Images

Die Forschergruppe untersucht auf zwei miteinander verknüpften Ebenen erstens Abbildungskonventionen und kognitive Prozesse bei der Visualisierung räumlicher Konstellationen in den Bildern der Antike und zweitens die durch Bilder bezeugte Markierung und Strukturierung von Landschaftsräumen und sozialen Handlungsräumen. Der Transfer zwischen einem habituell implizit vermittelten und durch Expertenwissen geschulten Raumwissen in die konstruierte Wirklichkeit der Bilder wird in zehn Einzelstudien aus den Bereichen der Ägyptologie, Klassischen Archäologie und Vorderasiatischen Archäologie unter Heranziehung archäologisch-schriftlicher Quellen und heuristischer Konzepte verfolgt. Dabei rücken bewusst unterschiedliche Bildgattungen und Bildformate – ägyptische Wandtableaus und Felsbilder, griechische Tafel- und Vasenmalerei, Münzen, römische Wandmalerei, altvorderasiatische Rollsiegel und Figurinen, monumentale Bildfriese aus dem altvorderasiatischen und griechischen Bereich – ins Zentrum der Betrachtung. Durch Vergleich und Kontrastierung dieser Einzelstudien soll der Blick für das Allgemeine und das Besondere in der kulturspezifischen Praxis der Bilder geschärft werden. In regelmäßigen Forschergruppentreffen und gemeinsamen Tagungen wurden die Fragestellungen diskutiert und präzisiert. Zusätzlich geplante Tagungen und der Austausch mit an ähnlichen Fragen interessierten Wissenschaftler und Wissenschaftlerinnen erweitern das Spektrum der kulturübergreifenden Vergleichsmöglichkeiten. Im Ergebnis lassen sich sowohl gemeinsame als auch abweichende Kategorien bei der visuellen Repräsentation von Raum und raumordnendem Wissen erkennen. Dadurch eröffnen sich auch neue übergreifende Perspektiven auf das methodisch und inhaltlich auszubauende Spektrum der Forschergruppe

Early Visual Cultures and Panofsky’s Perspektive als ‘symbolische Form’

This paper investigates the historical dimension of perspectival representations. It aims to provide a heterogeneous though comparative picture of culturally unrelated visual con- ceptualizations of pictorial spaces, written with a view toward explaining how the multiple modes of perspective were introduced in antiquity. Point of departure for this critical approach is Erwin Panofsky’s essay Die Perspektive als ‘symbolische Form’ , published in 1927. His essay analyses the pictorial visualization of space and spatiality in different historical contexts, examining their cultural codification in terms of the heuristic category of ‘sym- bolic form’. However, ‘perspective’, which is commonly understood as synonymous with ‘linear perspective’, deserves a new discussion in the context of diverse visual cultures: A ‘naturalisation’ of the gaze as it is suggested by pictorial spaces which function mimetically is primarily associated with the early modern period in Western art. Instead of merely re- reading Panofsky’s canonical text, this paper presents an interdisciplinary re-viewing of a selection of the pictorial examples chosen by Panofsky, commenting upon their perspec- tive(s) from different vantage points

Phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate is a potent enhancer of B cells with a granzyme B+ regulatory phenotype

IntroductionThe infusion of ex-vivo-generated regulatory B cells may represent a promising novel therapeutic approach for a variety of autoimmune and hyperinflammatory conditions including graft-versus-host disease.MethodsPreviously, we developed a protocol for the generation of a novel population of regulatory B cells, which are characterized by secretion of enzymatically active granzyme B (GraB cells). This protocol uses recombinant interleukin 21 (IL-21) and goat-derived F(ab)’2 fragments against the human B cell receptor (anti-BCR). Generally, the use of xenogeneic material for the manufacturing of advanced therapy medicinal products should be avoided to prevent adverse immune reactions as well as potential transmission of so far unknown diseases.ResultsIn the present work we demonstrated that phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA/TPA), a phorbol ester with a particular analogy to the second messenger diacylglycerol (DAG), is a potent enhancer of IL-21-induced differentiation of pre-activated B cells into GraB cells. The percentage of GraB cells after stimulation of pre-activated B cells with IL-21 and PMA/TPA was not significantly lower compared to stimulation with IL-21 and anti-BCR.DiscussionGiven that PMA/TPA has already undergone encouraging clinical testing in patients with certain haematological diseases, our results suggest that PMA/TPA may be a safe and feasible alternative for ex-vivo manufacturing of GraB cells

Climate Change, Coral Reef Ecosystems, and Management Options for Marine Protected Areas

Marine protected areas (MPAs) provide place-based management of marine ecosystems through various degrees and types of protective actions. Habitats such as coral reefs are especially susceptible to degradation resulting from climate change, as evidenced by mass bleaching events over the past two decades. Marine ecosystems are being altered by direct effects of climate change including ocean warming, ocean acidification, rising sea level, changing circulation patterns, increasing severity of storms, and changing freshwater influxes. As impacts of climate change strengthen they may exacerbate effects of existing stressors and require new or modified management approaches; MPA networks are generally accepted as an improvement over individual MPAs to address multiple threats to the marine environment. While MPA networks are considered a potentially effective management approach for conserving marine biodiversity, they should be established in conjunction with other management strategies, such as fisheries regulations and reductions of nutrients and other forms of land-based pollution. Information about interactions between climate change and more “traditional” stressors is limited. MPA managers are faced with high levels of uncertainty about likely outcomes of management actions because climate change impacts have strong interactions with existing stressors, such as land-based sources of pollution, overfishing and destructive fishing practices, invasive species, and diseases. Management options include ameliorating existing stressors, protecting potentially resilient areas, developing networks of MPAs, and integrating climate change into MPA planning, management, and evaluation

Randomization of Left-Right Asymmetry and Congenital Heart Defects The Role of DNAH5 in Humans and Mice

Background: Nearly one in 100 live births presents with congenital heart defects (CHD). CHD is frequently associated with laterality defects, such as situs inversus, a mirrored positioning of internal organs. Body laterality is established by a complex process: monocilia at the embryonic left-right organizer facilitate both the generation and sensing of a leftward fluid flow. This induces the conserved left-sided Nodal signaling cascade to initiate asymmetrical organogenesis. Primary ciliary dyskinesia originates from dysfunction of motile cilia, causing symptoms such as chronic sinusitis, bronchiectasis and frequently situs inversus totalis. The most frequently mutated gene in primary ciliary dyskinesia, DNAH5 is associated with randomization of body asymmetry resulting in situs inversus totalis in half of the patients; however, its relation to CHD occurrence in humans has not been investigated in detail so far. Methods: We performed genotype/phenotype correlations in 132 patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia carrying disease-causing DNAH5 mutations, focusing on situs defects and CHD. Using high-speed video microscopy-, immunofluorescence-, and in situ hybridization analyses, we investigated the initial steps of left-right axis establishment in embryos of a Dnah5-mutant mouse model. Results: In patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia carrying disease-causing DNAH5 mutations, 65.9% (87/132) had laterality defects: 88.5% (77/87) presented with situs inversus totalis, 11.5% (10/87) presented with situs ambiguus; and 6.1% (8/132) presented with CHD. In Dnah5(mut/mut) mice, embryonic left-right organizer monocilia lack outer dynein arms resulting in immotile cilia, impaired flow at the left-right organizer, and randomization of Nodal signaling with normal, reversed or bilateral expression of key molecules. Conclusions: For the first time, we directly demonstrate the disease-mechanism of laterality defects linked to DNAH5 deficiency at the molecular level during embryogenesis. We highlight that mutations in DNAH5 are not only associated with classical randomization of left-right body asymmetry but also with severe laterality defects including CHD