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Die langfristigen Auswirkungen von Frühgeburtlichkeit auf kognitive Entwicklung und Schulerfolg
(2017)
In einer prospektiven Längsschnittstudie wurde der Zusammenhang zwischen früher Responsivität der Mutter und kognitiver Entwicklung ihrer früh- bzw. reifgeborenen Kinder untersucht. Im Alter von drei Monaten wurde dafür die Mutter-Kind-Interaktion mittels Verhaltensbeobachtung erfasst. Bei n=351 der teilnehmenden Kinder (101 frühgeboren) wurde die allgemeine Intelligenz (IQ) im Alter von 11 Jahren und bei n=313 (85 frühgeboren) zusätzlich der höchste erreichte Schulabschluss bis 25 Jahren erhoben. Frühgeborene wiesen mit 11 Jahren einen signifikant niedrigeren IQ als Reifgeborene auf, nachdem für mögliche konfundierende Faktoren kontrolliert worden war. Nur bei Früh-, nicht aber bei Reifgeborenen zeigte sich ein signifikanter positiver Zusammenhang zwischen mütterlicher Responsivität und IQ. Für die Wahrscheinlichkeit einen höheren Schulabschluss (mind. Fachabitur) zu erreichen, fand sich weder ein signifikanter Effekt von Frühgeburtlichkeit noch von mütterlicher Responsivität.
In einer prospektiven Längsschnittstudie wurden Auswirkungen früher psychosozialer Risiken bis ins junge Erwachsenenalter untersucht und dabei die Rolle von affektiver und behavioraler Dysregulation im Kindesalter als vermittelndem Faktor überprüft. Drei Monate nach der Geburt wurde das Vorliegen von 11 psychosozialen Belastungsfaktoren erfasst. Im Alter von 8 – 15 Jahren wurde dreimal das Child Behavior Checklist-Dysregulationsprofil (CBCL-DP) erhoben. Mit 25 Jahren wurde ein Strukturiertes Klinisches Interview durchgeführt und 309 der Teilnehmer füllten den Young Adult Self-Report aus. Frühe psychosoziale Risiken gingen mit einem erhöhten Risiko für das Vorliegen eines Substanzmissbrauchs im jungen Erwachsenenalter sowie mit erhöhtem externalisierendem und internalisierendem Problemverhalten einher. Der Zusammenhang zwischen frühen psychosozialen Risiken und späterem externalisierendem bzw. internalisierendem Problemverhalten wurde durch das CBCL-DP vermittelt.
Nanoparticles can improve topical drug delivery: size, surface properties and flexibility of polymer nanoparticles are defining its interaction with the skin. Only few studies have explored skin penetration for one series of structurally related polymer particles with systematic alteration of material composition. Here, a series of rigid poly[acrylonitrile-co-(N-vinyl pyrrolidone)] model nanoparticles stably loaded with Nile Red or Rhodamin B, respectively, was comprehensively studied for biocompatibility and functionality. Surface properties were altered by varying the molar content of hydrophilic NVP from 0 to 24.1% and particle size ranged from 35 to 244 nm. Whereas irritancy and genotoxicity were not revealed, lipophilic and hydrophilic nanoparticles taken up by keratinocytes affected cell viability. Skin absorption of the particles into viable skin ex vivo was studied using Nile Red as fluorescent probe. Whilst an intact stratum corneum efficiently prevented penetration, almost complete removal of the horny layer allowed nanoparticles of smaller size and hydrophilic particles to penetrate into viable epidermis and dermis. Hence, systematic variations of nanoparticle properties allows gaining insights into critical criteria for biocompatibility and functionality of novel nanocarriers for topical drug delivery and risks associated with environmental exposure.
Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have the potential to complement antibodies in bioanalysis, are more stable under harsh conditions, and are potentially cheaper to produce. However, the affinity and especially the selectivity of MIPs are in general lower than those of their biological pendants. Enzymes are useful tools for the preparation of MIPs for both low and high-molecular weight targets: As a green alternative to the well-established methods of chemical polymerization, enzyme-initiated polymerization has been introduced and the removal of protein templates by proteases has been successfully applied. Furthermore, MIPs have been coupled with enzymes in order to enhance the analytical performance of biomimetic sensors: Enzymes have been used in MIP-sensors as tracers for the generation and amplification of the measuring signal. In addition, enzymatic pretreatment of an analyte can extend the analyte spectrum and eliminate interferences.
Shifts among Eukaryota, Bacteria, and Archaea define the vertical organization of a lake sediment
(2017)
Background
Lake sediments harbor diverse microbial communities that cycle carbon and nutrients while being constantly colonized and potentially buried by organic matter sinking from the water column. The interaction of activity and burial remained largely unexplored in aquatic sediments. We aimed to relate taxonomic composition to sediment biogeochemical parameters, test whether community turnover with depth resulted from taxonomic replacement or from richness effects, and to provide a basic model for the vertical community structure in sediments.
Methods
We analyzed four replicate sediment cores taken from 30-m depth in oligo-mesotrophic Lake Stechlin in northern Germany. Each 30-cm core spanned ca. 170 years of sediment accumulation according to 137Cs dating and was sectioned into layers 1–4 cm thick. We examined a full suite of biogeochemical parameters and used DNA metabarcoding to examine community composition of microbial Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryota.
Results
Community β-diversity indicated nearly complete turnover within the uppermost 30 cm. We observed a pronounced shift from Eukaryota- and Bacteria-dominated upper layers (<5 cm) to Bacteria-dominated intermediate layers (5–14 cm) and to deep layers (>14 cm) dominated by enigmatic Archaea that typically occur in deep-sea sediments. Taxonomic replacement was the prevalent mechanism in structuring the community composition and was linked to parameters indicative of microbial activity (e.g., CO2 and CH4 concentration, bacterial protein production). Richness loss played a lesser role but was linked to conservative parameters (e.g., C, N, P) indicative of past conditions.
Conclusions
By including all three domains, we were able to directly link the exponential decay of eukaryotes with the active sediment microbial community. The dominance of Archaea in deeper layers confirms earlier findings from marine systems and establishes freshwater sediments as a potential low-energy environment, similar to deep sea sediments. We propose a general model of sediment structure and function based on microbial characteristics and burial processes. An upper “replacement horizon” is dominated by rapid taxonomic turnover with depth, high microbial activity, and biotic interactions. A lower “depauperate horizon” is characterized by low taxonomic richness, more stable “low-energy” conditions, and a dominance of enigmatic Archaea.
Many studies demonstrated interactions between number processing and either spatial codes (effects of spatial-numerical associations) or visual size-related codes (size-congruity effect). However, the interrelatedness of these two number couplings is still unclear. The present study examines the simultaneous occurrence of space- and size-numerical congruency effects and their interactions both within and across trials, in a magnitude judgment task physically small or large digits were presented left or right from screen center. The reaction times analysis revealed that space- and size-congruency effects coexisted in parallel and combined additively. Moreover, a selective sequential modulation of the two congruency effects was found. The size-congruency effect was reduced after size incongruent trials. The space-congruency effect, however, was only affected by the previous space congruency. The observed independence of spatial-numerical and within magnitude associations is interpreted as evidence that the two couplings reflect Different attributes of numerical meaning possibly related to orginality and cardinality.
Lying is an everyday moral phenomenon about which philosophers have written a lot. Not only the moral status of lying has been intensively discussed but also what it means to lie in the first place. Perhaps the most important criterion for an adequate definition of lying is that it fits with people’s understanding and use of this concept. In this light, it comes as a surprise that researchers only recently started to empirically investigate the folk concept of lying. In this paper, we describe three experimental studies which address the following questions: Does a statement need to be objectively false in order to constitute lying? Does lying necessarily include the intention to deceive? Can one lie by omitting relevant facts?
Background
Proficiency in fundamental movement skills (FMS) lays the foundation for being physically active and developing more complex motor skills. Improving these motor skills may provide enhanced opportunities for the development of a variety of perceptual, social, and cognitive skills.
Objective
The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the effects of FMS interventions on actual FMS, targeting typically developing young children.
Method
Searches in seven databases (CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) up to August 2015 were completed. Trials with children (aged 2-6 years) in childcare or kindergarten settings that applied FMS-enhancing intervention programs of at least 4 weeks and meeting the inclusion criteria were included. Standardized data extraction forms were used. Risk of bias was assessed using a standard scoring scheme (Effective Public Health Practice Project-Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies [EPHPP]). We calculated effects on overall FMS, object control and locomotor subscales (OCS and LMS) by weighted standardized mean differences (SMDbetween) using random-effects models. Certainty in training effects was evaluated using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation System).
Results
Thirty trials (15 randomized controlled trials and 15 controlled trials) involving 6126 preschoolers (aged 3.3-5.5 years) revealed significant differences among groups in favor of the intervention group (INT) with small-to-large effects on overall FMS (SMDbetween 0.46), OCS (SMDbetween 1.36), and LMS (SMDbetween 0.94). Our certainty in the treatment estimates based on GRADE is very low.
Conclusions
Although there is relevant effectiveness of programs to improve FMS proficiency in healthy young children, they need to be interpreted with care as they are based on low-quality evidence and immediate post-intervention effects without long-term follow-up.
This review analyzes the potential role and long-term effects of field perennial polycultures (mixtures) in agricultural systems, with the aim of reducing the trade-offs between provisioning and regulating ecosystem services. First, crop rotations are identified as a suitable tool for the assessment of the long-term effects of perennial polycultures on ecosystem services, which are not visible at the single-crop level. Second, the ability of perennial polycultures to support ecosystem services when used in crop rotations is quantified through eight agricultural ecosystem services. Legume-grass mixtures and wildflower mixtures are used as examples of perennial polycultures, and compared with silage maize as a typical crop for biomass production. Perennial polycultures enhance soil fertility, soil protection, climate regulation, pollination, pest and weed control, and landscape aesthetics compared with maize. They also score lower for biomass production compared with maize, which confirms the trade-off between provisioning and regulating ecosystem services. However, the additional positive factors provided by perennial polycultures, such as reduced costs for mineral fertilizer, pesticides, and soil tillage, and a significant preceding crop effect that increases the yields of subsequent crops, should be taken into account. However, a full assessment of agricultural ecosystem services requires a more holistic analysis that is beyond the capabilities of current frameworks.
Quantum chemical approach to atomic manipulation of chlorobenzene on the Si(111)-7 x 7 surface
(2017)
We present a cluster model to describe the localization of hot charge carriers on the Si(111)-7 x 7 surface, which leads to (nonlocal) desorption of chlorobenzene molecules in scanning tunneling microscope (STM) manipulation experiments. The localized charge carriers are modeled by a small cluster. By means of quantum chemical calculations, this cluster model explains many experimental findings from STM manipulation. We show that the negative charge is mainly localized in the surface, while the positive one also resides on the molecule. Both resonances boost desorption: In the negative resonance the adatom is elevated; in the positive one the chemisorption bond between the silicon surface adatom and chlorobenzene is broken. We find normal modes promoting desorption matching experimental low-temperature activation energies for electron-and hole-induced desorption.
This longitudinal study investigated patterns of developmental problems across depression, aggression, and academic achievement during adolescence, using two measurement points two years apart (N = 1665; age T1: M = 13.14; female = 49.6%). Latent Profile Analyses and Latent Transition Analyses yielded four main findings: A three-type solution provided the best fit to the data: an asymptomatic type (i.e., low problem scores in all three domains), a depressed type (i.e., high scores in depression), an aggressive type (i.e., high scores in aggression). Profile types were invariant over the two data waves but differed between girls and boys, revealing gender specific patterns of comorbidity. Stabilities over time were high for the asymptomatic type and for types that represented problems in one domain, but moderate for comorbid types. Differences in demographic variables (i.e., age, socio-economic status) and individual characteristics (i.e., self-esteem, dysfunctional cognitions, cognitive capabilities) predicted profile type memberships and longitudinal transitions between types.
Benthic microbial communities (BMCs) play important roles in the carbon cycle of lakes, and benthic littoral zones in particular have been previously highlighted as biogeochemical hotspots. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) presents the major carbon pool in lakes, and although the effect of DOM composition on the pelagic microbial community composition is widely accepted, little is known about its effect on BMCs, particularly aquatic fungi. Therefore, we investigated the composition of benthic littoral microbial communities in twenty highly diverse lakes in northeast Germany. DOM quality was analyzed via size exclusion chromatography (SEC), fluorescence parallel factor analyses (PRAFACs) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. We determined the BMC composition and biomass using phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA) and extended the interpretation to the analysis of fungi by applying a Bayesian mixed model. We present evidence that the quality of DOM structures the BMCs, which are dominated by heterotrophic bacteria and show low fungal biomass. The fungal biomass increases when the DOM pool is processed by microorganisms of allochthonous origin, whereas the opposite is true for bacteria.
This paper is concerned with the filtering problem in continuous time. Three algorithmic solution approaches for this problem are reviewed: (i) the classical Kalman-Bucy filter, which provides an exact solution for the linear Gaussian problem; (ii) the ensemble Kalman-Bucy filter (EnKBF), which is an approximate filter and represents an extension of the Kalman-Bucy filter to nonlinear problems; and (iii) the feedback particle filter (FPF), which represents an extension of the EnKBF and furthermore provides for a consistent solution in the general nonlinear, non-Gaussian case. The common feature of the three algorithms is the gain times error formula to implement the update step (to account for conditioning due to the observations) in the filter. In contrast to the commonly used sequential Monte Carlo methods, the EnKBF and FPF avoid the resampling of the particles in the importance sampling update step. Moreover, the feedback control structure provides for error correction potentially leading to smaller simulation variance and improved stability properties. The paper also discusses the issue of nonuniqueness of the filter update formula and formulates a novel approximation algorithm based on ideas from optimal transport and coupling of measures. Performance of this and other algorithms is illustrated for a numerical example.
A sediment core from Khatanga-12 Lake (Taimyr Peninsula, Krasnoyarsk krai) has been studied. The 131.5-cm-long core covers ca. 7100 years of sedimentation. Chironomid analysis, a qualitative reconstruction of the paleoenvironment in the region, and a quantitative reconstruction of variations of the mean July air temperature and in the water depth of the lake have been performed using Northern Russia chironomid-inferred mean July temperature models (Nazarova et al., 2008, 2011, 2015). Khatanga-12 Lake was formed during the Middle Holocene warming as a result of thermokarst processes. The development of the lake ecosystem at different stages of its development was influenced by climatic and cryolithogenic factors. The Middle Holocene warming, which occurred around 7100-6250 cal. years BP, activated thermokarst processes and resulted in the formation of the lake basin. Later, between 6250 and 4500 cal. years BP, a period of cooling took place, as is proved by chironomid analysis. The bottom sediments of the lake during this period were formed by erosion processes on the lake shores. The reconstructed conditions were close to the modern after 2500 cal. years BP.
García Coll et al.’s (1996)integrative model was a landmark article for developmentalscience, and for psychology more broadly, in outlining the multitude of social and culturalfactors at play when seeking to understand the development of racial/ethnic minority children.The time is ripe to not only take stock of those advances but also evaluate the integrativemodel in the context of present-day research practice within developmental psychology, andpsychology more broadly. The purpose of this article is to bring a systemic perspective todevelopmental science through a discussion of current practices in the field. To do so, weexamineinvisibility, or how dominant practices serve to overlook, silence, or dismissknowledge produced by and for racial/ethnic minority populations. Guided by the interpretiveframework of intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991), we discuss three key questions: Fromwhose vantage point is research conducted? What types of questions are valued? And whogets left out? We then conclude with recommendations for changes in practices for individ-uals, institutions, and the field at large. Importantly, although our analysis is largely groundedin research and practices in developmental psychology, it is also highly relevant to psycho-logical science as a whole.
Lafora disease (LD, OMIM #254780) is a rare, recessively inherited neurodegenerative disease with adolescent onset, resulting in progressive myoclonus epilepsy which is fatal usually within ten years of symptom onset. The disease is caused by loss-of-function mutations in either of the two genes EPM2A (laforin) or EPM2B (malin). It characteristically involves the accumulation of insoluble glycogen-derived particles, named Lafora bodies (LBs), which are considered neurotoxic and causative of the disease. The pathogenesis of LD is therefore centred on the question of how insoluble LBs emerge from soluble glycogen. Recent data clearly show that an abnormal glycogen chain length distribution, but neither hyperphosphorylation nor impairment of general autophagy, strictly correlates with glycogen accumulation and the presence of LBs. This review summarizes results obtained with patients, mouse models, and cell lines and consolidates apparent paradoxes in the LD literature. Based on the growing body of evidence, it proposes that LD is predominantly caused by an impairment in chain-length regulation affecting only a small proportion of the cellular glycogen. A better grasp of LD pathogenesis will further develop our understanding of glycogen metabolism and structure. It will also facilitate the development of clinical interventions that appropriately target the underlying cause of LD.
In the strong coupling regime, exciton and plasmon excitations are hybridized into combined system excitations. The correct identification of the coupling regime in these systems is currently debated, from both experimental and theoretical perspectives. In this article we show that the extinction spectra may show a large peak splitting, although the energy loss encoded in the absorption spectra clearly rules out the strong coupling regime. We investigate the coupling of J-aggregate excitons to the localized surface plasmon polaritons on gold nanospheres and nanorods by fine-tuning the plasmon resonance via layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolytes. While both structures show a characteristic anticrossing in extinction and scattering experiments, the careful assessment of the systems’ light absorption reveals that strong coupling of the plasmon to the exciton is not present in the nanosphere system. In a phenomenological model of two classical coupled oscillators, a Fano-like regime causes only the resonance of the light-driven oscillator to split up, while the other one still dissipates energy at its original frequency. Only in the strong-coupling limit do both oscillators split up the frequencies at which they dissipate energy, qualitatively explaining our experimental finding.
This is a brief survey of a constructive technique of analytic continuation related to an explicit integral formula of Golusin and Krylov (1933). It goes far beyond complex analysis and applies to the Cauchy problem for elliptic partial differential equations as well. As started in the classical papers, the technique is elaborated in generalised Hardy spaces also called Hardy-Smirnov spaces.
fMRI studies of reward find increased neural activity in ventral striatum and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), whereas other regions, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (d1PFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and anterior insula, are activated when anticipating aversive exposure. Although these data suggest differential activation during anticipation of pleasant or of unpleasant exposure, they also arise in the context of different paradigms (e.g., preparation for reward vs. threat of shock) and participants. To determine overlapping and unique regions active during emotional anticipation, we compared neural activity during anticipation of pleasant or unpleasant exposure in the same participants. Cues signalled the upcoming presentation of erotic/romantic, violent, or everyday pictures while BOLD activity during the 9-s anticipatory period was measured using fMRI. Ventral striatum and a ventral mPFC subregion were activated when anticipating pleasant, but not unpleasant or neutral, pictures, whereas activation in other regions was enhanced when anticipating appetitive or aversive scenes.
Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals requires a fundamental socio-economic transformation accompanied by substantial investment in low-carbon infrastructure. Such a sustainability transition represents a non-marginal change, driven by behavioral factors and systemic interactions. However, typical economic models used to assess a sustainability transition focus on marginal changes around a local optimum, whichby constructionlead to negative effects. Thus, these models do not allow evaluating a sustainability transition that might have substantial positive effects. This paper examines which mechanisms need to be included in a standard computable general equilibrium model to overcome these limitations and to give a more comprehensive view of the effects of climate change mitigation. Simulation results show that, given an ambitious greenhouse gas emission constraint and a price of carbon, positive economic effects are possible if (1) technical progress results (partly) endogenously from the model and (2) a policy intervention triggering an increase of investment is introduced. Additionally, if (3) the investment behavior of firms is influenced by their sales expectations, the effects are amplified. The results provide suggestions for policy-makers, because the outcome indicates that investment-oriented climate policies can lead to more desirable outcomes in economic, social and environmental terms.
Dynamical models of cognition play an increasingly important role in driving theoretical and experimental research in psychology. Therefore, parameter estimation, model analysis and comparison of dynamical models are of essential importance. In this article, we propose a maximum likelihood approach for model analysis in a fully dynamical framework that includes time-ordered experimental data. Our methods can be applied to dynamical models for the prediction of discrete behavior (e.g., movement onsets); in particular, we use a dynamical model of saccade generation in scene viewing as a case study for our approach. For this model, the likelihood function can be computed directly by numerical simulation, which enables more efficient parameter estimation including Bayesian inference to obtain reliable estimates and corresponding credible intervals. Using hierarchical models inference is even possible for individual observers. Furthermore, our likelihood approach can be used to compare different models. In our example, the dynamical framework is shown to outperform nondynamical statistical models. Additionally, the likelihood based evaluation differentiates model variants, which produced indistinguishable predictions on hitherto used statistics. Our results indicate that the likelihood approach is a promising framework for dynamical cognitive models.
Effektive Lernzeitnutzung gilt als einer der wichtigsten Prädiktoren für erfolgreichen Unterricht. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht in einem dyadischen kooperativen Lernsetting, wie sich die kognitiven Grundfähigkeiten und Zielorientierungen der Partner in den offenen Phasen eines Planspielunterrichts auf die effektive Lernzeitnutzung auswirken. Hierzu nutzten wir die neu entwickelte Multimodale Video- und Audioanalysemethode (MuVA), welche es ermöglicht, Schüler-Interaktionen in offenen Unterrichtsphasen reliabel zu dokumentieren. In zweischrittigen Regressionsmodellen ließ sich aufzeigen, dass sowohl Lernenden- als auch Partnervariablen signifikante Anteile der Varianz erklären: Bei Lernenden selbst beeinflusst eine hohe Leistungszielorientierung die effektive Lernzeitnutzung negativ und eine hohe Vermeidungs-Leistungszielorientierung positiv. Einflüsse durch die Eigenschaften der Lernpartner zeigten sich in positiver Richtung für hohe Ausprägungen der Lern-Zielorientierung und der Vermeidungs-Leistungszielorientierung sowie in negativer Richtung für eine hohe Arbeitsvermeidungsorientierung. Kognitive Grundfähigkeiten hatten keinen Einfluss auf die effektive Lernzeitnutzung.
The "Lomonosov" space project is lead by Lomonosov Moscow State University in collaboration with the following key partners: Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Russia, University of California, Los Angeles (USA), University of Pueblo (Mexico), Sungkyunkwan University (Republic of Korea) and with Russian space industry organi-zations to study some of extreme phenomena in space related to astrophysics, astroparticle physics, space physics, and space biology. The primary goals of this experiment are to study:
-Ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) in the energy range of the Greizen-ZatsepinKuzmin (GZK) cutoff;
-Ultraviolet (UV) transient luminous events in the upper atmosphere;
-Multi-wavelength study of gamma-ray bursts in visible, UV, gamma, and X-rays;
-Energetic trapped and precipitated radiation (electrons and protons) at low-Earth orbit (LEO) in connection with global geomagnetic disturbances;
-Multicomponent radiation doses along the orbit of spacecraft under different geomagnetic conditions and testing of space segments of optical observations of space-debris and other space objects;
-Instrumental vestibular-sensor conflict of zero-gravity phenomena during space flight.
This paper is directed towards the general description of both scientific goals of the project and scientific equipment on board the satellite. The following papers of this issue are devoted to detailed descriptions of scientific instruments.
Background
The members of the genus Muntiacus are of particular interest to evolutionary biologists due to their extreme chromosomal rearrangements and the ongoing discussions about the number of living species. Red muntjacs have the largest distribution of all muntjacs and were formerly considered as one species. Karyotype differences led to the provisional split between the Southern Red Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) and the Northern Red Muntjac (M. vaginalis), but uncertainties remain as, so far, no phylogenetic study has been conducted. Here, we analysed whole mitochondrial genomes of 59 archival and 16 contemporaneous samples to resolve uncertainties about their taxonomy and used red muntjacs as model for understanding the evolutionary history of other species in Southeast Asia.
Results
We found three distinct matrilineal groups of red muntjacs: Sri Lankan red muntjacs (including the Western Ghats) diverged first from other muntjacs about 1.5 Mya; later northern red muntjacs (including North India and Indochina) and southern red muntjacs (Sundaland) split around 1.12 Mya. The diversification of red muntjacs into these three main lineages was likely promoted by two Pleistocene barriers: one through the Indian subcontinent and one separating the Indochinese and Sundaic red muntjacs. Interestingly, we found a high level of gene flow within the populations of northern and southern red muntjacs, indicating gene flow between populations in Indochina and dispersal of red muntjacs over the exposed Sunda Shelf during the Last Glacial Maximum.
Conclusions
Our results provide new insights into the evolution of species in South and Southeast Asia as we found clear genetic differentiation in a widespread and generalist species, corresponding to two known biogeographical barriers: The Isthmus of Kra and the central Indian dry zone. In addition, our molecular data support either the delineation of three monotypic species or three subspecies, but more importantly these data highlight the conservation importance of the Sri Lankan/South Indian red muntjac.
The Cotentin Peninsula (Normandy, France) displays sequences of marine terraces and rasas, the latter being wide Late Cenozoic coastal erosion surfaces, that are typical of Western European coasts in Portugal, Spain, France and southern England. Remote sensing imagery and field mapping enabled reappraisal of the Cotentin coastal sequences. From bottom to top, the N Cotentin sequence includes four previously recognized Pleistocene marine terraces (T1 to T4) at elevations <40 m as well as four higher and older rasas (R1 to R4) reaching 200 +/- 5 m in elevation. Low-standing marine terraces are not observed in the central part of the Peninsula and a limited number of terraces are described to the south. The high-standing rasas are widespread all over the peninsula. Such strandline distributions reveal major changes during the Late Cenozoic. Progressive uplift of an irregular sea-floor led to subaerial exposure of bathymetric highs that were carved into rocky platforms, rasas and marine terraces. Eventually, five main islands coalesced and connected to the mainland to the south to form the Cotentin Peninsula. On the basis of previous dating of the last interglacial maximum terrace (i.e. Marine Isotopic Stage, MIS 5e), sequential morphostratigraphy and modelling, we have reappraised uplift rates and derived: (i) mean Upper Pleistocene (i.e. since MIS 5e similar to 122 +/- 6 ka, i.e. kilo annum) apparent uplift rates of 0.04 +/- 0.01 mm/yr, (ii) mean Middle Pleistocene eustasy-corrected uplift rates of 0.09 +/- 0.03 mm/yr, and (iii) low mean Pleistocene uplift rates of 0.01 mm/yr. Extrapolations of these slow rates combined with geological evidence implies that the formation of the sequences from the Cotentin Peninsula occurred between 3 Ma (Pliocene) and 15 Ma (Miocene), which cannot be narrowed down further without additional research. Along the coasts of Western Europe, sequences of marine terraces and rasas are widespread (169 preserve the MIS Se benchmark). In Spain, Portugal, S England and other parts of western France, the sequences morphostratigraphy is very similar to that of Cotentin. The onset of such Western European sequences occurred during the Miocene (e.g. Spain) or Pliocene (e.g. Portugal). We interpret this Neogene-Quaternary coastal uplift as a symptom of the increasing lithospheric compression that accompanies Cenozoic orogenies. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This article discusses the results of a taxonomic and ecological investigation of diatoms from polygonal ponds and Quaternary permafrost deposits of Bol’shoy Lyakhovsky Island (New Siberian Archipelago) and the reconstruction of climatic changes on the Island during late Pleistocene/Holocene transition using fossil diatom assemblages from the permafrost deposits. The taxonomic list of diatoms includes 159 diatom species. The main ecological factors that determine the distribution of diatoms in the investigated data set are mean July air temperature, рН, electrical conductivity, water depth, and concentrations of Si4+ and Al3+. An increase in water depth and stable lacustrine conditions in the Lateglacial–Holocene in the ancient thermokarst lake relate to Lateglacial warming before 11860 ± 160 years BP and during the early Holocene between 11210 ± 160 and 7095 ± 60 years BP.
Nanocarriers
(2017)
In order to investigate their microcracking behaviour, the microstructures of several beta-eucryptite ceramics, obtained from glass precursor and cerammed to yield different grain sizes and microcrack densities, were characterized by laboratory and synchrotron x-ray refraction and tomography. Results were compared with those obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In SEM images, the characterized materials appeared fully dense but computed tomography showed the presence of pore clusters. Uniaxial tensile testing was performed on specimens while strain maps were recorded and analyzed by Digital Image Correlation (DIC). X-ray refraction techniques were applied on specimens before and after tensile testing to measure the amount of the internal specific surface (i.e., area per unit volume). X-ray refraction revealed that (a) the small grain size (SGS) material contained a large specific surface, originating from the grain boundaries and the interfaces of TiO2 precipitates; (b) the medium (MGS) and large grain size (LGS) materials possessed higher amounts of specific surface compared to SGS material due to microcracks, which decreased after tensile loading; (c) the precursor glass had negligible internal surface. The unexpected decrease in the internal surface of MGS and LGS after tensile testing is explained by the presence of compressive regions in the DIC strain maps and further by theoretical arguments. It is suggested that while some microcracks merge via propagation, more close mechanically, thereby explaining the observed X-ray refraction results. The mechanisms proposed would allow the development of a strain hardening route in ceramics.
This study combines spaceborne multitemporal and hyperspectral data to analyze the spatial distribution of surface evaporite minerals and changes in a semi-arid depositional environment associated with episodic flooding events, the Omongwa salt pan (Kalahari, Namibia). The dynamic of the surface crust is evaluated by a change-detection approach using the Iterative-reweighted Multivariate Alteration Detection (IR-MAD) based on the Landsat archive imagery from 1984 to 2015. The results show that the salt pan is a highly dynamic and heterogeneous landform. A change gradient is observed from very stable pan border to a highly dynamic central pan. On the basis of hyperspectral EO-1 Hyperion images, the current distribution of surface evaporite minerals is characterized using Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA). Assessment of field and image endmembers revealed that the pan surface can be categorized into three major crust types based on diagnostic absorption features and mineralogical ground truth data. The mineralogical crust types are related to different zones of surface change as well as pan morphology that influences brine flow during the pan inundation and desiccation cycles. These combined information are used to spatially map depositional environments where the more dynamic halite crust concentrates in lower areas although stable gypsum and calcite/sepiolite crusts appear in higher elevated areas.
Biodiversity-multifunctionality relationships depend on identity and number of measured functions
(2017)
Biodiversity ensures ecosystem functioning and provisioning of ecosystem services, but it remains unclear how biodiversity-ecosystem multifunctionality relationships depend on the identity and number of functions considered. Here, we demonstrate that ecosystem multifunctionality, based on 82 indicator variables of ecosystem functions in a grassland biodiversity experiment, increases strongly with increasing biodiversity. Analysing subsets of functions showed that the effects of biodiversity on multifunctionality were stronger when more functions were included and that the strength of the biodiversity effects depended on the identity of the functions included. Limits to multifunctionality arose from negative correlations among functions and functions that were not correlated with biodiversity. Our findings underline that the management of ecosystems for the protection of biodiversity cannot be replaced by managing for particular ecosystem functions or services and emphasize the need for specific management to protect biodiversity. More plant species from the experimental pool of 60 species contributed to functioning when more functions were considered. An individual contribution to multifunctionality could be demonstrated for only a fraction of the species.
To provide further insight into stress generation patterns in boys and girls around puberty, this study investigated longitudinal reciprocal relations between depressive symptoms, dysfunctional attitudes, and stress generation, the process by which individuals contribute to the occurrence of stress in interpersonal contexts (e.g., problematic social interactions) or in noninterpersonal contexts (e.g., achievement problems). A community sample of N = 924 German children and early adolescents (51.8% male) completed depressive symptoms and dysfunctional attitudes measures at T1 and again 20 months later (T2). Stressful life events were reported at T2. Dysfunctional attitudes were unrelated to stress generation. Interpersonal, but not noninterpersonal, dependent stress partially mediated the relationship between initial and later depressive symptoms, with girls being more likely to generate interpersonal stress in response to depressive symptoms. Findings underscore the role of interpersonal stress generation in the early development of depressive symptomatology, and in the gender difference in depression prevalence emerging around puberty.
We consider the Cauchy problem for the heat equation in a cylinder C (T) = X x (0, T) over a domain X in R (n) , with data on a strip lying on the lateral surface. The strip is of the form S x (0, T), where S is an open subset of the boundary of X. The problem is ill-posed. Under natural restrictions on the configuration of S, we derive an explicit formula for solutions of this problem.
Protection of natural or semi-natural ecosystems is an important part of societal strategies for maintaining biodiversity, ecosystem services, and achieving overall sustainable development. The assessment of multiple emerging land use trade-offs is complicated by the fact that land use changes occur and have consequences at local, regional, and even global scale. Outcomes also depend on the underlying socio-economic trends. We apply a coupled, multi-scale modelling system to assess an increase in nature protection areas as a key policy option in the European Union (EU). The main goal of the analysis is to understand the interactions between policy-induced land use changes across different scales and sectors under two contrasting future socio-economic pathways. We demonstrate how complementary insights into land system change can be gained by coupling land use models for agriculture, forestry, and urban areas for Europe, in connection with other world regions. The simulated policy case of nature protection shows how the allocation of a certain share of total available land to newly protected areas, with specific management restrictions imposed, may have a range of impacts on different land-based sectors until the year 2040. Agricultural land in Europe is slightly reduced, which is partly compensated for by higher management intensity. As a consequence of higher costs, total calorie supply per capita is reduced within the EU. While wood harvest is projected to decrease, carbon sequestration rates increase in European forests. At the same time, imports of industrial roundwood from other world regions are expected to increase. Some of the aggregate effects of nature protection have very different implications at the local to regional scale in different parts of Europe. Due to nature protection measures, agricultural production is shifted from more productive land in Europe to on average less productive land in other parts of the world. This increases, at the global level, the allocation of land resources for agriculture, leading to a decrease in tropical forest areas, reduced carbon stocks, and higher greenhouse gas emissions outside of Europe. The integrated modelling framework provides a method to assess the land use effects of a single policy option while accounting for the trade-offs between locations, and between regional, European, and global scales.
Modifications of transfer RNA (tRNA) have been shown to play critical roles in the biogenesis, metabolism, structural stability and function of RNA molecules, and the specific modifications of nucleobases with sulfur atoms in tRNA are present in pro- and eukaryotes. Here, especially the thiomodifications xm(5)s(2)U at the wobble position 34 in tRNAs for Lys, Gln and Glu, were suggested to have an important role during the translation process by ensuring accurate deciphering of the genetic code and by stabilization of the tRNA structure. The trafficking and delivery of sulfur nucleosides is a complex process carried out by sulfur relay systems involving numerous proteins, which not only deliver sulfur to the specific tRNAs but also to other sulfur-containing molecules including iron-sulfur clusters, thiamin, biotin, lipoic acid and molybdopterin (MPT). Among the biosynthesis of these sulfur-containing molecules, the biosynthesis of the molybdenum cofactor (Moco) and the synthesis of thio-modified tRNAs in particular show a surprising link by sharing protein components for sulfur mobilization in pro- and eukaryotes.
Theoretischer Hintergrund:Supervision spielt eine zentrale Rolle zum Wissens- und Kompetenzerwerb sowie in der Qualitätssicherung.
Fragestellung:Ziel war es, den aktuellen Forschungsstand zur Supervision im Rahmen der kognitiven Verhaltenstherapie abzubilden, um daraus Schlussfolgerungen für die zukünftige Forschung abzuleiten.
Methode:Zur Evidenzsynthese wurde ein Scoping Review durchgeführt, das die Darstellung zentraler Konzepte, aktueller Evidenz und möglicher Forschungsbedarfe ermöglichte. Neben einer systematischen Literaturrecherche wurden Vorwärts- und Rückwärtssuchstrategien eingesetzt.
Ergebnisse:Eingeschlossen wurden zwölf Publikationen basierend auf zehn empirischen Studien. Alle Studien beschrieben Ausbildungssettings, aber nur wenige untersuchten übende Interventionen (z. B. Rollenspiele). Häufig wurden Effekte subjektiv erfasst, die methodische Qualität der Begleitstudien variierte.
Schlussfolgerungen:Notwendig sind weitere methodisch hochwertige Studien, experimentell orientiert oder in der klinischen Praxis, die die Supervisionsforschung bereichern können.
To enhance the spin-orbit interaction in graphene by a proximity effect without compromising the quasi-free-standing dispersion of the Dirac cones means balancing the opposing demands for strong and weak graphene-substrate interaction. So far, only the intercalation of Au under graphene/Ni(111) has proven successful, which was unexpected since graphene prefers a large separation (similar to 3.3 angstrom) from a Au monolayer in equilibrium. Here, we investigate this system and find the solution in a nanoscale effect. We reveal that the Au largely intercalates as nanoclusters. Our density functional theory calculations show that the graphene is periodically stapled to the Ni substrate, and this attraction presses graphene and Au nanoclusters together. This, in turn, causes a Rashba effect of the giant magnitude observed in experiment. Our findings show that nanopatterning of the substrate can be efficiently used for engineering of spin-orbit effects in graphene.
The Tibetan Plateau, the world's largest orogenic plateau, hosts thousands of lakes that play prominent roles as water resources, environmental archives, and sources of natural hazards such as glacier lake outburst floods. Previous studies have reported that the size of lakes on the Tibetan Plateau has changed rapidly in recent years, possibly because of atmospheric warming. Tracking these changes systematically with remote sensing data is challenging given the different spectral signatures of water, the potential for confusing lakes with glaciers, and difficulties in classifying frozen or partly frozen lakes. Object-based image analysis (OBIA) offers new opportunities for automated classification in this context, and we have explored this method for mapping lakes from LANDSAT images and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) elevation data. We tested our algorithm for most of the Tibetan Plateau, where lakes in tectonic depressions or blocked by glaciers and sediments have different surface colours and seasonal ice cover in images obtained in 1995 and 2015. We combined a modified normalised difference water index (MNDWI) with OBIA and local topographic slope data in order to classify lakes with an area > 10 km(2). Our method derived 323 water bodies, with a total area of 31,258 km(2), or 2.6% of the study area (in 2015). The same number of lakes had covered only 24,892 km(2) in 1995; lake area has increased by -26% in the past two decades. The classification had estimated producer's and user's accuracies of 0.98, with a Cohen's kappa and F-score of 0.98, and may thus be a useful approximation for quantifying regional hydrological budgets. We have shown that our method is flexible and transferable to detecting lakes in diverse physical settings on several continents with similar success rates.
This is the first of a series of papers presenting the results from our survey of 25 Galactic globular clusters with the MUSE integral-field spectrograph. In combination with our dedicated algorithm for source deblending, MUSE provides unique multiplex capabilities in crowded stellar fields and allows us to acquire samples of up to 20 000 stars within the half-light radius of each cluster. The present paper focuses on the analysis of the internal dynamics of 22 out of the 25 clusters, using about 500 000 spectra of 200 000 individual stars. Thanks to the large stellar samples per cluster, we are able to perform a detailed analysis of the central rotation and dispersion fields using both radial profiles and two-dimensional maps. The velocity dispersion profiles we derive show a good general agreement with existing radial velocity studies but typically reach closer to the cluster centres. By comparison with proper motion data, we derive or update the dynamical distance estimates to 14 clusters. Compared to previous dynamical distance estimates for 47 Tuc, our value is in much better agreement with other methods. We further find significant (>3 sigma) rotation in the majority (13/22) of our clusters. Our analysis seems to confirm earlier findings of a link between rotation and the ellipticities of globular clusters. In addition, we find a correlation between the strengths of internal rotation and the relaxation times of the clusters, suggesting that the central rotation fields are relics of the cluster formation that are gradually dissipated via two-body relaxation.
We report the chronological construction for the top portion of a speleothem, PC1, from southern Cambodia with the aim of reconstructing a continuous high-resolution climate record covering the fluorescence and decline of the medieval Khmer kingdom and its capital at Angkor (similar to 9th-15th centuries AD). Earlier attempts to date PC1 by the standard U-Th method proved unsuccessful. We have therefore dated this speleothem using radiocarbon. Fifty carbonate samples along the growth axis of PC1 were collected for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) analysis. Chronological reconstruction for PC1 was achieved using two different approaches described by Hua et al. (2012a) and Lechleitner et al. (2016a). Excellent concordance between the two age-depth models indicates that the top similar to 47 mm of PC1 grew during the last millennium with a growth hiatus during similar to 1250-1650 AD, resulting from a large change in measured C-14 values at 34.4-35.2 mm depth. The timing of the growth hiatus covers the period of decades-long droughts during the 14th-16th centuries AD indicated in regional climate records.
Postpartale Depressionen sind häufige und schwerwiegende psychische Erkrankungen mit ungünstigem Einfluss auf die kindliche Entwicklung. Als Haupttransmissionsweg gilt die frühe Mutter-Kind-Interaktion. Über die langfristigen Auswirkungen auf die Kinder im Erwachsenenalter und die Rolle der Interaktion liegen kaum Ergebnisse vor. Im Rahmen der Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie wurden postpartale Depressionen bis zwei Jahre nach der Geburt erfasst. Die kindliche Entwicklung wurde fortlaufend und die Mutter-Kind-Interaktion im Alter von 3 Monaten standardisiert erhoben. 28 Kinder postpartal depressiver und 107 Kinder gesunder Mütter konnten mit 25 Jahren untersucht werden. Beeinträchtigungen der kognitiven und psychischen Entwicklung bei Kindern postpartal depressiver Mütter waren bis ins Erwachsenenalter nachweisbar. Responsives bzw. sensitives mütterliches Verhalten wirkte der negativen Entwicklung entgegen. Dies betont die Bedeutung einer hohen Qualität der Mutter-Kind-Interaktion für die Entwicklung von Risikokindern.
Anhand von Daten der Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie, die sich mit der langfristigen Entwicklung von Kindern mit unterschiedlichen Risikobelastungen beschäftigt, wird gezeigt, wie Schutzfaktoren aufseiten des Kindes und seines familiären Umfelds im Verlauf der Entwicklung wirksam werden und zur Entstehung von Resilienz beitragen können. Eine besondere Rolle kommt dabei positiven frühen Eltern-Kind-Beziehungen zu (sowohl Mutter- als auch Vater-Kind-Interaktionen). Daneben spielen auch Interaktionserfahrungen im Alter von zwei Jahren des Kindes eine bedeutsame Rolle; diese schützen Risikokinder davor, eine ungünstige Entwicklung zu nehmen und tragen dazu bei, dass sich Kinder, die in psychosozialen Hochrisikofamilien aufwachsen, trotz ungünstiger „Startbedingungen“ positiv entwickeln. Neben Merkmalen der sozialen Umwelt nehmen auch sprachliche, sozial-emotionale und internale Kompetenzen des Kindes im Entwicklungsverlauf eine wichtige Rolle ein. Diese Kompetenzen ermöglichen es Risikokindern auch unter widrigen Lebensumständen (psychosoziale Hochrisikofamilien, Aufwachsen in Armutsverhältnissen) erfolgreich zu bestehen. Darüber hinaus zeigt die Arbeit, dass Resilienz ein Persönlichkeitsmerkmal ist, das ab dem frühen Erwachsenenalter eine hohe Stabilität besitzt. Mit diesen Befunden verweist die Arbeit auf die große Bedeutung der Resilienz bei der Vorhersage der langfristigen Entwicklung von Risikokindern.
In assessing adolescent behavior difficulties, parents, teachers, and the adolescents themselves are key informants. However, substantial disagreement has been found between informants. Specifically, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tend to overestimate their competencies, also known as “positive (illusionary) bias.” This study compared parent, teacher, and adolescent ratings of ADHD and other behavioral symptoms in a sample of 114 adolescents with ADHD. Further, the effect of cross-informant disagreement (CID) on treatment outcomes was investigated in a subsample of 54 adolescents who had undergone a training and coaching intervention. Overall, there was moderate agreement among informants. Parent and adolescent ratings were more strongly correlated with each other than with teacher ratings. The strongest discrepancy was found between teacher and adolescent ratings on prosocial behavior. This discrepancy explained 12% of the variance in parent-rated ADHD symptom severity after the intervention. The treatment was less effective in participants with high teacher-adolescent disagreement on prosocial behavior (d = 0.41) than with low disagreement (d = 0.98). These findings suggest that professionals working with adolescents with ADHD should consider multiple sources of information before initiating treatment and pay attention to cross-informant disagreements because these may indicate a risk of diminished treatment effects.
The effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning generally increase over time, but the underlying processes remain unclear. Using 26 long-term grassland and forest experimental ecosystems, we demonstrate that biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships strengthen mainly by greater increases in functioning in high-diversity communities in grasslands and forests. In grasslands, biodiversity effects also strengthen due to decreases in functioning in low-diversity communities. Contrasting trends across grasslands are associated with differences in soil characteristics.
Comparison of the dissociation kinetics of rapid-acting insulins lispro, aspart, glulisine and human insulin under physiologically relevant conditions. Dissociation kinetics after dilution were monitored directly in terms of the average molecular mass using combined static and dynamic light scattering. Changes in tertiary structure were detected by near-UV circular dichroism. Glulisine forms compact hexamers in formulation even in the absence of Zn2+. Upon severe dilution, these rapidly dissociate into monomers in less than 10 s. In contrast, in formulations of lispro and aspart, the presence of Zn2+ and phenolic compounds is essential for formation of compact R6 hexamers. These slowly dissociate in times ranging from seconds to one hour depending on the concentration of phenolic additives. The disadvantage of the long dissociation times of lispro and aspart can be diminished by a rapid depletion of the concentration of phenolic additives independent of the insulin dilution. This is especially important in conditions similar to those after subcutaneous injection, where only minor dilution of the insulins occurs. Knowledge of the diverging dissociation mechanisms of lispro and aspart compared to glulisine will be helpful for optimizing formulation conditions of rapid-acting insulins.
This article assesses the distance between the laws of stochastic differential equations with multiplicative Levy noise on path space in terms of their characteristics. The notion of transportation distance on the set of Levy kernels introduced by Kosenkova and Kulik yields a natural and statistically tractable upper bound on the noise sensitivity. This extends recent results for the additive case in terms of coupling distances to the multiplicative case. The strength of this notion is shown in a statistical implementation for simulations and the example of a benchmark time series in paleoclimate.
Bifurcations of dynamos in rotating and buoyancy-driven spherical Rayleigh-Benard convection in an electrically conducting fluid are investigated numerically. Both nonmagnetic and magnetic solution branches comprised of rotating waves are traced by path-following techniques, and their bifurcations and interconnections for different Ekman numbers are determined. In particular, the question of whether the dynamo branches bifurcate super- or sub-critically and whether a direct link to the primary pure convective states exists is answered.
We prove that if u is a locally Lipschitz continuous function on an open set chi subset of Rn + 1 satisfying the nonlinear heat equation partial derivative(t)u = Delta(vertical bar u vertical bar(p-1) u), p > 1, weakly away from the zero set u(-1) (0) in chi, then u is a weak solution to this equation in all of chi.
Electrophysiological research using verbal response paradigms faces the problem of muscle artifacts that occur during speech production or in the period preceding articulation. In this context, this paper has two related aims. The first is to show how the nature of the first phoneme influences the alignment of the ERPs. The second is to further characterize the EEG signal around the onset of articulation, both in temporal and frequency domains. Participants were asked to name aloud pictures of common objects. We applied microstate analyses and time-frequency transformations of ERPs locked to vocal onset to compare the EEG signal between voiced and unvoiced labial plosive word onset consonants. We found a delay of about 40 ms in the set of stable topographic patterns for /b/ relative to /p/ onset words. A similar shift was observed in the power increase of gamma oscillations (30-50 Hz), which had an earlier onset for /p/ trials (similar to 150 ms before vocal onset). This 40-ms shift is consistent with the length of the voiced proportion of the acoustic signal prior to the release of the closure in the vocal responses. These results demonstrate that phonetic features are an important parameter affecting response-locked ERPs, and hence that the onset of the acoustic energy may not be an optimal trigger for synchronizing the EEG activity to the response in vocal paradigms. The indexes explored in this study provide a step forward in the characterization of muscle-related artifacts in electrophysiological studies of speech and language production.
Die Mannheimer Risikokinderstudie untersucht die psychische Entwicklung und ihre Störungen bei Kindern mit unterschiedlich ausgeprägten Risiken mit dem Ziel, Empfehlungen für die Verbesserung der Prävention, Früherkennung und Frühbehandlung von psychischen Störungen bei Kindern abzuleiten. Dazu begleitet sie eine Kohorte von anfangs 384 Kindern in ihrer Entwicklung von der Geburt bis zum Erwachsenenalter. Die Erhebungen fanden in regelmäßigen Abständen statt, beginnend im Alter von 3 Monaten, mit 2 Jahren, 4;6, 8, 11, 15, 19, 22, 23 und 25 Jahren. Geplant ist eine weitere Erhebung mit ca. 30 Jahren.
Sequelae of prematurity triggered by oxidative stress and free radical-mediated tissue damage have coined the term "oxygen radical disease of prematurity". Caffeine, a potent free radical scavenger and adenosine receptor antagonist, reduces rates of brain damage in preterm infants. In the present study, we investigated the effects of caffeine on oxidative stress markers, anti-oxidative response, inflammation, redox-sensitive transcription factors, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix following the induction of hyperoxia in neonatal rats. The brain of a rat pups at postnatal Day 6 (P6) corresponds to that of a human fetal brain at 28-32 weeks gestation and the neonatal rat is an ideal model in which to investigate effects of oxidative stress and neuroprotection of caffeine on the developing brain. Six-day-old Wistar rats were pre-treated with caffeine and exposed to 80% oxygen for 24 and 48 h. Caffeine reduced oxidative stress marker (heme oxygenase-1, lipid peroxidation, hydrogen peroxide, and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC)), promoted anti-oxidative response (superoxide dismutase, peroxiredoxin 1, and sulfiredoxin 1), down-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines, modulated redox-sensitive transcription factor expression (Nrf2/Keap1, and NF kappa B), reduced pro-apoptotic effectors (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), and caspase-3), and diminished extracellular matrix degeneration (matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2, and inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) 1/2). Our study affirms that caffeine is a pleiotropic neuroprotective drug in the developing brain due to its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties.
Die Femtosekundendynamik nach resonanten Photoanregungen mit optischen und Röntgenpulsen ermöglicht eine selektive Verformung von chemischen N‐H‐ und N‐C‐Bindungen in 2‐Thiopyridon in wässriger Lösung. Die Untersuchung der orbitalspezifischen elektronischen Struktur und ihrer Dynamik auf ultrakurzen Zeitskalen mit resonanter inelastischer Röntgenstreuung an der N1s‐Resonanz am Synchrotron und dem Freie‐Elektronen‐Laser LCLS in Kombination mit quantenchemischen Multikonfigurationsberechnungen erbringen den direkten Nachweis dieser kontrollierten photoinduzierten Molekülverformungen und ihrer ultrakurzen Zeitskala.
The femtosecond excited-state dynamics following resonant photoexcitation enable the selective deformation of N-H and N-C chemical bonds in 2-thiopyridone in aqueous solution with optical or X-ray pulses. In combination with multiconfigurational quantum-chemical calculations, the orbital-specific electronic structure and its ultrafast dynamics accessed with resonant inelastic X-ray scattering at the N 1s level using synchrotron radiation and the soft X-ray free-electron laser LCLS provide direct evidence for this controlled photoinduced molecular deformation and its ultrashort time-scale.
Plastic pollution is a major global concern with several million microplastic particles entering every day freshwater ecosystems via wastewater discharge. Microplastic particles stimulate biofilm formation (plastisphere) throughout the water column and have the potential to affect microbial community structure if they accumulate in pelagic waters, especially enhancing the proliferation of biohazardous bacteria. To test this scenario, we simulated the inflow of treated wastewater into a temperate lake using a continuous culture system with a gradient of concentration of microplastic particles. We followed the effect of microplastics on the microbial community structure and on the occurrence of integrase 1 (intl), a marker associated with mobile genetic elements known as a proxy for anthropogenic effects on the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes. The abundance of intl increased in the plastisphere with increasing microplastic particle concentration, but not in the water surrounding the microplastic particles. Likewise, the microbial community on microplastic was more similar to the original wastewater community with increasing microplastic concentrations. Our results show that microplastic particles indeed promote persistence of typical indicators of microbial anthropogenic pollution in natural waters, and substantiate that their removal from treated wastewater should be prioritised. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Im Zuge des Spatial Turn, der in der erwachsenenpädagogischen Raumforschung unübersehbar ist, wird eine Orientierung wahrnehmbar, die dafür plädiert, sich der Materialität räumlicher Arrangements wieder stärker zuzuwenden. Diese Tendenz der Re-Etablierung von Materialität birgt das Risiko, hinter den erreichten Stand des Spatial Turn zurückzukehren. Eine Möglichkeit, der sich anbahnenden ‚Raumfalle’ auszuweichen, könnte darin liegen, sich einer topologischen Perspektive zuzuwenden. Eine solche Perspektive eröffnet nicht nur die Möglichkeit, bisherige Rezeptionssperren im Spatial Turn aufzuheben und dadurch eine Perspektive einzuführen, mit der alternative Blickpunkte exploriert werden können. Im Kontrast zu raumontologischen Auffassungen privilegiert Topologie geradezu die Abstraktion von einer materiellen Verhaftetheit. Der Beitrag verfolgt zweierlei: Einerseits will er das Vokabular erwachsenenpädagogischer Raumforschung ausdifferenzieren, andererseits eine topologische Perspektive einführen, um eine theoretische Grundlage für weiterführende Überlegungen zu schaffen.
The diffusion in the comb structures is a popular model of geometrically induced anomalous diffusion. In the present work we concentrate on the diffusion along the backbone in a system where sidebranches are planes, and the diffusion thereon is anomalous and described by continuous time random walks (CTRW). We show that the mean squared displacement (MSD) in the backbone of the comb behaves differently depending on whether the waiting time periods in the sidebranches are reset after the step in the backbone is done (a rejuvenating junction model), or not (a non-rejuvenating junction model). In the rejuvenating case the subdiffusion in the sidebranches only changes the prefactor in the ultra-slow (logarithmic) diffusion along the backbone, while in the non-rejuvenating case the ultraslow, logarithmic subdiffusion is changed to a much faster power-law subdiffusion (with a logarithmic correction) as it was found earlier by Iomin and Mendez [25]. Moreover, in the first case the result does not change if the diffusion in the backbone is itself anomalous, while in the second case it does. Two of the special cases of the considered models (the non-rejuvenating junction under normal diffusion in the backbone, and rejuvenating junction for the same waiting time distribution in the sidebranches and in junction points) were also investigated within the approach based on the corresponding generalized Fokker-Planck equations. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The dynamics of fragmentation and vibration of molecular systems with a large number of coupled degrees of freedom are key aspects for understanding chemical reactivity and properties. Here we present a resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) study to show how it is possible to break down such a complex multidimensional problem into elementary components. Local multimode nuclear wave packets created by X-ray excitation to different core-excited potential energy surfaces (PESs) will act as spatial gates to selectively probe the particular ground-state vibrational modes and, hence, the PES along these modes. We demonstrate this principle by combining ultra-high resolution RIXS measurements for gas-phase water with state-of-the-art simulations.
Chemostratigraphic studies on lacustrine sedimentary sequences provide essential insights on past cyclic climatic events, on their repetition and prediction through time. Diagenetic overprint of primary features often hinders the use of such studies for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Here the potential of integrated geochemical and petrographic methods is evaluated to record freshwater to saline oscillations within the ancient marginal lacustrine carbonates of the Miocene Ries Crater Lake (Germany). This area is critical because it represents the transition from shoreline to proximal domains of a hydrologically closed system, affected by recurrent emergent events, representing the boundaries of successive sedimentary cycles. Chemostratigraphy targets shifts related to subaerial exposure and/or climatic fluctuations. Methods combine facies changes with C-13-O-18 chemostratigraphy from matrix carbonates across five closely spaced, temporally equivalent stratigraphic sections. Isotope composition of ostracod shells, gastropods and cements is provided for comparison. Cathodoluminescence and back-scatter electron microscopy were performed to discriminate primary (syn-)depositional, from secondary diagenetic features. Meteoric diagenesis is expressed by substantial early dissolution and dark blue luminescent sparry cements carrying negative C-13 and O-18. Sedimentary cycles are not correlated by isotope chemostratigraphy. Both matrix C-13 and O-18 range from ca -75 to +40 parts per thousand and show clear positive covariance (R=097) whose nature differs from that of previous basin-oriented studies on the lake: negative values are here unconnected to original freshwater lacustrine conditions but reflect extensive meteoric diagenesis, while positive values probably represent primary saline lake water chemistry. Noisy geochemical curves relate to heterogeneities in (primary) porosity, resulting in selective carbonate diagenesis. This study exemplifies that ancient lacustrine carbonates, despite extensive meteoric weathering, are able to retain key information for both palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and the understanding of diagenetic processes in relation to those primary conditions. Also, it emphasizes the limitation of chemostratigraphy in fossil carbonates, and specifically in settings that are sensitive for the preservation of primary environmental signals, such as lake margins prone to meteoric diagenesis.
Surfactants are required for the formation and stabilization of hydrophobic polymeric particles in aqueous environment. In order to form submicron particles of varying sizes from oligo[3-(S)-sec-butylmorpholine-2,5-dione]diols ((OBMD)-diol), different surfactants were investigated. As new surfactants, four-armed star-shaped oligo(ethylene glycol)s of molecular weights of 5-20 kDa functionalized with desamino-tyrosine (sOEG-DAT) resulted in smaller particles with lower PDI than with desaminotyrosyl tyrosine (sOEG-DATT) in an emulsion/solvent evaporation method. In a second set of experiments, sOEG-DAT of M-n= 10 kDa was compared with the commonly employed emulsifiers polyvinylalcohol (PVA), polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), and D-alpha-tocopherol polyethylene glycol succinate (VIT E-TPGS) for OBMD particle preparation. sOEG-DAT allowed to systematically change sizes in a range of 300 up to 900 nm with narrow polydispersity, while in the other cases, a lower size range (250-400 nm, PVA; 300 nm, Tween 20) or no effective particle formation was observed. The ability of tailoring particle size in a broad range makes sOEG-DAT of particular interest for the formation of oligodepsipeptide particles, which can further be investigated as drug carriers for controlled delivery. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Scarce research about small European rivers from non-human impacted areas to determine their natural background state has been undertaken. During the annual hydrological cycle of 2008-9 the patterns of particulate supply (SPM, POC, PON, Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) from the rivers Sor, Mera Landro, Lourido and Landoi to the Northern Galician Rias (SW Bay of Biscay) were tackled. No differences in the composition of the SPM were detected for the studied rivers regarding Al, Fe and POC but the relative percentage of particulate trace elements (PTE) discriminate the rivers. So, Cr, Co and Ni in the Lourido, and Landoi rivers, and Cu in the Mera River, are controlled by watershed minerals of Ortegal Geological Complex while for the rest rivers PTE are by granitic and Ollo de Sapo bedrock watershed. Therefore, the imprint of PTE in the parental rocks of the river basins is reflected on the coastal sediments of the Rias. The main process controlling the dynamics and variations of chemical elements in the particulate form is the river discharge. This fact exemplifies that these rivers presents a natural behavior not being highly influenced by anthropogenic activities.
We prove that the Atiyah–Singer Dirac operator in L2 depends Riesz continuously on L∞ perturbations of complete metrics g on a smooth manifold. The Lipschitz bound for the map depends on bounds on Ricci curvature and its first derivatives as well as a lower bound on injectivity radius. Our proof uses harmonic analysis techniques related to Calderón’s first commutator and the Kato square root problem. We also show perturbation results for more general functions of general Dirac-type operators on vector bundles.
The German Enlightenment
(2017)
The term Enlightenment (or Aufklärung) remains heavily contested. Even when historians delimit the remit of the concept, assigning it to a particular historical period rather than to an intellectual or moral programme, the public resonance of the Enlightenment remains high and problematic—especially when equated in an essentialist manner with modernity or some core values of ‘the West’. This Forum has been convened to discuss recent research on the Enlightenment in Germany, different views of the term and its ideological use in public discourse outside academia (and sometimes within it).
Quality attributes of fruit determine its acceptability by the retailer and consumer. The objective of this work was to investigate the potential of absorption (μa) and reduced scattering (μs’) coefficients of European pear to analyze its fruit flesh firmness and soluble solids content (SSC). The absolute reference values, μa* (cm−1) and μs’* (cm−1), of pear were invasively measured, employing multi-spectral photon density wave (PDW) spectroscopy at preselected wavelengths of 515, 690, and 940 nm considering two batches of unripe and overripe fruit. On eight measuring dates during fruit development, μa and μs’ were analyzed non-destructively by means of laser light backscattering imaging (LLBI) at similar wavelengths of 532, 660, and 830 nm by means of fitting according to Farrell’s diffusion theory, using fix reference values of either μa* or μs’*. Both, the μa* and the μa as well as μs’* and μs’ showed similar trends. Considering the non-destructively measured data during fruit development, μa at 660 nm decreased 91 till 141 days after full bloom (dafb) from 1.49 cm−1 to 0.74 cm−1 due to chlorophyll degradation. At 830 nm, μa only slightly decreased from 0.41 cm−1 to 0.35 cm−1. The μs’ at all wavelengths revealed a decreasing trend as the fruit developed. The difference measured at 532 nm was most pronounced decreasing from 24 cm−1 to 10 cm−1, while at 660 nm and 830 nm values decreased from 15 cm−1 to 13 cm−1 and from 10 cm−1 to 8 cm−1, respectively. When building calibration models with partial least-squares regression analysis on the optical properties for non-destructive analysis of the fruit SSC, μa at 532 nm and 830 nm resulted in a correlation coefficient of R = 0.66, however, showing high measuring uncertainty. The combination of all three wavelengths gave an enhanced, encouraging R = 0.89 for firmness analysis using μs’ in the freshly picked fruit.