Unterrichtsmodule zur Gesundheitsförderung Ergebnisse einer kontrollierten interventionsstudie an zwei Gymnasien

Zusammenfassung: In einer kontrollierten interventionsstudie an zwei neusprachlichen Gymnasien des Kantons Zürich wurden die Effekte gesundheitsfördernder Unterrichtsmodule untersucht, welche von Lehrpersonen und Jugendlichen gemeinsam entwickelt und in den üblichen Schulunterricht integriert wurden. Im einzelnen interessierten Auswirkungen auf das Unterrichtsklima, den Schulstress der Lernenden und deren physische und psychische Befindlichkeit. Die Schülerinnen und Schüler der interventions- und Kontrollschule wurden im Verlauf von 18 Monaten dreimal mit einem ausführlichen Fragebogen befragt. In der Interventions-schule wurden zwischen t1 und t2 (intervall 12 Monate) die Module zur Gesundheitsförderung implementiert. Im Untersuchungszeitraum kam es einerseits zu einer kritischeren Einschätzung des Unterrichtsklimas und des Schulstresses, andererseits zu einer Abnahme der physischen und psychischen Beschwerden bei den Lernenden. Diese Ergebnisse waren in beiden Schulen gleich, d.h. es liessen sich keine interventions-effekte nachweisen. Vermutlich wirkt die Teilnahme an einer Verlaufs-studie mit wiederholten Erhebungen im Sinne einer Sensibilisierung und Mobilisierung von Ressourcen bei den Jugendlichen. Die Studie zeigt Möglichkeiten zur Gesundheitsförderung bei Adoleszenten auf, weist aber auch auf Konflikte zwischen pädagogischem Leistungsauftrag und psychosomatischen Präventionsstrategien hi

Ultrafast polariton-phonon dynamics of strongly coupled quantum dot-nanocavity systems

We investigate the influence of exciton-phonon coupling on the dynamics of a strongly coupled quantum dot-photonic crystal cavity system and explore the effects of this interaction on different schemes for non-classical light generation. By performing time-resolved measurements, we map out the detuning-dependent polariton lifetime and extract the spectrum of the polariton-to-phonon coupling with unprecedented precision. Photon-blockade experiments for different pulse-length and detuning conditions (supported by quantum optical simulations) reveal that achieving high-fidelity photon blockade requires an intricate understanding of the phonons' influence on the system dynamics. Finally, we achieve direct coherent control of the polariton states of a strongly coupled system and demonstrate that their efficient coupling to phonons can be exploited for novel concepts in high-fidelity single photon generation

Effects of larval density and habitat drying on developmental success of Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in urban rain pools: Evidence from field and experimental studies

Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (Macquart) (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae develop synchronously after rainfall events in ephemeral or temporary pools, where they occasionally attain very high abundance. The aims of the current study were to analyze the response of life history parameters such as daily larval mortality, time to pupation, and adult size of Oc. albifasciatus to increasing larval density under controlled conditions, and to analyze the relationships of daily larval mortality with density and environmental variables (drying rate, temperature, and season) in urban rain pools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An exponential increase in mortality was observed at high larval densities under controlled conditions. Development times and adult size (wing length) differed between males and females, and were also affected by density. Development times extended for 0.36 d for each order of magnitude of increase in larval density, and wing length decreased 0.0021 mm per additional larva in 600 cm2. Larval density in the field varied from <1 larva per square meter to nearly 1100 larvae per square meter. Daily larval mortality values in the field were variable (0.02-0.91), positively related to the drying rate, and exhibited seasonal differences. No significant relation with larval density or temperature was found in the field. It remains to be established whether the density-independent mortality observed in this study is a generalized pattern of Oc. albifasciatus populations in Buenos Aires Province or a pattern restricted only to urban habitats.Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raul A. Ringuelet"Instituto de Recursos Minerale

Effects of larval density and habitat drying on developmental success of Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in urban rain pools: Evidence from field and experimental studies

Ochlerotatus albifasciatus (Macquart) (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae develop synchronously after rainfall events in ephemeral or temporary pools, where they occasionally attain very high abundance. The aims of the current study were to analyze the response of life history parameters such as daily larval mortality, time to pupation, and adult size of Oc. albifasciatus to increasing larval density under controlled conditions, and to analyze the relationships of daily larval mortality with density and environmental variables (drying rate, temperature, and season) in urban rain pools in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An exponential increase in mortality was observed at high larval densities under controlled conditions. Development times and adult size (wing length) differed between males and females, and were also affected by density. Development times extended for 0.36 d for each order of magnitude of increase in larval density, and wing length decreased 0.0021 mm per additional larva in 600 cm2. Larval density in the field varied from <1 larva per square meter to nearly 1100 larvae per square meter. Daily larval mortality values in the field were variable (0.02-0.91), positively related to the drying rate, and exhibited seasonal differences. No significant relation with larval density or temperature was found in the field. It remains to be established whether the density-independent mortality observed in this study is a generalized pattern of Oc. albifasciatus populations in Buenos Aires Province or a pattern restricted only to urban habitats.Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raul A. Ringuelet"Instituto de Recursos Minerale

Convergent evolution of unusual complex I homologs with increased proton pumping capacity: energetic and ecological implications

Respiratory complex I is part of a large family of homologous enzymes that carry out the transfer of electrons between soluble cytoplasmic electron carriers and membrane-bound electron carriers. These complexes are vital bioenergetic enzymes that serve as the entry points into electron transport chains for a wide variety of microbial metabolisms, and electron transfer is coupled to proton translocation. The core complex of this enzyme is made up of 11 protein subunits, with three major proton pumping subunits. Here, we document a large number of modified complex I gene cassettes found in genome sequences from diverse cultured bacteria, shotgun metagenomics, and environmentally derived archaeal fosmids all of which encode a fourth proton pumping subunit. The incorporation of this extra subunit into a functional protein complex is supported by large amino acid insertions in the amphipathic helix that runs the length of the protein complex. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that these modified complexes appear to have arisen independently multiple times in a remarkable case of convergent molecular evolution. From an energetic perspective, we hypothesize that this modification on the canonical complex I architecture allows for the translocation of a fifth proton per reaction cycle—the physiological utility of this modified complex is discussed

Anterior basolateral amygdala neurons comprise a remote fear memory engram

IntroductionThreatening environmental cues often generate enduring fear memories, but how these are formed and stored remains actively investigated. Recall of a recent fear memory is thought to reflect reactivation of neurons, in multiple brain regions, activated during memory formation, indicating that anatomically distributed and interconnected neuronal ensembles comprise fear memory engrams. The extent to which anatomically specific activation-reactivation engrams persist during long-term fear memory recall, however, remains largely unexplored. We hypothesized that principal neurons in the anterior basolateral amygdala (aBLA), which encode negative valence, acutely reactivate during remote fear memory recall to drive fear behavior.MethodsUsing adult offspring of TRAP2 and Ai14 mice, persistent tdTomato expression was used to “TRAP” aBLA neurons that underwent Fos-activation during contextual fear conditioning (electric shocks) or context only conditioning (no shocks) (n = 5/group). Three weeks later, mice were re-exposed to the same context cues for remote memory recall, then sacrificed for Fos immunohistochemistry.ResultsTRAPed (tdTomato +), Fos +, and reactivated (double-labeled) neuronal ensembles were larger in fear- than context-conditioned mice, with the middle sub-region and middle/caudal dorsomedial quadrants of aBLA displaying the greatest densities of all three ensemble populations. Whereas tdTomato + ensembles were dominantly glutamatergic in context and fear groups, freezing behavior during remote memory recall was not correlated with ensemble sizes in either group.DiscussionWe conclude that although an aBLA-inclusive fear memory engram forms and persists at a remote time point, plasticity impacting electrophysiological responses of engram neurons, not their population size, encodes fear memory and drives behavioral manifestations of long-term fear memory recall