Refine
Year of publication
- 2006 (840) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (581)
- Doctoral Thesis (82)
- Monograph/Edited Volume (54)
- Conference Proceeding (32)
- Postprint (26)
- Preprint (24)
- Review (18)
- Other (17)
- Master's Thesis (3)
- Working Paper (2)
Language
- English (840) (remove)
Keywords
- climate change (4)
- polyelectrolyte (4)
- Fluoreszenz-Resonanz-Energie-Transfer (3)
- Immunoassay (3)
- Nanopartikel (3)
- Nichtlineare Dynamik (3)
- Optimality Theory (3)
- Polyelektrolyt (3)
- metabolite profiling (3)
- metabolomics (3)
Institute
- Institut für Physik und Astronomie (159)
- Institut für Biochemie und Biologie (128)
- Institut für Chemie (81)
- Institut für Geowissenschaften (73)
- Institut für Mathematik (71)
- Institut für Informatik und Computational Science (55)
- Department Linguistik (46)
- Extern (37)
- Department Psychologie (36)
- Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik (34)
The concept of the virtual corporation (VC), which describes a modern form of collaboration among organizations, was introduced in the scientific discussion in the mid 1990th. The practice shows that VCs need new forms of governance because the traditional mechanisms of control, management, and steering are hardly applicable. Until now there is only a few research related to the question how to govern VC. The main problems to govern a VC are to coordinate the communication among dispersed partners and to motivate employees to actively involve themselves into the network. Open source projects are confronted with similar problems. As several governance mechanisms are already analyzed in this context, the authors analyze and adopt governance concepts from open source projects to extract a governance framework for virtual corporations. This new approach leads to innovative insights in governing virtual corporations by using community techniques as an appropriate way for communication and collaboration purposes.
The ancestral galectin from the sponge Geodia cydonium (GCG) is classified on a structural basis to the prototype subfamily, whereas its carbohydrate-binding specificity is related to that of the mammalian chimera-type galectin-3. This dual coordination reveals GCG as a potential precursor of the later evolved galectin subfamilies, which is reflected in the primary structure of the protein. This study provides evidence that GCG is the LECT1 gene product, while neither a previously described LECT2 gene nor a functional LECT2 gene product was found in the specimen under investigation. The electrophoretically separated protein isomers with apparent molecular masses of 13, 15, and 16 kDa correspond to variants of the LECT1 protein-exhibiting peptide sequence polymorphisms that concern critical positions of the carbohydrate recognition domain (13 kDa: Leu51, Asn55, His130, Gly137; 15 kDa: Ser51, Asn55, Asn130, Gly137; 16 kDa: Ser51, Tyr55, Asn130, Glu137). Four residues, highly conserved in the galectin family, are substituted. None of the residues claimed to be involved in interactions with GalNAc alpha 1-3 moieties at an extended binding subsite of galectin-3 was identified in the corresponding positions of GCG. Apparently, the substitutions do not confer distinct binding characteristics to the GCG variants as evidenced by binding studies with a recombinantly expressed 15-kDa isoform. The natural isoforms as well as the recombinant 15-kDa isoform oligomerize by the formation of non-covalent heteromeric or homomeric complexes. A phosphorylation of the galectin was confirmed neither by mass spectrometry nor by alkaline phosphatase treatment combined with isoelectric focusing
Context. Very massive stars pass through the Wolf-Rayet (WR) stage before they finally explode. Details of their evolution have not yet been safely established, and their physics are not well understood. Their spectral analysis requires adequate model atmospheres, which have been developed step by step during the past decades and account in their recent version for line blanketing by the millions of lines from iron and iron-group elements. However, only very few WN stars have been re-analyzed by means of line-blanketed models yet. Aims. The quantitative spectral analysis of a large sample of Galactic WN stars with the most advanced generation of model atmospheres should provide an empirical basis for various studies about the origin, evolution, and physics of the Wolf-Rayet stars and their powerful winds. Methods. We analyze a large sample of Galactic WN stars by means of the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmospheres, which account for iron line blanketing and clumping. The results are compared with a synthetic population, generated from the Geneva tracks for massive star evolution. Results. We obtain a homogeneous set of stellar and atmospheric parameters for the GalacticWN stars, partly revising earlier results. Conclusions. Comparing the results of our spectral analyses of the Galactic WN stars with the predictions of the Geneva evolutionary calculations, we conclude that there is rough qualitative agreement. However, the quantitative discrepancies are still severe, and there is no preference for the tracks that account for the effects of rotation. It seems that the evolution of massive stars is still not satisfactorily understood.
The new tetrathiacrown ethers maleonitrile-tetrathia-12-crown-4 (mn12S(4)) and maleonitrile-tetrathia-13-crown- 4 (mn13S(4)) have been prepared and characterised by X-ray crystallographic analysis. These crown ethers form 2:1, 3:2 and 1: 1 complexes with AgY (Y = BF4, PF6). The crystal structures of [Ag(mn12S(4))(2)]BF4 (3a), [Ag(mn13S(4))(2)]BF4 (4a) and [Ag-2(mn13S(4))(3)](PF6)(2) (6b) have been determined. Compound 3a contains the centrosymmetric sandwich complex cation [Ag(mn12S(4))(2)](+) where each mn12S(4) ligand is coordinated to the Ag centre in an endo manner through all four S atoms. The 2:1 complex [Ag(mn12S(4))(2)](+) is the first sandwich complex with a tetrathiacrown ether and the first complex with an octa(thioether) coordination sphere. The crystal structure of compound 4a also reveals a 2:1 complex. This complex, [Ag(mnl3S(4))(2)](+), exhibits a half-sandwich structure. One mn13S(4) ligand coordinates to Ag+ by all four S donor atoms and the other 13S(4) crown by only one S atom. Compound 6b contains a dinuclear Ag complex. The Ag complexes 3a,b-8a,b were also studied by electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) was used to compare the relative stability of 2:1 complexes [AgL2]+ and 1:1 complexes [AgL](+) (L = mn12S(4), mn13S(4)). The C-13 NMR chemical shifts of 2:1 and 1:1 Ag complexes and their corresponding free ligands were also estimated and compared. The free energy of the barrier of ring inversion (Delta G(double dagger)) for [Ag(mn12S(4))(2)](+) was determined to be 64 kJmol(-1).
The estimation of minimum-misfit stochastic models from empirical ground-motion prediction equations
(2006)
In areas of moderate to low seismic activity there is commonly a lack of recorded strong ground motion. As a consequence, the prediction of ground motion expected for hypothetical future earthquakes is often performed by employing empirical models from other regions. In this context, Campbell's hybrid empirical approach (Campbell, 2003, 2004) provides a methodological framework to adapt ground-motion prediction equations to arbitrary target regions by using response spectral host-to-target-region-conversion filters. For this purpose, the empirical ground-motion prediction equation has to be quantified in terms of a stochastic model. The problem we address here is how to do this in a systematic way and how to assess the corresponding uncertainties. For the determination of the model parameters we use a genetic algorithm search. The stochastic model spectra were calculated by using a speed-optimized version of SMSIM (Boore, 2000). For most of the empirical ground-motion models, we obtain sets of stochastic models that match the empirical models within the full magnitude and distance ranges of their generating data sets fairly well. The overall quality of fit and the resulting model parameter sets strongly depend on the particular choice of the distance metric used for the stochastic model. We suggest the use of the hypocentral distance metric for the stochastic Simulation of strong ground motion because it provides the lowest-misfit stochastic models for most empirical equations. This is in agreement with the results of two recent studies of hypocenter locations in finite-source models which indicate that hypocenters are often located close to regions of large slip (Mai et al., 2005; Manighetti et al., 2005). Because essentially all empirical ground-motion prediction equations contain data from different geographical regions, the model parameters corresponding to the lowest-misfit stochastic models cannot necessarily be expected to represent single, physically realizable host regions but to model the generating data sets in an average way. In addition, the differences between the lowest-misfit stochastic models and the empirical ground-motion prediction equation are strongly distance, magnitude, and frequency dependent, which, according to the laws of uncertainty propagation, will increase the variance of the corresponding hybrid empirical model predictions (Scherbaum et al., 2005). As a consequence, the selection of empirical ground-motion models for host-to-target-region conversions requires considerable judgment of the ground-motion analyst
The Enigma of Arrival
(2006)
The empire in 1871 - 1914
(2006)
Receiver functions (RF) are used to investigate the upper mantle structure beneath the Eifel, the youngest volcanic area of Central Europe. Data from 96 teleseismic events recorded by 242 seismological stations from permanent and a temporary network has been analysed. The temporary network operated from 1997 November to 1998 June and covered an area of approximately 400 x 250 km(2) centred on the Eifel volcanic fields. The average Moho depth in the Eifel is approximately 30 km, thinning to ca. 28 km under the Eifel volcanic fields. RF images suggest the existence of a low velocity zone at about 60-90 km depth under the West Eifel. This observation is supported by P- and S-wave tomographic results and absorption (but the array aperture limits the resolution of the tomographic methods to the upper 400 km). There are also indications for a zone of elevated velocities at around 200 km depth, again in agreement with S-wave and absorption tomographic results. This anomaly is not visible in P-wave tomography and could be due to S-wave anisotropy. The RF anomalies at the Moho, at 60-90 km, and near 200 km depth have a lateral extent of about 100 km. The 410 km discontinuity under the Eifel is depressed by 15-25 km, which could be explained by a maximum temperature increase of +200 degrees C to +300 degrees C. In the 3-D RF image of the Eifel Plume we also notice two additional currently unexplained conversions between 410 and 550 km depth. They could represent remnants of previous subduction or anomalies due to delayed phase changes. The lateral extent of these conversions and the depression of the 410 km discontinuity is about 200 km. The 660 km discontinuity does not show any depth deviation from its expected value. Our observations are consistent with interpretation in terms of an upper mantle plume but they do not rule out connections to processes at larger depth
In this study the effect of phonotactic constraints concerning word-initial consonant clusters in children with delayed phonological acquisition was explored. Twelve German-speaking children took part (mean age 5;1). The spontaneous speech of all children was characterized by the regular appearance of the error patterns fronting, e.g., Kuh (cow) → /tu:/, or stopping, e.g., Schaf (sheep) → /ta:f/, which were inappropriate for their chronological age. The children were asked to produce words (picture naming task, word repetition task) with initial consonant clusters, in which the application of the error patterns would violate phonotactic sequence constraints. For instance, if fronting would apply in /kl-/, e.g., Kleid (dress), it would be realized as the phontactically illegal consonant cluster /tl-/. The results indicate that phonotactic constraints affect word production in children with delayed phonological developments. Surprisingly, we found that children with fronting produced the critical consonants correctly significantly more often in word-initial consonant clusters than in words in which they appeared as singleton onsets. In addition, the results provide evidence for a similar developmental trajectory of acquisition in children with typical development and in children with delayed phonological acquisition. Keywords: Children with delayed phonological acquisition, phonotactic constraints, word-initial consonant clusters, fronting, stopping.
A series of novel platinum-containing carbazole monomers and polymers was synthesized and fully characterized by UV-VIS absorption, luminescence, and photoinduced absorption studies. In these compounds, a carbazole unit is incorporated into the main chain via either a para- or a meta-linkage. We discuss the effects of linkage and polymerization on the energy levels of S-1, T-1, and T-n. The S-1-T-1 splitting observed for the meta-linked monomer (0.4 eV) is only half of that in the para-linked monomer (0.8 eV). Upon polymerization, the exchange energy in the para- linked compound reduces, yet still remains larger than in the meta-linked polymer. We attribute the difference in exchange energy to the difference in wave function overlap between electron and hole in these compounds. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics
The crystal and molecular structures of sodium and barium complexes of dibenzo-24-crown-8 ether
(2006)
The sodium and barium isothiocyanate complexes of 6,7,9,10,12,13,20,21,23,24,26,27-dodecahydrodibenzo[b,n]- 1,4,7,10,13,16,19,22-octaoxacyclotetracosin (dibenzo-24-crown-8 ether = DB24C8) were synthesized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The sodium complex, [Na(DB24C8)(NCS)(H2O)] 1, crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Fdd2 with 16 molecules in the unit cell. The coordination number of Na is 6 and the central ion is located in a distorted octahedric environment. Only four of the crown ether oxygen atoms are involved. The coordination polyhedron is completed by the isothiocanate anion and by a water molecule, which is stabilized by hydrogen bonds. The barium complex, [Ba(DB24C8)(NCS)(2)] 2, crystallizes in the trigonale space group P3(1)21 with 3 molecules in the unit cell. Crystallographic C-2 symmetry is observed for the complex. The coordination number of Ba is 10. Barium is coordinated with the eight oxygen atoms of the macrocyclic ligand and with two isothiocyanate anions. The absolute structure was estimated using the FLACK parameter
Relationships of annelid subtaxa are controversially discussed and additional markers are necessarily needed to get further insights into their evolution. Due to their high content of information, mitochondrial genomes have been proven very useful in phylogenetic analyses. Whereas many complete mitochondrial genomes of arthropods are available, lophotrochozoan taxa are only scarcely represented and this is especially true for annelids. Here we present the complete mitochondrial genome of the orbiniid polychaete Orbinia latreillii. The circular genome is 15,558 bp in size and contains the same 37 genes as found in most other metazoans. As in the case for all studied annelids all genes are transcribed from the same strand. Compared with the known data from other annelids at least five gene translocations must be hypothesized for O. latreillii. A comparison of the available data shows that gene translocations within Annelida seem to be less frequent than in molluscs, but more frequent as previously assumed. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequence data and amino acid data support an inclusion Of Sipuncula within Annelida and a closer relationship to orbiniids is recovered for this taxon.
The communicatory significance of localised defecation sites in bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus)
(2006)
Like several other mammals, bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) deposit faeces in specific localised defecation sites (LDS). A previous study has ruled out a function of LDS in the context of parasite avoidance. In this study, we investigated the communicatory significance of LDS. In a free ranging population, we tested whether LDS serve to demarcate home ranges, and/or if LDS are used for communication in a non-territorial context. In both sexes, LDS increased significantly in number towards the periphery of individual home ranges. However, the distribution pattern of LDS, as revealed by a nearest-neighbour mapping technique (nearest distances between LDS), did not support the idea that LDS serve home range/territory-demarcation because LDS did not follow a pattern of minimal nearest-neighbour distances along the margins of home ranges. We found females to urinate more often in LDS than males. Notably, information transfer was most frequent between sending (urinating or defecating) females and receiving/responding males (urination or defecation at places where a female had previously signalled). Our results suggest that LDS mainly serve for inter- sexual communication in bushbuck
What is "Celtic"and what is universal in the "Celtic Englishes"? This was the central concern of the fourth and final Colloquium of studies on language contact between English and the Celtic languages at the University of Potsdam in September 2004. The contributions to this volume discuss the "Celtic" peculiarities of Standard English in England and in Ireland (North and South). They also examine the perceived "Celticity" of personal names in the "Celtic" countries (Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany). Moreover, they put emphasis on specific grammatical features such as the expression of perfectivity, relativity, intensification and the typological shift of verbal word formation from syntheticity to analycity as well as the emergence of universal contact trends shared by Celtic, African and Indian Englishes. Thus, the choice of contributors and the scope of their articles makes Celtic Englishes IV an invaluable handbook for scholarly work in the field of the English - Celtic relations.
We study the Cauchy problem for the oscillation equation of the couple-stress theory of elasticity in a bounded domain in R3. Both the displacement and stress are given on a part S of the boundary of the domain. This problem is densely solvable while data of compact support in the interior of S fail to belong to the range of the problem. Hence the problem is ill-posed which makes the standard calculi of Fourier integral operators inapplicable. If S is real analytic the Cauchy-Kovalevskaya theorem applies to guarantee the existence of a local solution. We invoke the special structure of the oscillation equation to derive explicit conditions of global solvability and an approximation solution.
The Berlin Brain-Computer Interface (BBCI) project develops a noninvasive BCI system whose key features are 1) the use of well-established motor competences as control paradigms, 2) high-dimensional features from 128-channel electroencephalogram (EEG), and 3) advanced machine learning techniques. As reported earlier, our experiments demonstrate that very high information transfer rates can be achieved using the readiness potential (RP) when predicting the laterality of upcoming left-versus right-hand movements in healthy subjects. A more recent study showed that the RP similarily accompanies phantom movements in arm amputees, but the signal strength decreases with longer loss of the limb. In a complementary approach, oscillatory features are used to discriminate imagined movements (left hand versus right hand versus foot). In a recent feedback study with six healthy subjects with no or very little experience with BCI control, three subjects achieved an information transfer rate above 35 bits per minute (bpm), and further two subjects above 24 and 15 bpm, while one subject could not achieve any BCI control. These results are encouraging for an EEG-based BCI system in untrained subjects that is independent of peripheral nervous system activity and does not rely on evoked potentials even when compared to results with very well-trained subjects operating other BCI systems
The mildly peraluminous granite of Seiffen, in the eastern Erzgebirge of Germany, is exposed by drillcores and associated with an abandoned Sri mine. The granite is of Stefanian age, with overlapping Th-U-total Pb monazite (302 +/- 4 Ma) and K-Ar siderophyllite ages (301 +/- 5 Ma). It is among the youngest granites in the Erzgebirge, emplaced in an extensional setting. The medium-grained, equigranular granite classifies as high-F, low-P Li-mica granite of A-type affinity. It is spatially associated with a high-Si rhyolitic microgranite, documenting the shallow intrusion level of this igneous association. Zircon, monazite-(Ce), and xenotime-(Y) constitute important radioactive accessory minerals in the granite, hosting the major proportions (> 80-90%) of the bulk-rock budgets of the REE, Y, and Th. A significant percentage of U (40-50%) may reside within unidentified phases or precipitated along grain boundaries. The most uncommon accessory phase is late-magmatic ytterbian xenotime-(Y) containing up to 11.2 wt% Yb2O3, in addition to 7.3 wt% Er2O3 and 7.9 wt% Dy2O3. The Seiffen granite (epsilon(Nd(300)) = -4.6) is geochemically evolved and rich in Sri (23-63 ppm) and W (11-14 ppm). It contains elevated to high concentrations of incompatible lithophile elements such as F, Li, Ga, Rb, Y, Nb, Cs, REE, Th, and U, thus having much in common chemically with subvolcanic ongonites. The most prominent compositional feature is the strong enrichment (in ppm) in Be (51-55) and Ta (23-28). The granite exhibits flat chondrite-normalized REE patterns (La-N/Lu-N = 1.35-1.48) and a moderate negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.12-0.13). Indications for alteration-induced, postmagmatic disturbances of initial elemental abundances are weak and mainly relate to the ore-forming elements Sri and U.
A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a system that allows its users to control external devices with brain activity. Although the proof-of-concept was given decades ago, the reliable translation of user intent into device control commands is still a major challenge. Success requires the effective interaction of two adaptive controllers: the user's brain, which produces brain activity that encodes intent, and the BCI system, which translates that activity into device control commands. In order to facilitate this interaction, many laboratories are exploring a variety of signal analysis techniques to improve the adaptation of the BCI system to the user. In the literature, many machine learning and pattern classification algorithms have been reported to give impressive results when applied to BCI data in offline analyses. However, it is more difficult to evaluate their relative value for actual online use. BCI data competitions have been organized to provide objective formal evaluations of alternative methods. Prompted by the great interest in the first two BCI Competitions, we organized the third BCI Competition to address several of the most difficult and important analysis problems in BCI research. The paper describes the data sets that were provided to the competitors and gives an overview of the results.
The AtNFXL1 gene encodes a NF-X1 type zinc finger protein required for growth under salt stress
(2006)
The human NF-X1 protein and homologous proteins in eukaryotes represent a class of transcription factors which are characterised. by NF-X1 type zinc finger motifs. The Arabidopsis genome encodes two NF-X1 homologs, which we termed AtNFXL1 and AtNFXL2. Growth and survival was impaired in atnfxl1 knock-out mutants and AtNFXL1-antisense plants under salt stress in comparison to wild-type plants. In contrast, 35S: :AtNFXL1 plants showed higher survival rates. The AtNFXL2 protein potentially plays an antagonistic role. The Arabidopsis NF-X1 type zinc finger proteins likely are part of regulatory mechanisms, which protect major processes such as photosynthesis.
The intracontinental endorheic Aral Sea, remote from oceanic influences, represents an excellent sedimentary archive in Central Asia that can be used for high-resolution palaeoclimate studies. We performed palynological, microfacies and geochemical analyses on sediment cores retrieved from Chernyshov Bay, in the NW part of the modern Large Aral Sea. The most complete sedimentary sequence, whose total length is 11 m, covers approximately the past 2000 years of the late Holocene. High-resolution palynological analyses, conducted on both dinoflagellate cysts assemblages and pollen grains, evidenced prominent environmental change in the Aral Sea and in the catchment area. The diversity and the distribution of dinoflagellate cysts within the assemblages characterized the sequence of salinity and lake-level changes during the past 2000 years. Due to the strong dependence of the Aral Sea hydrology to inputs from its tributaries, the lake levels are ultimately linked to fluctuations in meltwater discharges during spring. As the amplitude of glacial meltwater inputs is largely controlled by temperature variations in the Tien Shan and Pamir Mountains during the melting season, salinity and lake-level changes of the Aral Sea reflect temperature fluctuations in the high catchment area during the past 2000 years. Dinoflagellate cyst assemblages document lake lowstands and hypersaline conditions during ca. 0–425 AD, 920–1230 AD, 1500 AD, 1600–1650 AD, 1800 AD and since the 1960s, whereas oligosaline conditions and higher lake levels prevailed during the intervening periods. Besides, reworked dinoflagellate cysts from Palaeogene and Neogene deposits happened to be a valuable proxy for extreme sheet-wash events, when precipitation is enhanced over the Aral Sea Basin as during 1230–1450 AD. We propose that the recorded environmental changes are related primarily to climate, but may have been possibly amplified during extreme conditions by human-controlled irrigation activities or military conflicts. Additionally, salinity levels and variations in solar activity show striking similarities over the past millennium, as during 1000–1300 AD, 1450–1550 and 1600–1700 AD when low lake levels match well with an increase in solar activity thus suggesting that an increase in the net radiative forcing reinforced past Aral Sea’s regressions. On the other hand, we used pollen analyses to quantify changes in moisture conditions in the Aral Sea Basin. High-resolution reconstruction of precipitation (mean annual) and temperature (mean annual, coldest versus warmest month) parameters are performed using the “probability mutual climatic spheres” method, providing the sequence of climate change for the past 2000 years in western Central Asia. Cold and arid conditions prevailed during ca. 0–400 AD, 900–1150 AD and 1500–1650 AD with the extension of xeric vegetation dominated by steppe elements. Conversely, warmer and less arid conditions occurred during ca. 400–900 AD and 1150–1450 AD, where steppe vegetation was enriched in plants requiring moister conditions. Change in the precipitation pattern over the Aral Sea Basin is shown to be predominantly controlled by the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) cyclonic system, which provides humidity to the Middle East and western Central Asia during winter and early spring. As the EM is significantly regulated by pressure modulations of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) when the system is in a negative phase, a relationship between humidity over western Central Asia and the NAO is proposed. Besides, laminated sediments record shifts in sedimentary processes during the late Holocene that reflect pronounced changes in taphonomic dynamics. In Central Asia, the frequency of dust storms occurring during spring when the continent is heating up is mostly controlled by the intensity and the position of the Siberian High (SH) Pressure System. Using titanium (Ti) content in laminated sediments as a proxy for aeolian detrital inputs, changes in wind dynamics over Central Asia is documented for the past 1500 years, offering the longest reconstruction of SH variability to date. Based on high Ti content, stronger wind dynamics are reported from 450–700 AD, 1210–1265 AD, 1350–1750 AD and 1800–1975 AD, reporting a stronger SH during spring. In contrast, lower Ti content from 1750–1800 AD and 1980–1985 AD reflect a diminished influence of the SH and a reduced atmospheric circulation. During 1180–1210 AD and 1265–1310 AD, considerably weakened atmospheric circulation is evidenced. As a whole, though climate dynamics controlled environmental changes and ultimately modulated changes in the western Central Asia’s climate system, it is likely that changes in solar activity also had an impact by influencing to some extent the Aral Sea’s hydrology balance and also regional temperature patterns in the past. <hr> The appendix of the thesis is provided via the HTML document as ZIP download.
The acinar salivary glands of cockroaches receive a dual innervation from the subesophageal ganglion and the stomatogastric nervous system. Acinar cells are surrounded by a plexus of dopaminergic and serotonergic varicose fibers. In addition, seroton-ergic terminals lie deep in the extracellulor spaces between acinar cells. Excitation-secretion coupling in cockroach salivary glands is stimulated by both dopamine and serotonin. These monoamines cause increases in the intracellular concentrations of cAMP and Ca2+. Stimulation of the glands by serotonin results in the production of a protein-rich saliva, whereas stimulation by dopamine results in saliva that is protein-free. Thus, two elementary secretary processes, namely electrolyte/water secretion and protein secretion, are triggered by different aminergic transmitters. Because of its simplicity and experimental accessibility, cockroach salivary glands have been used extensively as a model system to study the cellular actions of biogenic amines and to examine the pharmacological properties of biogenic amine receptors. In this review, we summarize current knowledge concerning the aminergic control of cockroach salivary glands and discuss our efforts to characterize Periplaneta biogenic amine receptors molecularly
We present a straightforward comparison of model calculations for the alpha-effect, helicities, and magnetic field line twist in the solar convection zone with magnetic field observations at atmospheric levels. The model calculations are carried out in a mixing-length approximation for the turbulence with a profile of the solar internal rotation rate obtained from helioseismic inversions. The magnetic field data consist of photospheric vector magnetograms of 422 active regions for which spatially-averaged values of the force-free twist parameter and of the current helicity density are calculated, which are then used to determine latitudinal profiles of these quantities. The comparison of the model calculations with the observations suggests that the observed twist and helicity are generated in the bulk of the convection zone, rather than in a layer close to the bottom. This supports two-layer dynamo models where the large-scale toroidal field is generated by differential rotation in a thin layer at the bottom while the alpha-effect is operating in the bulk of the convection zone. Our previous observational finding was that the moduli of the twist factor and of the current helicity density increase rather steeply from zero at the equator towards higher latitudes and attain a certain saturation at about 12 - 15 degrees. In our dynamo model with algebraic nonlinearity, the increase continues, however, to higher latitudes and is more gradual. This could be due to the neglect of the coupling between small-scale and large-scale current and magnetic helicities and of the latitudinal drift of the activity belts in the model
Leech et al. [Mary L. Leech, S. Singh, A.K. Jain, Simon L. Klemperer and R.M. Manickavasagam, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 234 (2005) 83-97], present 3 clusters of ages for growth stages in zircon from quartzo- feldspathic gneisses hosting coesite-bearing eclogite from the Tso Morari Complex, NW India. These age clusters, from oldest to youngest, are interpreted to represent the age of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism, a subsequent eclogite facies overprint and a later amphibolite facies retrogression and require subduction of Indian crust to have started earlier than previously accepted. However, no petrographic evidence, such as inclusions in the zircons relating to particular metamorphic events, is presented to substantiate the proposed sequence of metamorphic stages. Previously published data from eclogites of the same area indicate that coesite-eclogite is not the first but at least the second eclogite facies stage. In addition, the newly proposed time interval between coesite-eclogite and the amphibolite facies overprint is longer than previously indicated by diffusion modelling of natural garnet-garnet couples in eclogite. Neither the age of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism nor the timing of initiation of subduction is reliably constrained by the presented data
The accelerated life time model is considered. First, test procedures for testing the parameter of a parametric acceleration function is investigated; this is done under the assumption of parametric and nonparametric baseline distribution. Further, based on nonparametric estimators for regression functions tests are proposed for checking whether a parametric acceleration function is appropriate to model the influence of the covariates. Resampling procedures are discussed for the realization of these methods. Simulations complete the considerations.
Tensile source components of swarm events in West Bohemia in 2000 by considering seismic anisotropy
(2006)
Earthquake swarms occur frequently in West Bohemia, Central Europe. Their occurrence is correlated with and propably triggered by fluids that escape on the earth's surface near the epicentres. These fluids raise up periodically from a seemingbly deep-seated source in the upper mantle. Moment tensors for swarm events in 1997 indicate tensile faulting. However, they were determined under assumption of seismic isotropy although anisotropy can be observed. Anisotropy may obscure moment tensors and their interpretation. In 2000, more than 10,000 swarm earthquakes occurred near Novy Kostel, West Bohemia. Event triggering by fluid injection is likely. Activity lasted from 28/08 until 31/12/00 (9 phases) with maximum ML=3.2. High quality P-wave seismograms were used to retrieve the source mechanisms for 112 events between 28/08/00 and 30/10/00 using > 20 stations. We determine the source geometry using a new algorithm and different velocity models including anisotropy. From inversions of P waves we observe ML<3.2, strike-slip events on steep N-S oriented faults with additional normal or reverse components. Tensile components seem to be evident for more than 60% of the processed swarm events in West Bohemia during the phases 1-7. Being most significant at great depths and at phases 1-4 during the swarm they are time and location dependent. Although tensile components are reduced when anisotropy is assumed they persist and seem to be important. They can be explained by pore-pressure changes due to the injection of fluids that raise up. Our findings agree with other observations e.g. correlation of fluid transport and seismicity, variations in b-value, forcing rate, and in pore pressure diffusion. Tests of our results show their significance.
With increasing number of applications in Internet and mobile environments, distributed software systems are demanded to be more powerful and flexible, especially in terms of dynamism and security. This dissertation describes my work concerning three aspects: dynamic reconfiguration of component software, security control on middleware applications, and web services dynamic composition. Firstly, I proposed a technology named Routing Based Workflow (RBW) to model the execution and management of collaborative components and realize temporary binding for component instances. The temporary binding means component instances are temporarily loaded into a created execution environment to execute their functions, and then are released to their repository after executions. The temporary binding allows to create an idle execution environment for all collaborative components, on which the change operations can be immediately carried out. The changes on execution environment will result in a new collaboration of all involved components, and also greatly simplifies the classical issues arising from dynamic changes, such as consistency preserving etc. To demonstrate the feasibility of RBW, I created a dynamic secure middleware system - the Smart Data Server Version 3.0 (SDS3). In SDS3, an open source implementation of CORBA is adopted and modified as the communication infrastructure, and three secure components managed by RBW, are created to enhance the security on the access of deployed applications. SDS3 offers multi-level security control on its applications from strategy control to application-specific detail control. For the management by RBW, the strategy control of SDS3 applications could be dynamically changed by reorganizing the collaboration of the three secure components. In addition, I created the Dynamic Services Composer (DSC) based on Apache open source projects, Apache Axis and WSIF. In DSC, RBW is employed to model the interaction and collaboration of web services and to enable the dynamic changes on the flow structure of web services. Finally, overall performance tests were made to evaluate the efficiency of the developed RBW and SDS3. The results demonstrated that temporary binding of component instances makes slight impacts on the execution efficiency of components, and the blackout time arising from dynamic changes can be extremely reduced in any applications.
1. The in situ abundance, biomass and mean cell volume of Actinophrys sol (Sarcodina: Heliozoa), the top predator in an extremely acidic German mining lake (Lake 111; pH 2.65), were determined over three consecutive years (spring to autumn, 2001-03). 2. Actinophrys sol exhibited pronounced temporal and vertical patterns in abundance, biomass and mean cell volume. Increasing from very low spring densities, maxima in abundance and biomass were observed in late June/early July and September. The highest mean abundance recorded during the study was 7 x 10(3) Heliozoa L-1. Heliozoan abundance and biomass were higher in the epilimnion than in the hypolimnion. Actinophrys sol cells from this acidic lake were smaller than individuals of the same species found in other aquatic systems. 3. We determined the growth rate of A. sol using all potential prey items available in, and isolated and cultured from, Lake 111. Prey items included: single-celled and filamentous bacteria of unknown taxonomic affinity, the mixotrophic flagellates Chlamydomonas acidophila and Ochromonas sp., the ciliate Oxytricha sp. and the rotifers Elosa worallii and Cephalodella hoodi. Actinophrys sol fed over a wide-size spectrum from bacteria to metazoans. Positive growth was not supported by all naturally available prey. Actinophrys sol neither increased in cell number (k) nor biomass (k(b)) when starved, with low concentrations of single-celled bacteria or with the alga Ochromonas sp. Positive growth was achieved with single- celled bacteria (k = 0.22 +/- 0.02 d(-1); k(b) = -0.06 +/- 0.02 d(-1)) and filamentous bacteria (k = 0.52 +/- < 0.01 d(- 1); k(b) = 0.66 d(-1)) at concentrations greater than observed in situ, and the alga C. acidophila (up to k = 0.43 +/- 0.03 d(-1); k(b) = 0.44 +/- 0.04 d(-1)), the ciliate Oxytricha sp. (k = 0.34 +/- 0.01 d(-1)) and in mixed cultures containing rotifers and C. acidophila (k = 0.23 +/- 0.02-0.32 +/- 0.02 d(-1); maximum k(b) = 0.42 +/- 0.05 d(-1)). The individual- and biomass-based growth of A. sol was highest when filamentous bacteria were provided. 4. Existing quantitative carbon flux models for the Lake 111 food web can be updated in light of our results. Actinophrys sol are omnivorous predators supported by a mixed diet of filamentous bacteria and C. acidophila in the epilimnion. Heliozoa are important components in the planktonic food webs of 'extreme' environments
Chlamydomonas acidophila, a unicellular green alga, is a dominant phytoplankton species in acidic water bodies, facing severe environmental conditions such as low pH and high heavy metal concentrations. We examined the pH-, and temperature-dependent accumulation of heat-shock proteins in this alga to determine whether heat-shock proteins play a role in adaptation to their environment. Our results show increased heat-shock proteins accumulation at suboptimal pHs, which were not connected with any change in intracellular pH. In comparison to the mesophilic Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the acidophilic species exhibited significantly higher accumulations of heat-shock proteins under control conditions, indicating an environmental adaptation of increased basal levels of heat-shock proteins. The results suggest that heat- shock proteins might play a role in the adaptation of C. acidophila, and possibly other acidophilic algae, to their extreme environment
A 13.94-m-long sediment core, collected from a medium-sized lake in the Qilian Mountains (NE Tibetan Plateau, China), was analysed palynologically at 81 horizons. The interpretation of indicator taxa yielded various vertical shifts of the vegetation belts. These palaeovegetation results have been checked with lake surface pollen spectra from 8 takes representing different altitudinal vegetation belts. Our main findings are the following: A short period of the late Marine Isotope Stage 3 (around similar to 46,000 yr ago) was characterized by interglacial temperature conditions with a tree line above its present-day altitude. During the LGM, the vicinity of the lake was not covered by ice but by sparse alpine vegetation and alpine deserts, indicating that the climate was colder by similar to 4-7 degrees C than today Markedly higher temperatures were inferred from higher arboreal pollen frequencies between similar to 13,000 and similar to 7000 yr ago with a Holocene temperature optimum and a maximal Picea-Betula mixed-forest expansion between similar to 9000 and similar to 7000 yr ago, when temperatures exceeded the present-day conditions by at least 1-2 degrees C. Alpine steppes and meadows and sub-alpine shrub vegetation dominated around the lake since the middle Holocene, suggesting that vegetation and climate conditions were exceptionally stable in comparison to previous periods.
Teleseismic tomography reveals no signature of the Dead Sea Transform in the upper mantle structure
(2006)
We present results of a tomographic inversion of teleseismic data recorded at 48 stations of a temporary network which was installed in the area of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) and operated for 1 yr in the framework of the multidisciplinary DESERT Project. The 3366 teleseismic P and PKP phases from 135 events were hand picked and corrected for surface topography and crustal thickness. The inversion shows pronounced low-velocity anomalies in the crust, beneath the DST, which are consistent with recent results from local-source tomography. These anomalies are likely related to the young sediments and fractured rocks in the fault zone. The deeper the retrieved anomalies are quite weak. Most prominent is the high-velocity strip-like anomaly striking SE-NW. We attribute this anomaly to the inherited heterogeneity of lithospheric structure, with a possible contribution by the shallow Precambrian basement east of the DST and to lower crustal heterogeneity reported in this region by other seismic studies. We do not observe reliable signature of the DST in the upper mantle structure. Some weak indications of low-velocity anomalies in the upper mantle beneath the DST may well result from the down-smearing of the strong upper crustal anomalies. We also see very little topography of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath the DST, which would generate significant horizontal velocity variations. These results are consistent with predictions from a recent thereto-mechanical model of the DST. Our tomographic model provides some indication of hot mantle flow from the deeper upper mantle rooted in the region of the Red Sea. However, resolution tests show that this anomaly may well be beyond resolution of the model. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The regioselectivities of methyl- and phenylhydrazine with acridin-9-yl isothiocyanate (thus yielding thiosemicarbazides with acridine substituted on the urea-type side) were examined. Methythydrazine regioselectivity was high with the alpha-nitrogen atom overwhelmingly more nucleophilic than the beta-nitrogen atom; phenylhydrazine regioselectivity was poor but varied with the solvent and only in the case of ethanol was nucleophilic predominance of the alpha-nitrogen atom pronounced. Of note, whilst both phenyl thiosemicarbazides were present in solution only as spiro forms, the methyl product was present as an equilibrium mixture of open-chain and spiro thiosemicarbazides. Reactions on the NH2 blocked analogue of methyl acridin-9-ylthiosemicarbazide (1-isopropylidene-2- methylthiosemicarbazide) were also examined. Interestingly, present in the starting material itself was a structural motif of novelty wherein a triazolethione represented the major species of an equilibrium between cyclic and open-chain forms
New amphiphilic compounds 1-9 that feature a construction with dendronized hydrophilic and hydrophobic segment groups connected to a specific aromatic or aliphatic spacer unit have been synthesized, following a modular building block strategy. The hydrophilic dendrons are typically branched elements with peripheral carboxylic groups, unlike the hydrophobic dendrons that contain peripheral alkyl chains as part of respective amide functions. The hydrophilic dendrons are in different generations of branching, while the hydrophobic dendrons are all in the first generation of branching (three terminal branching), but differ in the length of the alkyl chains, thus giving rise to designed structure and amphiphilic properties in the new compounds. The resulting surfactants are capable of forming well-defined Langmuir films of remarkable stability when spread from a solution onto an aqueous subphase. Nevertheless, specific packing behaviour and orientation of the amphiphilic molecules were found, depending on the molecular structure, as determined using analysis of the surface pressure-area (pi-A) isotherms. Langmuir-Blodgett transfer of the first monolayer from a pure water subphase to a clean silicon wafer proved possible for the amphiphiles of peripheral alkyl chain length C-12, while the amphiphiles with the longer alkyl chains failed, possibly due to the more rigid monolayers they form, impeding the transfer.
A new functional group, the hydroxy group, was inserted into a Betti base by reaction with salicylaldehyde, and the naphthoxazine derivatives thus obtained were converted by ring-closure reactions with formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde or phosgene to the corresponding naphth[1',2':5,6][1,3]oxazino[3,2-c][1,3]benzoxazine derivatives. Further, the conformational analysis of these polycyclic compounds by NMR spectroscopy and an accompanying molecular modelling are reported; especially, both quantitative anisotropic ring current effects of the aromatic moieties in these compounds and steric substituent effects were employed to determine the stereochemistry of the naphthoxazinobenzoxazine derivatives.
Porous silicon carbide monoliths were obtained using the infiltration of preformed SiO2 frameworks with appropriate carbon precursors such as mesophase pitch. The initial SiO2 monoliths possessed a hierarchical pore system, composed of an interpenetrating bicontinuous macropore structure and 13 nm mesopores confined in the macropore walls. After carbonization, further heat treatment at ca. 1400 degrees C resulted in the formation of a SiC-SiO2 composite, which was converted into a porous SiC monolith by post-treatment with ammonium fluoride solution. The resulting porous SiC featured high crystallinity, high chemical purity and showed a surface area of 280 m(2) g(-1) and a pore volume of 0.8 ml g(-1)
<img src="http://vg00.met.vgwort.de/na/806c85cec18906a64e06" width="1" height="1" alt=""> Subject of this work is the possibility to synchronize nonlinear systems via correlated noise and automatic control. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part is motivated by field studies on feral sheep populations on two islands of the St. Kilda archipelago, which revealed strong correlations due to environmental noise. For a linear system the population correlation equals the noise correlation (Moran effect). But there exists no systematic examination of the properties of nonlinear maps under the influence of correlated noise. Therefore, in the first part of this thesis the noise-induced correlation of logistic maps is systematically examined. For small noise intensities it can be shown analytically that the correlation of quadratic maps in the fixed-point regime is always smaller than or equal to the noise correlation. In the period-2 regime a Markov model explains qualitatively the main dynamical characteristics. Furthermore, two different mechanisms are introduced which lead to a higher correlation of the systems than the environmental correlation. The new effect of "correlation resonance" is described, i. e. the correlation yields a maximum depending on the noise intensity. In the second part of the thesis an automatic control method is presented which synchronizes different systems in a robust way. This method is inspired by phase-locked loops and is based on a feedback loop with a differential control scheme, which allows to change the phases of the controlled systems. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated for controlled phase synchronization of regular oscillators and foodweb models.
We present experimental and numerical evidence of synchronization of burst events in two different modulated CO2 lasers. Bursts appear randomly in each laser as trains of large amplitude spikes intercalated by a small amplitude chaotic regime. Experimental data and model show the frequency locking of bursts in a suitable interval of coupling strength. We explain the mechanism of this phenomenon and demonstrate the inhibitory properties of the implemented coupling.
We report measurements on the synchronization properties of organ pipes. First, we investigate influence of an external acoustical signal from a loudspeaker on the sound of an organ pipe. Second, the mutual influence of two pipes with different pitch is analyzed. In analogy to the externally driven, or mutually coupled self-sustained oscillators, one observes a frequency locking, which can be explained by synchronization theory. Further, we measure the dependence of the frequency of the signals emitted by two mutually detuned pipes with varying distance between the pipes. The spectrum shows a broad '' hump '' structure, not found for coupled oscillators. This indicates a complex coupling of the two organ pipes leading to nonlinear beat phenomena.