Spatial and temporal pulse shaping for lateral and depth resolved two-photon excited fluorescence contrast

We report combined temporal and spatial laser pulse shaping to perform lateral and depth dependent two-photon excited fluorescence of dyes. For generating the specific spatially and temporally phase tailored pulses a temporal pulse shaper and a subsequent spatial pulse shaper are employed. Simultaneous spatial and temporal shaping is presented for two-photon excited fluorescence by applying temporal third order phase functions on spatially different light field components. Moreover, the prospects of spatial shaping are demonstrated by applying various lateral two-photon fluorescence pattern. In particular, a depth dependent excitation of different dyes is performed which leads to a high axially resolved fluorescence contrast. The introduced spatial and temporal shaping technique provides new perspectives for biophotonic imaging applications

Relationship processes, family policies and the parental division of labour in Germany

Trotz einer zunehmend geschlechterbewussten Familienpolitik ändert sich die in den Familien praktizierte Arbeitsteilung nur langsam. Der Übergang zur Elternschaft bleibt ein entscheidendes Lebensereignis für die Reproduktion und Verschärfung von Geschlechterungleichheiten in der Erwerbs- und Familienarbeit. Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht diesen langsamen Veränderungsprozess der familialen Arbeitsteilung in Deutschland in einem interdisziplinären Ansatz in Form von drei wissenschaftlichen Beiträgen. Sie stützt sich auf den Rahmen von Geschlecht als soziale Struktur (Risman, 2004), um Veränderungen in den tatsächlichen Arbeitsarrangements sowie in den Einstellungen dazu aus einer Paar- bzw. Individualebene zu betrachten. Erstens wird die Rolle der partnerschaftlichen Kommunikation bei Verhandlungen über die Aufteilung der Familienarbeit nach der Geburt des ersten Kindes untersucht. Zweitens wird untersucht, wie wichtig die Beteiligung des Partners an der Kinderbetreuung ist und wie sie mit anderen (in)formellen Kinderbetreuungsregelungen sowie mit dem familiären Kontext zusammenhängt, die dazu beitragen, dass Mütter (mit mehr Stunden) auf den Arbeitsmarkt zurückkehren. Schließlich werden experimentelle Umfragedaten verwendet, um zu untersuchen, inwieweit familienpolitische Informationen über die Verfügbarkeit von Kinderbetreuungsplätzen und die Folgen der Inanspruchnahme normative Vorstellungen über Betreuungsarrangements von Eltern mit kleinen Kindern in der Allgemeinbevölkerung sowie in Untergruppen, die sich in ihrer Betroffenheit und Bedeutung der politischen Informationen unterscheiden, verändern können. Die Dissertation stützt sich auf Daten aus dem deutschen Beziehungs- und Familienpanel (pairfam) und wendet sowohl längsschnittliche als auch umfrageexperimentelle Methoden an.In spite of increasingly gender-conscious family policies, the division of labour practiced in families is changing only slowly. The transition to parenthood remains a crucial life event for the reproduction and intensification of gender inequalities in paid and family work. This dissertation uses an interdisciplinary approach to examine this slow process of change in the division of labour in families in Germany in the form of three academic articles. It draws on the framework of gender as a social structure (Risman, 2004) to consider changes in actual work-family arrangements as well as in work-care beliefs from an individual/couple-level perspective. First, it considers the role of partner communication in negotiations about the division of family work after the birth of the couple’s first child. Second, it examines the importance of partner involvement in childcare and its interdependencies with other (in)formal childcare arrangements as well as the family context as a contributor to mothers’ (extended) return to the labour market. Last, experimental survey data are used to examine the potential of family policy information about day care entitlement and the consequences of its take-up to change normative beliefs about work-care arrangements regarding parents with young children in the general population as well as in subgroups who differ in their affectedness by and salience of the policy information. The dissertation relies on data from the German family panel (pairfam) and applies longitudinal as well as survey experimental methods

Enhance fluorescence signal by phase shaping

Here, we present a stage-scanning two-photon microscope (2PM) equipped with a temporal pulse shaper and a spatial light modulator enabling full control over spectral and spatial phases of the exciting laser pulse. We demonstrate the capability of correcting wavefronts and temporal pulse distortions without cross-dependencies induced by optical elements at the same time enhancing the fluorescence signal. We implemented phase resolved interferometric spectral modulation for temporal pulse shaping and the iterative feedback adaptive compensation technique for spatial pulse modulation as iterative techniques. Sample distortions were simulated by cover glass plates in the optical path and by chirping the exciting laser pulses. Optimization of the spectral and spatial phases results in a signal increase of 30% and nearly complete recovery of the losses. Applying a measured spatial compensation phase within a real leaf sample shows the enhancement in contrast due to wavefront shaping with local fluorescence increase up to 75%. The setup allows full independent control over spatial and spectral phases keeping or improving the spatial resolution of our microscope and provides the optimal tool for sensitive non-linear and coherent control microscopy

Combined temporal and spatial laser pulse shaping for two-photon excited fluorescence contrast improvement

We report on combined simultaneous temporal and spatial laser pulse shaping by utilizing light polarization properties. Thereto, a setup comprising a temporal pulse shaper, a waveplate, and a spatial shaper was developed and characterized by comparison with simulations. This enables to simultaneously shape one polarization component temporally and spatially while the perpendicular polarization component is modified temporally. The spatially and temporally modulated light fields were recorded and visualized by suitable contour plots, which was particularly demonstrated for cylindrically symmetric pulse profiles. Moreover, temporally and spatially shaped pulses were applied for two-photon excited fluorescence of dyes. These measurements were conducted by scanning third order phase functions for specific spatial pulse components which yields an enhanced contrast difference between fluorescing dyes. The presented temporal and spatial shaping method of ultrashort laser pulses has a high potential for biophotonic applications

Day care availability and awareness of gendered economic risks: How they shape work and care norms

Family policies not only provide money, time and infrastructure to families, but also convey normative assumptions about what is considered desirable or acceptable in paid work and family care. This study conceptualises and empirically investigates how priming respondents with brief media report-like information on existing day care policy entitlements and the economic consequences of maternal employment interruptions may change personal normative beliefs about parental work-care arrangements. Furthermore, we analyse whether these effects differ between groups of respondents assumed to vary in their degree of affectedness by the information as well as previous knowledge. The theoretical framework builds on the concept of normative policy feedback effects (Soroka and Wlezien, 2010; Gangl and Ziefle, 2015) combined with social norm theory (Bicchieri, 2017) and human cognition theories (Petty and Cacioppo, 1986; Evans and Stanovich, 2013). The study is based on a fully randomized survey experiment in Wave 12 of the German Family Panel (pairfam) and applies linear and ordinal logistic regressions with cluster-robust standard errors to a sample of 5,783 respondents. Our results suggest that priming respondents with information on day care policy and long-term economic risks of maternal employment interruptions increases acceptance of intensive day care use across the full sample and especially for mothers with children below school entry age. It further increases support for longer hours spent in paid work among childless women and mothers with school-aged children. Norms regarding paternal working hours are largely unaffected by the information given in this survey experiment

PARMESAN: Meteorological Timeseries and Turbulence Analysis Backed by Symbolic Mathematics

PARMESAN (the Python Atmospheric Research Package for MEteorological TimeSeries and Turbulence ANalysis) is a Python package providing common functionality for atmospheric scientists doing time series or turbulence analysis. Several meteorological quantities such as potential temperature, various humidity measures, gas concentrations, wind speed and direction, turbulence and stability parameters can be calculated. Furthermore, signal processing functionality such as properly normed variance spectra for frequency analysis is available. In contrast to existing packages with similar goals, its routines for physical quantities are derived from symbolic mathematical expressions, enabling inspection, automatic rearrangement, reuse and recombination of the underlying equations. Building on this, PARMESAN's functions as well as their comprehensive parameter documentation are mostly auto-generated, minimizing human error and effort. In addition, sensitivity/error propagation analysis is possible as mathematical operations like derivations can be applied to the underlying equations. Physical consistency in terms of units and value domains are transparently ensured for PARMESAN functions. PARMESAN's approach can be reused to simplify implementation of robust routines in other fields of physics.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to JOSS (Journal of Open Source Software) on 17 September 202

Cutaneous infection by Mycobacterium haemophilum and kansasii in an IgA-deficient man

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence of infections by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has steadily increased over the past decades, especially in immunocompromised patients.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a patient with IgA-deficiency and mixed cutaneous infection by two slowly growing mycobacteria, <it>Mycobacterium </it>(<it>M.</it>) <it>haemophilum </it>and <it>M. kansasii.</it></p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cutaneous <it>M. haemophilum </it>infections most often result from HIV or transplantation-associated immunosuppression. Rarely, <it>M. haemophilum </it>may also infect healthy patients or iatrogenically immunosuppressed patients without transplantation. <it>M. kansasii </it>is one of the most frequent NTM and large awareness exists about its involvement in human diseases. Mycobacterial diagnosis of cutaneous infections should be considered in long-lasting skin lesions.</p

Atopic dermatitis and vitamin D: facts and controversies

Patients with atopic dermatitis have genetically determined risk factors that affect the barrier function of the skin and immune responses that interact with environmental factors. Clinically, this results in an intensely pruriginous and inflamed skin that allows the penetration of irritants and allergens and predisposes patients to colonization and infection by microorganisms. Among the various etiological factors responsible for the increased prevalence of atopic diseases over the past few decades, the role of vitamin D has been emphasized. As the pathogenesis of AD involves a complex interplay of epidermal barrier dysfunction and dysregulated immune response, and vitamin D is involved in both processes, it is reasonable to expect that vitamin D's status could be associated with atopic dermatitis' risk or severity. Such association is suggested by epidemiological and experimental data. in this review, we will discuss the evidence for and against this controversial relationship, emphasizing the possible etiopathogenic mechanisms involved.Univ Brasilia UNB, Brasilia, DF, BrazilFed Dist Hlth State Dept SES DF, Brasilia, DF, BrazilUniv Brasilia HUB UNB, Brasilia Univ Hosp, Brasilia, DF, BrazilSão Paulo Fed Univ UNIFESP, Brasilia, DF, BrazilSão Paulo Fed Univ UNIFESP, Brasilia, DF, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Host Antimicrobial Peptides: the promise of new treatment strategies against Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a devastating infectious disease and remerges as a global health emergency due to an alarming rise of antimicrobial resistance to its treatment. Despite of the serious effort that has been applied to develop effective antitubercular chemotherapies, the potential of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) remains underexploited. A large amount of literature is now accessible on the AMP mechanisms of action against a diversity of pathogens; nevertheless, research on their activity on mycobacteria is still scarce. In particular, there is an urgent need to integrate all available interdisciplinary strategies to eradicate extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. In this context, we should not underestimate our endogenous antimicrobial proteins and peptides as ancient players of the human host defense system. We are confident that novel antibiotics based on human AMPs displaying a rapid and multifaceted mechanism, with reduced toxicity, should significantly contribute to reverse the tide of antimycobacterial drug resistance. In this review, we have provided an up to date perspective of the current research on AMPs to be applied in the fight against TB. A better understanding on the mechanisms of action of human endogenous peptides should ensure the basis for the best guided design of novel antitubercular chemotherapeutics