Complex Challenges, Comprehensive Responses - Linking Security and Development: 11th International Summer School 2007

"The link between international security and development constitutes a nexus that is only beginning to be understood and addressed by the international community and by regional security and development actors. During the International Summer School, participants and renowned speakers examine the complexity of contemporary development and security challenges, such as transnational warfare, terrorism, poor governance and state failure, migration and resource conflicts, as well as the transformation of traditional security and development concepts and policies (human security paradigm etc.). New interfaces between security and development (e.g. the concept of Security Sector Reform) and the need for an integrated approach to address global challenges are discussed. In this light, efforts and strategies of global actors like the EU, US, NATO, UN and OSCE as well as sensitivities and prospects for cooperation are assessed. Case studies on Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans provide regional insights to the topic." (author's abstract

10th International Summer School "Global Challenges, Global Actors - Sharing Responsibility for a Secure World in the 21st Century": Berlin, 9-22 July 2006 ; final report

"Security challenges in the 21st century have trans-border effects and can no longer be dealt with by nation states alone. To address these challenges a wide spectrum of actors, including international and regional organizations, national and local institutions, as well as NGOs and civil society need to engage in a multilateral and concerted approach. During the International Summer School, participants and renowned speakers examine contemporary security challenges, such as terrorism and homeland security, state failure and democratization, energy security, demography and migration. In this light, prioritites and strategies of global actors like the EU, US, China, NATO, UN and OSCE, but also NGOs and private actors are assessed." (author's abstract

Quasi-soliton scattering in quantum spin chains

The quantum scattering of magnon bound states in the anisotropic Heisenberg spin chain is shown to display features similar to the scattering of solitons in classical exactly solvable models. Localized colliding Gaussian wave packets of bound magnons are constructed from string solutions of the Bethe equations and subsequently evolved in time, relying on an algebraic Bethe ansatz based framework for the computation of local expectation values in real space-time. The local magnetization profile shows the trajectories of colliding wave packets of bound magnons, which obtain a spatial displacement upon scattering. Analytic predictions on the displacements for various values of anisotropy and string lengths are derived from scattering theory and Bethe ansatz phase shifts, matching time evolution fits on the displacements. The time evolved block decimation (TEBD) algorithm allows for the study of scattering displacements from spin-block states, showing similar scattering displacement features.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures. (v2: citations added

Vergleich der allgemeinen Klassifikationssysteme Apache II und SAPS zur prognostischen Beurteilung von Patienten mit Sepsis oder akutem Nierenversagen

Sepsis und Akutes Nierenversagen sind Komplikationen in der Therapie von Intensivpatienten, Schweregradklassifikationssysteme wie SAPS und APACHE II dienen der Beschreibung des klinischen Zustandes eines Patienten mittels einer Punktsumme und erlauben prognostische Aussagen. Lässt sich ein rating der Scores festlegen? 16 Sepsispatienten sowie 28 Patienten im Nierenversagen wurden anhand der Scores untersucht, eine Klassifizierung vorgenommen und Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves verglichen. Es besteht ein Zusammenhang zwischen steigender Punktsumme und steigender Mortalität, anhand der ROC-Kurve ist bezüglich Vorhersagegenauigkeit in der Gruppe der Patienten mit ANV der SAPS mit 58.9% dem APACHE II mit 57.05% überlegen, in der Gruppe der Sepsispatienten rangiert der SAPS mit 44.76% vor dem APACHE II mit 43.24%. Der SAPS ist das in der Anwendung vorzuziehende Schweregradklassifikationssystem

Expressionview: visualization of quantitative trait loci and gene-expression data in Ensembl

We present here a software tool for combined visualization of gene-expression data and quantitative trait loci (QTL). The application is implemented as an extension to the Ensembl project and caters for a direct transition from microarray experiments of gene or protein expression levels to the genomic context of individual genes and QTL. It supports the visualization of gene clusters and the selection of functional candidate genes in the context of research on complex traits

Identification of quantitative trait loci controlling cortical motor evoked potentials in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: correlation with incidence, onset and severity of disease

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a polygenic chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the nervous system, commonly used as an animal model of multiple sclerosis. Previous studies have identified multiple quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling different aspects of disease pathogenesis. However, direct genetic control of cortical motor evoked potentials (cMEPs) as a straightforward measure of extent of demyelination or synaptic block has not been investigated earlier. Here, we examined the genetic control of different traits of EAE in a F2 intercross population generated from the EAE susceptible SJL/J (SJL) and the EAE resistant C57BL/10.S (B10.S) mouse strains involving 400 animals. The genotypes of 150 microsatellite markers were determined in each animal and correlated to phenotypic data of onset and severity of disease, cell infiltration and cMEPs. Nine QTLs were identified. Three sex-linked QTLs mapped to chromosomes 2, 10 and 18 linked to disease severity in females, whereas QTLs on chromosomes 1, 8 and 15 linked to the latency of the cMEPs. QTLs affecting T-lymphocyte, B-lymphocyte and microglia infiltration mapped on chromosomes 8 and 15. The cMEP-associated QTLs correlated with incidence, onset or severity of disease, e.g. QTL on chromosome 8, 32-48 cM (EAE 31) (LOD 6.9, P<0.001), associated to cMEP latencies in non-immunized mice and correlated with disease onset and EAE 32 on chromosome 15 linked to cMEP latencies 15 days post-immunization and correlated with disease severity. Additionally, applying tissue microarray technology, we identified QTLs associated to microglia and lymphocytes infiltration on chromosomes 8 and 15, which are different from the QTLs controlling cMEP latencies. There were no alterations in the morphological appearance of the myelin sheaths. Our findings suggest a possible role of myelin composition and/or synaptic transmission in susceptibility to EA