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When exposed to sufficiently high electric fields, polymer-foam electret materials with closed cells exhibit ferroelectric-like behavior and may therefore be called ferroelectrets. In cellular ferroelectrets, the influence of the cell size and shape distributions on the application-relevant properties is not yet understood. Therefore, controlled inflation experiments were carried out on cellular polypropylene films, and the resulting elastical and electromechanical parameters were determined. The elastic modulus in the thickness direction shows a minimum with a corresponding maximum in the electromechanical transducer coefficient. The resonance frequency shifts as a function of the elastic modulus and the relative density of the inflated cellular films. Therefore, the transducer properties of cellular ferroelectrets can be optimized by means of controlled inflation. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics
Grundlagen des Verwaltungsrechts : Bd. II Informationsordnung, Verwaltungsverfahren, Handlungsformen
(2008)
Fault zones are the locations where motion of tectonic plates, often associated with earthquakes, is accommodated. Despite a rapid increase in the understanding of faults in the last decades, our knowledge of their geometry, petrophysical properties, and controlling processes remains incomplete. The central questions addressed here in our study of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) in the Middle East are as follows: (1) What are the structure and kinematics of a large fault zone? (2) What controls its structure and kinematics? (3) How does the DST compare to other plate boundary fault zones? The DST has accommodated a total of 105 km of left-lateral transform motion between the African and Arabian plates since early Miocene (similar to 20 Ma). The DST segment between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, called the Arava/Araba Fault (AF), is studied here using a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach from the mu m to the plate tectonic scale. We observe that under the DST a narrow, subvertical zone cuts through crust and lithosphere. First, from west to east the crustal thickness increases smoothly from 26 to 39 km, and a subhorizontal lower crustal reflector is detected east of the AF. Second, several faults exist in the upper crust in a 40 km wide zone centered on the AF, but none have kilometer-size zones of decreased seismic velocities or zones of high electrical conductivities in the upper crust expected for large damage zones. Third, the AF is the main branch of the DST system, even though it has accommodated only a part (up to 60 km) of the overall 105 km of sinistral plate motion. Fourth, the AF acts as a barrier to fluids to a depth of 4 km, and the lithology changes abruptly across it. Fifth, in the top few hundred meters of the AF a locally transpressional regime is observed in a 100-300 m wide zone of deformed and displaced material, bordered by subparallel faults forming a positive flower structure. Other segments of the AF have a transtensional character with small pull-aparts along them. The damage zones of the individual faults are only 5-20 m wide at this depth range. Sixth, two areas on the AF show mesoscale to microscale faulting and veining in limestone sequences with faulting depths between 2 and 5 km. Seventh, fluids in the AF are carried downward into the fault zone. Only a minor fraction of fluids is derived from ascending hydrothermal fluids. However, we found that on the kilometer scale the AF does not act as an important fluid conduit. Most of these findings are corroborated using thermomechanical modeling where shear deformation in the upper crust is localized in one or two major faults; at larger depth, shear deformation occurs in a 20-40 km wide zone with a mechanically weak decoupling zone extending subvertically through the entire lithosphere.
The rapid uptake of renewable energy technologies in recent decades has increased the demand of energy researchers, policymakers and energy planners for reliable data on the spatial distribution of their costs and potentials. For onshore wind energy this has resulted in an active research field devoted to analysing these resources for regions, countries or globally. A particular thread of this research attempts to go beyond purely technical or spatial restrictions and determine the realistic, feasible or actual potential for wind energy. Motivated by these developments, this paper reviews methods and assumptions for analysing geographical, technical, economic and, finally, feasible onshore wind potentials. We address each of these potentials in turn, including aspects related to land eligibility criteria, energy meteorology, and technical developments of wind turbine characteristics such as power density, specific rotor power and spacing aspects. Economic aspects of potential assessments are central to future deployment and are discussed on a turbine and system level covering levelized costs depending on locations, and the system integration costs which are often overlooked in such analyses. Non-technical approaches include scenicness assessments of the landscape, constraints due to regulation or public opposition, expert and stakeholder workshops, willingness to pay/accept elicitations and socioeconomic cost-benefit studies. For each of these different potential estimations, the state of the art is critically discussed, with an attempt to derive best practice recommendations and highlight avenues for future research.
Background Anxiety and depressive disorders share common features of mood dysfunctions. This has stimulated interest in transdiagnostic dimensional research as proposed by the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) approach by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) aiming to improve the understanding of underlying disease mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the processing of RDoC domains in relation to disease severity in order to identify latent disorder-specific as well as transdiagnostic indicators of disease severity in patients with anxiety and depressive disorders.
Methods Within the German research network for mental disorders, 895 participants (n = 476 female, n = 602 anxiety disorder, n = 257 depressive disorder) were recruited for the Phenotypic, Diagnostic and Clinical Domain Assessment Network Germany (PD-CAN) and included in this cross-sectional study. We performed incremental regression models to investigate the association of four RDoC domains on disease severity in patients with affective disorders: Positive (PVS) and Negative Valance System (NVS), Cognitive Systems (CS) and Social Processes (SP).
Results The results confirmed a transdiagnostic relationship for all four domains, as we found significant main effects on disease severity within domain-specific models (PVS: & beta; = -0.35; NVS: & beta; = 0.39; CS: & beta; = -0.12; SP: & beta; = -0.32). We also found three significant interaction effects with main diagnosis showing a disease-specific association.
Limitations The cross-sectional study design prevents causal conclusions. Further limitations include possible outliers and heteroskedasticity in all regression models which we appropriately controlled for.
Conclusion Our key results show that symptom burden in anxiety and depressive disorders is associated with latent RDoC indicators in transdiagnostic and disease-specific ways.
Der Band versammelt verschiedenen Beiträge, die sich mit dem Leben und Werk von Peter Weiss auseinandersetzen. Die Beiträge wurden auf der Konferenz "Peter Weiss - 100" anläßlich des hundertsten Geburtstages des Autors im Jahre 2016 in Potsdam gehalten. Dabei wirkten unterschiedliche Einrichtungen und Institutionen erstmals gemeinsam im Geburtsort des Künstlers.
AIC-based diffraction stacking for local earthquake locations at the Sumatran Fault (Indonesia)
(2018)
We present a new workflow for the localization of seismic events which is based on a diffraction stacking approach. In order to address the effects from complex source radiation patterns, we suggest to compute diffraction stacking from a characteristic function (CF) instead of stacking the original waveform data. A new CF, which is called in the following mAIC (modified from Akaike Information Criterion) is proposed. We demonstrate that both P- and S-wave onsets can be detected accurately. To avoid cross-talk between P and S waves due to inaccurate velocity models, we separate the P and S waves from the mAIC function by making use of polarization attributes. Then, the final image function is represented by the largest eigenvalue as a result of the covariance analysis between P-and S-image functions. Results from synthetic experiments show that the proposed diffraction stacking provides reliable results. The workflow of the diffraction stacking method was finally applied to local earthquake data from Sumatra, Indonesia. Recordings from a temporary network of 42 stations deployed for nine months around the Tarutung pull-apart basin were analysed. The seismic event locations resulting from the diffraction stacking method align along a segment of the Sumatran Fault. A more complex distribution of seismicity is imaged within and around the Tarutung basin. Two lineaments striking N-S were found in the centre of the Tarutung basin which support independent results from structural geology.
Rapid Synthesis of Sub-10nm Hexagonal NaYF4-Based Upconverting Nanoparticles using Therminol((R))66
(2018)
We report a simple one-pot method for the rapid preparation of sub-10nm pure hexagonal (-phase) NaYF4-based upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs). Using Therminol((R))66 as a co-solvent, monodisperse UCNPs could be obtained in unusually short reaction times. By varying the reaction time and reaction temperature, it was possible to control precisely the particle size and crystalline phase of the UCNPs. The upconversion (UC) luminescence properties of the nanocrystals were tuned by varying the concentrations of the dopants (Nd3+ and Yb3+ sensitizer ions and Er3+ activator ions). The size and phase-purity of the as-synthesized core and core-shell nanocrystals were assessed by using complementary transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, X-ray diffraction, and small-angle X-ray scattering studies. In-depth photophysical evaluation of the UCNPs was pursued by using steady-state and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. An enhancement in the UC intensity was observed if the nanocrystals, doped with optimized concentrations of lanthanide sensitizer/activator ions, were further coated with an inert/active shell. This was attributed to the suppression of surface-related luminescence quenching effects.
Recent experiments show that transcription factors (TFs) indeed use the facilitated diffusion mechanism to locate their target sequences on DNA in living bacteria cells: TFs alternate between sliding motion along DNA and relocation events through the cytoplasm. From simulations and theoretical analysis we study the TF-sliding motion for a large section of the DNA-sequence of a common E. coli strain, based on the two-state TF-model with a fast-sliding search state and a recognition state enabling target detection. For the probability to detect the target before dissociating from DNA the TF-search times self-consistently depend heavily on whether or not an auxiliary operator (an accessible sequence similar to the main operator) is present in the genome section. Importantly, within our model the extent to which the interconversion rates between search and recognition states depend on the underlying nucleotide sequence is varied. A moderate dependence maximises the capability to distinguish between the main operator and similar sequences. Moreover, these auxiliary operators serve as starting points for DNA looping with the main operator, yielding a spectrum of target detection times spanning several orders of magnitude. Auxiliary operators are shown to act as funnels facilitating target detection by TFs.
Recent experiments show that transcription factors (TFs) indeed use the facilitated diffusion mechanism to locate their target sequences on DNA in living bacteria cells: TFs alternate between sliding motion along DNA and relocation events through the cytoplasm. From simulations and theoretical analysis we study the TF-sliding motion for a large section of the DNA-sequence of a common E. coli strain, based on the two-state TF-model with a fast-sliding search state and a recognition state enabling target detection. For the probability to detect the target before dissociating from DNA the TF-search times self-consistently depend heavily on whether or not an auxiliary operator (an accessible sequence similar to the main operator) is present in the genome section. Importantly, within our model the extent to which the interconversion rates between search and recognition states depend on the underlying nucleotide sequence is varied. A moderate dependence maximises the capability to distinguish between the main operator and similar sequences. Moreover, these auxiliary operators serve as starting points for DNA looping with the main operator, yielding a spectrum of target detection times spanning several orders of magnitude. Auxiliary operators are shown to act as funnels facilitating target detection by TFs.
In 2010, project CoCoCo (incipient COntinent-COntinent COllision) recorded a 650 km long amphibian N-S wide-angle seismic profile, extending from the Anatolian plateau across southern Turkey and Cyprus to just south of the Eratosthenes Seamount (ESM). The aim of the project is to reveal the impact of the transition from subduction to continent-continent collision of Africa with Anatolia. Arrival picking, finite-differences ray-tracing and inversion of the offshore and on-offshore data produced a tomographic model across southern Cyprus, the accretionary wedge and the ESM. The main features of this model are (1) crustal P-velocities predominantly lower than 6.5 km/s beneath the ESM, (2) crustal thickness between 28 and 37 km, (3) an upper crustal reflection at 5 km depth beneath the ESM, (4) the likely presence of oceanic crust south of the ESM and a transform margin north of it and (5) a 12 km thick ophiolite sequence on Cyprus. Land shots on Turkey, also recorded on Cyprus, gravity data and geological and previous seismic investigations allow to derive a layered velocity model beneath Anatolia and the northern part of Cyprus. The main features of this model are (1) Moho depths of 38–45 km beneath the Anatolian plateau, (2) an upper and lower crust with large lateral changes in velocity and thickness, (3) a north-dipping subducting plate below Cyprus with a steepening of the dip-angle of the plate at about 45 km depth. Thus, the wide-angle seismic and gravity data provide detailed insights into the 2-D geometry and velocity structures associated with the Cyprus Arc collision zone. Finally, integrated analysis of the geophysics and geology allows a comprehensive interpretation of the crustal structure related to the collision process.
The recently extinct (ca. 1768) Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was a large, edentulous North Pacific sirenian. The phylogenetic affinities of this taxon to other members of this clade, living and extinct, are uncertain based on previous morphological and molecular studies. We employed hybridization capture methods and second generation sequencing technology to obtain >30 kb of exon sequences from 26 nuclear genes for both H. gigas and Dugong dugon. We also obtained complete coding sequences for the tooth-related enamelin (ENAM) gene. Hybridization probes designed using dugong and manatee sequences were both highly effective in retrieving sequences from H. gigas (mean = 98.8% coverage), as were more divergent probes for regions of ENAM (99.0% coverage) that were designed exclusively from a proboscidean (African elephant) and a hyracoid (Cape hyrax). New sequences were combined with available sequences for representatives of all other afrotherian orders. We also expanded a previously published morphological matrix for living and fossil Sirenia by adding both new taxa and nine new postcranial characters. Maximum likelihood and parsimony analyses of the molecular data provide robust support for an association of H. gigas and D. dugon to the exclusion of living trichechids (manatees). Parsimony analyses of the morphological data also support the inclusion of H. gigas in Dugongidae with D. dugon and fossil dugongids. Timetree analyses based on calibration density approaches with hard- and soft-bounded constraints suggest that H. gigas and D. dugon diverged in the Oligocene and that crown sirenians last shared a common ancestor in the Eocene. The coding sequence for the ENAM gene in H. gigas does not contain frameshift mutations or stop codons, but there is a transversion mutation (AG to CG) in the acceptor splice site of intron 2. This disruption in the edentulous Steller's sea cow is consistent with previous studies that have documented inactivating mutations in tooth-specific loci of a variety of edentulous and enamelless vertebrates including birds, turtles, aardvarks, pangolins, xenarthrans, and baleen whales. Further, branch-site dN/dS analyses provide evidence for positive selection in ENAM on the stem dugongid branch where extensive tooth reduction occurred, followed by neutral evolution on the Hydrodamalis branch. Finally, we present a synthetic evolutionary tree for living and fossil sirenians showing several key innovations in the history of this clade including character state changes that parallel those that occurred in the evolutionary history of cetaceans. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Plasma secretion of acid sphingomyelinase is a hallmark of cellular stress response resulting in the formation of membrane embedded ceramide-enriched lipid rafts and the reorganization of receptor complexes. Consistently, decompartmentalization of ceramide formation from inert sphingomyelin has been associated with signaling events and regulation of the cellular phenotype. Herein, we addressed the question of whether the secretion of acid sphingomyelinase is involved in host response during sepsis. We found an exaggerated clinical course in mice genetically deficient in acid sphingomyelinase characterized by an increased bacterial burden, an increased phagocytotic activity, and a more pronounced cytokine storm. Moreover, on a functional level, leukocyte-endothelial interaction was found diminished in sphingomyelinase-deficient animals corresponding to a distinct leukocytes' phenotype with respect to rolling and sticking as well as expression of cellular surface proteins.(jlr) We conclude that hydrolysis of membrane-embedded sphingomyelin, triggered by circulating sphingomyelinase, plays a pivotal role in the first line of defense against invading microorganisms. This function might be essential during the early phase of infection leading to an adaptive response of remote cells and tissues.-Jbeily, N., I. Suckert, F. A. Gonnert, B. Acht, C. L. Bockmeyer, S. D. Grossmann, M. F. Blaess, A. Lueth, H.-P. Deigner, M. Bauer, and R. A. Claus. Hyperresponsiveness of mice deficient in plasma-secreted sphingomyelinase reveals its pivotal role in early phase of host response. J. Lipid Res. 2013. 54: 410-424.
Correlation between burnout syndrome and psychological and psychosomatic symptoms among teachers
(2006)
Objectives: Psychosomatic disorders and symptoms that correlate with the so-called burnout syndrome turned out to be the main cause of increasing rates of premature retirement of school teachers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between occupational burden and psychological strain of teachers who are still in work. Methods: A sample of 408 teachers at ten grammar schools (am: High school; German: Gymnasium) in south-western Germany was evaluated. To determine the styles of coping with occupational burden we used the measure of coping capacity questionnaire (MECCA). To analyse the psychopathological and psychosomatic symptom load we applied SCL 90 R questionnaire. Results: According to the MECCA questionnaire, 32.5% of the sample suffered from burnout (type B), 17.7% suffered severe strain (type A), 35.9% showed an unambitious (type S) and 13.8% showed a healthy-ambitious coping style (type G). Burnout was significantly higher among women, divorced teachers and teachers working part-time. As part of the MECCA, teachers were asked to rate what they regarded as the strongest factor resulting in occupational burden. Teachers indicated that, besides high numbers of pupils in one class, they regarded destructive and aggressive behaviour of pupils as the primary stress factor. According to the SCL 90 R, 20% of the sample showed a severe degree (defined as > 70 points in the SCL90R GSI) of psychological and psychosomatic symptoms. MECCA type B (burnout) correlated significantly with high psychological and psychosomatic symptom load according to the SCL90R. Conclusions: In school teachers, burnout syndrome, a construct that derived from occupational psychology and occupational medicine, is significantly correlated with psychological and psychosomatic symptoms. Teachers rate destructive and aggressive behaviour of pupils as the primary stress factor.
The geothermal potential in Tarutung is controlled by both the Sumatra Fault system and young arc volcanism. In this study we use the spatial distribution of seismic attenuation, calculated from local earthquake recordings, to image the 3-D seismic attenuation of the area and relate it with the temperature anomalies and the fluid distribution of the subsurface. A temporary seismic network of 42 stations was deployed around Tarutung and Sarulla (south of Tarutung) for a period of 10 months starting in 2011 May. Within this period, the network recorded 2586 local events. A high-quality subset of 229 events recorded by at least 10 stations was used for the attenuation inversion (tomography). Path-average attenuation (t(p)*) was calculated by using a spectral inversion method. The spread function, the contour lines of the model resolution matrix and the recovery test results show that our 3-D attenuation model (Q(p)) has good resolution around the Tarutung Basin and along the Sarulla graben. High attenuation (low Q(p)) related to the geothermal system is found in the northeast of the Tarutung Basin suggesting fluid pathways from below the Sumatra Fault. The upper part of the studied geothermal system in the Tarutung district seems to be mainly controlled by the fault structure rather than by magmatic activities. In the southwest of the Tarutung Basin, the high attenuation zone is associated with the Martimbang volcano. In the Sarulla region, a low-Q(p) anomaly is found along the graben within the vicinity of the Hopong caldera.
Understanding the natural history of model organisms is important for the effective use of their genomic resourses. Arabidopsis lyrata has emerged as a useful plant for studying ecological and evolutionary genetics, based on its extensive natural variation, sequenced genome and close relationship to A. thaliana. We studied genetic diversity across the entire range of European Arabidopsis lyrata ssp. petraea, in order to explore how population history has influenced population structure. We sampled multiple populations from each region, using nuclear and chloroplast genome markers, and combined population genetic and phylogeographic approaches. Within-population diversity is substantial for nuclear allozyme markers (mean P = 0.610, A(e) = 1.580, H-e = 0.277) and significantly partitioned among populations (F- ST = 0.271). The Northern populations have modestly increased inbreeding (F-IS = 0.163 verses F-IS = 0.093), but retain comparable diversity to central European populations. Bottlenecks are common among central and northern Europe populations, indicating recent demographic history as a dominant factor in structuring the European diversity. Although the genetic structure was detected at all geographic scales, two clear differentiated units covering northern and central European areas (F-CT = 0.155) were identified by Bayesian analysis and supported by regional pairwise F-CT calculations. A highly similar geographic pattern was observed from the distribution of chloroplast haplotypes, with the dominant northern haplotypes absent from central Europe. We conclude A. l. petraea's cold-tolerance and preference for disturbed habitats enabled glacial survival between the alpine and Nordic glaciers in central Europe and an additional cryptic refugium. While German populations are probable peri-glacial leftovers, Eastern Austrian populations have diversity patterns possibly compatible with longer-term survival.
Seismic wide-angle data were collected along a 40-km-long profile centered at the geothermal research well GrSk 3/90 in the Northeast German Basin. Tomographic inversion of travel time data provided a velocity and a vertical velocity gradient model, indicative of Cenozoic to Pre-Permian sediments. Wide-angle reflections are modeled and interpreted as top Zechstein and top Pre-Permian. Changes in velocity gradients are interpreted as the transition from mechanical to chemical compaction at 2-3 km depth, and localized salt structures are imaged, suggesting a previously unknown salt pillow in the southern part of the seismic profile. The Zechstein salt shows decreased velocities in the adjacent salt pillows compared to the salt lows, which is confirmed by sonic log data. This decrease in velocity could be explained by the mobilization of less dense salt, which moved and formed the salt pillows, whereas the denser salt remained in place at the salt lows. We interpret a narrow subvertical low-velocity zone under the salt pillow at GrSk 3/ 90 as a fault in the deep Permian to Pre-Permian. This WNW-ESE trending fault influenced the location of the salt tectonics and led to the formation of a fault-bounded graben in the Rotliegend sandstones with optimal mechanical conditions for geothermal production. Thermal modeling showed that salt pillows are related to chimney effects, a decrease in temperature, and increasing velocity. The assumed variations in salt lithology, density, and strain must thus be even higher to compensate for the temperature effect.
The motion of tectonic plates is accommodated at fault zones. One of the unanswered questions about fault zones relates to the role they play in controlling shallow and local hydrology. This study focuses on the Arava/Araba Fault (AF) zone, the southern portion of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) in the Middle East. We combine seismic and electromagnetic methods (EM) to image the geometry and map the petro-physical properties and water occurrence in the top 100 m of this active fault. For three profiles, P-velocity and resistivity images were derived independently. Using a neural network cluster analysis three classes with similar P-velocity and resistivities could then be determined from these images. These classes correspond to spatial domains of specific material and wetness. The first class occurs primarily east of the fault consisting of 'wet' sand (dunes) and brecciated sediments, whereas the second class composed of similar material located west of the fault is 'dry'. The third class lies at depth below ca. 50 m and is composed of highly deformed and weathered Precambrian rocks that constitute the multi-branch fault zone of the AF at this location. The combination of two independent measurements like seismics and EM linked by a stringent mathematical approach has thus shown the potential to delineate the interplay of lithology and water near active faults.
Quantitative Bioimaging to Investigate the Uptake of Mercury Species in Drosophila melanogaster
(2015)
The uptake of mercury species in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster was investigated by elemental bioimaging using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). The mercury distribution in Drosophila melanogaster was analyzed for the three species mercury(II) chloride, methylmercury chloride, and thimerosal after intoxication. A respective analytical method was developed and applied to the analysis of the entire Drosophila melanogaster first, before a particular focus was directed to the cerebral areas of larvae and adult flies. For quantification of mercury, matrix-matched standards based on gelatin were prepared. Challenges of spatially dissolved mercury determination, namely, strong evaporation issues of the analytes and an inhomogeneous distribution of mercury in the standards due to interactions with cysteine containing proteins of the gelatin were successfully addressed by complexation with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). No mercury was detected in the cerebral region for mercury(II) chloride, whereas both organic species showed the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. Quantitatively, the mercury level in the brain exceeded the fed concentration indicating mercury enrichment, which was approximately 3 times higher for methylmercury chloride than for thimerosal.
The causes for the formation of large igneous provinces and hotspot trails are still a matter of considerable dispute. Seismic tomography and other studies suggest that hot mantle material rising from the core-mantle boundary (CMB) might play a significant role in the formation of such hotspot trails. An important area to verify this concept is the South Atlantic region, with hotspot trails that spatially coincide with one of the largest low-velocity regions at the CMB, the African large low shear-wave velocity province. The Walvis Ridge started to form during the separation of the South American and African continents at ca. 130 Ma as a consequence of Gondwana breakup. Here, we present the first deep-seismic sounding images of the crustal structure from the landfall area of the Walvis Ridge at the Namibian coast to constrain processes of plume-lithosphere interaction and the formation of continental flood basalts (Parana and Etendeka continental flood basalts) and associated intrusive rocks. Our study identified a narrow region (<100 km) of high-seismic-velocity anomalies in the middle and lower crust, which we interpret as a massive mafic intrusion into the northern Namibian continental crust. Seismic crustal reflection imaging shows a flat Moho as well as reflectors connecting the high-velocity body with shallow crustal structures that we speculate to mark potential feeder channels of the Etendeka continental flood basalt. We suggest that the observed massive but localized mafic intrusion into the lower crust results from similar-sized variations in the lithosphere (i.e., lithosphere thickness or preexisting structures).
Recent experiments show that transcription factors (TFs) indeed use the facilitated diffusion mechanism to locate their target sequences on DNA in living bacteria cells: TFs alternate between sliding motion along DNA and relocation events through the cytoplasm. From simulations and theoretical analysis we study the TF-sliding motion for a large section of the DNA-sequence of a common E. coli strain, based on the two-state TF-model with a fast-sliding search state and a recognition state enabling target detection. For the probability to detect the target before dissociating from DNA the TF-search times self-consistently depend heavily on whether or not an auxiliary operator (an accessible sequence similar to the main operator) is present in the genome section. Importantly, within our model the extent to which the interconversion rates between search and recognition states depend on the underlying nucleotide sequence is varied. A moderate dependence maximises the capability to distinguish between the main operator and similar sequences. Moreover, these auxiliary operators serve as starting points for DNA looping with the main operator, yielding a spectrum of target detection times spanning several orders of magnitude. Auxiliary operators are shown to act as funnels facilitating target detection by TFs.
The Tarutung Basin is located at a right step-over in the northern central segment of the dextral strike-slip Sumatran Fault System (SFS). Details of the fault structure along the Tarutung Basin are derived from the relocations of seismicity as well as from focal mechanism and structural geology. The seismicity distribution derived by a 3D inversion for hypocenter relocation is clustered according to a fault-like seismicity distribution. The seismicity is relocated with a double-difference technique (HYPODD) involving the waveform cross-correlations. We used 46,904 and 3191 arrival differences obtained from catalogue data and cross-correlation analysis, respectively. Focal mechanisms of events were analyzed by applying a grid search method (HASH code). Although there is no significant shift of the hypocenters (10.8 m in average) and centroids (167 m in average), the application of the double difference relocation sharpens the earthquake distribution. The earthquake lineation reflects the fault system, the extensional duplex fault system, and the negative flower structure within the Tarutung Basin. The focal mechanisms of events at the edge of the basin are dominantly of strike-slip type representing the dextral strike-slip Sumatran Fault System. The almost north south striking normal fault events along extensional zones beneath the basin correlate with the maximum principal stress direction which is the direction of the Indo-Australian plate motion. The extensional zones form an en-echelon pattern indicated by the presence of strike-slip faults striking NE SW to NW SE events. The detailed characteristics of the fault system derived from the seismological study are also corroborated by structural geology at the surface. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rapid synthesis of sub-10 nm hexagonal NaYF4-based upconverting nanoparticles using Therminol® 66
(2018)
We report a simple one-pot method for the rapid preparation of sub-10nm pure hexagonal (-phase) NaYF4-based upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs). Using Therminol((R))66 as a co-solvent, monodisperse UCNPs could be obtained in unusually short reaction times. By varying the reaction time and reaction temperature, it was possible to control precisely the particle size and crystalline phase of the UCNPs. The upconversion (UC) luminescence properties of the nanocrystals were tuned by varying the concentrations of the dopants (Nd3+ and Yb3+ sensitizer ions and Er3+ activator ions). The size and phase-purity of the as-synthesized core and core-shell nanocrystals were assessed by using complementary transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, X-ray diffraction, and small-angle X-ray scattering studies. In-depth photophysical evaluation of the UCNPs was pursued by using steady-state and time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy. An enhancement in the UC intensity was observed if the nanocrystals, doped with optimized concentrations of lanthanide sensitizer/activator ions, were further coated with an inert/active shell. This was attributed to the suppression of surface-related luminescence quenching effects.
Reflexion ist eine Schlüsselkategorie für die professionelle Entwicklung von Lehrkräften, welche als Ausbildungsziel in den Bildungsstandards für die Lehrkräftebildung verankert ist. Eine Verstetigung universitär geprägter Forschung und Modellierung in der praxisnahen Anwendung im schulischen Kontext bietet Potentiale nachhaltiger Professionalisierung. Die Stärkung reflexionsbezogener Kompetenzen durch Empirie und Anwendung scheint eine phasenübergreifende Herausforderung der Lehrkräftebildung zu sein, die es zu bewältigen gilt. Ziele des Tagungsbandes Reflexion in der Lehrkräftebildung sind eine theoretische Schärfung des Konzeptes „Reflexive Professionalisierung“ und der Austausch über Fragen der Einbettung wirksamer reflexionsbezogener Lerngelegenheiten in die Lehrkräftebildung. Forschende und Lehrende der‚ drei Phasen (Studium, Referendariat sowie Fort- und Weiterbildung) der Lehrkräftebildung stellen Lehrkonzepte und Forschungsprojekte zum Thema Reflexion in der Lehrkräftebildung vor und diskutieren diese. Gemeinsam mit Teilnehmenden aller Phasen und von verschiedenen Standorten der Lehrkräftebildung werden zukünftige Herausforderungen identifiziert und Lösungsansätze herausgearbeitet.
Macrophages have important protective functions during infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). However, molecular mechanisms that restrict viral propagation and protect from severe disease are unclear. Here we show that macrophages take up HSV-1 via endocytosis and transport the virions into multivesicular bodies (MVBs). In MVBs, acid ceramidase (aCDase) converts ceramide into sphingosine and increases the formation of sphingosine-rich intraluminal vesicles (ILVs). Once HSV-1 particles reach MVBs, sphingosine-rich ILVs bind to HSV-1 particles, which restricts fusion with the limiting endosomal membrane and prevents cellular infection. Lack of aCDase in macrophage cultures or in Asah1(-/-) mice results in replication of HSV-1 and Asah1(-/-) mice die soon after systemic or intravaginal inoculation. The treatment of macrophages with sphingosine enhancing compounds blocks HSV-1 propagation, suggesting a therapeutic potential of this pathway. In conclusion, aCDase loads ILVs with sphingosine, which prevents HSV-1 capsids from penetrating into the cytosol.
Macrophages have important protective functions during infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). However, molecular mechanisms that restrict viral propagation and protect from severe disease are unclear. Here we show that macrophages take up HSV-1 via endocytosis and transport the virions into multivesicular bodies (MVBs). In MVBs, acid ceramidase (aCDase) converts ceramide into sphingosine and increases the formation of sphingosine-rich intraluminal vesicles (ILVs). Once HSV-1 particles reach MVBs, sphingosine-rich ILVs bind to HSV-1 particles, which restricts fusion with the limiting endosomal membrane and prevents cellular infection. Lack of aCDase in macrophage cultures or in Asah1(-/-) mice results in replication of HSV-1 and Asah1(-/-) mice die soon after systemic or intravaginal inoculation. The treatment of macrophages with sphingosine enhancing compounds blocks HSV-1 propagation, suggesting a therapeutic potential of this pathway. In conclusion, aCDase loads ILVs with sphingosine, which prevents HSV-1 capsids from penetrating into the cytosol.
Elastic properties and electromechanical coupling factor of inflated polypropylene ferroelectrets
(2006)
Editorial
(2018)
Genossenschaften wirken auf manche wie ein angestaubtes Relikt aus der Vergangenheit. Das eingetrübte Image überrascht. Denn Genossenschaften haben sich immer wieder als besonders krisenfest erwiesen und längst auch als erfolgreiches Zukunftsmodell entpuppt. Der stetige Zuwachs an Neugründungen, die steigenden Mitgliederzahlen und die ständige Ausweitung der Aktionsfelder bestätigen die hohe Attraktivität. Dem entspricht eine enorme Einsatzbreite der Genossenschaftsidee. Sie reicht von Agrargenossenschaften über Produktionsgenossenschaften in Handel, Handwerk und Gewerbe bis hin zu sehr modernen Bereichen etwa der neuen Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien. In all diesen und vielen anderen Segmenten finden sich variantenreiche genossenschaftliche Gestaltungsoptionen nach Maximen wie Selbsthilfe, Solidarität, Bürgerengagement, Partizipation, Mitglieder- und Gemeinwohlorientierung. Inzwischen lockt die hohe Anziehungskraft der Genossenschaftsidee auch die Kommunen. Angestoßen durch gesetzgeberische Impulse erleben die Genossenschaften auf der kommunalen Ebene derzeit bundesweit einen richtigen Aufschwung. Die Aufwertung erweitert die Überlegungen zur Gewährleistung und Optimierung kommunaler Leistungserbringung um eine wichtige Gestaltungsvariante, nimmt aber den Kommunen die Auswahlentscheidung nicht ab. Denn wie bei allen Organisationsentscheidungen ist vor dem Rückgriff auf genossenschaftliche Organisationsformen in jedem Einzelfall eine nüchterne aufgaben-, sach- und situationsbezogene Vergleichsanalyse geboten, die den Entscheidungsträgern spezifische Kenntnisse und detaillierte Fachkompetenz abverlangt. Die 19. Fachtagung des KWI diskutiert rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen und normative Direktiven, praktische Erfahrungen, Einsatzfelder, Erfolgsbedingungen und Fallstricke in der Praxis.
While public–private partnerships (PPPs) have surged worldwide since the 1990s, they have been met with growing skepticism during the last years. A recent revision of Germany’s constitutional rules on motorway construction and observations on the use of PPPs published by both the German and the European Courts of Auditors illustrate this new caution. These two examples fit into a general trend towards a revival of the public sector, which can be summarized under the cross-level umbrella term “publicization.” It would, however, be remiss to replace the uncritical euphoria that once surrounded privatization with a similarly undifferentiated euphoria regarding publicization. Rather, it is crucial to identify the most appropriate solution for the fulfilment of each public task from the “toolbox” of publicization on the one hand and privatization on the other hand in order to ensure the most effective completion of public functions.
Die Privatisierungseuphorie der vergangenen Jahrzehnte ist heute weitgehend verflogen. Nicht nur die Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise hat das Vertrauen in die Leistungsfähigkeit der Märkte erschüttert. Auch haben bei weitem nicht alle Privatisierungsmaßnahmen die in sie gesetzten Erwartungen erfüllt. Daher war schon vor vielen Jahren eine Trendwende weg von der Privatisierung und hin zu dem gegenläufigen Prozess der Rekommunalisierung zu beobachten. Die Rückkehr zum Öffentlichen beschränkt sich aber nicht auf den kommunalen Bereich, sondern ist längst auch auf Landes-, Bundes-, EU- und sogar globaler Ebene zu beobachten. Ebenenübergreifend lässt sich dieser Trend zu Rekommunalisierung und Rückverstaatlichung mit dem neuen Begriff der „Publizisierung“ erfassen. Freilich ist die Trendwende „hin zum Öffentlichen“ kein durchgängiges Phänomen. Vielmehr gibt es daneben auch Bestrebungen, die auf künftige Privatisierungen abzielen – etwa im Infrastrukturbereich.
An diesen gegenläufigen Entwicklungstendenzen setzt der vorliegende Tagungsband an. Er dokumentiert den Gedankenaustausch zwischen polnischen und deutschen Verwaltungsrechtswissenschaftlern auf einer Tagung, die im Juni 2017 an der Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza (Adam-Mickiewicz-Universität, UAM) in Poznań stattgefunden hat. Dieses Symposium ist Teil einer Kooperation zwischen der UAM und dem Kommunalwissenschaftlichen Institut (KWI) der Universität Potsdam, die sich mit dem umfassenderen Programm einer „Modernisierung des Gemeinwesens“ beschäftigt und dabei den Fokus insbesondere auf die beiden Modernisierungsansätze „Privatisierung“ und „Publizisierung“ richtet.
Background:
The overall goal of the project ‘StiEL’ is to contribute to the professional development of teachers and other educational staff working at German secondary schools. The aim is to develop an evidence-based training concept for the inclusion of students with diverse abilities. The project is organized as a collaborative research effort of three partnering institutions and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research from 2018-2021.
Methods:
To support the on-going transition towards inclusive school practices, a multi-stage approach is envisaged. The first phase aims at a scoping review of existing literature and programmes on inclusion. The overview is supplemented by interviews with school staff members. Training modules are developed in the second project phase. The third phase of StiEL puts the newly developed training program into practice. The knowledge and skills acquired by the participants through the training as well as the teaching and management of inclusive classrooms after the training are evaluated through longitudinal and ethnographic approaches. The final project phase creates a best practice manual and makes the modules available via open access databases.
Results:
The presentation will focus on the first phase and try to explore the health-related consequences of the transition towards an inclusive school system in Germany for different participants. We will present preliminary results of expert interviews as well as some results from the literature screening. Due to our findings the current practice on German schools towards the road to inclusion is very stressful for all participants. We will explore recommendations for health promoting schools under conditions of inclusion.
Conclusions:
In terms of health-related consequences for all participants, the road to inclusion is very ambitious but also very stressful. Regarding the development of an inclusive school system, we need to focus much more on health and health promotion.
Mental disorders are among the greatest medical and social challenges facing us. They can occur at all stages of life and are among the most important commonly occurring diseases. In Germany 28 % of the population suffer from a mental disorder every year, while the lifetime risk of suffering from a mental disorder is almost 50 %. Mental disorders cause great suffering for those affected and their social network. Quantitatively speaking, they can be considered to be among those diseases creating the greatest burden for society due to reduced productivity, absence from work and premature retirement. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding a new research network from 2015 to 2019 with up to 35 million euros to investigate mental disorders in order to devise and develop better therapeutic measures and strategies for this population by means of basic and translational clinical research. This is the result of a competitive call for research proposals entitled research network for mental diseases. It is a nationwide network of nine consortia with up to ten psychiatric and clinical psychology partner institutions from largely university-based research facilities for adults and/or children and adolescents. Furthermore, three cross-consortia platform projects will seek to identify shared causes of diseases and new diagnostic modalities for anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHS), autism, bipolar disorders, depression, schizophrenia and psychotic disorders as well as substance-related and addictive disorders. The spectrum of therapeutic approaches to be examined ranges from innovative pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatment to novel brain stimulation procedures. In light of the enormous burden such diseases represent for society as a whole, a sustainable improvement in the financial support for those researching mental disorders seems essential. This network aims to become a nucleus for long overdue and sustained support for a German center for mental disorders.
Background: First rank symptoms (FRS) of schizophrenia have been used for decades for diagnostic purposes. In the new version of the DSM-5, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has abolished any further reference to FRS of schizophrenia and treats them like any other "criterion A' symptom (e.g. any kind of hallucination or delusion) with regard to their diagnostic implication. The ICD-10 is currently under revision and may follow suit. In this review, we discuss central points of criticism that are directed against the continuous use of first rank symptoms (FRS) to diagnose schizophrenia.