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Rapid decline of glomerular filtration rate estimated from creatinine (eGFRcrea) is associated with severe clinical endpoints. In contrast to cross-sectionally assessed eGFRcrea, the genetic basis for rapid eGFRcrea decline is largely unknown. To help define this, we meta-analyzed 42 genome-wide association studies from the Chronic Kidney Diseases Genetics Consortium and United Kingdom Biobank to identify genetic loci for rapid eGFRcrea decline. Two definitions of eGFRcrea decline were used: 3 mL/min/1.73m(2)/year or more ("Rapid3"; encompassing 34,874 cases, 107,090 controls) and eGFRcrea decline 25% or more and eGFRcrea under 60 mL/min/1.73m(2) at follow-up among those with eGFRcrea 60 mL/min/1.73m(2) or more at baseline ("CKDi25"; encompassing 19,901 cases, 175,244 controls). Seven independent variants were identified across six loci for Rapid3 and/or CKDi25: consisting of five variants at four loci with genome-wide significance (near UMOD-PDILT (2), PRKAG2, WDR72, OR2S2) and two variants among 265 known eGFRcrea variants (near GATM, LARP4B). All these loci were novel for Rapid3 and/or CKDi25 and our bioinformatic follow-up prioritized variants and genes underneath these loci. The OR2S2 locus is novel for any eGFRcrea trait including interesting candidates. For the five genome-wide significant lead variants, we found supporting effects for annual change in blood urea nitrogen or cystatin-based eGFR, but not for GATM or (LARP4B). Individuals at high compared to those at low genetic risk (8-14 vs. 0-5 adverse alleles) had a 1.20-fold increased risk of acute kidney injury (95% confidence interval 1.08-1.33). Thus, our identified loci for rapid kidney function decline may help prioritize therapeutic targets and identify mechanisms and individuals at risk for sustained deterioration of kidney function.
A catalog of genetic loci associated with kidney function from analyses of a million individuals
(2019)
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is responsible for a public health burden with multi-systemic complications. Through transancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and independent replication (n = 1,046,070), we identified 264 associated loci (166 new). Of these,147 were likely to be relevant for kidney function on the basis of associations with the alternative kidney function marker blood urea nitrogen (n = 416,178). Pathway and enrichment analyses, including mouse models with renal phenotypes, support the kidney as the main target organ. A genetic risk score for lower eGFR was associated with clinically diagnosed CKD in 452,264 independent individuals. Colocalization analyses of associations with eGFR among 783,978 European-ancestry individuals and gene expression across 46 human tissues, including tubulo-interstitial and glomerular kidney compartments, identified 17 genes differentially expressed in kidney. Fine-mapping highlighted missense driver variants in 11 genes and kidney-specific regulatory variants. These results provide a comprehensive priority list of molecular targets for translational research.
Rapid decline of glomerular filtration rate estimated from creatinine (eGFRcrea) is associated with severe clinical endpoints. In contrast to cross-sectionally assessed eGFRcrea, the genetic basis for rapid eGFRcrea decline is largely unknown. To help define this, we meta-analyzed 42 genome-wide association studies from the Chronic Kidney Diseases Genetics Consortium and United Kingdom Biobank to identify genetic loci for rapid eGFRcrea decline. Two definitions of eGFRcrea decline were used: 3 mL/min/1.73m(2)/year or more ("Rapid3"; encompassing 34,874 cases, 107,090 controls) and eGFRcrea decline 25% or more and eGFRcrea under 60 mL/min/1.73m(2) at follow-up among those with eGFRcrea 60 mL/min/1.73m(2) or more at baseline ("CKDi25"; encompassing 19,901 cases, 175,244 controls). Seven independent variants were identified across six loci for Rapid3 and/or CKDi25: consisting of five variants at four loci with genome-wide significance (near UMOD-PDILT (2), PRKAG2, WDR72, OR2S2) and two variants among 265 known eGFRcrea variants (near GATM, LARP4B). All these loci were novel for Rapid3 and/or CKDi25 and our bioinformatic follow-up prioritized variants and genes underneath these loci. The OR2S2 locus is novel for any eGFRcrea trait including interesting candidates. For the five genome-wide significant lead variants, we found supporting effects for annual change in blood urea nitrogen or cystatin-based eGFR, but not for GATM or (LARP4B). Individuals at high compared to those at low genetic risk (8-14 vs. 0-5 adverse alleles) had a 1.20-fold increased risk of acute kidney injury (95% confidence interval 1.08-1.33). Thus, our identified loci for rapid kidney function decline may help prioritize therapeutic targets and identify mechanisms and individuals at risk for sustained deterioration of kidney function.
HPI Future SOC Lab
(2015)
Das Future SOC Lab am HPI ist eine Kooperation des Hasso-Plattner-Instituts mit verschiedenen Industriepartnern. Seine Aufgabe ist die Ermöglichung und Förderung des Austausches zwischen Forschungsgemeinschaft und Industrie.
Am Lab wird interessierten Wissenschaftlern eine Infrastruktur von neuester Hard- und Software kostenfrei für Forschungszwecke zur Verfügung gestellt. Dazu zählen teilweise noch nicht am Markt verfügbare Technologien, die im normalen Hochschulbereich in der Regel nicht zu finanzieren wären, bspw. Server mit bis zu 64 Cores und 2 TB Hauptspeicher. Diese Angebote richten sich insbesondere an Wissenschaftler in den Gebieten Informatik und Wirtschaftsinformatik. Einige der Schwerpunkte sind Cloud Computing, Parallelisierung und In-Memory Technologien.
In diesem Technischen Bericht werden die Ergebnisse der Forschungsprojekte des Jahres 2015 vorgestellt. Ausgewählte Projekte stellten ihre Ergebnisse am 15. April 2015 und 4. November 2015 im Rahmen der Future SOC Lab Tag Veranstaltungen vor.
As part of a project studying the secondary metabolites extracted from the Chilean flora, we report herein three new beta-agarofuran sesquiterpenes, namely (1S,4S,5S,6R,7R,8R,9R,10S)-6-acetoxy-4,9-dihydroxy-2,2,5a,9-tetramethyloctahydro-2H-3,9a-methanobenzo[b] oxepine-5,10-diylbis(furan-3-carboxylate), C27H32O11, (II), (1S,4S,5S,6R,7R,9S,10S)-6-acetoxy-9-hydroxy-2,2,5a, 9-tetramethyloctahydro-2H-3,9a-methanobenzo[ b] oxepine-5,10-diyl bis(furan-3-carboxylate), C27H32O10, (III), and (1S,4S,5S,6R,7R,9S,10S)-6-acetoxy-10-(benzoyloxy)-9-hydroxy-2,2,5a,9-tetramethyloctahydro-2H-3,9a-methanobenzo[b]oxepin-5-yl furan-3-carboxylate, C29H34O9, (IV), obtained from the seeds of Maytenus boaria and closely associated with a recently published relative [Paz et al. (2017). Acta Cryst. C73, 451-457]. In the (isomorphic) structures of (II) and (III), the central decalin system is esterified with an acetate group at site 1 and furoate groups at sites 6 and 9, and differ at site 8, with an OH group in (II) and no substituent in (III). This position is also unsubstituted in (IV), with site 6 being occupied by a benzoate group. The chirality of the skeletons is described as 1S, 4S, 5S, 6R, 7R, 8R, 9R, 10S in (II) and 1S, 4S, 5S, 6R, 7R, 9S, 10S in (III) and (IV), matching the chirality suggested by NMR studies. This difference in the chirality sequence among the title structures (in spite of the fact that the three skeletons are absolutely isostructural) is due to the differences in the environment of site 8, i.e. OH in (II) and H in (III) and (IV). This diversity in substitution, in turn, is responsible for the differences in the hydrogen-bonding schemes, which is discussed.
The iron speciation in hydrous haplotonalitic and haplogranitic silicate glasses was studied using XAFS spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Spectral features occurring at the main crest of the XANES at the iron K-edge of hydrous glasses indicate contributions to the spectra by iron-moieties present in a more ordered structural environment than found in the dry glass. These differences are also suggested by analysis of the EXAFS. These effects are not completely suppressed even for those samples that were quenched with a higher cooling rate. Strongest differences to the dry glass are observed for a sample that was quenched slowly through the temperature of glass transformation. Crystals (60 to 1500 nm in size) of magnetite, maghemite and another unidentified phase were observed in this sample by TEM, whereas no crystals were found in samples quenched with regular or high cooling rates. In-situ XANES measurements up to 700 degrees C and 500 MPa were performed to reveal the origin (i.e., during synthesis or quench) of the structural differences for those hydrous glasses that do not display any detectable crystallization. The comparison of XANES spectra collected on Fe2+ in water-saturated haplogranitic melt at 700 degrees C and 500 MPa and on Fe2+ in dry melt at 1150 degrees C shows that the local structural environment of Fe2+ in both systems is similar. This indicates that there is no detectable and direct influence of water on the local structure around iron in this type of melt. Hence, the differences observed between hydrous and dry glasses can only be related to artefacts formed during the quench process. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Heterosis-associated cellular and molecular processes were analyzed in seeds and seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana accessions Col-0 and C24 and their heterotic hybrids. Microscopic examination revealed no advantages in terms of hybrid mature embryo organ sizes or cell numbers. Increased cotyledon sizes were detectable 4 days after sowing. Growth heterosis results from elevated cell sizes and numbers, and is well established at 10 days after sowing. The relative growth rates of hybrid seedlings were most enhanced between 3 and 4 days after sowing. Global metabolite profiling and targeted fatty acid analysis revealed maternal inheritance patterns for a large proportion of metabolites in the very early stages. During developmental progression, the distribution shifts to dominant, intermediate and heterotic patterns, with most changes occurring between 4 and 6 days after sowing. The highest incidence of heterotic patterns coincides with establishment of size differences at 4 days after sowing. In contrast, overall transcript patterns at 4, 6 and 10 days after sowing are characterized by intermediate to dominant patterns, with parental transcript levels showing the largest differences. Overall, the results suggest that, during early developmental stages, intermediate gene expression and higher metabolic activity in the hybrids compared to the parents lead to better resource efficiency, and therefore enhanced performance in the hybrids.
The drimane sesquiterpenoids drimenin, cinnamolide, dendocarbin A, and polygodial were purified from the Canelo tree (Drimys winteri) and chemically characterized by spectroscopic methods. The pharmacological activity of these natural compounds were determined on hα4β2, hα3β4, and hα7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) by Ca2+ influx measurements. The results established that drimane sesquiterpenoids inhibit AChRs with the following selectivity: hα4β2 > hα3β4 > hα7. In the case of hα4β2 AChRs, the following potency rank order was determined (IC50’s in μM): drimenin (0.97 ± 0.35) > cinnamolide (1.57 ± 0.36) > polygodial (62.5 ± 19.9) ≫ dendocarbin A (no activity). To determine putative structural features underlying the differences in inhibitory potency at hα4β2 AChRs, additional structure–activity relationship and molecular docking experiments were performed. The Ca2+ influx and structural results supported a noncompetitive mechanism of inhibition, where drimenin interacted with luminal and nonluminal (TMD-β2 intrasubunit) sites. The structure–activity relationship results, i.e., the lower the ligand polarity, the higher the inhibitory potency, supported the nonluminal interaction. Ligand binding to both sites might inhibit the hα4β2 AChR by a cooperative mechanism, as shown experimentally (nH > 1). Drimenin could be used as a molecular scaffold for the development of more potent inhibitors with higher selectivity for the hα4β2 AChR.
Reproducibility is a defining feature of science, but the extent to which it characterizes current research is unknown. We conducted replications of 100 experimental and correlational studies published in three psychology journals using high-powered designs and original materials when available. Replication effects were half the magnitude of original effects, representing a substantial decline. Ninety-seven percent of original studies had statistically significant results. Thirty-six percent of replications had statistically significant results; 47% of original effect sizes were in the 95% confidence interval of the replication effect size; 39% of effects were subjectively rated to have replicated the original result; and if no bias in original results is assumed, combining original and replication results left 68% with statistically significant effects. Correlational tests suggest that replication success was better predicted by the strength of original evidence than by characteristics of the original and replication teams.
Portal alumni
(2009)
Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser, wenn es nach der Bundesfamilienrninisterin geht, soll Deutschland eines der familienfreundlichsten Länder in Europa werden. Noch sieht die Realität allerdings anders aus. Wie Ehemalige sich zwischen familiären und beruflichen Optionen entschieden haben, welche Probleme sie zu bewältigen hatten und welche Lösungen sie fanden, davon berichten sie in unserem Titelthema. Jede dritte Akademikerin bleibt heute in Deutschland kinderlos, Tendenz steigend. Abgesehen davon, dass es auch schlichtweg Lebensentwürfe ohne Kinder gibt: Ein nicht unwesentlicher Grund dafur ist sicherlich, dass die größte Last bei der Kindererziehung immer noch Frauen tragen und sie deshalb auch die größeren Einbußen in ihrer Karriere haben. So herrscht bei vielen Arbeitgebern das Vorurteil, Mütter in Führungspositionen wären weniger leistungsfahig. Dass aber gerade eine Familie Frauen in verantwortungsvollen Positionen den Rücken stärken und zu noch größerem Einsatz beflügeln kann, davon berichtet der einführende Artikel. Ein Beispiel dafür, dass sich Familie und eine berufliche Führungsposition vereinbaren lassen, ist auch Uni-Präsidentin, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. Sabine Kunst. In einem Interview verrät sie ihr ganz persönliches Erfolgsrezept und stellt außerdem die strategische Ausrichtung der Hochschule in den nächsten Jahren vor. Wenn Sie Ihre Erfahrungen zu unserem Titelthema mit anderen Ehemaligen diskutieren wollen, können Sie dies unter .. Forum" in unserem "alumni-portal" tun. Wie immer freuen wir uns auf Ihre Meinung zur vorliegenden Ausgabe von ,,Portal alurnni" und wünschen Ihnen viele Vergnügen beim Lesen. Viele Grüße aus Potsdam, Ihr Alumni-Team.
Background and purpose: Although carbon monoxide (CO) can modulate inflammatory processes, the influence of CO on adhesion molecules is less clear. This might be due to the limited amount of CO generated by haem degradation. We therefore tested the ability of a CO releasing molecule (CORM-3), used in supra-physiological concentrations, to modulate the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 and E-selectin on endothelial cells and the mechanism(s) involved. Experimental approach: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were stimulated with tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in the presence or absence of CORM-3. The influence of CORM-3 on VCAM-1 and E- selectin expression and the nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B pathway was assessed by flow cytometry, Western blotting and electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Key results: CORM-3 inhibited the expression of VCAM-1 and E-selectin on TNF-alpha- stimulated HUVEC. VCAM-1 expression was also inhibited when CORM-3 was added 24 h after TNF-alpha stimulation or when TNF-alpha was removed. This was paralleled by deactivation of NF-kappa B and a reduction in VCAM-1 mRNA. Although TNF- alpha removal was more effective in this regard, VCAM-1 protein was down-regulated more rapidly when CORM-3 was added. CORM-3 induced haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in a dose- and time-dependent manner, mediated by the transcription factor, Nrf2. CORM-3 was still able to down-regulate VCAM-1 expression in HUVEC transfected with siRNA for HO-1 or Nrf2. Conclusions and implications: Down-regulation of VCAM and E-selectin expression induced by CORM-3 was independent of HO-1 up- regulation and was predominantly due to inhibition of sustained NF-kappa B activation.
Lobelia tupa, also called devil's tobacco, is a native plant from the center-south of Chile which has been used by the native people of Chile as a hallucinogenic and anesthetic plant. A new piperidine alkaloid, called pentylsedinine, which comprises five carbons in the side chain, was isolated from the aerial part of L. tupa, along with lobeline and lobelanidine. The structure was established on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. While lobeline is a neutral antagonist at alpha 3 beta 2/alpha 3 beta 4 nAChR and alpha 7 nAChR, both lobelanidine and pentylsedinine act as partial agonists at nAChR
We present a simple observation showing that the heat kernel on a locally finite graph behaves for short times t roughly like t(d), where d is the combinatorial distance. This is very different from the classical Varadhan-type behavior on manifolds. Moreover, this also gives that short-time behavior and global behavior of the heat kernel are governed by two different metrics whenever the degree of the graph is not uniformly bounded.
The fruit of Aristotelia chilensis is considered a "super fruit" due to its high concentration of polyphenols displaying exceptional antioxidant capacities ORAC. From maqui berries have been reported several anthocyanins and glycosylated flavonoids, those benefits increase the attention to restudy the plant. From the leaves of A. chilensis several indole alkaloids have been reported, we in addition to aristoteline, aristone, aristoquinoline and 3-fromylindole report the spectroscopic elucidation of 8-oxo-9-dehydromakomakine (1), hobartine (2) and a new alkaloid named 8-oxohobartine (3). Compound 1 to 3 did not show bactericidal activity against E. coli and S. aureus till 200 mu g.
Kriminalliteratur gilt als zuverlässiger Seismograph für den inneren Zustand einer Gesellschaft, deren Umgang mit der Abweichung von der Norm zum Indikator sozialer und politischer Verhältnisse wird. Die gemeinsame Vergangenheit eint und trennt die Staaten Ostmittel-, Ost- und Südosteuropas gleichermaßen. Die schicksalhaften Verwerfungen des 20. Jahrhunderts fanden natürlich auch Eingang in die jeweiligen Kriminalliteraturen. So vielgestaltig wie die einzelnen Länder und Regionen sind die im vorliegenden Band untersuchten Texte. Sie ermöglichen einerseits Einblicke in den Herausbildungs- und Etablierungsprozess der Kriminalliteratur der Slavia. Andererseits bilden sie aktuelle Entwicklungen dieses ebenso populären wie zeitlosen Genres ab.
Das literarische Verbrechen hat Prof. Dr. Norbert P. Franz während seines aktiven akademischen Wirkens immer begleitet. Ihm zu Ehren fand im Frühjahr 2017 an der Universität Potsdam eine wissenschaftliche Tagung statt, deren Beiträge in diesem Band zusammengestellt sind.
The application of heat as a hydrological tracer has become a standard method for quantifying water fluxes between groundwater and surface water. The typical application is to estimate vertical water fluxes in the shallow subsurface beneath streams or lakes. For this purpose, time series of temperatures in the surface water and in the sediment are measured and evaluated by a vertical 1D representation of heat transport by advection and conduction. Several analytical solutions exist to calculate the vertical water flux from the measured temperatures. Although analytical solutions can be easily implemented, they are restricted to specific boundary conditions such as a sinusoidal upper temperature boundary. Numerical solutions offer higher flexibility in the selection of the boundary conditions. This, in turn, reduces the effort of data preprocessing, such as the extraction of the diurnal temperature variation from the raw data. Here, we present software to estimate water fluxes based on temperaturesFLUX-BOT. FLUX-BOT is a numerical code written in MATLAB that calculates vertical water fluxes in saturated sediments based on the inversion of measured temperature time series observed at multiple depths. FLUX-BOT applies a centred Crank-Nicolson implicit finite difference scheme to solve the one-dimensional heat advection-conduction equation. FLUX-BOT includes functions for the inverse numerical routines, functions for visualizing the results, and a function for performing uncertainty analysis. We present applications of FLUX-BOT to synthetic and to real temperature data to demonstrate its performance.
RailChain
(2023)
The RailChain project designed, implemented, and experimentally evaluated a juridical recorder that is based on a distributed consensus protocol. That juridical blockchain recorder has been realized as distributed ledger on board the advanced TrainLab (ICE-TD 605 017) of Deutsche Bahn.
For the project, a consortium consisting of DB Systel, Siemens, Siemens Mobility, the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering, Technische Universität Braunschweig, TÜV Rheinland InterTraffic, and Spherity has been formed. These partners not only concentrated competencies in railway operation, computer science, regulation, and approval, but also combined experiences from industry, research from academia, and enthusiasm from startups.
Distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) define distributed databases and express a digital protocol for transactions between business partners without the need for a trusted intermediary. The implementation of a blockchain with real-time requirements for the local network of a railway system (e.g., interlocking or train) allows to log data in the distributed system verifiably in real-time. For this, railway-specific assumptions can be leveraged to make modifications to standard blockchains protocols.
EULYNX and OCORA (Open CCS On-board Reference Architecture) are parts of a future European reference architecture for control command and signalling (CCS, Reference CCS Architecture – RCA). Both architectural concepts outline heterogeneous IT systems with components from multiple manufacturers. Such systems introduce novel challenges for the approved and safety-relevant CCS of railways which were considered neither for road-side nor for on-board systems so far. Logging implementations, such as the common juridical recorder on vehicles, can no longer be realized as a central component of a single manufacturer. All centralized approaches are in question.
The research project RailChain is funded by the mFUND program and gives practical evidence that distributed consensus protocols are a proper means to immutably (for legal purposes) store state information of many system components from multiple manufacturers. The results of RailChain have been published, prototypically implemented, and experimentally evaluated in large-scale field tests on the advanced TrainLab. At the same time, the project showed how RailChain can be integrated into the road-side and on-board architecture given by OCORA and EULYNX.
Logged data can now be analysed sooner and also their trustworthiness is being increased. This enables, e.g., auditable predictive maintenance, because it is ensured that data is authentic and unmodified at any point in time.
Galaxies are surrounded by large reservoirs of gas, mostly hydrogen, that are fed by inflows from the intergalactic medium and by outflows from galactic winds. Absorption-line measurements along the lines of sight to bright and rare background quasars indicate that this circumgalactic medium extends far beyond the starlight seen in galaxies, but very little is known about its spatial distribution. The Lyman-alpha transition of atomic hydrogen at a wavelength of 121.6 nanometres is an important tracer of warm (about 104 kelvin) gas in and around galaxies, especially at cosmological redshifts greater than about 1.6 at which the spectral line becomes observable from the ground. Tracing cosmic hydrogen through its Lyman-a emission has been a long-standing goal of observational astrophysics(1-3), but the extremely low surface brightness of the spatially extended emission is a formidable obstacle. A new window into circumgalactic environments was recently opened by the discovery of ubiquitous extended Lyman-alpha emission from hydrogen around high-redshift galaxies(4,5). Such measurements were previously limited to especially favourable systems(6-8) or to the use of massive statistical averaging(9,10) because of the faintness of this emission. Here we report observations of low-surface-brightness Lyman-alpha emission surrounding faint galaxies at redshifts between 3 and 6. We find that the projected sky coverage approaches 100 per cent. The corresponding rate of incidence (the mean number of Lyman-alpha emitters penetrated by any arbitrary line of sight) is well above unity and similar to the incidence rate of high-column-density absorbers frequently detected in the spectra of distant quasars(11-14). This similarity suggests that most circumgalactic atomic hydrogen at these redshifts has now been detected in emission.
Portal Transfer
(2023)
Liebe Leserinnen und Leser, kein Nachrichtentag vergeht, an dem nicht die Expertise aus der Wissenschaft gefragt ist: Ob zum russischen Angriffskrieg in der Ukraine, zur UNKlimakonferenz in Ägypten, zur Flutkatastrophe in Pakistan, zum Dürresommer, zur Energiekrise, selbst zur umstrittenen Fußballweltmeisterschaft in Katar standen und stehen Expertinnen und Experten in den Medien Rede und Antwort. Auch aus der Universität Potsdam. Wir haben sie gefragt, wie sie damit umgehen, wie es ihnen gelingt, aus der laufenden Forschung heraus aktuelle Probleme zu bewerten. Und was davon bleibt, wenn das öffentliche Interesse abebbt. Für die Potsdamer Politik- und Verwaltungswissenschaftlerin Sabine Kuhlmann besteht die Kunst darin, „außerhalb der Krise Ideen und Lösungsansätze zu verstetigen und sie tatsächlich in die Praxis umzusetzen“.
In unserem Alumni- und Transfermagazin berichten wir davon, was und wie die Universität Potsdam dazu beiträgt. Wir erzählen, wie Erfindungen zu Innovationen in der Wirtschaft werden und sich Start-ups auf den Weg machen, ihr Produkt selbst zu vermarkten. Das Spektrum reicht von Meeresfrüchten auf Pflanzenbasis bis zu einer App, mit der sich Frühformen der Demenz erkennen lassen. Neben neuen Technologien kommt es aber vor allem darauf an, das an der Universität erzeugte Wissen in die Praxis zu transferieren. Deshalb stellen wir ein Programm zur Bekämpfung von Hassrede in der Schule vor oder auch eine Klettertherapie zur Behandlung von Skoliose. Und wir zeigen, wie eine Studie zur sportlichen Leistungskraft von Kindern helfen kann, den Sportunterricht zu verbessern.
Den größten Teil des an der Universität produzierten Wissens tragen die Studierenden in die Welt, wenn sie nach ihrem Abschluss als Musiklehrerin in einer Schule arbeiten oder als Software-Ingenieur im eigenen Unternehmen, als Geologin nach Seltenen Erden schürfen, als Ökologe ausgelaugte Böden wieder fruchtbar machen oder als Politikerin ein Ministerium leiten. Sie alle kommen in diesem Magazin zu Wort. Oder in unserem neuen Podcast „Listen.UP“, in dem Studierende, Forschende und Alumni von ihren Transferprojekten erzählen. Von der Gründerin Ulrike Böttcher erfährt man dort zum Beispiel, wie sie mit Schnallen, Ösen und Knöpfen aus Bio- Materialien die Modeindustrie in diesem Bereich nachhaltig verändern will. Nachzulesen ist das auch in diesem Heft. Immer dort, wo das „Listen. UP“-Logo erscheint, lohnt es, zusätzlich in den Podcast hineinzuhören.
Der Band enthält die Tagungsmaterialien des deutsch-russichen Symposiums zum Thema "Verfassungsentwicklung in Russland und Deutschland", welches am 25. und 26. September 2013 in Potsdam stattfand. Die Tagung wurde anlässlich des 20. Jahrestages der russischen Verfassung vom Dezember 2013 durchgeführt. Die inhaltlichen Schwerpunkte bilden die Themen: Verfassungsentstehung, Verfassungsänderung, Verfassungsprinzipien, Landesverfassungen, Fortentwicklung der Verfassung durch die Verfassungsgerichtsbarkeit und Grundrechte, die jeweils aus russischer und deutscher Sicht behandelt werden. Ergänzend befasst sich jeweils ein Betrag mit aktuellen Problemen der Menschenrechtsverwirklichung in Russland und der Ausländerintegration in Deutschland und Russland im Vergleich.
Of Trees and Birds
(2019)
Gisbert Fanselow’s work has been invaluable and inspiring to many researchers working on syntax, morphology, and information structure, both from a theoretical and from an experimental perspective. This volume comprises a collection of articles dedicated to Gisbert on the occasion of his 60th birthday, covering a range of topics from these areas and beyond. The contributions have in common that in a broad sense they have to do with language structures (and thus trees), and that in a more specific sense they have to do with birds. They thus cover two of Gisbert’s major interests in- and outside of the linguistic world (and perhaps even at the interface).
Quantification of subsurface water fluxes based on the one dimensional solution to the heat transport equation depends on the accuracy of measured subsurface temperatures. The influence of temperature probe setup on the accuracy of vertical water flux calculation was systematically evaluated in this experimental study. Four temperature probe setups were installed into a sand box experiment to measure temporal highly resolved vertical temperature profiles under controlled water fluxes in the range of +/- 1.3 md(-1). Pass band filtering provided amplitude differences and phase shifts of the diurnal temperature signal varying with depth depending on water flux. Amplitude ratios of setups directly installed into the saturated sediment significantly varied with sand box hydraulic gradients. Amplitude ratios provided an accurate basis for the analytical calculation of water flow velocities, which matched measured flow velocities. Calculated flow velocities were sensitive to thermal properties of saturated sediment and to temperature sensor spacing, but insensitive to thermal dispersivity equal to solute dispersivity. Amplitude ratios of temperature probe setups indirectly installed into piezometer pipes were influenced by thermal exchange processes within the pipes and significantly varied with water flux direction only. Temperature time lags of small sensor distances of all setups were found to be insensitive to vertical water flux.
Zanthoxylum leprieurii Guill. and Perr. (Rutaceae) stem bark is used locally in Uganda for treating tuberculosis (TB) and cough-related infections. Lupeol (1), sesamin (2), trans-fagaramide (3), arnottianamide (4), (S)-marmesinin (5), and hesperidin (6) were isolated from the chloroform/methanol (1:1) extract of Z. leprieurii stem bark. Their structures were elucidated using spectroscopic techniques and by comparison with literature data. Furthermore, the extract and isolated compounds were subjected to antimycobacterial activity. The extract exhibited moderate activity against the susceptible (H(37)Rv) TB strain, but weak activity against the multidrug resistant (MDR)-TB strain with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 586.0 and 1172.0 mu g/mL, respectively. Compound 3 (trans-fagaramide) showed significant antimycobacterial activity against the susceptible (H(37)Rv) TB strain (MIC 6 mu g/mL), but moderate activity against the MDR-TB strain (MIC 12.2 mu g/mL). Compounds 2, 5, 6, and 1 showed moderate activities against the susceptible (H(37)Rv) strain (MIC 12.2-98.0 mu g/mL) and moderate to weak activities against the MDR-TB strain (MIC 24.4-195.0 mu g/mL). This study reports for the first time the isolation of compounds 1 to 6 from the stem bark of Z leprieurii. trans-Fagaramide (3) may present a vital template in pursuit of novel and highly effective TB drugs.
Flow patterns in conjunction with seasonal and diurnal temperature variations control ecological and biogeochemical conditions in hyporheic sediments. In particular, hyporheic temperatures have a great impact on many temperature-sensitive microbial processes. In this study, we used 3-D coupled water flow and heat transport simulations applying the HydroGeoSphere code in combination with high-resolution observations of hydraulic heads and temperatures to quantify reach-scale water and heat flux across the river-groundwater interface and hyporheic temperature dynamics of a lowland gravel bed river. The model was calibrated in order to constrain estimates of the most sensitive model parameters. The magnitude and variations of the simulated temperatures matched the observed ones, with an average mean absolute error of 0.7 degrees C and an average Nash Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.87. Our results indicate that nonsubmerged streambed structures such as gravel bars cause substantial thermal heterogeneity within the saturated sediment at the reach scale. Individual hyporheic flow path temperatures strongly depend on the flow path residence time, flow path depth, river, and groundwater temperature. Variations in individual hyporheic flow path temperatures were up to 7.9 degrees C, significantly higher than the daily average (2.8 degrees C), but still lower than the average seasonal hyporheic temperature difference (19.2 degrees C). The distribution between flow path temperatures and residence times follows a power law relationship with exponent of about 0.37. Based on this empirical relation, we further estimated the influence of hyporheic flow path residence time and temperature on oxygen consumption which was found to partly increase by up to 29% in simulations.
The analytical evaluation of diurnal temperature variation in riverbed sediments provides detailed information on exchange fluxes between rivers and groundwater. The underlying assumption of the stationary, one-dimensional vertical flow field is frequently violated in natural systems where subsurface water flow often has a significant horizontal component. In this paper, we present a new methodology for identifying the geometry of the subsurface flow field using vertical temperature profiles. The statistical analyses are based on model optimisation and selection and are used to evaluate the shape of vertical amplitude ratio profiles. The method was applied to multiple profiles measured around in-stream geomorphological structures in a losing reach of a gravel bed river. The predominant subsurface flow field was systematically categorised in purely vertical and horizontal (hyporheic, parafluvial) components. The results highlight that river groundwater exchange flux at the head, crest and tail of geomorphological structures significantly deviated from the one-dimensional vertical flow, due to a significant horizontal component. The geometry of the subsurface water flow depended on the position around the geomorphological structures and on the river level. The methodology presented in this paper features great potential for characterising the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics of complex subsurface flow geometries by using measured temperature time series in vertical profiles. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The “HPI Future SOC Lab” is a cooperation of the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) and industry partners. Its mission is to enable and promote exchange and interaction between the research community and the industry partners.
The HPI Future SOC Lab provides researchers with free of charge access to a complete infrastructure of state of the art hard and software. This infrastructure includes components, which might be too expensive for an ordinary research environment, such as servers with up to 64 cores and 2 TB main memory. The offerings address researchers particularly from but not limited to the areas of computer science and business information systems. Main areas of research include cloud computing, parallelization, and In-Memory technologies.
This technical report presents results of research projects executed in 2018. Selected projects have presented their results on April 17th and November 14th 2017 at the Future SOC Lab Day events.
Different chemical and enzymatic methods were applied for the hydrolysis of main stems from Lupinus nootkatensis (harvest November 2002). The whole process (all steps) is based on the lignocellulose-feedstock biorefinery regime. The acid hydrolysis of L. was performed with concentrated hydrochloric acid; advantages in this process are exothermic hydrolysis and the possibility of acid recovery. Enzymatic hydrolysis achieved high yields of fermentable carbohydrates (regarding to input cellulose) with high selectivity. However, this way requires the generation of cellulose from L. by chemical pulping. Monosaccharide derivatives thus obtained were identified by their GC retention times and the corresponding MS fragmentation. Hexamethyldisilazane was used as derivatization reagent to prepare the trimethylsilyl derivatives of the carbohydrates and of the degradations products of cellulose from the different fractions. The glucose content was quantified by GC peak integration with respect to an internal standard.
In the last few years the method of cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has gained popularity among hydrologists, physicists, and land-surface modelers. The sensor provides continuous soil moisture data, averaged over several hectares and tens of decimeters in depth. However, the signal still may contain unidentified features of hydrological processes, and many calibration datasets are often required in order to find reliable relations between neutron intensity and water dynamics. Recent insights into environmental neutrons accurately described the spatial sensitivity of the sensor and thus allowed one to quantify the contribution of individual sample locations to the CRNS signal. Consequently, data points of calibration and validation datasets are suggested to be averaged using a more physically based weighting approach. In this work, a revised sensitivity function is used to calculate weighted averages of point data. The function is different from the simple exponential convention by the extraordinary sensitivity to the first few meters around the probe, and by dependencies on air pressure, air humidity, soil moisture, and vegetation. The approach is extensively tested at six distinct monitoring sites: two sites with multiple calibration datasets and four sites with continuous time series datasets. In all cases, the revised averaging method improved the performance of the CRNS products. The revised approach further helped to reveal hidden hydrological processes which otherwise remained unexplained in the data or were lost in the process of overcalibration. The presented weighting approach increases the overall accuracy of CRNS products and will have an impact on all their applications in agriculture, hydrology, and modeling.
Purpose: The present work aimed to delineate (i) a revised protocol according to recent methodological developments in evidence generation, to (ii) describe its interpretation, the assessment of the overall certainty of evidence and to (iii) outline an Evidence to Decision framework for deriving an evidence-based guideline on quantitative and qualitative aspects of dietary protein intake. Methods A methodological protocol to systematically investigate the association between dietary protein intake and several health outcomes and for deriving dietary protein intake recommendations for the primary prevention of various non-communicable diseases in the general adult population was developed. Results The developed methodological protocol relies on umbrella reviews including systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses. Systematic literature searches in three databases will be performed for each health-related outcome. The methodological quality of all selected systematic reviews will be evaluated using a modified version of AMSTAR 2, and the outcome-specific certainty of evidence for systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis will be assessed with NutriGrade. The general outline of the Evidence to Decision framework foresees that recommendations in the derived guideline will be given based on the overall certainty of evidence as well as on additional criteria such as sustainability. Conclusion The methodological protocol permits a systematic evaluation of published systematic reviews on dietary protein intake and its association with selected health-related outcomes. An Evidence to Decision framework will be the basis for the overall conclusions and the resulting recommendations for dietary protein intake.
Metabolic signatures of healthy lifestyle patterns and colorectal cancer risk in a European cohort
(2020)
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Colorectal cancer risk can be lowered by adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) guidelines. We derived metabolic signatures of adherence to these guidelines and tested their associations with colorectal cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.
METHODS: Scores reflecting adherence to the WCRF/AICR recommendations (scale, 1-5) were calculated from participant data on weight maintenance, physical activity, diet, and alcohol among a discovery set of 5738 cancer-free European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition participants with metabolomics data. Partial least-squares regression was used to derive fatty acid and endogenous metabolite signatures of the WCRF/AICR score in this group. In an independent set of 1608 colorectal cancer cases and matched controls, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were calculated for colorectal cancer risk per unit increase in WCRF/AICR score and per the corresponding change in metabolic signatures using multivariable conditional logistic regression.
RESULTS: Higher WCRF/AICR scores were characterized by metabolic signatures of increased odd-chain fatty acids, serine, glycine, and specific phosphatidylcholines. Signatures were inversely associated more strongly with colorectal cancer risk (fatty acids: OR, 0.51 per unit increase; 95% CI, 0.29-0.90; endogenous metabolites: OR, 0.62 per unit change; 95% CI, 0.50-0.78) than the WCRF/AICR score (OR, 0.93 per unit change; 95% CI, 0.86-1.00) overall. Signature associations were stronger in male compared with female participants.
CONCLUSIONS: Metabolite profiles reflecting adherence to WCRF/AICR guidelines and additional lifestyle or biological risk factors were associated with colorectal cancer. Measuring a specific panel of metabolites representative of a healthy or unhealthy lifestyle may identify strata of the population at higher risk of colorectal cancer.
In the last few years the method of cosmic-ray neutron sensing (CRNS) has gained popularity among hydrologists, physicists, and land-surface modelers. The sensor provides continuous soil moisture data, averaged over several hectares and tens of decimeters in depth. However, the signal still may contain unidentified features of hydrological processes, and many calibration datasets are often required in order to find reliable relations between neutron intensity and water dynamics. Recent insights into environmental neutrons accurately described the spatial sensitivity of the sensor and thus allowed one to quantify the contribution of individual sample locations to the CRNS signal. Consequently, data points of calibration and validation datasets are suggested to be averaged using a more physically based weighting approach. In this work, a revised sensitivity function is used to calculate weighted averages of point data. The function is different from the simple exponential convention by the extraordinary sensitivity to the first few meters around the probe, and by dependencies on air pressure, air humidity, soil moisture, and vegetation. The approach is extensively tested at six distinct monitoring sites: two sites with multiple calibration datasets and four sites with continuous time series datasets. In all cases, the revised averaging method improved the performance of the CRNS products. The revised approach further helped to reveal hidden hydrological processes which otherwise remained unexplained in the data or were lost in the process of overcalibration. The presented weighting approach increases the overall accuracy of CRNS products and will have an impact on all their applications in agriculture, hydrology, and modeling.
The “HPI Future SOC Lab” is a cooperation of the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) and industry partners. Its mission is to enable and promote exchange and interaction between the research community and the industry partners.
The HPI Future SOC Lab provides researchers with free of charge access to a complete infrastructure of state of the art hard and software. This infrastructure includes components, which might be too expensive for an ordinary research environment, such as servers with up to 64 cores and 2 TB main memory. The offerings address researchers particularly from but not limited to the areas of computer science and business information systems. Main areas of research include cloud computing, parallelization, and In-Memory technologies.
This technical report presents results of research projects executed in 2019. Selected projects have presented their results on April 9th and November 12th 2019 at the Future SOC Lab Day events.