Observation of Parametric Instability in Advanced LIGO

Parametric instabilities have long been studied as a potentially limiting effect in high-power interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Until now, however, these instabilities have never been observed in a kilometer-scale interferometer. In this work we describe the first observation of parametric instability in an Advanced LIGO detector, and the means by which it has been removed as a barrier to progress

Viel gelernt, doch nichts verändert? Eine Beobachtungsstudie zur geschlechtsspezifischen Interaktion in politischen Basisgruppen

Im Rahmen eines Lehrforschungsprojektes (Integrierter Methodenkurs über vier Semester im Grundstudium des Soziologie-Diplomstudiengangs) wurden im Themenfeld "Geschlechtsspezifische Interaktionsstrukturen" fünf Studien, von denen hier eine vorgestellt wird, mit einmaliger, hypothesenprüfender, standardisierter Beobachtung im Feld mittels SYMLOG durchgeführt. Die Projektgruppe hatte sich eine Themenstellung im Bereich der politischen Arbeit gewählt und dafür die Interaktion in 18 parteiunabhängigen Basisgruppen aus dem Spektrum der 'Neuen sozialen Bewegungen', gemischt- wie gleichgeschlechtlichtlichen, während der Gruppensitzungen untersucht. Nach der Entwicklung von vier Hypothesen wurde die Feldbeobachtung (offen, nicht teilnehmend) mit dem Adjektiv-Ratingbogen des standardisierten Beobachtungssystems SYMLOG (Bales & Cohen 1982) durchgeführt und ausgewertet. Die Befunde bestätigen die Erwartungen, dass in gemischtgeschlechtlichen Gruppen die Frauen eher kooperativ und die Männer eher konkurrent agieren, während in gleichgeschlechtlichen Arbeitsgruppen von Frauen wie von Männern ein breiteres Rollenspektrum wahrgenommen wird

NEK1 variants confer susceptibility to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

To identify genetic factors contributing to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we conducted whole-exome analyses of 1,022 index familial ALS (FALS) cases and 7,315 controls. In a new screening strategy, we performed gene-burden analyses trained with established ALS genes and identified a significant association between loss-of-function (LOF) NEK1 variants and FALS risk. Independently, autozygosity mapping for an isolated community in the Netherlands identified a NEK1 p.Arg261His variant as a candidate risk factor. Replication analyses of sporadic ALS (SALS) cases and independent control cohorts confirmed significant disease association for both p.Arg261His (10,589 samples analyzed) and NEK1 LOF variants (3,362 samples analyzed). In total, we observed NEK1 risk variants in nearly 3% of ALS cases. NEK1 has been linked to several cellular functions, including cilia formation, DNA-damage response, microtubule stability, neuronal morphology and axonal polarity. Our results provide new and important insights into ALS etiopathogenesis and genetic etiology

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Viel gelernt, doch nichts verändert?: eine Beobachtungsstudie zur geschlechtsspezifischen Interaktion in politischen Basisgruppen

Sturm G, Heinze F, Kühl S. Viel gelernt, doch nichts verändert?: eine Beobachtungsstudie zur geschlechtsspezifischen Interaktion in politischen Basisgruppen. Arbeitsberichte und Forschungsmaterialien / Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Soziologie. Vol 57. Bielefeld: Universität; 1991

Synthesis and characterization of a dinuclear ferric complex with redox-active ligands

Heinze-Brückner G, Walleck S, Strautmann J, Stammler A, Bögge H, Glaser T. Synthesis and characterization of a dinuclear ferric complex with redox-active ligands. Inorganica Chimica Acta. 2011;374(1):385-391.A dinuclear ferric complex with the redox-active ligand (L(Cl2))(2-) (H(2)L(Cl2) = N,N'-dimethyl-bis(3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxybenzyl)-1,2-diaminoethane), was synthesized and characterized. The two iron(III) ions are six-coordinate in a distorted octahedral environment of the N(2)O(2)(Ph) donor set of one (L(Cl2))(2) and one amine and one phenolate donor of a second (L(Cl2))(2), which bridges the two complex halves. The relatively low-symmetric complex 1 crystallizes in the space group R (3) over bar. The crystal structure contains hexagonal, one-dimensional channels parallel to the c axis with diameters of similar to 13 angstrom. The absorption spectrum of 1 exhibits strong characteristic features of p(pi) -> d(pi*) ->, p(pi) -> d(sigma*), phenolate-to-metal CTs, and pi -> pi* ligand transitions. Electrochemical studies on 1 reveal the redox-activity of the coordinated ligand (L(Cl2))(2) by showing irreversible oxidative electron-transfer waves. The reductive electron transfers at negative potentials seem to originate from metal-centered processes. A detailed comparison to complexes with similar donor sets provides new insights into the electrochemical properties of these kinds of complexes. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

From triplesalen to triplesalacen: Synthesis spectroscopic, redox, and magnetic properties of the trinuclear Cu-3(II) triplesalacen complex

Walleck S, Theil H, Heidemeier M, et al. From triplesalen to triplesalacen: Synthesis spectroscopic, redox, and magnetic properties of the trinuclear Cu-3(II) triplesalacen complex. Inorganica Chimica Acta. 2010;363(15):4287-4294.The tris(tetradentate) triplesalacen ligand H(6)talacen and its trinuclear copper complex, namely [(talacen) Cu-3(II)], were synthesized and its molecular and electronic structure determined. The ligand is prepared by the triple condensation of 2,4,6-trisacetyl-1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene (1) and excess acacen half-unit (2). The molecular structure of [(talacen)Cu-3(II)] exhibits a strong ligand folding around the central Cu-II-phenolate bonds. This ligand folding is stronger than that observed in the trinuclear copper triplesalen complexes. The electronic absorption spectrum exhibits a prominent intense band at 32 400 cm (1) and d-d transitions around 19 000 cm (1). These spectral features are related to the ligand folding, which opens an O-Ph(p(z))-Cu-II (d(x2-y2)) bonding pathway. Electrochemical studies provide an irreversible oxidation at a relatively low potential of 0.17 V versus Fc(+)/Fc, which is assigned to a ligand-centered oxidation of the central phloroglucinol backbone. A ferromagnetic coupling of J = 1.20 cm (1) (H = Sigma(i<j) - 2J(ij)S(i)S(j)) is established in agreement with the spin-polarization mechanism. A critical analysis of the bond distances of the central phloroglucinol unit provides evidence that not only the usual phenolate-imine but also the keto-enamide mesomeric form contribute to the resonance hybrid. This might explain the relatively weak ferromagnetic coupling. (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved