A monograph of Fusicladium s.lat. (Hyphomycetes)

SCHUBERT, K., RITSCHEL, A. & BRAUN, U.: Monographie der GattungFusicladium s.lat. (Hyphomyceten). Schlechtendalia 9: 1–132.Die Gattung Fusicladium s.lat. wird monographisch bearbeitet. Pollaccia und Spilocaea werden als Synonyme von Fusicladium betrachtet. Fusicladium wurde zur Konservierung vorgeschlagen. Geschichte, Phylogenie, Taxonomie, Umschreibung und Abgrenzung der Gattung werden im Detail diskutiert. Ein Schlüssel zu Fusicladium und ähnlichen Gattungen und eine schlüsselartige Liste zu den Arten, auf Grundlage der Wirtsgattungen, werden geboten. Die einzelnen Arten werden ausführlich beschrieben, abgebildet und diskutiert. Zweifelhafte, unklare und ausgeschlossene Taxa werden am Ende dieser Arbeit aufgelistet und diskutiert. Die neuen Arten Fusicladium asperatum, F. caulicola, F. junci und F. nashicola werden beschrieben und die neuen Kombinationen F. ahmadii, F.byrsonimatis, F. catenosporum, F. elegans, F. mandshuricum, F. nebulosum, F. oleagineum, F. phillyreae, F. radiosum var. lethiferum, F. radiosum var. populi-albae und Pseudocladosporiumcaruanianum werden eingeführt.SCHUBERT, K., RITSCHEL, A. & BRAUN, U.: A monograph of Fusicladium s.lat.(Hyphomycetes). Schlechtendalia 9: 1–132.The genus Fusicladium s.lat. is monographed. Pollaccia and Spilocaea are reduced to synonymy with Fusicladium. The latter genus has been proposed to be conserved. The history, phylogeny, taxonomy, circumscription and delimitation of this genus are discussed in detail, a key to Fusicladiumand morphologically similar genera and a key-like list of Fusicladium species by host genera are included. Individual species are then described, illustrated and discussed. Doubtful, ill-defined and excluded taxa are listed and discussed at the end of the paper. The new species Fusicladium asperatum,F. caulicola, F. junci and F. nashicola are described and the new combinations F. ahmadii, F. byrsonimatis, F. catenosporum, F. elegans, F. mandshuricum, F. nebulosum, F. oleagineum, F.phillyreae, F. radiosum var. lethiferum, F. radiosum var. populi-albae and Pseudocladosporium caruanianum are introduced.Die Schlechtendalia publiziert Originalbeiträge mit Schwerpunkt Spezielle Botanik und Biodiversität, Floristik, Mykologie/Lichenologie, Wissenschaftsgeschichte und andere Themen mit Bezug zu Botanischen Gärten und Herbarien

METHOD EVALUATION TO DETERMINE HYDRATION STATES OF TENDONS BY USING MRI

Due to the fact that water content is a determinant of the material properties of tendons and therefore might affect sports performance and the risk of injury, the purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the reliabilityand sensitivity of a MRI based method to quantify content of a tendon. For this pilot study twenty porcine digital flexor tendons were chosen. All samples were examined on a MR scanner using three 3D ultra-short echo time sequences. With the applied sequences it was possible to determine a decrease in water content of the tendons. In addition, the methods showed a good inter session reliability. Further investigations are needed to improve the upper and lower limit of resolution regarding the physiological hydration state

Online Peer Counseling for Suicidal Ideation: Participant Characteristics and Reasons for Using or Refusing This Service

[U25] is a German online-peer-counseling service for adolescents with suicidal ideation, who typically do not seek or receive adequate counseling. We conducted an online survey in order to compare persons who receive online counseling by [U25] compared to those who are visitors of [U25] websites but do not (yet) receive counseling. Via online survey, all visitors to the [U25] websites were invited to fill in a questionnaire on sociodemographic data, utilization reasons, and barriers. Our final sample consisted of n = 318 counseling clients, n = 1127 persons who have not yet sought help but intend to do so (“prospective clients”), and n = 444 persons who do not consider [U25] counseling for themselves (“refusers”). Clients were more often female and showed positive attitudes toward online counseling. Low perceived need for counseling was the most frequent barrier reported by the refusers, whereas fear of stigma and practical barriers were rarely reported; younger and male refusers reported needing to write down one’s problems as a barrier more often. Self-selection might reduce generalizability of our results. Online counseling can facilitate receiving psychosocial support for young persons with suicidal ideation, particularly if barriers are addressed

How to obtain solderable Al/Ni:V/Ag contacts

We investigate process sequences for obtaining solderable Al/Ni:V/Ag contacts to PERC-type crystalline Si solar cells by in-line Al evaporation. For a high cell efficiency the evaporated aluminum must be annealed at 350 °C for about 5 min. We find that annealing the Al/Ni:V/Ag metallization stack at temperatures above 150 °C destroys the solderability of the wetting layer. A solution for this problem is to first deposit the 2.5 μm Al layer by evaporation, then anneal the cell at 350 °C for 10 min, and finally sputter a double layer of Ni:V/Ag with respective thickness values of 200 nm and 25 nm. This process leads to a contact resistivity lower than 1 mΩcm2. The solderablility is proven by a peel force greater than 3 N/mm. We present a solderable PERC cell with Al/Ni:V/Ag rear side metallization and an efficiency of 18.9%.BMUB/VaCoC/0325195

Analysis of the adiponectin paradox in healthy older people

Background It remains unknown why adiponectin levels are associated with poor physical functioning, skeletal muscle mass and increased mortality in older populations. Methods In 190 healthy adults (59-86 years, BMI 17-37 kg/m2 , 56.8% female), whole body skeletal muscle mass (normalized by height, SMI, kg/m2 ), muscle and liver fat were determined by magnetic resonance imaging. Bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) were assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (n = 135). Levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), insulin, inflammation markers, leptin and fibroblast growth factor 21 were measured as potential determinants of the relationship between adiponectin and body composition. Results Higher adiponectin levels were associated with a lower SMI (r = -0.23, P < 0.01), BMC (r = -0.17, P < 0.05) and liver fat (r = -0.20, P < 0.05) in the total population and with higher muscle fat in women (r = 0.27, P < 0.01). By contrast, IGF-1 showed positive correlations with SMI (r = 0.33), BMD (r = 0.37) and BMC (r = 0.33) (all P < 0.01) and a negative correlation with muscle fat (r = -0.17, P < 0.05). IGF-1 was negatively associated with age (r = -0.21, P < 0.01) and with adiponectin (r = -0.15, P < 0.05). Stepwise regression analyses revealed that IGF-1, insulin and leptin explained 18% of the variance in SMI, and IGF-1, leptin and age explained 16% of the variance in BMC, whereas adiponectin did not contribute to these models. Conclusions Associations between higher adiponectin levels and lower muscle or bone mass in healthy older adults may be explained by a decrease in IGF-1 with increasing adiponectin levels

Strong negative feedback from Erk to Raf confers robustness to MAPK signalling

This study shows that MAPK signalling is robust against protein level changes due to a strong negative feedback from Erk to Raf. Surprisingly, robustness is provided through a fast post-translational mechanism although variation of Erk levels occurs on a timescale of days

Feasibility of Intestinal MR Elastography in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background: While MR enterography allows detection of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the findings continue to be of limited use in guiding treatment-medication vs. surgery. Purpose: To test the feasibility of MR elastography of the gut in healthy volunteers and IBD patients. Study type: Prospective pilot. Population: Forty subjects (healthy volunteers: n = 20, 37 ± 14 years, 10 women; IBD patients: n = 20 (ulcerative colitis n = 9, Crohn's disease n = 11), 41 ± 15 years, 11 women). Field strength/sequence: Multifrequency MR elastography using a single-shot spin-echo echo planar imaging sequence at 1.5 T with drive frequencies of 40, 50, 60, and 70 Hz. Assessment: Maps of shear-wave speed (SWS, in m/s) and loss angle (φ, in rad), representing stiffness and solid-fluid behavior, respectively, were generated using tomoelastography data processing. Histopathological analysis of surgical specimens was used as reference standard in patients. Statistical tests: Unpaired t-test, one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey post hoc analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with 95%-confidence interval (CI). Significance level of 5%. Results: MR elastography was feasible in all 40 subjects (100% technical success rate). SWS and φ were significantly increased in IBD by 21% and 20% (IBD: 1.45 ± 0.14 m/s and 0.78 ± 0.12 rad; healthy volunteers: 1.20 ± 0.14 m/s and 0.65 ± 0.06 rad), whereas no significant differences were found between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease (P = 0.74 and 0.90, respectively). In a preliminary assessment, a high diagnostic accuracy in detecting IBD was suggested by an AUC of 0.90 (CI: 0.81-0.96) for SWS and 0.84 (CI: 0.71-0.95) for φ. Data conclusion: In this pilot study, our results demonstrated the feasibility of MR elastography of the gut and showed an excellent diagnostic performance in predicting IBD. Evidence level: 1 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 1

Changes in Liver Mechanical Properties and Water Diffusivity During Normal Pregnancy Are Driven by Cellular Hypertrophy

During pregnancy, the body's hyperestrogenic state alters hepatic metabolism and synthesis. While biochemical changes related to liver function during normal pregnancy are well understood, pregnancy-associated alterations in biophysical properties of the liver remain elusive. In this study, we investigated 26 ex vivo fresh liver specimens harvested from pregnant and non-pregnant rats by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in a 0.5-Tesla compact magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Water diffusivity and viscoelastic parameters were compared with histological data and blood markers. We found livers from pregnant rats to have (i) significantly enlarged hepatocytes (26 ± 15%, p < 0.001), (ii) increased liver stiffness (12 ± 15%, p = 0.012), (iii) decreased viscosity (-23 ± 14%, p < 0.001), and (iv) increased water diffusivity (12 ± 11%, p < 0.001). In conclusion, increased stiffness and reduced viscosity of the liver during pregnancy are mainly attributable to hepatocyte enlargement. Hypertrophy of liver cells imposes fewer restrictions on intracellular water mobility, resulting in a higher hepatic water diffusion coefficient. Collectively, MRE and DWI have the potential to inform on structural liver changes associated with pregnancy in a clinical context