A Framing Analysis of the Treatment of Creativity as a Topic or Goal in German Books on Research Writing

Many students in Germany undertaking academic writing tasks consult one of the numerous German-language books on research writing. Curiously, these works tend to downplay or ignore creativity, compared to their American counterparts. A hermeneutic and rhetorical study that examines the structure, content, and style of 21 German books on research writing with the help of framing theory reveals that, firstly, the rationale given to readers for learning how to do a research project is usually that it enables them to complete difficult tasks and thus to graduate successfully – the potentially fascinating aspects, such as learning through writing, and the possibility of advancing the field are rarely mentioned. Secondly, when defining good academic research, US books stress exploration and invention based on wrestling with questions, while the German ones mostly emphasize rules, correctness within a fixed system, and the mastery of techniques. Finally, in the 21 works, academic work primarily comes across as a solitary, linear process neatly divided into separate phases, not as a holistic, discursive practice that takes place within the research community. The likely reasons for this phenomenon highlight several crucial challenges German writing teachers and consultants are facing: as the rhetoric/composition and writing consultancy scene in Germany is vibrant but somewhat marginalized at universities and relatively new, there is no tradition of mandatory composition courses influenced by writing studies with a creative component, and most guidebooks on research are not by writing experts but by professors in other fields. Moreover, there is still widespread belief that creativity cannot be taught, and that students’ fascination with their chosen field of study should be taken for granted, so that neither need to be mentioned in primers. Terminology might also play a role; the German term for ‘research (writing)’, ‘Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten’ or ‘academic practice’, already appears to emphasize correctness over discovery

Lessons from EU CSDP Interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mali: Explaining EU Crisis Response (In-)Effectiveness

The sobering experiences with Western engagement in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mali in general and respective EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions in particular, suggest that EU efforts toward conflict resolution and state-building are systematically undermined by a lack of political settlement on the strategic level. This renders political stabilization via promoting good governance on the ground mostly futile. Moreover, the lack of local ownership in partner countries and coherent policies between the EU institutions and the EU Members States limit CSDP missions’ effectiveness and impact. The added value of this synoptic analysis rests with its combination of three analytical perspectives: 1) a systematic evaluation of missions’ impact effectiveness; 2) the inference of general and case-specific factors constraining and enabling EU crisis response effectiveness, and 3) the suggestion of avenues for theorizing on EU crisis response missions’ effectiveness. Moreover, this analysis draws on primary EU sources, and expert literature and incorporates additional data springing from interviews in Brussels as well as in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mali

Sphingosine kinase 1/S1P receptor signaling axis is essential for cellular uptake of Neisseria meningitidis in brain endothelial cells

Invasion of brain endothelial cells (BECs) is central to the pathogenicity of Neisseria meningitidis infection. Here, we established a key role for the bioactive sphingolipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and S1P receptor (S1PR) 2 in the uptake process. Quantitative sphingolipidome analyses of BECs infected with N. meningitidis revealed elevated S1P levels, which could be attributed to enhanced expression of the enzyme sphingosine kinase 1 and its activity. Increased activity was dependent on the interaction of meningococcal type IV pilus with the endothelial receptor CD147. Concurrently, infection led to increased expression of the S1PR2. Blocking S1PR2 signaling impaired epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) phosphorylation, which has been shown to be involved in cytoskeletal remodeling and bacterial endocytosis. Strikingly, targeting S1PR1 or S1PR3 also interfered with bacterial uptake. Collectively, our data support a critical role of the SphK/S1P/S1PR axis in the invasion of N. meningitidis into BECs, defining a potential target for adjuvant therapy

Mergers of Unequal Mass Galaxies: Supermassive Black Hole Binary Evolution and Structure of Merger Remnants

Galaxy centers are residing places for Super Massive Black Holes (SMBHs). Galaxy mergers bring SMBHs close together to form gravitationally bound binary systems which, if able to coalesce in less than a Hubble time, would be one of the most promising sources of gravitational waves for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). In spherical galaxy models, SMBH binaries stall at a separation of approximately one parsec, leading to the "final parsec problem" (FPP). On the other hand, it has been shown that merger-induced triaxiality of the remnant in equal-mass mergers is capable of supporting a constant supply of stars on so-called centrophilic orbits that interact with the binary and thus avoid the FPP. In this paper, using a set of direct N-body simulations of mergers of initially spherically symmetric galaxies with different mass ratios, we show that the merger-induced triaxiality is able to drive unequal-mass SMBH binaries to coalescence. The binary hardening rates are high and depend only weakly on the mass ratios of SMBHs for a wide range of mass ratios q. The hardening rates are significantly higher for galaxies having steep cusps in comparison with those having shallow cups at centers. The evolution of the binary SMBH leads to relatively shallower inner slopes at the centers of the merger remnants. The stellar mass displaced by the SMBH binary on its way to coalescence is ~ 1-5 times the combined mass of binary SMBHs. The coalescence times for SMBH binary with mass ~ million solar masses are less than 1 Gyr and for those at the upper end of SMBH masses (~ billion solar masses) are 1-2 Gyr for less eccentric binaries whereas less than 1 Gyr for highly eccentric binaries. SMBH binaries are thus expected to be promising sources of gravitational waves at low and high redshifts.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal (ApJ). 14 pages, 8 figure

Klimatische Stabilität von Mittelgebirgsmooren

Inwieweit bisherige und prognostizierte Klimaänderungen Mittelgebirgsmoore beeinflussen, wurde am Beispiel der Mothhäuser Haide im Mittleren Erzgebirge untersucht. Mit den angewandten moorkundlichen Methoden und dem Vergleich von drei Landnutzungsszenarien (IST, pnV, Paläovegetation) mit drei Klimaszenarien (Messdaten 1981 - 2000, WEREX IV 2041-60, Paläoklima) lassen sich die Ökotopveränderungen der Moorfläche ableiten. Im Ergebnis wird ein Rückgang an nässeren Ökotopen prognostiziert, wobei der Charakter eines Moores aber erhalten bleibt. Anthropogene Einflüsse wie Straßenbau, Entwässerung und Torfabbau haben größere Veränderungen bewirkt als durch den Klimawandel zu erwarten sind. Die Wiederherstellung der hydrologischen Durchgängigkeit des Moores, d.h. die Beseitigung von Gräben und Barrieren, kann die negativen Folgen eines zukünftig wärmeren Klimas abpuffern. Hinweise des Herausgebers (Stand: 4. April 2011): Zu Seite 18, Abbildung 4: Die Temperaturreihe vom Hohenpeißenberg und die Temperaturrekonstruktionen nach Glaser (2001), welche diese Reihe mit berücksichtigt hat, weisen in der verwendeten Form Inhomogenitäten auf. Nach einer Homogenisierung durch den DWD wird deutlich, dass das mittlere Temperaturniveau um 1780 eher dem von 1970 entspricht. Die Folgejahre sind von einem Anstieg um ca. 1 °C gekennzeichnet (Glaser 2008). Zu Seite 20, Abschnitt 4.3.2: Die genannten Datenfehler wurden inzwischen behoben. Weil vergleichbare Unplausibilitäten nie ganz ausgeschlossen werden können, sind Qualitätsprüfungen von Beobachtungs- und Projektionsdaten vor jeder Datenanwendung durchzuführen. Zu Seite 20, Abschnitt 4.3.3: Das Regionalisierungsverfahren WEREX simuliert im Betrachtungszeitraum 10 Realisierungen. Statistische Kenngrößen sollten aus allen 10 Realisierungen für vorzugsweise 30-jährige Zeiträume abgeleitet werden. Abweichungen der statistischen Kenngrößen in Modelldaten von denen des beobachteten Datenkollektives sind modellimmanent und deshalb zu erwarten. Die dargestellten Ergebnisse ermöglichen keine abschließende Bewertung der statistischen Eigenschaften der Projektionsdaten. Klimaprojektionen liefern generell nur Annahmen einer möglichen Klimazukunft. Neben der Plausibilitätsprüfung sollte die Bewertung der Aussagen eines Modells möglichst immer in die Bandbreite der Ergebnisse vieler Modelle erfolgen

Silac mouse for quantitative proteomics uncovers kindlin-3 as an essential factor for red blood cell function

Stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) has become a versatile tool for quantitative, mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics. Here, we completely label mice with a diet containing either the natural or the 13C6-substituted version of lysine. Mice were labeled over four generations with the heavy diet, and development, growth, and behavior were not affected. MS analysis of incorporation levels allowed for the determination of incorporation rates of proteins from blood cells and organs. The F2 generation was completely labeled in all organs tested. SILAC analysis from various organs lacking expression of β1 integrin, β-Parvin, or the integrin tail-binding protein Kindlin-3 confirmed their absence and disclosed a structural defect of the red blood cell membrane skeleton in Kindlin-3-deficient erythrocytes. The SILAC-mouse approach is a versatile tool by which to quantitatively compare proteomes from knockout mice and thereby determine protein functions under complex in vivo conditions

Mesenchymal stromal cells for treatment of steroid-refractory GvHD : a review of the literature and two pediatric cases

Severe acute graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a life-threatening complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) play an important role in endogenous tissue repair and possess strong immune-modulatory properties making them a promising tool for the treatment of steroid-refractory GvHD. To date, a few reports exist on the use of MSCs in treatment of GvHD in children indicating that children tend to respond better than adults, albeit with heterogeneous results. We here present a review of the literature and the clinical course of two instructive pediatric patients with acute steroid-refractory GvHD after haploidentical stem cell transplantation, which exemplify the beneficial effects of third-party transplanted MSCs in treatment of acute steroid-refractory GvHD. Moreover, we provide a meta-analysis of clinical studies addressing the outcome of patients with steroid-refractory GvHD and treatment with MSCs in adults and in children (n = 183; 122 adults, 61 children). Our meta-analysis demonstrates that the overall response-rate is high (73.8%) and confirms, for the first time, that children indeed respond better to treatment of GvHD with MSCs than adults (complete response 57.4% vs. 45.1%, respectively). These data emphasize the significance of this therapeutic approach especially in children and indicate that future prospective studies are needed to assess the reasons for the observed differential response-rates in pediatric and adult patients. Additional file 1: MSCs expansion and release criteria.his file contains a detailed description of the MSCs expansion and release criteria for Case A and Case B