Trends des Deutschlernens im Ausland

Der Autor bereitet die vom Goethe-Institut erhobenen Daten zu Trends des Deutschlernens im Ausland auf. Der Beitrag versteht sich als "Lektürefaden" für das knapp 180 Seiten starke Heft, in dem Datensätze aus den Jahren 1985 und 1995 gegenübergestellt werden: Der jüngere von 1995 basiert auf Erhebungen des Auswärtigen Amtes (Auskunft gaben Botschaften und Auslandsvertretungen) und des Goethe-Institutes (Auskunft über Auslandsinstitute); der ältere entstammt dem Bericht Die Stellung der deutschen Sprache in der Welt der Bundesregierung. Im betrachteten Zeitraum zwischen 1985 und 1995 wurde Deutsch in 139 Ländern der Erde von insgesamt fast 20 Millionen Schülern weiterführender Schulen sowie von Studenten gelernt. - Dieses und weitere Details über das Deutschlernen im Ausland liefert eine Broschüre des Goethe-Instituts, auf die sich dieser Artikel stützt

Partial Agonism through a Zinc-Ion Switch Constructed between Transmembrane Domains III and VII in the Tachykinin NK 1 Receptor

ABSTRACT Partly due to lack of detailed knowledge of the molecular recognition of ligands the structural basis for partial versus full agonism is not known. In the ␤ 2 -adrenergic receptor the agonist binding site has previously been structurally and functionally exchanged with an activating metal-ion site located between AspIII:08 -or a His residue introduced at this position in transmembrane domain (TM)-III-and a Cys residue substituted for AsnVII:06 in TM-VII. Here, this interhelical, bidentate metal-ion site is without loss of Zn 2ϩ affinity transferred to the tachykinin NK 1 receptor. In contrast to the similarly mutated ␤ 2 -adrenergic receptor, signal transduction-i.e., inositol phosphate turnover-could be stimulated by both Zn 2ϩ and by the natural agonist, Substance P in the mutated NK 1 receptor. The metal-ion acted as a 25% partial agonist through binding to the bidentate zinc switch located exactly one helical turn below the two previously identified interaction points for Substance P in, respectively, TM-III and -VII. The metal-ion chelator, phenantroline, which in the ␤ 2 -adrenergic receptor increased both the potency and the agonistic efficacy of Zn 2ϩ or Cu 2ϩ in complex with the chelator, also bound to the metal-ion site-engineered NK 1 receptor, but here the metal-ion chelator complex instead acted as a pure antagonist. It is concluded that signaling of even distantly related rhodopsin-like 7TM receptors can be activated through Zn 2ϩ coordination between metal-ion binding residues located at positions III:08 and VII:06. It is suggested that only partial agonism is obtained through this simple well defined metal-ion coordination due to lack of proper interactions with residues also in TM-VI. Mutational mapping and cross-linking experiments have provided much information concerning binding pockets for ligands in 7-transmembrane (TM) receptor

Comparison of experimental results from three dual fluidized bed test facilities capturing CO2 with CaO

10th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies[EN] Postcombustion CO2 capture technologies using CaO as a regenerable solid sorbent have emerged as a promising route to reduce the electricity penalty and the cost of CO2 capture from flue gases of both new and existing fossil fuelled power plants. Rapid progress is taking place in the understanding of these processes at different levels. However, experimental information, validating the concept under continuous operating conditions similar to those expected for large-scale application, remain scarce. We present here a comparative analysis of the results obtained in three laboratory-scale dual fluidized bed (DFB) test facilities in Spain, Germany and Canada. The test facilities range from 10 to 75 kWth with riser heights between 4.5 and 12.4 m. They have been operated to capture CO2 with CaO from simulated flue gases in the bubbling, turbulent and fast fluidization fluid-dynamic regimes. The carbonator reactors are interconnected with regenerators, where the CaCO3 decomposition has been conducted continuously and semi-continuously, operated in both air-combustion and oxy-combustion modes. Many stationary and non-stationary states have been achieved at different combinations of the key operating parameters (e.g. calcium looping ratio). All DFB test facilities showed a carbon balance closure of high quality in most tests. The trends of CO2 capture efficiency with respect to operating conditions and sorbent characteristics are compared and a discussion is made on the most appropriate methodology to conduct future tests under a joint new FP7 project (CaOling) that aims at the rapid scaling up of the calcium looping technology.This work is being funded by the European Commision 7th Framework Programme under the CaOling Project.Peer reviewe

Of autoregressive continuous time model parameters estimation

This article revisits a sequential approach to the estimation of the parameter in a first-order autoregressive model (AR(1)) with continuous time. There is provided a numerical study to get a results of sequential estimations of the parameter in first-order autoregressive model with continuous time and is computed a stopping rule and the optimal time of observations. Also there is provided a comparing analysis of estimation results with using the sequential approach both the optimal time of observations

Grazing season and forage type influence goat milk composition and rennet coagulation properties

Two different types of pasture (cultivated and rangeland) and 2 different hay qualities (high and low quality) were examined for their effects on goat milk composition and rennet coagulation properties. Furthermore, the effect of dietary treatments in both the early and late grazing season was studied. As lactation stage is known to influence milk composition, the goats in the early and late grazing season were in the same lactation stage at the start of the experiment. The milk composition was influenced both by dietary treatment and season. Milk from goats on pasture was superior to those on hay by containing a higher content of protein and casein, and the goats on cultivated pasture had the highest milk yield. Casein composition was significantly influenced by forage treatment. Goats grazing on cultivated pasture had higher contents of αs1-casein and also of κ-casein compared with the other treatments, whereas goats grazing on rangeland had the highest content of β-casein. Factors such as milk yield, casein micelle size, αs2-casein, and calcium content were reduced in late compared with early season. More favorable rennet coagulation properties were achieved in milk from the early grazing season, with shorter firming time and higher curd firmness compared with milk from the late grazing season, but the firming time and curd firmness were not prominently influenced by forage treatment. The content of αs2-casein and calcium in the milk affected the firming time and the curd firmness positively. The influence of season and forage treatment on especially milk yield, casein content, and rennet coagulation properties is of economic importance for both the dairy industry and goat milk farmers

A genome-wide screen in macrophages identifies new regulators of IFNγ-inducible MHCII that contribute to T cell activation [preprint]

Cytokine-mediated activation of host immunity is central to the control of pathogens. A key cytokine in protective immunity is interferon-gamma (IFNγ), which is a potent activator of antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effectors within the host. A major role of IFNγ is to induce major histocompatibility complex class II molecules (MHCII) on the surface of cells, which is required for CD4+ T cell activation. Despite its central role in host immunity, the complex and dynamic regulation of IFNγ-induced MHCII is not well understood. Here, we integrated functional genomics and transcriptomics to comprehensively define the genetic control of IFNγ-mediated MHCII surface expression in macrophages. Using a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 library we identified genes that control MHCII surface expression, many of which have yet to be associated with MHCII. Mechanistic studies uncovered two parallel pathways of IFNγ-mediated MHCII control that require the multifunctional glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) or the mediator complex subunit MED16. Both pathways are necessary for IFNγ-mediated induction of the MHCII transactivator CIITA, MHCII expression, and CD4+ T cell activation. Using transcriptomic analysis, we defined the regulons controlled by GSK3β and MED16 in the presence and absence of IFNγ and identified unique networks of the IFNγ-mediated transcriptional landscape that are controlled by each gene. Our analysis suggests GSK3β and MED16 control distinct aspects of the IFNγ-response and are critical for macrophages to respond appropriately to IFNγ. Our results define previously unappreciated regulation of MHCII expression that is required to control CD4+ T cell responses by macrophages. These discoveries will aid in our basic understanding of macrophage-mediated immunity and will shed light on mechanisms of failed adaptive responses pervasive in infectious disease, autoimmunity, and cancer