Evaluation of antivirals against alphaviruses using the example of Chikungunya Virus

Alphaviruses are enveloped single-stranded RNA arboviruses of the Togaviridae family and are geographically widely distriguted [1, 2]. They cause various diseases in humans and animals such as encephalitis, arthritis fever, rash and arthralgia [1]. Among the medically relevant members of the alphaviruses are Venezuelan, Western, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis viruses (VEEV, WEEV, and EEEV), Ross River virus (RRV) and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The Equine Encephalitis viruses are categoriesed as potential agents for bioterrorism since they can all be transmitted via aerosols, causing severe disease [3-7]. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is categorised as a(n) (re)emerging disease and is mainly transmitted by Aedes spp. mosquitoes [8]. CHIKV is the causative agent of chikungunya fever (CHIKF) which is characterised by high fever, headache and myalgia and polyarthralgia [9]. Especially the polyarthralgia may last for months or even years and leave patients with a severely deteriorated quality of life. CHIKV has repeatedly been responsible for outbreaks that caused serious economic and public health problems in the affected countries [8]. To date, no vaccine or specific antiviral therapies are available. This thesis focusses on in vitro antiviral testing against a wild type CHIKV isolate and selecting possible hit to lead compounds. Climate change leads to the introduction of vectors in more temperate zones and thus it is possible that new diseases emerge with these vectors [10]. Consequently, the need for specific antivirals to treat such emerging diseases like CHIKV is current. Most of these in vitro antiviral assays are conducted in Vero cells, a cell line that originated from the kidney of an African green monkey [11]. Although this cell line is the model cell line to probagate CHIKV in, it lacks the clinical relevance of the disease and is not of human origin. Therefore, another goal of the thesis was to identify a human cell line with clinical relevance (especially for neurogenic CHIKV disease) to test antivirals in. This study was the first to describe the human glioblastoma cell line U138 in extensive antiviral tests against CHIKV. Furthermore, different assay methods were compared for their usefulness in antiviral tests against CHIKV in Vero-B4 and U138 cells

Contrasts : Differences and similarities in choral settings of Christina Rossetti\u27s poems

Choral music is a unique art form because it combines text with music. This juxtaposition allows the two elements to enhance each other, working together to create a clearer product. Composers of choral music must make carefully informed decisions when selecting a text and deciding how to set it to music. The characteristics of the text can have observable effects on the choices a composer makes in their setting. These effects are the subject of this thesis. I wanted to study musical settings of one poet to determine whether certain characteristics of the poetry had noticeable effects when set by various composers. I studied a representative selection of choral pieces setting the poetry of Christina Rossetti in order to determine the relationship between the text and the music. I began by reviewing dozens of choral settings of Rossetti’s poems and selecting a portion for closer analysis. I chose multiple poems set by the same composer as well as multiple settings of the same poem by different composers to identify similarities and differences between the settings. I conducted a detailed musical analysis of each piece, observing things like style, texture, harmony, form, rhythm, and character. Next, I organized a small ensemble of singers and led rehearsals of the selected music, using my analysis to inform the rehearsal process. Finally, this project culminated in a recorded performance of the selected pieces, accompanied by my commentary on the results of my analysis

Factors Affecting Second Language Acquisition

Second language acquisition refers to the process in which an individual learns and acquires a second language after their native language has been established. Each individual who acquires a second language develops their skills at different rates, depending on factors that influence their language learning. These factors include, but are not limited to, age of first exposure, formal language instruction, and access to a native speaker. The focus of this project is to identify the factors that influenced the language acquisition of two individuals who acquired English as a second language. The two subjects are interviewed and asked the same set of questions regarding their experiences as they learned English. Their responses are then compared to determine the factors that caused the differences in their English proficiency levels. As a result of this research, two variables are determined to be the most influential on the subjects\u27 second language acquisition. Other factors that impacted their language proficiency are also identified and discussed

Der Untergang der Kinokultur

Das Kino Schon In der Frühzeit des Kinos gab es die Debatte, ob Kino als Kunst oder Jahrmarktsattraktion gelten soll. Dass die Frage damals nicht eindeutig beantwortet wurde, zeigt sich an der heutigen Kinosituation. Entsprang das Kino damals aus der Theaterkultur, so lässt sich heute eher in der Diskokultur ansiedeln: Wo damals Vorhänge die Leinwand verbargen, Orgelspieler und Orchester die Zuschauer einstimmten und nicht selten der Film persönlich angekündigt wurde, steht heute ein Laserstrahlenteppich im Raum, begleitet von harten Technobeats und eingeführt durch 45 Minuten lange Werbeclips und Trailer. Traurig ist auch die Tatsache, dass die Kinobetreiber meist der Wirtschaftsbranche entstammen und kein cineastisches Feingefühl besitzen

Querying Regular Languages over Sliding Windows

We study the space complexity of querying regular languages over data streams in the sliding window model. The algorithm has to answer at any point of time whether the content of the sliding window belongs to a fixed regular language. A trichotomy is shown: For every regular language the optimal space requirement is either in Theta(n), Theta(log(n)), or constant, where $n$ is the size of the sliding window

Circuit Evaluation for Finite Semirings

The circuit evaluation problem for finite semirings is considered, where semirings are not assumed to have an additive or multiplicative identity. The following dichotomy is shown: If a finite semiring R (i) has a solvable multiplicative semigroup and (ii) does not contain a subsemiring with an additive identity 0 and a multiplicative identity 1 != 0, then its circuit evaluation problem is in the complexity class DET (which is contained in NC^2). In all other cases, the circuit evaluation problem is P-complete