Live and Let Die Nef Functions beyond HIV Replication

AbstractThe viral Nef protein is important for the progression of the human and simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV/SIV) infection. So far, experimental evidence has suggested that Nef enhances viral replication and infectivity through a combination of different effects. Recent insights, however, indicate that its functions are more complex than previously anticipated. By targeting the T cell receptor, Nef may not only prime viral replication but, more importantly, ensure viral survival through distinct mechanisms of immune evasion and antiapoptosis

Strategische Optionen der Ruhrgebiets-Stadtwerke im Rahmen der Energiewende: Beurteilung der aktuellen Situation

Stadtwerke sind im Ruhrgebiet strukturprägend und haben eine lange Tradition. Sie sind fester Bestandteil der Akteurskonstellation im Energiebereich der Emscher-Lippe-Zone. Schon heute zeichnen sich die Stadtwerke des Ruhrgebiets vielfach dadurch aus, dass sie die mit der Energiewende verbundenen Chancen nutzen. Ihre technische und gesellschaftliche Struktur entspricht weitgehend den mit der Energiewende verbundenen Transformationsprozessen hin zu einer stärkeren Dezentralität der Erzeugung und der Demokratisierung der Energieversorgung. Die meisten Stadtwerke des Ruhrgebiets sind auf mehreren Wertschöpfungsstufen im Energiebereich tätig. In der Stromerzeugung haben sie einen Schwerpunkt im Bereich der Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung und bei erneuerbaren Energien. Zudem sind sie vielerorts Partner und teilweise sogar Mitinitiator bürgerschaftlichen Engagements zum Ausbau erneuerbarer Energien. Als Verteilnetzbetreiber für Strom, Gas und Wärme sorgen sie vielerorts für die Integration und Verteilung erneuerbarer Energien. Die Energiewende findet weitgehend in den örtlichen Verteilnetzen statt und bedeutet für die Stadtwerke des Ruhrgebiets eine Zunahme an komplexen Koordinierungsfunktionen und teilweise auch die Herausbildung völlig neuer Aufgaben.Ergebnisse des Leitprojekts "Stadtwerke als strategischer Akteur der Energiewende" im Gesamtprojekt "Energiewende Ruhr"Stadtwerke (public utilities) are typical energy suppliers and grid operators in the German Ruhr region (which is located between the rivers Emscher and Lippe in North Rhine-Westphalia). They have a long tradition as inherent part of the actor constellations in the energy sector. Already today, the public utilities of the Ruhr region are characterised by seizing the opportunities offered by the energy transition (the so-called German Energiewende). Their technical and social structure largely corresponds to the processes associated with the energy transition towards a more decentralised generation and a democratisation of the energy supply. Most of the public utilities in the Ruhr region are active in several stages of the energy value chain. In electricity generation, they have a focus on cogeneration and renewable energies. In addition, they are frequently supporters and partners or even co-initiators of civic involvement for the expansion of renewable energies. As a distribution grid operator for electricity, gas and heat, they are often responsible for the integration and distribution of renewable energies. The energy transition is largely carried out in the local distribution grids. As a result of this, the coordination und the functions of public utilities in the Ruhr region become increasingly complex and entirely new tasks start to evolve

Cuticular hydrocarbons on old museum specimens of the spiny mason wasp, Odynerus spinipes (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), shed light on the distribution and on regional frequencies of distinct chemotypes

The mason wasp Odynerus spinipes shows an exceptional case of intrasexual cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profile dimorphism. Females of this species display one of two CHC profiles (chemotypes) that differ qualitatively and quantitatively from each other. The ratio of the two chemotypes was previously shown to be close to 1:1 at three sites in Southern Germany, which might not be representative given the Palearctic distribution of the species. To infer the frequency of the two chemotypes across the entire distributional range of the species, we analyzed with GC–MS the CHC profile of 1042 dry-mounted specimens stored in private and museum collections. We complemented our sampling by including 324 samples collected and preserved specifically for studying their CHCs. We were capable of reliably identifying the chemotypes in 91% of drymounted samples, some of which collected almost 200 years ago. We found both chemotypes to occur in the Far East, the presumed glacial refuge of the species, and their frequency to differ considerably between sites and geographic regions. The geographic structure in the chemotype frequencies could be the result of differential selection regimes and/or different dispersal routes during the colonization of the Western Palearctic. The presented data pave the route for disentangling these factors by providing information where to geographically sample O. spinipes for population genetic analyses. They also form the much-needed basis for future studies aiming to understand the evolutionary and geographic origin as well as the genetics of the astounding CHC profile dimorphism that O. spinipes females exhibit

Nocturnal sodium oxybate increases the anterior cingulate cortex magnetic resonance glutamate signal upon awakening

Clinical guidelines recommend sodium oxybate (SXB; the sodium salt of γ-hydroxybutyrate) for the treatment of disturbed sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy, yet the underlying mode of action is elusive. In a randomised controlled trial in 20 healthy volunteers, we aimed at establishing neurochemical changes in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) following SXB-enhanced sleep. The ACC is a core neural hub regulating vigilance in humans. At 2:30 a.m., we administered in a double-blind cross-over manner an oral dose of 50 mg/kg SXB or placebo, to enhance electroencephalography-defined sleep intensity in the second half of nocturnal sleep (11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.). Upon scheduled awakening, we assessed subjective sleepiness, tiredness and mood and measured two-dimensional, J-resolved, point-resolved magnetic resonance spectroscopy (PRESS) localisation at 3-Tesla field strength. Following brain scanning, we used validated tools to quantify psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) performance and executive functioning. We analysed the data with independent t tests, false discovery rate (FDR) corrected for multiple comparisons. The morning glutamate signal (at 8:30 a.m.) in the ACC was specifically increased after SXB-enhanced sleep in all participants in whom good-quality spectroscopy data were available (n = 16; pFDR < 0.002). Further, global vigilance (10th-90th inter-percentile range on the PVT) was improved (pFDR < 0.04) and median PVT response time was shorter (pFDR < 0.04) compared to placebo. The data indicate that elevated glutamate in the ACC could provide a neurochemical mechanism underlying SXB's pro-vigilant efficacy in disorders of hypersomnolence

MSSM Higgs bosons associated with high-pT jets at hadron colliders

The cross section for the production of the lightest neutral Higgs boson in association with a high-pT hadronic jet, calculated in the framework of the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM), is presented. The expectations for the hadronic cross section at the Large Hadron Collider are discussed using reasonable kinematical cuts. In particular the contributions from superpartner loops to the cross section and their dependence on the parameters of the MSSM are investigated and found to be significant. Comparisons show that the production rate for h0 + jet in the MSSM can differ widely from the corresponding standard-model prediction.Comment: 20 page

Short-time weight-bearing capacity assessment for non-ambulatory patients with subacute stroke: reliabiltiy and discriminative power

BACKGROUND: Weight-bearing capacity (WBC) on the hemiparetic leg is crucial for independent walking, and is thus an important outcome to monitor after a stroke. A specific and practical assessment in non-ambulatory patients is not available. This is of importance considering the increasing administration of high intensive gait training for the severely impaired stroke population. The aim was to develop a fast and easy-to-perform assessment for WBC on a foot pressure plate to be used in clinical routine. METHODS: WBC was assessed in the frontal plane in 30 non-ambulatory patients with subacute stroke and 10 healthy controls under 3 conditions: static, dynamic, and rhythmic. Force–time curves for the hemiparetic leg (patients with stroke) and the non-dominant leg (healthy controls) were normalised as a percentage of body weight (%BW), and the means analysed over 60, 30, and 15 s (static) and the mean of the peak values for 15, 10, 5, 4, and 3 repetition trials (dynamic, rhythmic). The data were tested for discriminative power and reliability. Dynamic and rhythmic tests could discriminate between patients with stroke and healthy controls over all periods (15, 10, 5, 4, and 3 repetitions) (p < 0.001), but not the static test (60 s, p = 0.639; 30 s, p = 0.708; 15 s, p = 0.685). Excellent relative intra-session [intra-class correlation (ICC) >0.829] and inter-session reliability (ICC = 0.740) were found for 3 repetitions in the dynamic test with acceptable absolute reliability [standard error of measurement (SEM) <5 %BW, minimal detectable difference (MDD) <12.4 %BW] and no within- or between-test differences (trial 1, p = 0.792; trial 2, p = 0.067; between trials, p = 0.102). CONCLUSIONS: Three dynamic repetitions of loading the hemiparetic leg are sufficient to assess WBC in non-ambulatory patients with subacute stroke. This is an important finding regarding the implementation of a fast and easy-to-perform assessment for routine clinical usage in patients with limited standing ability

Summary of Milestones 2030 : Elements and milestones for the development of a stable and sustainable bioenergy strategy

This publication is the English version of the summary of the German report „Meilensteine 2030“ (THRÄN et al. 2015) which is published in the series of the funding programme “Biomass energy use”. The report describes elements and milestones for the development of a stable and sustainable bioenergy strategy

Five-year results of lumbar disc prostheses in the SWISSspine registry

Purpose: The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health demanded a nationwide HTA registry for lumbar total disc arthroplasty (TDA), to decide about its reimbursement. The goal of the SWISS spine registry is to generate evidence about the safety and efficiency of lumbar TDA. Methods: Two hundred forty-eight cases treated between 3-2005 and 6-2006, who were eligible for the 5-year follow-up were included in the study. Follow-up rates for 3-6months, 1, 2 and 5years were 85.9, 77.0, 44.0 and 51.2%, respectively. Outcome measures were back and leg pain, medication consumption, quality of life, intraoperative and postoperative complication and revision rates. Additionally, segmental mobility, ossification, adjacent and distant segment degeneration were analysed at the 5-year follow-up. Results: There was a significant, clinically relevant and lasting reduction of back (preop/postop 73/29 VAS points) and leg pain (preop/postop VAS 55/22) and a consequently decreased analgesics consumption and quality of life improvement (preop/postop 0.30/0.76 EQ-5D score points) until 5years after surgery. The rates for intraoperative and early postoperative complications were 4.4 and 3.2%, respectively. The overall complication rate during five postoperative years was 23.4%, and the adjacent segment degeneration rate was 10.7%. In 4.4 % of patients, a revision surgery was performed. Cumulative survivorship probability for a revision/re-intervention-free 5-year postoperative course was 90.4%. At the 5-year follow-up, the average range of motion of the mobile segments (86.8%) was 9.7°. In 43.9% of patients, osteophytes at least potentially affecting the range of motion were seen. Conclusions: Lumbar TDA appeared as efficient in long-term pain alleviation, consequent reduction of pain medication consumption and improvement of quality of life. The procedure also appeared sufficiently safe, but surgeons have to be aware of a list of potential adverse events. The outcome is stable over the 5-year postoperative period. The vast majority of treated segments remained mobile after 5years, although almost half of patients showed osteophytes