Gewinnung von Tiefenkarten aus Fokusserien

In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden Verfahren zur Tiefenschätzung aus Fokusserien einer genauen Analyse unterzogen. Mögliche Fehlerquellen werden ausgehend vom optischen Abbildungsprozess bis hin zu den digitalen Bildverarbeitungsalgorithmen eingehend untersucht. Anhand der zu Grunde liegenden physikalischen Prinzipien werden die Fokus-Verfahren mit anderen optischen 3D-Meßtechniken verglichen und entsprechend eingeordnet. Allen bisherigen Verfahren zur Tiefenschätzung aus Fokusserien ist gemein, daß der optische Aufbau aus einer speziellen skalierungsfreien, der sogenannten telezentischen Optik bestehen muß. Andernfalls sind die sonst entstehenden Skalierungseffekte in einem zusätzlichen, fehlerbehafteten Schritt zu korrigieren. Ein im Rahmen dieser Arbeit entwickeltes neuartiges Verfahren zur simultanen Tiefen- und Bewegungsschätzung räumt diese gravierenden Limitierungen erfolgreich aus. Dazu wird die Fokusserie als Diffusionsprozess mit einer linearen, partiellen Differentialgleichung beschrieben. Die diesen Prozess beschreibenden Parameter werden mittels einer Total Least Squares Methode direkt aus der Fokusserie geschätzt. Die Tiefeninformation der Szene wird aus der gemessenen Diffusionskonstante errechnet. Abschließend werden alle vorgestellten Verfahren der Tiefenbestimmung an synthetischen und realen Fokusserien erprobt

Sustainable marketing through sponsorship of the Extreme : an analysis of the global strategy of the Red Bull group by using the concept “Red Bull Stratos”

In my bachelor thesis I would like to explain the success of sports sponsorship by the positive image transfer using the prime example of Red Bull. The sports sponsorship as a modern and efficient way of marketing mainly caused by emotions produce positiveimage transfer, which effects are declared fundamentally anddefined. The aim is to investigate the current success ofsports sponsorship bythe case study of "Red Bull Stratos". The analysis I will elaborate with extensive research and a questionnaire. The results will clarify which types of sports sponsorship work most successfully in the young target group. These findings should also be of importance for today's companies andgive you an example ofmodern, efficient and sustainable marketing

Downregulation of a CYP74 Rubber Particle Protein Increases Natural Rubber Production in \u3ci\u3eParthenium argentatum\u3c/i\u3e

We report functional genomics studies of a CYP74 rubber particle protein from Parthenium argentatum, commonly called guayule. Previously identified as an allene oxide synthase (AOS), this CYP74 constitutes the most abundant protein found in guayule rubber particles. Transgenic guayule lines with AOS gene expression down-regulated by RNAi (AOSi) exhibited strong phenotypes that included agricultural traits conducive to enhancing rubber yield. AOSi lines had higher leaf and stem biomass, thicker stembark tissues, increased stem branching and improved net photosynthetic rate. Importantly, the rubber content was significantly increased in AOSi lines compared to the wild-type (WT), vector control and AOS overexpressing (AOSoe) lines, when grown in controlled environments both in tissue-culture media and in greenhouse/growth chambers. Rubber particles from AOSi plants consistently had less AOS particle-associated protein, and lower activity (for conversion of 13-HPOT to allene oxide). Yet plants with downregulated AOS showed higher rubber transferase enzyme activity. The increase in biomass in AOSi lines was associated with not only increases in the rate of photosynthesis and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), in the cold, but also in the content of the phytohormone SA, along with a decrease in JA, GAs, and ABA. The increase in biosynthetic activity and rubber content could further result from the negative regulation of AOS expression by high levels of salicylic acid in AOSi lines and when introduced exogenously. It is apparent that AOS in guayule plays a pivotal role in rubber production and plant growth

A phase IIb, open-label, randomized controlled dose ranging multi-centre trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and exposure-response relationship of different doses of delpazolid in combination with bedaquiline delamanid moxifloxacin in adult subjects with newly diagnosed, uncomplicated, smear-positive, drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Linezolid is an effective, but toxic anti-tuberculosis drug that is currently recommended for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Improved oxazolidinones should have a better safety profile, while preserving efficacy. Delpazolid is a novel oxazolidinone developed by LegoChem Biosciences Inc. that has been evaluated up to phase 2a clinical trials. Since oxazolidinone toxicity can occur late in treatment, LegoChem Biosciences Inc. and the PanACEA Consortium designed DECODE to be an innovative dose-ranging study with long-term follow-up for determining the exposure-response and exposure-toxicity relationship of delpazolid to support dose selection for later studies. Delpazolid is administered in combination with bedaquiline, delamanid and moxifloxacin. METHODS: Seventy-five participants with drug-sensitive, pulmonary tuberculosis will receive bedaquiline, delamanid and moxifloxacin, and will be randomized to delpazolid dosages of 0 mg, 400 mg, 800 mg, 1200 mg once daily, or 800 mg twice daily, for 16 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint will be the rate of decline of bacterial load on treatment, measured by MGIT liquid culture time to detection from weekly sputum cultures. The primary safety endpoint will be the proportion of oxazolidinone class toxicities; neuropathy, myelosuppression, or tyramine pressor response. Participants who convert to negative liquid media culture by week 8 will stop treatment after the end of their 16-week course and will be observed for relapse until week 52. Participants who do not convert to negative culture will receive continuation phase treatment with rifampicin and isoniazid to complete a six-month treatment course. DISCUSSION: DECODE is an innovative dose-finding trial, designed to support exposure-response modelling for safe and effective dose selection. The trial design allows assessment of occurrence of late toxicities as observed with linezolid, which is necessary in clinical evaluation of novel oxazolidinones. The primary efficacy endpoint is the change in bacterial load, an endpoint conventionally used in shorter dose-finding trials. Long-term follow-up after shortened treatment is possible through a safety rule excluding slow-and non-responders from potentially poorly performing dosages. TRIAL REGISTRATION: DECODE was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov before recruitment start on 22 October 2021 (NCT04550832)

Time-to-Positivity of Blood Cultures in Children With Sepsis.

<b>Background:</b> Blood cultures are essential for the diagnosis and further appropriate treatment in children with suspected sepsis. In most hospitals, children will be empirically treated or closely monitored for at least 48 h awaiting results of blood cultures. Several studies have challenged the optimal duration of empiric treatment in the era of continuously monitored blood culture systems. The aim of our study was to investigate time-to-positivity (TTP) of blood cultures in children with proven sepsis. <b>Methods:</b> The Swiss Pediatric Sepsis Study prospectively enrolled children 0-16 years of age with blood culture positive sepsis between September 2011 and October 2015. TTP was prospectively assessed in six participating academic pediatric hospitals by fully automated blood culture systems. <b>Results:</b> In 521 (93%) of 562 bacteremia episodes (493 children, median age 103 days, range 0 days-16.9 years) a valid TTP was available. Median TTP was 12 h (IQR 8-17 h, range 0-109 h). By 24, 36, and 48 h, 460 (88%), 498 (96%), and 510 (98%) blood cultures, respectively, were positive. TTP was independent of age, sex, presence of comorbidities, site of infection and severity of infection. Median TTP in all age groups combined was shortest for group B streptococcus (8.7 h) and longest for coagulase-negative staphylococci (16.2 h). <b>Conclusion:</b> Growth of bacteria in blood cultures is detectable within 24 h in 9 of 10 children with blood culture-proven sepsis. Therefore, a strict rule to observe or treat all children with suspected sepsis for at least 48 h is not justified

Descartes’ Sum-Res-Cogitans-Argument in der Zweiten Meditation

Two major interpretations have been advanced for the sum res cogitans passage in Descartes’s Second Meditation. According to the first interpretation, he argues in this passage that only thinking belongs to his essence. According to the second interpretation, due to Anthony Kenny, Harry Frankfurt and others, no such claim is defended by Descartes. Rather, it is his aim to argue that only thinking can be ascribed to him with certainty. In this essay, it will be shown that the “naive”, essentialist reading of the sum res cogitans reasoning is closer to the text than the perhaps more sophisticated, purely epistemic reading. Although the interpretation defended here is not new, it will be arrived at by way of (hopefully) new arguments

CONTRIBUTION OF YIELD COMPONENTS TO RUBBER PRODUCTION IN GUAYULE.

Guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray) has the potential of becoming an important domestic source of natural rubber. Although some progress has been achieved in increasing yields, for guayule to become an economically feasible crop of the southwest desert, further increases in rubber yield, either by increasing biomass or the plant's rubber content, are necessary. Providing the variability for these desired traits is present in available germplasm, the plant breeder must find a means of selecting for these two traits. It is obvious that biomass can be visually estimated, and it is therefore easier to select for this trait in comparison to the plant's rubber content. Due to practical consideration such as harvesting and processing, high rubber content becomes more desirable than extremely large plants. However, it is hoped that measured characters can be found to predict both traits in order to aid the plant breeder. The variables measured in this study were percent rubber and resin, rubber and resin yield(g/plt.), plant height (cm), width (cm) and volume m³, fresh and dry weight (kg/plt.), mean steam diameter (cm), total and mean steam area (cm²), total and mean stem circumference (cm), total circumference/total area (cm⁻¹), stem number, percent dry weight, and regeneration. This study examined a field with 234 guayule breeding lines. A high amount of variability existed both within and among these lines. It was found that dry weight (kg/plt.) had the best correlation to rubber yields (r = 0.92) and plant volume best predicts dry weight (r = 0.84), but none of these variables correlated well with rubber content. The best statistical regression model for percent rubber included four variables, fresh and dry weight (kg/plt.), dry weight (%) and plant volume (m³). This model accounted for 51% of the variability. In comparison, the best regression on rubber yield had an R² = 0.85 for our variables including plant height (cm), width (cm), volume (m³) and dry weight (kg/plt.). It is obvious that rubber yields may be more easily increased by selecting for biomass. However, it appears that in the long term, increases in rubber content will be of critical importance for maximum efficiency. Therefore, a measurable indication of rubber content is needed to aid in selecting for this trait