[Super] structure : expanding the network / reclaiming the path

In 2016, the Human Rights Council at the United Nations declared internet access to be a basic human right. In rural West Virginia, 30% of residents do not have access to reliable broadband internet. This lack of access limits economic development and opportunities and contributes to the divide between rural and urban communities. That divide has resulted in, among many things, a dearth of innovative design in rural America. Often with technological and economic progress comes homogeneity, erasure, and environmental devastation; the latter has been endemic in the region since the Industrial Age. By reviving a network of fire lookout towers across the Allegheny Mountain range of central West Virginia as both wireless internet infrastructure and a route of trail shelters, the region will benefit from an improved level of global connection while preserving its unique relationship to the breathtaking landscape celebrated in the state slogan, “Wild and Wonderful.” Connecting the towers to each other via a 200-mile trail invites the intrepid trekker to move between these shelters-in-the-sky intentionally; the structures become both a refuge and a path of pilgrimage. The towers situate each visitor within their own personal journey: quiet spaces with a language born of the natural world, grounded by the surrounding palette of place. The towers embody the push and pull of progress and poetry. The network, both the tangible trail of towers and the intangible radio waves propagating between, re-frames this complex relationship within a balanced embrace of duality. [Super] structure asks whether we can hold both progress and poetry in harmony, highlighting the living tension between speeding up and slowing down

Fiktive Feindbilder und verschleierte Gewalt. Sprachwissenschaftliche Analysen zum Interview mit einem Islamisten

Przedmiotem rozważań artykułu jest wywiad dwójki dziennikarzy z Erhanem A., „wyznawcą“ IS, który ukazał się w Süddeutsche Zeitung (nr 40, 2014, 13–19). Celem publikacji jest wyizolowanie islamistycznych wzorców myślowych poprzez analizę specyfiki doboru słownictwa. Czynnik powtarzalności („wzorce językowe“) w przytaczanych przykładach jest przy tym decydujący dla doboru kryteriów analizy. Pod uwagę zostały także wzięte aspekty wynikające ze struktury wywiadu. Analiza koncentruje się na werbalizowaniu nazw kolektywnych oraz zawoalowanej przemocy. Wyizolowana (semantyczna) nieostrość w wyrażeniach powstaje między innymi poprzez zastosowanie konstrukcji strony biernej, jak również zaimka nieokreślonego. W szerszym ujęciu niniejszy artykuł stanowi językoznawcze badanie poświęcone użyciu w islamie języka niemieckiego, w węższym zaś – języka niemieckiego przez zwolenników tak zwanego Państwa Islamskiego (IS).This article examines an interview of two journalists with Erhan A., a confessor of the IS, which appeared in the magazine of the Süddeutsche Zeitung (No. 40, 2014, 13–19). The aim is to bring out Islamist thought patterns through conspicuous features in the choice of words. The moment of repetition (“language patterns”) in the examples is decisive for the selection of the analysis categories. Special features which result from the interview structure are taken into account. The focus of the analysis is on the verbalization of collective names and veiled violence. The identified (semantic) vagueness results from passive constructions and, for example, from indefinite pronouns. In a superior sense, it is a linguistic work on the German language used in Islam or in the narrower sense on the use of the German language in statements by advocates of the so-called Islamic State (IS).Die Publikation wurde aus Mitteln des Instituts für Germanistik der Universität Łódź und des Vereins akademischer Lehrer zur Förderung der Kultur europäischer Sprachen finanziert

Long non-coding RNA structure and function: Is there a link?

RNA has emerged as the prime target for diagnostics, therapeutics and the development of personalized medicine. In particular, the non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that do not encode proteins, display remarkable biochemical versatility. They can fold into complex structures and interact with proteins, DNA and other RNAs, modulating the activity, DNA targets or partners of multiprotein complexes. Thus, ncRNAs confer regulatory plasticity and represent a new layer of epigenetic control that is dysregulated in disease. Intriguingly, for long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs, >200 nucleotides length) structural conservation rather than nucleotide sequence conservation seems to be crucial for maintaining their function. LncRNAs tend to acquire complex secondary and tertiary structures and their functions only impose very subtle sequence constraints. In the present review we will discuss the biochemical assays that can be employed to determine the lncRNA structural configurations. The implications and challenges of linking function and lncRNA structure to design novel RNA therapeutic approaches will also be analyzed

Verwundbare Stadt : Ein Beitrag zum Konzept Vulnerabilität am Beispiel der "Schweinegrippe"

Das Konzept der Vulnerabilität wird von diversen Forschungsdisziplinen angewendet, um mit verschiedensten Phänomenen in Zusammenhang mit Gefahren, Risiken und Schädigungen umzugehen. Es ist gekennzeichnet durch eine stark heterogene Verwendung je nach disziplinärem Kontext, die dazu führt, dass kaum Konsens über die Auslegung des Begriffs besteht. Traditionell eher in den Naturwissenschaften verankert, wie etwa der Untersuchung von Vulnerabilität durch Naturrisiken wie Hochwasser oder Erdbeben, wird der Begriff in der wissenschaftlichen Debatte zumeist in einer essentialistischen Auslegung verwendet. Vulnerabilität wird dabei als etwas Naturgegebenes aufgefasst. Die Erforschung des Begriffs in den Gesellschaftswissenschaften ist hingegen relativ neu. Bislang fehlt insbesondere den sozial- und raumwissenschaftlichen Ansätzen häufig ein theoretisches Fundament im Umgang mit dem Konzept Vulnerabilität. Ein wesentlicher Aspekt in der sozialwissenschaftlich angelegten Raumforschung ist die Untersuchung der Wahrnehmung von Vulnerabilität. Hierbei wird davon ausgegangen, dass ein Bewusstsein über mögliche Gefahren sowie dessen Bewertung gleichermaßen von Bedeutung wie die Gefahr selbst sind. Hinsichtlich dieser Annahme kann folglich von einer konstruierten respektive „gefühlten“ Vulnerabilität die Rede sein. Aus dieser Perspektive wird Vulnerabilität nicht als eine gegebene Eigenschaft, sondern als ein gedankliches Konzept aufgefasst. Dennoch kann Vulnerabilität immer auch eine materielle Ebene besitzen, da wahrgenommene Gefahren, ob real oder konstruiert, materielle Wirkungen nach sich ziehen können. Vor dem Hintergrund des Titels „Verwundbare Stadt“ ist der konkrete Untersuchungsgegenstand dieses Beitrags die Fragestellung, inwiefern die Wahrnehmung von Vulnerabilität die Stadt beeinflusst. Dabei wird die Stadt sowohl als räumliche als auch als gesellschaftliche Bezugsgröße verstanden. Die Fragestellung wird anhand eines für die Disziplin der Stadtplanung zunächst ungewöhnlich erscheinenden Analysebeispiels untersucht: der im Frühjahr 2009 aufgetretenen sogenannten ‚Schweinegrippe‘, die als Pandemie eingestuft wurde und eine gewisse Zeit ein beherrschendes Thema in der Öffentlichkeit darstellte. Die wirtschaftlichen und politischen Auswirkungen, der Einfluss der Medien sowie die Wahrnehmung in der Bevölkerung sind dabei zentrale Untersuchungsaspekte, anhand derer die ‚Schweinegrippe‘ als vermeintliche Vulnerabilität bewertet werden soll. Online-Version im Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin (www.univerlag.tu-berlin.de) erschienen.The concept of vulnerability is adopted by various scientific disciplines to approach different phenomena connected with threats, risks, and damages. The heterogeneous use of the term leads to ambiguous interpretations depending on the field of study. Traditionally embedded in the natural sciences through studies of natural hazards such as earthquakes and floods, the academic discourse concentrates on an essentialist interpretation of the concept where vulnerability is conceived as something natural. On the other hand, research of vulnerability in the field of social sciences poses a recent development. Until now, in particular the spatial sciences lack a theoretical framework to approach the notion of vulnerability. A substantial aspect in dealing with the concept of vulnerability in spatial sciences constitutes the study of the perception of vulnerability. It is assumed that the awareness of potential threats as well as their assessment are equally relevant than the threat itself. In this regard, an artificial respectively perceived vulnerability is established. From this standpoint, vulnerability transforms from a naturally given condition to a theoretical construct. Nevertheless, vulnerability always includes a material layer since threats – whether actual or solely perceived – may lead to tangible impacts. The present work entitled “Vulnerable City” observes how the perception of vulnerability influences urban spaces. Urban spaces are comprehended as much a spatial as a social dimension. The research question is approached with the – for spatial planning rather unusual – example of swine flu, declared as a flu pandemic and dominant topic in the public in early 2009. On the basis of the economic and political consequences, the impact of the media, and the public perception the swine flu is assessed as a perceived vulnerability. Online-Version published by Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin (www.univerlag.tu-berlin.de)

Successful Treatment of Early Relapsed High-Risk AML After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation With Biomodulatory Therapy

Early relapse of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is an often unsuccessful therapeutic challenge. Since treatment options are few and efficacy is low, new approaches such as de novo allo-HSCT, targeted therapies and biomodulatory drugs have been developed, albeit prognosis is very poor. In this manuscript we present an unusual case of a patient with high-risk AML with an unbalanced jumping translocation and FLT3-TKD (low) mutation who presented with early relapse (FLT3 negative) after allo-HSCT, refractory to one cycle of azacytidine and discontinuation of immunosuppression (IS). As salvage therapy, the patient received a biomodulatory therapy consisting of low-dose azacytidine 75 mg/day (given s.c. d1-7 of 28), pioglitazone 45 mg/day orally, and all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) 45 mg/m(2)/day orally achieving a complete remission after two cycles of therapy. Even after cessation of treatment after 5 cycles, the patient remained in complete remission with full chimerism in peripheral blood and bone marrow for another 7 months. In conclusion, we report about an unusual case of long-lasting complete remission of early relapsed high-risk AML after allo-HSCT treated with azacytidine, pioglitazone and ATRA after standard of care treatment with HMA and discontinuation of IS failed

Modulation of N^N′-bidentate chelating pyridyl–pyridylidene amide ligands offers mechanistic insights into Pd-catalysed ethylene/methyl acrylate copolymerisation

The efficient copolymerisation of functionalised olefins with alkenes continues to offer considerable challenges to catalyst design. Based on recent work using palladium complexes containing a dissymmetric NN '-bidentate pyridyl-PYA ligand (PYA = pyridylidene amide), which showed a high propensity to insert methyl acrylate, we have here modified this catalyst structure by inserting shielding groups either into the pyridyl fragment, or the PYA unit, or both to avoid fast beta-hydrogen elimination. While a phenyl substituent at the pyridyl side impedes catalytic activity completely and leads to an off-cycle cyclometallation, the introduction of an ortho-methyl group on the PYA side of the NN '-ligand was more prolific and doubled the catalytic productivity. Mechanistic investigations with this ligand system indicated the stabilisation of a 4-membered metallacycle intermediate at room temperature, which has previously been postulated and detected only at 173 K, but never observed at ambient temperature so far. This intermediate was characterised by solution NMR spectroscopy and rationalises, in part, the formation of alpha,beta-unsaturated esters under catalytic conditions, thus providing useful principles for optimised catalyst design

Computer simulation of pulsed field gel runs allows the quantitation of radiation-induced double-strand breaks in yeast

A procedure for the quantification of double-strand breaks in yeast is presented that utilizes pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and a comparison of the observed DNA mass distribution in the gel lanes with calculated distributions. Calculation of profiles is performed as follows. If double-strand breaks are produced by sparsely ionizing radiation, one can assume that they are distributed randomly in the genome, and the resulting DNA mass distribution in molecular length can be predicted by means of a random breakage model. The input data for the computation of molecular length profiles are the breakage frequency per unit length, , as adjustable parameter, and the molecular lengths of the intact chromosomes. The obtained DNA mass distributions in molecular length must then be transformed into distributions of DNA mass in migration distance. This requires a calibration of molecular length vs. migration distance that is specific for the gel lane in question. The computed profiles are then folded with a Lorentz distribution with adjusted spread parameter to account for and broadening. The DNA profiles are calculated for different breakage frequencies and for different values of , and the parameters resulting in the best fit of the calculated to the observed profile are determined