proteaceae) based on 1985 and 2009 field measures on Newnes Plateau, near Lithgow, and a seed germination trial are provided. Its survival strategy appears to be that of a stress-tolerator with long-term persistence at (relatively few) suitable sites, and it remains a relatively rare plant. It is conjectured that it is likely to have been a species of greater abundance in the drier, colder and generally treeless conditions of the Newnes Plateau 15–20 000 years ago, but, as conditions became warmer and wetter it has become reduced to isolated populations as taller shrubs outcompeted it for light.
Ob eine Suche nach Rechtsbegriffen des Mittelalters förderlich sei, erscheine – so Harald Siems – zweifelhaft. Theoretische Reflexionen über Recht habe man im Frühen Mittelalter kaum angestellt. Jedenfalls nicht in der Intensität, dass sie sich zum Begriff verdichtet hätten. Die Frage nach dem Rechtsbegriff sei auch deshalb fehl am Platze, weil im Frühmittelalter so etwas zur Lösung von Rechtsfragen nichts hätte beitragen können. Warum sollte jemand auf die Idee kommen, "quasi auf Vorrat" Rechtsbegriffe zu entwickeln? Schon wenn es um konkrete Rechtsfragen wie beispielsweise die Behandlung von Diebstahl oder Raub geht, fehle es "noch lange an Begriff und System". Diese knappe Feststellung bringt Siems’ Ausführungen für einen kurzen Moment in die Nähe von Überlegungen, die Pilch anstellt und die auf dieser Tagung zu verfolgen sind. Aber wirklich nur für einen Augenblick blitzt das auf: Siems sagt, Rechtsbegriffe seien eine schwierige, abstrakte Kategorie, für die heute die Vertreter der Rechtstheorie und der Rechtsphilosophie zuständig seien. ...
Martin Pilchs rechtstheoretische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Begriff der Rechtsgewohnheit bzw. Rechtsgewohnheiten sowie dem Rechtsbegriff als solchem, wie sie seit geraumer Zeit innerhalb der Rechtsgeschichte des Mittelalters diskutiert werden, bietet Gelegenheit zu einer Stellungnahme aus der Perspektive der altorientalischen Rechtsgeschichte. Während in anderen Bereichen der antiken Rechtsgeschichte Rechtsgewohnheiten als Begriff und als Phänomen jedenfalls in jüngerer Zeit durchaus thematisiert werden, spielt dies im Zusammenhang mit Untersuchungen zu den Keilschriftrechten bislang eine allenfalls untergeordnete Rolle. ...
Diese Bemerkungen entspringen einem Diskussionsbeitrag in der lebendigen Januar-Runde. Naturgemäß fehlen etliche Kontexte. Ein Wort auch hier sei trotzdem gewagt, da im Ganzen sonst doch manches beiseite bliebe. Im Hinblick auf hier die gebotene Kürze bitte ich um Verständnis für einige Hinweise auf frühere Ausführungen. ...
IN THE PAST YEARS THE CUSTOMER FEEDBACK METRIC RECOMMENDATION INTENTION HAS GAINED IMPORTANCE, ESPECIALLY DUE TO THE WIDESPREAD CONCEPT NET PROMOTER SCORE (NPS). THE NPS CONCEPT IMPLIES A POSITIVE, NON-LINEAR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RECOMMENDATION INTENTION AND CUSTOMER VALUE. THIS ARTICLE INVESTIGATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RECOMMENDATION INTENTION OF INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMERS AND THEIR VALUE FOR THE FIRM. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT RECOMMENDATION INTENTION SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES CONTRIBUTION MARGIN BUT NEITHER RETENTION NOR CUSTOMER VALUE. THE METRIC SATISFACTION HAS A SIGNIFICANT, POSITIVE IMPACT ON CUSTOMER VALUE AND CAN THUS BE USED AS A LEADING INDICATOR. THEREFORE, THE RESULTS DO NOT CONFIRM THE SUPERIORITY OF THE NPS CONCEPT FOR CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT.
Reconhecimento e trabalho em Axel Honneth: os trabalhadores offshore na Bacia de Campos – Brasil
(2010)
Honneth traz ao debate o Hegel dos tempos de Jena e retoma o tema da luta por reconhecimento. Mais recentemente, relê Durkheim que, oitenta anos depois de Hegel, insiste numa nova forma de economia indissociada da eticidade. Propõe que o capitalismo, além da perseguição de metas de eficiência econômica, haverá de se remodelar a partir de critérios normativos que o assegurem como força de integração social. Honneth elege experiências de sofrimento no trabalho como evidências de que a indignação é capaz de ativar lutas por reconhecimento que podem ou não ser articuladas politicamente. A pesquisa elege os trabalhadores offshore no Brasil e demonstra o quanto um setor econômico de ponta também promove entre seus trabalhadores assimetrias de reconhecimento, sobretudo quando as metas produtivas antagonizam-se às demandas por dignidade.
Contrariamente à percepção cotidiana de que os atores estatais têm como objetivo de suas ações o respeito e o reconhecimento da comunidade por eles representada, prevalece na moderna teoria predominante das relações internacionais a noção de que os governos nacionais orientam seu agir essencialmente a fins e não com base em princípios morais. O texto destaca as razões que falam a favor de uma maior consideração da dimensão do reconhecimento na explicação das relações internacionais e explora as implicações normativas que surgem a partir de tal mudança de paradigma para a compreensão e o tratamento das relações internacionais. Narrativas justificadoras da ação política recebem aqui um papel destacado
In contrast to the previous structure determinations of the title structure, (NH4)2[MoS4], the present determination at 173 K localized the positions of the H atoms. The title structure belongs to the beta-K2SO4 family and all the ions are located on crystallographic mirror planes. The ions are held together by N—H ... S hydrogen bonds (some of which are bifurcated), forming a three-dimensional network. One of the N atoms has nine contacts to the S atoms shorter than 4 Å, and the other has ten.
Redewendung
(2010)
Redistribuição versus reconhecimento: apontamentos sobre o debate entre Nancy Fraser e Axel Honneth
(2010)
Resumo: O reconhecimento é uma categoria que tem se revelado muito utilizada para realizar o debate sobre a questão da identidade e da diferença, de modo que sua relevância torna-se incontestável em vários domínios. Sem tecer comentários críticos, o presente texto pretende apresentar o debate travado entre Nancy Fraser e Axel Honneth, referente à preocupação, presente nos dois autores, de se ajustar às pautas de reconhecimento e de distribuição material.
Redistribuição versus reconhecimento: apontamentos sobre o debate entre Nancy Fraser e Axel Honneth
(2010)
O reconhecimento é uma categoria muito utilizada para debater sobre a questão da identidade e da diferença, de modo que sua relevância torna-se incontestável em vários domínios. Sem tecer comentários críticos, o presente texto pretende apresentar o debate travado entre Nancy Fraser e Axel Honneth, referente à preocupação, manifestada pelos dois autores, de se ajustar às pautas de reconhecimento e de distribuição material.
Erich Fromm foi um psicanalista que participou da formação da Escola de Frankfurt com o projeto de unir o materialismo histórico de Marx à psicanálise de Freud. Dentre os conceitos abordados por ele, o da liberdade é um dos fundamentais, ao postular a diferença entre a “liberdade de” e a “liberdade para”, sendo a primeira a liberdade existente na sociedade capitalista, uma pseudo-liberdade, e a segunda seria a realização da liberdade no sentido positivo. Contudo, devido ao seu humanismo abstrato e não perceber o papel da luta de classes no sentido da superação do capitalismo, elabora uma crítica contundente dessa sociedade, que, no entanto, se torna limitada.
Reificação e reconhecimento: um estudo a partir da teoria crítica da sociedade de Axel Honneth
(2010)
O conceito de reificação, originalmente formulado por Karl Marx e desenvolvido por Georg Lukács, foi incorporado como uma das categorias centrais da teoria crítica em sua tarefa de diagnosticar patologias sociais. Contudo, para a compreensão atual da utilização do conceito, tornou-se necessário libertar seu referencial originário meramente econômico. É isso o que pretende Axel Honneth ao reatualizar o conceito de reificação e seu potencial crítico-normativo a partir da teoria do reconhecimento. Além de retomar os principais aspectos do conceito de reificação segundo a análise do “fetichismo da mercadoria”, o artigo se concentra em apresentar a interpretação de Honneth para os processos sociais reificantes – nas relações dos sujeitos com o mundo circundante, nas relações sociais entre os sujeitos e nos efeitos patológicos da autoreificação sobre a autorealização ética – e para a produção inovadora do diagnóstico das patologias sociais decorrentes da reificação como “esquecimento do reconhecimento”.
U radu se analiziraju eliptični oblici anglizama u ruskome i hrvatskome jeziku i dopunjuje pristup njihove dosadašnje kvalifikacije i klasifikacije. Preciznijim definicijama stupnja elipse u anglizmu predlaže se jednostavnije i jasnije određivanje njihovih granica i razlika. Na temelju rezultata analize anglizama uočene su nove mogućnosti u njihovu formiranju. U formiranju eliptičnoga oblika anglizma nije nužno samo ispuštanje određenih elemenata, već se eliptični oblik anglizma može formirati i s pomoću kombinacija drugih tvorbenih načina: kombinacijom elipse i supstitucije, elipse i kompozicije, elipse i adicije, elipse, supstitucije i adicije, elipse, supstitucije i kompozicije te kombinacijom elipse, adicije i kompozicije.
A hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) was used to measure the water uptake (hygroscopicity) of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed during the chemical and photochemical oxidation of several organic precursors in a smog chamber. Electron ionization mass spectra of the non-refractory submicron aerosol were simultaneously determined with an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS), and correlations between the two different signals were investigated. SOA hygroscopicity was found to strongly correlate with the relative abundance of the ion signal m/z 44 expressed as a fraction of total organic signal (f44). m/z 44 is due mostly to the ion fragment CO2+ for all types of SOA systems studied, and has been previously shown to strongly correlate with organic O/C for ambient and chamber OA. The analysis was also performed on ambient OA from two field experiments at the remote site Jungfraujoch, and the megacity Mexico City, where similar results were found. A simple empirical linear relation between the hygroscopicity of OA at subsaturated RH, as given by the hygroscopic growth factor (GF) or "κorg" parameter, and f44 was determined and is given by κorg=2.2×f44−0.13. This approximation can be further verified and refined as the database for AMS and HTDMA measurements is constantly being expanded around the world. The use of this approximation could introduce an important simplification in the parameterization of hygroscopicity of OA in atmospheric models, since f44 is correlated with the photochemical age of an air mass.
EUROTRANS is a European research program for the transmutation of high level nuclear waste in an accelerator-driven system (ADS). As proposed, the driver linac needs to deliver a 2.5–4 mA, 600 MeV continuous-wave (CW) proton beam and later a 20 mA, 800 MeV one to the spallation target in the prototype-scale and industrial-scale demonstration phases, respectively. This paper is focusing on the conceptual studies performed with respect to the 17 MeV injector. First, the special beam dynamics strategies and methods, which have been developed and applied to design a current-variable injector up to 30 mA for allowing an easy upgrade without additional R&D costs, will be introduced. Then the error study made for evaluating the tolerance limits of the designed injector will be presented as well.
Welche Rolle spielt Religion – abseits von radikalem Extremismus – im politischen Geschehen der modernen westlichen Gesellschaften? Diese Frage motivierte unser Forschungsprojekt; wir untersuchen dabei einen ganz spezifischen Sachverhalt: Welchen Einfluss hat Religion darauf, ob Bürger staatliche Umverteilungspolitik unterstützen? ...
Auf Basis einer Literaturauswertung paläobotanischer Befunde werden Facetten zur Entstehung, Bedeutung und Erhaltung der Phytodiversität heimischer Offenland-Lebensräume im Waldland Bayern aufgezeigt: Bayern liegt in der temperaten Waldregion mit sommergrünen Laubwäldern, die zu 80 % von Buchenwald-Gesellschaften dominiert werden. Der heutigen Dominanz der Buche steht eine fehlende Kontinuität der Buche in der quartären Vegetationsgeschichte Mitteleuropas gegenüber. 70–80 % des Quartärs überwogen offene oder halboffene Landschaften. Die Buche erlangte ihre Vorherrschaft erst im Spätholozän vor ca. 5.000 Jahren. Die heimische Diversität entwickelte sich im Quartär zu 99,7 % außerhalb von Buchenwäldern. So war Bayern die letzten 1,8 Mio. Jahre vorrangig von periglazialen Steppentundra-Komplexen dominiert. Aus dieser Habitattradition entstammen zahlreiche Relikt - arten der Steppen und Tundren, die heute als Glazialrelikte in Sonder-Lebensräume eingebunden sind. Sie sind das historische Zeugnis des mehrfachen und tiefgreifenden Landschafts- und Florenwandels während des Quartärs, der in seiner Intensität weltweit einmalig ist. Wie Auswertungen der Floristischen Kartierung Bayerns zeigen, sind die nur auf wenigen Prozent der Landesfläche vorkommenden lichten Mager-, Trocken- und Nass-Standorte die entscheidenden Refugien für das Überleben der seltenen Gefäßpflanzen und die entscheidenden Inseln für den Erhalt der Phytodiversität, die die regional - typischen Vegetationsausprägungen ausmachen und den wesentlichen Genpool für zukünftige Entwicklungen bergen. Nur etwa 12 % der bayerischen Gefäßpflanzen sind an Wald als Lebensraum gebunden, in dem zudem die besonders seltenen Sippen mit 9 % stark unterrepräsentiert sind. Fast alle (Sub-) Endemiten wachsen auf lückigen Offenland-Wuchsorten, keiner wächst in mehr oder minder dichten Wäldern. Populationsbiologisch betrachtet stehen Sippen auf räumlich isolierten Sonderstandorten im Spannungsfeld zwischen der Gefahr des Aussterbens (z. B. Carex capitata, Chondrilla chondrilloides usw.) und dem Impuls zur Ausbildung neuer Sippen (z. B. Gattung Cochlearia). Zudem lief, besonders für agamosperme Pflanzengruppen, die Evolution wohl v.a. in (halb-)offenen Landschaften ab und ließ schnell optimal angepasste Spezialisten entstehen, die bis heute auf Sonderstandorten erhalten geblieben sind. Insbesondere an den kleinen Arealen der Reliktarten und Endemiten auf Sonderstandorten werden die ausbreitungsbiologischen Probleme von Pflanzensippen deutlich, was neue Gesichtspunkte für die Biotopvernetzung hervorhebt. Entscheidend ist die Förderung der Prozesse, die eine Ausbreitung von Diasporen verbessern und eine Kontrolle ubiquitärer, starkwüchsiger Sippen. Die Ausführungen münden in eine konkrete Strategie für den Schutz der bayerischen Phytodiversität: Das Management der (halb-)offenen Lebensräume mit Reliktarten und regionaltypischen Endemiten ist eine große Herausforderung für den Naturschutz. Geeignete Konzepte und Maßnahmen müssen mit zielgerichteten Artenhilfsprogrammen erarbeitet werden.
In der Gemeinde Glandorf (Landkreis Osnabrück) wurde ein von der Bever abgetrennter Altarm im Rahmen eines Projektes wieder angebunden und renaturiert. Das Projekt wurde mit einem Monitoring der Besiedlung des neu geschaffenen Biotops über drei Jahre begleitet und die Entwicklung dokumentiert. Untersuchungsinhalte bildeten u.a. die chemisch-physikalischen Parameter und die Besiedlung des Altarms mit Fischen. Die chemisch-physikalischen Kenngrößen lieferten bereits nach kurzer Zeit des Wasserdurchflusses aussagekräftige Eindrücke. Die Messungen ergaben über die Untersuchungsjahre eine leichte Verbesserung der Werte, wenn auch nicht alle Werte unter den empfohlenen Grenzwerten für Tieflandbäche liegen. Verschmutzungszeiger wie auch Hinweise auf Einleitungen an Mineraldünger offenbaren überörtliche Einflüsse, die außerhalb der Renaturierungsmöglichkeiten liegen. Die Erfassung der Fische spiegelt vor allem bei den Herbstfängen eine Fischfauna wider, deren Artenund Jahrgangszusammensetzung typisch für Tieflandbäche ist. Vor dem Hintergrund des hohen Jungfischanteils wird die Bedeutung einer vielgestaltigen Renaturierung für die Fischbrut und als Rückzugsraum deutlich. Mit der Renaturierung des Bever-Altarms ist ein Schritt zur ökologischen Bereicherung gelungen, der über die Gewässerbesiedlung hinaus auch das direkte, landwirtschaftlich geprägte Umfeld positiv beeinflusst.
Background: Decoding of frequency-modulated (FM) sounds is essential for phoneme identification. This study investigates selectivity to FM direction in the human auditory system. Methodology/Principal Findings: Magnetoencephalography was recorded in 10 adults during a two-tone adaptation paradigm with a 200-ms interstimulus-interval. Stimuli were pairs of either same or different frequency modulation direction. To control that FM repetition effects cannot be accounted for by their on- and offset properties, we additionally assessed responses to pairs of unmodulated tones with either same or different frequency composition. For the FM sweeps, N1m event-related magnetic field components were found at 103 and 130 ms after onset of the first (S1) and second stimulus (S2), respectively. This was followed by a sustained component starting at about 200 ms after S2. The sustained response was significantly stronger for stimulation with the same compared to different FM direction. This effect was not observed for the non-modulated control stimuli. Conclusions/Significance: Low-level processing of FM sounds was characterized by repetition enhancement to stimulus pairs with same versus different FM directions. This effect was FM-specific; it did not occur for unmodulated tones. The present findings may reflect specific interactions between frequency separation and temporal distance in the processing of consecutive FM sweeps.
Background: The human chromosomal region 9p21.3 has been shown to be strongly associated with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) in several Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS). Recently, this region has also been shown to be associated with Aggressive Periodontitis (AgP), strengthening the hypothesis that the established epidemiological association between periodontitis and CHD is caused by a shared genetic background, in addition to common environmental and behavioural risk factors. However, the size of the analyzed cohorts in this primary analysis was small compared to other association studies on complex diseases. Using our own AgP cohort, we attempted to confirm the described associations for the chromosomal region 9p21.3. Methods: We analyzed our cohort consisting of patients suffering from the most severe form of AgP, generalized AgP (gAgP) (n = 130) and appropriate periodontally healthy control individuals (n = 339) by genotyping four tagging SNPs (rs2891168, rs1333042, rs1333048 and rs496892), located in the chromosomal region 9p21.3, that have been associated with AgP. Results: The results confirmed significant associations between three of the four SNPs and gAgP. The combination of our results with those from the study which described this association for the first time in a meta-analysis of the four tagging SNPs produced clearly lower p-values compared with the results of each individual study. According to these results, the most plausible genetic model for the association of all four tested SNPs with gAgP seems to be the multiplicative one. Conclusion: We positively replicated the finding of an association between the chromosomal region 9p21.3 and gAgP. This result strengthens support for the hypothesis that shared susceptibility genes within this chromosomal locus might be involved in the pathogenesis of both CHD and gAgP.
Residual circulation trajectories and transit times into the extratropical lowermost stratosphere
(2010)
Transport into the extratropical lowermost stratosphere (LMS) can be divided into a slow part (time-scale of several months to years) associated with the global-scale stratospheric residual circulation and a fast part (time-scale of days to a few months) associated with (mostly quasi-horizontal) mixing (i.e. two-way irreversible transport, including stratosphere-troposphere exchange). The stratospheric residual circulation can be considered to consist of two branches: a deep branch more strongly associated with planetary waves breaking in the middle to upper stratosphere, and a shallow branch more strongly associated with synoptic-scale waves breaking in the subtropical lower stratosphere. In this study the contribution due to the stratospheric residual circulation alone to transport into the LMS is quantified using residual circulation trajectories, i.e. trajectories driven by the (time-dependent) residual mean meridional and vertical velocities. This contribution represents the advective part of the overall transport into the LMS and can be viewed as providing a background onto which the effect of mixing has to be added. Residual mean velocities are obtained from a comprehensive chemistry-climate model as well as from reanalysis data. Transit times of air traveling from the tropical tropopause to the LMS along the residual circulation streamfunction are evaluated and compared to recent mean age of air estimates. A clear time-scale separation with much smaller transit times into the mid-latitudinal LMS than into polar LMS is found that is indicative of a clear separation of the shallow from the deep branch of the residual circulation. This separation between the shallow and the deep circulation branch is further manifested in a clear distinction in the aspect ratio of the vertical to meridional extent of the trajectories as well as the integrated mass flux along the residual circulation trajectories. The residual transit time distribution reproduces qualitatively the observed seasonal cycle of youngest air in the extratropical LMS in fall and oldest air in spring.
Respiratory chain complexes in dynamic mitochondria display a patchy distribution in life cells
(2010)
Background: Mitochondria, the main suppliers of cellular energy, are dynamic organelles that fuse and divide frequently. Constraining these processes impairs mitochondrial is closely linked to certain neurodegenerative diseases. It is proposed that functional mitochondrial dynamics allows the exchange of compounds thereby providing a rescue mechanism. Methodology/Principal Findings: The question discussed in this paper is whether fusion and fission of mitochondria in different cell lines result in re-localization of respiratory chain (RC) complexes and of the ATP synthase. This was addressed by fusing cells containing mitochondria with respiratory complexes labelled with different fluorescent proteins and resolving their time dependent re-localization in living cells. We found a complete reshuffling of RC complexes throughout the entire chondriome in single HeLa cells within 2–3 h by organelle fusion and fission. Polykaryons of fused cells completely re-mixed their RC complexes in 10–24 h in a progressive way. In contrast to the recently described homogeneous mixing of matrix-targeted proteins or outer membrane proteins, the distribution of RC complexes and ATP synthase in fused hybrid mitochondria, however, was not homogeneous but patterned. Thus, complete equilibration of respiratory chain complexes as integral inner mitochondrial membrane complexes is a slow process compared with matrix proteins probably limited by complete fusion. In co-expressing cells, complex II is more homogenously distributed than complex I and V, resp. Indeed, this result argues for higher mobility and less integration in supercomplexes. Conclusion/Significance: Our results clearly demonstrate that mitochondrial fusion and fission dynamics favours the re-mixing of all RC complexes within the chondriome. This permanent mixing avoids a static situation with a fixed composition of RC complexes per mitochondrion.
Bare incrusted soils are a degradation stage often encountered in the Sahel zone. Our study documents the success of restoration (= regreening) experiments using deep ploughing in an experimental site south of Gorom-Gorom in the Oudalan province of Burkina Faso. We used phytosociological relevés and maximum likelihood classifications of digital photography to analyze changes in vegetation. Plant cover in treated plots was found to be about 20 times higher than in control plots, mean species richness more than twice as high. Therefore, this promising restoration method should be tested also in other Sahelian regions. Our approach to combine phytosociological relevés and maximum likelihood classifications of digital photography proved to be very useful.
As a part of the interdisciplinary research project ”Integration of nature protection goals with organic farming: an the example from the Hessian ”state domain” [Staatsdomäne] area Frankenhausen”, different restoration measures have been carried out within this site, 15 km north of Kassel. Since 1998, intensive conventional agricultural practices have been substituted with organic farming here. One intention of the agricultural restructuring was to realise nature protection goals in cooperation with sustainable organic agricultural production.
The hydrologic portion of the project addresses both the implementation of restoration measures in rivers and streams and their scientific monitoring. Starting in July 2007, several restoration measures were carried out in the hydrologic systems of the Jungfernbach and Esse streams within the Frankenhausen site. Both systems are formed by typical loess streams (catchment size about 9 km2) which had been heavily degraded for several hundred years by intensive agriculture. The most important restoration measures were removal of a piped section of a tributary of the Jungfernbach at Totenhof, restoration of biological passability by removal of weirs and substitution of narrow pipes under farm paths, relocation of a section of the Jungfernbach from the edge of the floodplain to its original location in the centre, widening of narrow sections and partial raising of the deepened stream bed by means of rough ramps (stone bars) and racks made of oak wood or iron.
These physical restoration measures were accompanied by a scientific monitoring programme comprising morphological, hydrochemical and biological (aquatic macrophytes, aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish and amphibians) aspects.
The aim of this study was to document the original ecological conditions, the restoration measures and the early ecological effects on the stream sections for the first six months following restoration as a basis for further ecological monitoring.
The restoration measures effected clear morphological changes in cross-section and passability. The chemical condition of the streams showed slight changes in some aspects following the restoration, e. g. a reduction of phosphorus, magnesium and potassium concentration. Other than macrophytic algae in the newly shaped sections, aquatic macrophytes did not develop over the winter season before the end of the monitoring phase in April 2008. Within the newly shaped stream sections of a small tributary and of the Jungfernbach, up to 14 aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa started to colonise the new habitats 6 months after restoration.
Fish fauna were very poorly represented in the streams and included only a few specimens of brown trout (Salmo trutta). This did not change markedly after restoration, possibly due to the isolation of the population caused by impassable weirs downstream of the investigation area.
During a 4-week run in October–November 2006, a pilot experiment was performed at the CERN Proton Synchrotron in preparation for the Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets (CLOUD) experiment, whose aim is to study the possible influence of cosmic rays on clouds. The purpose of the pilot experiment was firstly to carry out exploratory measurements of the effect of ionising particle radiation on aerosol formation from trace H2SO4 vapour and secondly to provide technical input for the CLOUD design. A total of 44 nucleation bursts were produced and recorded, with formation rates of particles above the 3 nm detection threshold of between 0.1 and 100 cm -3 s -1, and growth rates between 2 and 37 nm h -1. The corresponding H2O concentrations were typically around 106 cm -3 or less. The experimentally-measured formation rates and htwosofour concentrations are comparable to those found in the atmosphere, supporting the idea that sulphuric acid is involved in the nucleation of atmospheric aerosols. However, sulphuric acid alone is not able to explain the observed rapid growth rates, which suggests the presence of additional trace vapours in the aerosol chamber, whose identity is unknown. By analysing the charged fraction, a few of the aerosol bursts appear to have a contribution from ion-induced nucleation and ion-ion recombination to form neutral clusters. Some indications were also found for the accelerator beam timing and intensity to influence the aerosol particle formation rate at the highest experimental SO2 concentrations of 6 ppb, although none was found at lower concentrations. Overall, the exploratory measurements provide suggestive evidence for ion-induced nucleation or ion-ion recombination as sources of aerosol particles. However in order to quantify the conditions under which ion processes become significant, improvements are needed in controlling the experimental variables and in the reproducibility of the experiments. Finally, concerning technical aspects, the most important lessons for the CLOUD design include the stringent requirement of internal cleanliness of the aerosol chamber, as well as maintenance of extremely stable temperatures (variations below 0.1 °C)
Der Rock‘n‘Roll-Film ist ein kleines Genre der Musikfilmgeschichte, das seine Blütezeit zwischen 1955 und 1965 erlebte. Es wird heute nicht nur als filmische Verarbeitung der Hochphase des jugendlichen Modetanzes Rock‘n‘Roll gewertet, sondern als allgemeinerer Ausdruck der Ablösung einer eigenständigen Jugendkultur aus einer umfassenden, alters- und generationenneutralen Gesamtkultur. Oft geht es um Probleme jugendlicher Dekultivierung, um aufkommende Gewalttätigkeit, Drogenabhängigkeit, Verdummung und gar Kriminalisierung der Jugend. Die Filme legen aber auch Zeugnis ab über eine neue, ekstatischere Unterhaltungskultur. Insbesondere die Tanzformen, die sich aus der formalen Organisiertheit der Gesellschaftstänze lösen und einem individuelleren, körpernahen, ja akrobatischen Ausdruckverhalten im Tanz Raum verschaffen, sind bis heute auffallend. (Es mag verwundern, dass Sexualität, die allen hier berichteten Filmen eine Rolle spielt, demgegenüber höchst konventionell behandelt wird.) Viele Erzählungen des kleinen Genres thematisieren die Krisenhaftigkeit dieser Prozesse unmittelbar und belegen, dass die rock‘n‘roll-tanzenden Jugendlichen der gesellschaftlichen Verantwortung nicht entzogen sind. Deutlich ist aber fast immer der Konflikt mit der Elterngeneration, seien es die Eltern selbst oder die Vertreter der kommunalen Kultur, die den Rock‘n‘Roll zu unterbinden suchen.
Species-rich wet grasslands in floodplains are on focus of European nature conservation policy. However, since the seventies of the last century large areas with grasslands in floodplains have been meliorated, ploughed and used for intensive cropping in Germany. Therefore, restoration strategies for large-scale conversion of former arable land into species-rich grasslands and integration into a long-term sustainable land use regime are needed. Dealing with large areas in restoration projects causes high costs which often exceed the possibilities of NGO’s or other stakeholders. Aiming to develop and implement new cost-efficient strategies for restoration and long-term management of wetlands on former arable land local NGO’s and the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences started a co-operation within a project in a heavily degraded floodplain in the Elbe river valley. Up to now, more than 40 ha former arable land was successively bought and immediately grazed by large herbivores (Heck-cattle and Przewalski-horses). The local farmers apply a year-round grazing regime without additional feeding and low stocking density. Scientific evaluation of the project progress and experiments with different re-vegetation variants (natural recovery, hay transfer, seeding of commercial seed mixture) revealed the following results: (1) on former arable land immediate grazing with large herbivores without additional feeding is possible and leads to a successive development of typical grassland communities with low nutrient status, (2) integration of old pastures into the grazing system enhances colonization of native grassland species alongside animal tracks, (3) seeding of a commercial seed mixture impedes the colonization of native grassland species, (4) transfer of species-rich hay accelerates the colonization rate of several grassland species, and (5) highest cover of target species was found on regularly wet sites. Therefore, we conclude that grazing with large herbivores proved to be successful in converting former arable land into species-rich grasslands. Nevertheless, rising of the groundwater table is most important for further development of species-rich wet grasslands in the Wulfener Bruch.
Since the world today is so significantly shaped by media technologies, it has become crucial for organizations, institutions and political parties to embrace this phenomenon in order for them to be able to communicate their message and programmes effectively. If they fail to do so, they in effect fail to exist in the public consciousness. Mass media hugely influence how culture is created: intelligence, artistic talent and technological innovation become visible through the media. The Roman Catholic Church, the world’s largest religious organization has, for the longest time, on the one hand denied the influence of the media, while on the other hand calling it ‘the work of evil’. When the Church eventually came to acknowledge the media as a powerful force, it proceeded to use this power as a mouthpiece for its authorities. The Catholic Church is still not wholly at ease with the media. The question is whether the Catholic Church has sufficiently familiarized itself with how the media function, in order to utilise the media to communicate the Church’s message to a large public audience. Against the background of ecclesial documents this article investigates the attitude of the Catholic Church towards the media as it has developed over the past 50 years.
Als Rückseite des Erzählens ist das dynamisierte Unbewußte deessentialisiert und in gewissem Sinne deterritorialisiert. In dieser Hinsicht ist die Allegorisierung des Unbewußten als dem Verschütteten, das es auszugraben gilt, gerade nicht zutreffend. Das Erzählmodell, das dieser Erzählung zugrunde liegt, ist aber andererseits nur die Quintessenz des 19. Jahrhunderts, weil es zugleich auf eine restlose Essentialisierung und Reterritorialisierung hinausläuft. Das Verschüttete, das wiedergewonnen werden muß, ist ja die tote schwesterliche Geliebte als das globale Signifikat, auf das alle Signifikanten, alle Fehlleistungen verweisen (und das den Rückseiten des Erzählens allemal ein Ende setzt).
Surface measurements of aerosol and ice nuclei (IN) at a Central European mountain site during an episode of dust transport from the Sahara are presented. Ice nuclei were sampled by electrostatic precipitation on silicon wafers and were analyzed in an isothermal static vapor diffusion chamber. The transport of mineral dust is simulated by the Eulerian regional dust model DREAM. Ice nuclei and mineral dust are significantly correlated, in particular IN number concentration and aerosol surface area. The ice nucleating characteristics of the aerosol as analyzed with respect to temperature and supersaturation are similar during the dust episode than during the course of the year. This suggests that dust may be a main constituent of ice nucleating aerosols in Central Europe.
Surface measurements of aerosol and ice nuclei (IN) at a Central European mountain site during an episode of dust transport from the Sahara are presented. Transport is simulated by the Eulerian regional dust model DREAM. Ice nuclei and mineral dust are significantly correlated. The highest correlation is found between IN concentration and aerosol surface area. The ice nucleating characteristics of the aerosol with respect to temperature and supersaturation are similar during the dust episode than during the course of the year. This suggests that dust is always a dominant constituent of ice nucleating aerosols in Central Europe.
Poster presentation at 5th German Conference on Cheminformatics: 23. CIC-Workshop Goslar, Germany. 8-10 November 2009 Protein kinases are important targets for drug development. The almost identical protein folding of kinases and the common co-substrate ATP leads to the problem of inhibitor selectivity. Type II inhibitors, targeting the inactive conformation of kinases, occupy a hydrophobic pocket with less conserved surrounding amino acids. Human polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) represents a promising target for approaches to identify new therapeutic agents. Plk1 belongs to a family of highly conserved serine/threonine kinases, and is a key player in mitosis, where it modulates the spindle checkpoint at metaphase/anaphase transition. Plk1 is over-expressed in all today analyzed human tumors of different origin and serves as a negative prognostic marker in cancer patients. The newly identified inhibitor, SBE13, a vanillin derivative, targets Plk1 in its inactive conformation. This leads to selectivity within the Plk family and towards Aurora A. This selectivity can be explained by docking studies of SBE13 into the binding pocket of homology models of Plk1, Plk2 and Plk3 in their inactive conformation. SBE13 showed anti-proliferative effects in cancer cell lines of different origins with EC50 values between 5 microM and 39 microM and induced apoptosis. Increasing concentrations of SBE13 result in increasing amounts of cells in G2/M phase 13 hours after double thymidin block of HeLa cells. The kinase activity of Plk1 was inhibited with an IC50 of 200 pM. Taken together, we could show that carefully designed structure-based virtual screening is well-suited to identify selective type II kinase inhibitors targeting Plk1 as potential anti-cancer therapeutics.
Die Paradigmen des Schlachtgemäldes und der Schlachtbeschreibung dienen Sebald und Simon als Kontrastfolie für ihre Versuche, sich den historischen Katastrophen des 20. Jahrhunderts anzunähern. Auf unterschiedliche Weise demontieren beide Autoren den Anspruch dieser Paradigmen auf Transparenz und wenden sich damit auch gegen das Pathos einer bestimmten Tradition der Darstellung des Krieges. Aber zugleich reflektieren beide Autoren die sich zu einem einheitlichen und sinnhaften Ganzen zusammenfügenden Erfahrungen des 20. Jahrhunderts gerade in dieser auf Totalität abzielenden Form. Sie ermöglicht ihnen die spielerische Suggestion von Unmittelbarkeit und Intensität bei gleichzeitigem Beharren auf der Unverfügbarkeit einer Erfahrung, die nicht vergessen, aber auch nicht erinnert werden kann.
Schlangengifte enthalten einen ganzen Arzneischrank voller hochwirksamer Stoffe, die binnen kurzer Zeit zu Schock, Lähmung oder unstillbaren Blutungen führen können. Forscher interessieren sich vor allem für Verbindungen, welche die Blutgerinnung hemmen, denn sie könnten pharmakologisch interessante Leitstrukturen für neue Wirkstoffe sein, die das Risiko eines Herzinfarkts, Gehirnschlags und anderer Thrombosen mindern.
Ausgehend von Rüdiger Campes literaturtheoretischen Überlegungen zur literarischen Schreibszene wird die enge gegenseitige Bedingung des Ensembles von Schreibgeste, Instrumentalität und Schrift für die Selbst-Bewusstwerdung Bill Lees - das filmische Pendant William S. Burroughs‘ – als homosexueller Schriftsteller aufgedeckt werden. In den diversen Schreib(-)szenen wird unter Einbezug der Vorstellung der Homographesis, also einer „eingeschriebenen“ Homosexualität, die Cronenberg’sche Geschlechterkonzeption ebenso offengelegt wie die Ursprünge und Motivationen, die einer Schriftstellerexistenz zugrunde liegen. Dass dabei sowohl die richtige Schreibgeste, als auch die richtige Instrumentalität des Schreibens vonnöten sind und ferner attraktiv visualisiert werden können, zeigen die außergewöhnlich gelungenen Schrei-Szenen.
In Fühmanns letzten Jahren ist die Erfahrung des Scheiterns an die Stelle getreten, die seit seinen literarischen Anfängen eine andere Erfahrung eingenommen hatte: die von Schuld und von der Notwendigkeit und Möglichkeit einer Wandlung. Wie beide Erfahrungen – Schuld und Scheitern – zusammenhängen, darum wird es im folgenden gehen.
Background: Leishmaniasis is a chronic disease that is found in various countries of the world. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of leishmaniasis on the world's research output. The present study assessed benchmarking of research output for the period between 1957 and 2006. Using large database analyses, research in the field of leishmaniasis was evaluated. Furthermore, cooperation between different countries was identified.
Results: The number of publications increased with time. Most publications came from Western countries such as the US, UK or Germany. Interestingly, countries like Brazil and India had a high research output. We found a substantial amount of cooperation between countries.
Conclusion: Although leishmaniasis is of limited geographic distribution it attracts a wide research interest. The central hub of research cooperation is the USA.
Methanogenic archaea are a group of strictly anaerobic microorganisms characterized by their strict dependence on the process of methanogenesis for energy conservation. Among the archaea, they are also the only known group synthesizing proteins containing selenocysteine or pyrrolysine. All but one of the known archaeal pyrrolysine-containing and all but two of the confirmed archaeal selenocysteine-containing protein are involved in methanogenesis. Synthesis of these proteins proceeds through suppression of translational stop codons but otherwise the two systems are fundamentally different. This paper highlights these differences and summarizes the recent developments in selenocysteine- and pyrrolysine-related research on archaea and aims to put this knowledge into the context of their unique energy metabolism.
U ovom članku razmatraju se dokazi koje posuđenice nude za vrste kontakata između Praslavena i njihovih germanskih susjeda, Gota i različitih zapadnogermanskih naroda. Germanske posuđenice u praslavenskome uglavnom pripadaju određenom skupu semantičkih polja. Posuđene riječi mogu se podijeliti u nekoliko semantičkih polja: vlast i vojska, tehnička terminologija, novac i trgovinska razmjena, mjesta za pohranu (bačve, kutije itd.), kršćanska terminologija i imanje. Tehničke riječi i kršćanske riječi vjerojatno su zapadnogermanskoga podrijetla, dok sve ostale semantičke kategorije sadrže i gotske i zapadnogermanske posuđenice.
Terry Eagleton stellt in seinem kleinen Büchlein über Shakespeare eine provozierende These hinsichtlich der Bedeutung der Hexen in 'Macbeth' auf: "The witches", so behauptet er, "are the heroines of the piece, […] however much the critics have set out to defame them" (Eagleton 1986, 2). Die Hexen sind die eigentlichen Heldinnen des Dramas - und das, obwohl, ja gerade weil sie als bloße Randfiguren in Erscheinung treten. Denn die Hexen werden in 'Macbeth' gezielt in einem Schwellen- und Randbereich der kulturellen und sozialen Ordnung plaziert - "its shadowy borderlands". Genauer: Als ambivalentes Grenzphänomen stellen sie das Funktionieren der kategorialen Oppositionen in Frage, die diese Ordnung begründen. Die Welt der Hexen ist keine böse und häßliche Gegenwelt zu der durch vernünftige Gesetze strukturierten, durch göttliche Autorität legitimierten Welt der Menschen. Vielmehr hebt sie den fundierenden Gegensatz zwischen gut und böse, schön und häßlich aus den Angeln: "Fair is foul, and foul is fair (1.1.12). Die Hexen in Macbeth sind Grenzwesen, die der Grenze zugleich ihre ordnende und unterscheidende Kraft rauben.
In 2007 the residents of the town of Sannieshof in North West Province declared a dispute with the Tswaing Local Municipality on the grounds that the state of local service delivery left much to be desired. The ratepayers then formed the Sannieshof Inwoners Belastingbetalers Unie (SIBU) which literally took over the functions of local government of the town, functioning as a local government within a local government.
This article provides a historical narrative of the conflict between SIBU and Tswaing Local Municipality, a dispute which was taken as far as the provincial High Court. Then follows an outline of conditions in Sannieshof and the townships of Agisanang and Phelindaba. Attention is given to the perceptions of local residents on the prevalent conditions, specifically in respect of water supply and sanitation service delivery. In the third section there are some theoretical perspectives on political culture, socialisation and happiness. A debate is provided on how these phenomena manifest under existing conditions in Sannieshof, and more particularly, in its adjacent townships of Agisanang and Phelindaba.
In einer 1170 ha großen Probefläche im Nationalpark Donau-
Auen (Niederösterreich) wurden Siedlungsdichten und
Habitatpräferenzen des Grünspechts Picus viridis untersucht.
Im Rahmen einer rationalisierten Revierkartierung zwischen
Februar und April 2008 wurden 14 Reviere ermittelt (Revierdichte:
0,12 Reviere/10 ha). Basierend auf dem Vorkommen
der Art in 400 m x 400 m Rastern wurde der Einfluss
der vorherrschenden Baumarten, des Bestandesalters, der
Länge der Waldrandgrenze sowie der Länge der Seitenarme
auf das Vorkommen des Grünspechts mittels verallgemeinerter
linearer Modelle analysiert. Der beste Prädiktor für
das Vorkommen der Art war der Grenzlinienanteil zwischen
Wald und Nicht-Wald-Bereichen. Die meisten Reviere befanden
sich in Bereichen des Untersuchungsgebiets, die
durch einen Damm vor Hochwasser geschützt sind. Die
Harte Au wurde im Vergleich zur Weichen Au signifikant
bevorzugt. Dies ist höchstwahrscheinlich mit einer besseren
Nahrungsverfügbarkeit (Ameisen) in den trockeneren Gebieten
zu erklären. Es konnten keine signifikanten Präferenzen
für bestimmte Baumarten festgestellt werden, Hybridpappeln
und Weiden (Arten der Weichen Au) wurden jedoch
scheinbar gemieden, was aber wohl eher auf die weniger
günstigen Bedingungen in feuchteren Lebensräumen zurückzuführen
ist. Alle Reviere lagen im Waldrandbereich
und beinhalteten Wiesen, Teile des Damms, aber auch landwirtschaftlich
genutzte Felder. Bei fünf Revieren dürften
intensiv genutzte Getreidefelder den einzigen Offenlandanteil
darstellen.
SIVIM (Sistema de Información de la Vegetación Ibérica y Macaronésica) is an information system designed for capturing, hosting, editing, analyzing and outputting georeferenced plot data of Iberian and Macaronesian vegetation. It currently hosts 86,000 relevés, mainly from the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, and will grow to 100,000 relevés in the near future. SIVIM has been conceived to offer direct and free on-line access to relevés, tables, as well as to floristic, syntaxonomical and bibliographical records. The system also offers on-line software for edition and analysis of vegetation data. The main characteristics of SIVIM are presented, and its particular technical solutions to typical data banking problems as well as its future objectives are briefly commented.
Recent data on status and distribution of resident and migrant birds in the Cape Verde Islands are presented, including records of 25 taxa new to the archipelago, viz. Mareca penelope, M. americana, Anas carolinensis, A. clypeata, Pterodroma arminjoniana, Sula dactylatra, Egretta thula, Ardea melanocephala, Hieraaetus pennatus, Porzana porzana, Crecopsis egregia, Porphyrula martinica, Pluvialis apricaria, Calidris fuscicollis, C. bairdii, Gallinago delicata, Larus audouinii, L. atricilla, Streptopelia decaocto, Ceryle rudis, Ptyonoprogne rupestris, Motacilla citreola, Erithacus rubecula, Oenanthe leucopyga and Lanius senator. The current situation of some endemic taxa is discussed, some of which (e.g. Ardea bournei) are critically endangered, while others (e.g. Acrocephalus brevipennis) have been shown to be more widespread than previously known.
Snake bite is one of the most neglected public health issues in poor rural communities living in the tropics. Because of serious misreporting, the true worldwide burden of snake bite is not known. South Asia is the world's most heavily affected region, due to its high population density, widespread agricultural activities, numerous venomous snake species and lack of functional snake bite control programs. Despite increasing knowledge of snake venoms' composition and mode of action, good understanding of clinical features of envenoming and sufficient production of antivenom by Indian manufacturers, snake bite management remains unsatisfactory in this region. Field diagnostic tests for snake species identification do not exist and treatment mainly relies on the administration of antivenoms that do not cover all of the important venomous snakes of the region. Care-givers need better training and supervision, and national guidelines should be fed by evidence-based data generated by well-designed research studies. Poorly informed rural populations often apply inappropriate first-aid measures and vital time is lost before the victim is transported to a treatment centre, where cost of treatment can constitute an additional hurdle. The deficiency of snake bite management in South Asia is multi-causal and requires joint collaborative efforts from researchers, antivenom manufacturers, policy makers, public health authorities and international funders.
Background: Up to the 1950s, there was an ongoing debate about the diversity of hereditary optic neuropathies, in particular as to whether all inherited optic atrophies can be ascribed to Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) or represent different disease entities. In 1954 W. Jaeger published a detailed clinical and genealogical investigation of a large family with explicit autosomal dominant segregation of optic atrophy thus proving the existence of a discrete disease different from LHON, which is nowadays known as autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA). Since the year 2000 ADOA is associated with genomic mutations in the OPA1 gene, which codes for a protein that is imported into mitochondria where it is required for mitochondrial fusion. Interestingly enough, the underlying mutation in this family has not been identified since then. Results: We have reinvestigated this family with the aim to identify the mutation and to further clarify the underlying pathomechanism. Patients showed a classical non-syndromic ADOA. The long term deterioration in vision in the two teenagers examined 50 years later is of particular note 5/20 to 6/120. Multiplex ligation probe amplification revealed a duplication of the OPA1 exons 7-9 which was confirmed by long distance PCR and cDNA analysis, resulting in an in-frame duplication of 102 amino acids. Segregation was verified in 53 available members of the updated pedigree and a penetrance of 88% was calculated. Fibroblast cultures from skin biopsies were established to assess the mitochondrial network integrity and to qualitatively and quantitatively study the consequences of the mutation on transcript and protein level. Fibroblast cultures demonstrated a fragmented mitochondrial network. Processing of the OPA1 protein was altered. There was no correlation of the OPA1 transcript levels and the OPA1 protein levels in the fibroblasts. Intriguingly an overall decrease of mitochondrial proteins was observed in patients' fibroblasts, while the OPA1 transcript levels were elevated. Conclusions: The thorough study of this family provides a detailed clinical picture accompanied by a molecular investigation of patients' fibroblasts. Our data show a classic OPA1-associated non-syndromic ADOA segregating in this family. Cell biological findings suggest that OPA1 is regulated by post-translational mechanisms and we would like to hypothesize that loss of OPA1 function might lead to impaired mitochondrial quality control. With the clinical, genetic and cell biological characterisation of a family described already more than 50 years ago, we span more than half a century of research in optic neuropathies.
Some kind of monster
(2010)
Alle Rockumentaries stehen vor dem Problem, Formen zu finden, die dem, was der Film zeigt, einen Eigenwert über die reine Dokumentation hinaus geben. Stehen sie schon auf Grund der ökonomischen Einbindung der Filmarbeit einerseits vor der Aufgabe, die gezeigten Bands oder Künstler in möglichst gutem Licht erscheinen zu lassen und ihnen ein positives Image zu verleihen, sind sie immer mit der Gefahr konfrontiert, den am Ende werblichen Zweck allzu deutlich auszustellen. Eine kritische oder auch nur skeptische Distanz zum Gegenstand (eine Band zu porträtieren, ein Konzert oder eine Tournee zu dokumentieren etc.) scheint sich schon im Vorfeld der Filmarbeit zu verbieten.
1974 wollten der südafrikanische Trompeter Hugh Masekela und der New Yorker Musiker und Produzent Stewart Levine ein Musikfestival in Afrika organisieren. Sie wandten sich an den Box-Impresario Don King mit der Bitte, das Festival im Vorfeld des Titelkampfes zwischen Muhammad Ali und George Foreman in Kinshasa (in der zentralafrikanischen Republik Zaire) zu veranstalten. Es war von Anfang an geplant, das Festival nach dem Vorbild erfolgreich im Kino ausgewerteter Beispiele - wie etwa dem 'Woodstock'-Film (USA 1970, Michael Wadleigh) - zu dokumentieren. Ein Kamerateam nahm daher das dreitägige Festival, die Vorbereitungen und eine Reihe von Backstage-Szenen auf. Das Kamerateam war prominent besetzt; zu ihm gehörte etwa der bekannte Direct-Cinema-Regisseur Albert Maysles. Auf Grund einer Verletzung von George Foreman musste der Boxkampf um fünf Wochen verschoben werden, was zur Folge hatte, dass das Festival zeitlich getrennt vom Kampf stattfand und dadurch nicht jene internationale Aufmerksamkeit erreichte, die sich die Organisatoren erhofft hatten.
Within the visual cortex, it has been proposed that interhemispheric interactions serve to re-establish the continuity of the visual field across its vertical meridian (VM) by mechanisms similar to those used by intrinsic connections within a hemisphere. However, other specific functions of transcallosal projections have also been proposed, including contributing to disparity tuning and depth perception. Here, we consider whether interhemispheric connections modulate specific response properties, orientation and direction selectivity, of neurons in areas 17 and 18 of the ferret by combining reversible thermal deactivation in one hemisphere with optical imaging of intrinsic signals and single-cell electrophysiology in the other hemisphere. We found interhemispheric influences on both the strength and specificity of the responses to stimulus orientation and direction of motion, predominantly at the VM. However, neurons and domains preferring cardinal contours, in particular vertical contours, seem to receive stronger interhemispheric input than others. This finding is compatible with interhemispheric connections being involved in horizontal disparity tuning. In conclusion, our results support the view that interhemispheric interactions mainly perform integrative functions similar to those of connections intrinsic to one hemisphere. Key words: cooling deactivation , corpus callosum , ferret , optical imaging , orientation selectivity
Qualitative und quantitative serologische Verfahren können durch Interferenzen gestört sein. Wir konnten in einem exemplarischen Fall anhand des Influenza A/H1N1v-Hämagglutinationshemmtests (H1N1-HHT) zeigen, dass auch Hyposensibilisierungstherapie und Vakzination zu Interaktionen in der serologischen Diagnostik führen und die Aussagekraft des H1N1-HHT massiv beeinträchtigen. Vor dem Hintergrund, dass Hyposensibilisierung und Vakzination im Klinik- und Praxisalltag häufig erbrachte Leistungen darstellen, erscheint dieser Umstand berichtenswert.
Else Buschheuer hat 2000 mit "Ruf! Mich! An!", Charlotte Roche 2008 mit "Feuchtgebiete" ein sogenanntes Skandalbuch veröffentlicht. Beide Romane wurden von der Literaturkritik meist auf eher fragwürdigem Niveau diskutiert. Der Aufsatz sucht Gründe für die oberflächlichen Urteile und stellt heraus, wie beide Romane gängige literarische Muster entgrenzen und damit Erwartungen an literarische 'Hochkultur' unterlaufen. Beide Autorinnen werden der TV-Kultur zugeordnet, was zusätzlich nicht der Vorstellung vom (männlichen) Dichter entspricht und Vorbehalte der Kritiker zu wecken scheint, die über solchen personenbezogenen Vorurteilen eine angemessene Auseinandersetzung mit den Werken unterlassen und damit Ausgrenzungsprozessen Vorschub leisten.
Pitfall traps were positioned for the investigation of the spider fauna at the northern and southern slopes of three mountain ridges (Chilchberg, Riedberg, and Buechenberg, municipalities Nunningen and Zullwil, canton Solothurn, Switzerland) within the Swiss Jura Mountains. The temperature in the upper litter was measured at three hour intervals. Independent of the weather more or less clear differences between northern and southern slopes could be observed. Maximum day temperature fluctuations of 15.8 °C were measured. There were no significant differences in spider communities based on quantitative comparison methods. However, a qualitative analysis showed major differences in species composition. More than 50% of all species per investigation area showed clear preferences for the northern or the southern slope, with more then two thirds of the individuals only found on either the north or south slopes.
Spontaneous symmetry breaking is a general principle that constitutes the underlying concept of a vast number of physical phenomena ranging from ferromagnetism and superconductivity in condensed matter physics to the Higgs mechanism in the standard model of elementary particles. I focus on manifestations of spontaneously broken symmetries in systems that are not Lorentz invariant, which include both nonrelativistic systems as well as relativistic systems at nonzero density, providing a self-contained review of the properties of spontaneously broken symmetries specific to such theories. Topics covered include: (i) Introduction to the mathematics of spontaneous symmetry breaking and the Goldstone theorem. (ii) Minimization of Higgs-type potentials for higher-dimensional representations. (iii) Counting rules for Nambu–Goldstone bosons and their dispersion relations. (iv) Construction of effective Lagrangians. Specific examples in both relativistic and nonrelativistic physics are worked out in detail.
In seinem umstrittenen Erstlingswerk, "In Stahlgewittern" (1920), schreibt Ernst Jünger dem Ersten Weltkrieg weniger explizit einen ideologischen Sinn zu, als er ihn indirekt durch eine intensiv metaphorische Sprache mit Bedeutungen auflädt. Jünger codiert den Krieg in 32 bildlichen Sequenzen, die sich in den Feldern der Natur, der menschlichen Praxis, der Kultur und der Anthropomorphie verorten. Diese Sprachbilder lassen sich nach Typen differenzieren und in ihrer Dichte, Relation, Interferenz und Variation beschreiben. Dadurch dass dieselben Bilder auf beide Kriegsparteien angewandt werden, relativieren sie deren Gegensatz. Indem die Metaphern mit ihren realen Entsprechungen, mit sprechenden Namen und mit stereotypen Jargons konfrontiert werden, tritt ihre Künstlichkeit zutage und wird ihre epistemische Funktion deutlich. Die implizite Bedeutungs-Zuschreibung, die diese Metaphoriken erzielen, ist keineswegs einsinnig als Ästhetisierung oder Verherrlichung bzw. als kohärente faschistische Ideologie zu fassen. Die einzelnen Codes sind ungleichmäßig subtil, sie erzeugen verschiedene Bedeutungen, und sie konnotieren abweichende politische Positionen; sie geraten miteinander in Überschneidung und zueinander in Widerspruch. Es entsteht eine widerständige Semantik, die als Symptom einer Verunsicherung lesbar ist.
Ĉlánek se zabývá ambivalencí mluvy moci/smrti a umění/ţivota v básni Paula Celana "Todesfuge" (1945). Autor nejprve poukazuje na vnitřní spojení mezi strukturami psychosociálních imaginací a ztvárnění represivní identity – dokonce uvnitř (německé) obĉanské spoleĉnosti – jako na podmínku přeměny v totalitní skuteĉnost smrti. Celanova báseň odmítá jak reprezentativní ztvárnění, tak i umělecké zkrášlení situace v koncetraĉních táboech a implikuje tím fundamentální kritiku tradiĉních estetických konceptŧ, především Aristotelova konceptu Mimesis a romantického konceptu inverze, tj. kritiku, která umoţňuje inovativní psychoanalytické uchopení textu vzhledem k jeho tématu. S odvoláním na Celanovy vlastní názory v některých jeho blasfemických básních naznaĉuje ĉlánek v neposlední řadě historickou linii struktury křesťanských fantasmat k umělecké a sociální imaginaci romantiky a moderny.
Předloţená studie se zaměřuje na verbalizaci emocí v textech psaných v rámci internetového fóra hungrig-online.de. V první ĉásti jsou představeny teoretické informace z oblasti jazykové komunikace emocí. Další ĉást se zabývá ukázkou textu s tematikou partnerských vztahŧ, které ĉasto souvisí s poruchami příjmu potravy. Na základě tohoto textu je vypracován široký rejstřík termínŧ pro emoce. Je zajímavé, které emoce a jak se objevují, a závěry, ke kterým lze dospět. Poté jsou analyzovány všechny příspěvky dalšího uţivatele fóra hungig-online.de, které se týkají tématu partnerských vztahŧ. Diachronní perspektiva nám umoţňuje vysledovat vývoj a uskuteĉněné změny v uţití emoĉního jazyka.
Příspěvek se zabývá jazykem a emocemi v literárních textech Oty Filipa, které mají nejen funkci komunikativní a estetickou, nýbrţ také symbolicky vyjadřují autorovu dvojí identitu. Autor jako literát vnímá své identity především jazykově a během ţivota v exilu zaţívá období, kdy se vzdaluje ĉeskému jazyku a natolik si osvojuje jazyk německý, ţe se cítí plně integrován do německého kulturního prostředí. Později ovšem nastává krize a cítí se odcizen oběma jazykŧm. Přibliţně v posledních deseti letech píše autor ĉeské I německé verze svých románŧ sám. Uvádí však, ţe vzhledem k rozdílnosti výrazového potenciálu obou jazykŧ nevytváří věrné překlady, ale texty převypravuje.