Girls and violence: a neglected aspect of school violence research

Ausgehend von dem Befund, nach dem Schülergewalt vorrangig ein Jungenphänomen ist, wird mit Hilfe der Daten einer repräsentativen Schüler(innen)befragung und einer qualitativen Schulfallstudie der Frage nachgegangen, ob es auch weibliche \u27Täter\u27 gibt. Die kleine Gruppe aggressiver Mädchen (4%), die sich an Schulen häufig in physische Auseinandersetzungen begibt, steht in diesem Beitrag im Zentrum des Interesses. Vergleicht man die Minderheit der weiblichen \u27Täter\u27 mit der entsprechenden Gruppe der männlichen \u27Täter\u27, sind kaum geschlechtstypische Unterschiede festzustellen. Das zeigt sich in Ausprägung und Häufigkeit selbstberichteten Gewalthandelns sowie bei Einstellungen Gewalt gegenüber. Auch die wahrgenommene Qualität der innerschulischen und außerschulischen Sozialisationskontexte variieren zwischen Täterinnen und Tätern kaum, zwischen Täter(inne)n und an Gewalt unbeteiligten Schüler(inne)n dagegen erheblich. Für aggressive Mädchen hat sich ein gewaltbefürwortendes Klima in der Freundesgruppe als gewaltverstärkender Faktor herausgestellt, während ein durch Akzeptanz getragenes Lehrerverhalten bei Mädchen offensichtlich gewaltmindernd wirkt. (DIPF/Orig.)Research findings show that violence in schools is primarily carried out by male students. Using the data ofa representative student questionaire as well as a qualitative school case study, this investigation focuses on school violence carried out by girls, in particular the small group of aggressive girls (4%) who are frequently involved in physical conflicts in school. A comparison of this small group of female offenders with the corresponding group of male offenders reveals few gender differences in the forms and in frequency of self-reported violent acts as well as in attitudes toward violence. Few differences are found in the way female and male offenders perceive the quality of their social environment within and outside of the school. In contrast large differences were found between the perceptions of offenders and pupils not involved in violence. For violent girls a climate of approval of violence in their peer group appears to be a factor which increases violent behaviors whereas teachers\u27 acceptance of such girls as persons apparently reduces violent behaviors. (DIPF/Orig.

Antinociceptive activity of the S1P-receptor agonist FTY720

FTY720 is a novel immunosuppressive drug that inhibits the egress of lymphocytes from secondary lymphoid tissues and thymus. In its phosphorylated form FTY720 is a potent S1P receptor agonist. Recently it was also shown that FTY720 can reduce prostaglandin synthesis through the direct inhibition of the cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). Since prostaglandins are important mediators of nociception, we studied the effects of FTY720 in different models of nociception. We found that intraperitoneal administration of FTY720 reduced dose-dependently the nociceptive behaviour of rats in the formalin assay. Although the antinociceptive doses of FTY720 were too low to alter the lymphocyte count, prostanoid concentrations in the plasma were dramatically reduced. Surprisingly, intrathecally administered FTY720 reduced the nociceptive behaviour in the formalin assay without altering spinal prostaglandin synthesis, indicating that additional antinociceptive mechanisms beside the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis are involved. Accordingly, FTY720 reduced also the nociceptive behaviour in the spared nerve injury model for neuropathic pain which does not depend on prostaglandin synthesis. In this model the antinociceptive effect of FTY720 was similar to gabapentin, a commonly used drug to treat neuropathic pain. Taken together we show for the first time that FTY720 possesses antinociceptive properties and that FTY720 reduces nociceptive behaviour during neuropathic pain

Consequences of altered eicosanoid patterns for nociceptive processing in mPGES-1-deficient mice

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-dependent prostaglandin (PG) E2 synthesis in the spinal cord plays a major role in the development of inflammatory hyperalgesia and allodynia. Microsomal PGE2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1) isomerizes COX-2-derived PGH2 to PGE2. Here, we evaluated the effect of mPGES-1-deficiency on the noci-ceptive behavior in various models of nociception that depend on PGE2 synthesis. Surprisingly, in the COX-2-dependent zymosan-evoked hyperalgesia model, the nociceptive behavior was not reduced in mPGES-1-deficient mice despite a marked decrease of the spinal PGE2 synthesis. Similarly, the nociceptive behavior was unaltered in mPGES-1-deficient mice in the formalin test. Importantly, spinal cords and primary spinal cord cells derived from mPGES-1-deficient mice showed a redirection of the PGE2 synthesis to PGD2, PGF2α and 6-keto-PGF1α (stable metabolite of PGI2). Since the latter prostaglandins serve also as mediators of noci-ception they may compensate the loss of PGE2 synthesis in mPGES-1-deficient mice

Jugend und Familie – mehr Kontinuität als Wandel?

Popp U, Tillmann K-J. Jugend und Familie – mehr Kontinuität als Wandel? Neue Sammlung. 1990;30(4):564-572

Spin Filter Effects in Mesoscopic Ring Structures

We study the spin-dependent conductance of ballistic mesoscopic ring systems in the presence of an inhomogeneous magnetic field. We show that, for the setup proposed, even a small Zeeman splitting can lead to a considerable spin polarisation of the current. Making use of a spin-switch effect predicted for such systems we propose a device of two rings connected in series that in principle allows for both creating and coherently controlling spin polarized currents at low temperatures.Comment: 5 pages, 8 figure

Vorwort

Am 11. Mai 1916 ist Max Reger in Leipzig verstorben. Nachdem er seine Kompositionsklasse im Königlichen Konservatorium der Musik unterrichtet, bei seinem Verleger Henri Hinrichsen im Verlagshaus C. F. Peters zu Abend gespeist und mit seinem Freund Karl Straube im Cafe Hannes gezecht hatte, legte er sich im Hotel Henschel zur Ruhe. Am nächsten Morgen wurde er in seinem Bett tot aufgefunden. Die Musikstadt Leipzig nimmt Jubiläen von Musikern, mit denen sie eine engere Beziehung verbindet, stets zum Anlass des Gedenkens. Dazu gehört in der Regel auch eine wissenschaftliche Tagung, die vom Institut für Musikwissenschaft der Universität Leipzig ausgerichtet wird. Als Kooperationspartner konnte in diesem Falle das Max-Reger-Institut Karlsruhe gewonnen werden. Auf Anregung seiner Leiterin wurde thematisch das Ziel verfolgt, Aufschlüsse über Regers Position und Bedeutung im Kontext der internationalen Musikgeschichte zu gewinnen. Hier bot es sich an, einen Schwerpunkt auf das östliche Europa zu legen, da hier ein großes Forschungsdefizit existiert, dessen Ausgleich mit Hilfe unserer Arbeitsgemeinschaft angegangen werden kann

A high-flux BEC source for mobile atom interferometers

Quantum sensors based on coherent matter-waves are precise measurement devices whose ultimate accuracy is achieved with Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) in extended free fall. This is ideally realized in microgravity environments such as drop towers, ballistic rockets and space platforms. However, the transition from lab-based BEC machines to robust and mobile sources with comparable performance is a challenging endeavor. Here we report on the realization of a miniaturized setup, generating a flux of $4 \times 10^5$ quantum degenerate $^{87}$Rb atoms every 1.6$\,$s. Ensembles of $1 \times 10^5$ atoms can be produced at a 1$\,$Hz rate. This is achieved by loading a cold atomic beam directly into a multi-layer atom chip that is designed for efficient transfer from laser-cooled to magnetically trapped clouds. The attained flux of degenerate atoms is on par with current lab-based BEC experiments while offering significantly higher repetition rates. Additionally, the flux is approaching those of current interferometers employing Raman-type velocity selection of laser-cooled atoms. The compact and robust design allows for mobile operation in a variety of demanding environments and paves the way for transportable high-precision quantum sensors.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure

Cobalt as a promising dopant for producing semi-insulating β -Ga2O3crystals: Charge state transition levels from experiment and theory

Optical absorption and photoconductivity measurements of Co-doped β-Ga2O3 crystals reveal the photon energies of optically excited charge transfer between the Co related deep levels and the conduction or valence band. The corresponding photoionization cross sections are fitted by a phenomenological model considering electron-phonon coupling. The obtained fitting parameters: thermal ionization (zero-phonon transition) energy, Franck-Condon shift, and effective phonon energy are compared with corresponding values predicted by first principle calculations based on density functional theory. A (+/0) donor level ∼0.85 eV above the valence band maximum and a (0/-) acceptor level ∼2.1 eV below the conduction band minimum are consistently derived. Temperature-dependent electrical resistivity measurement at elevated temperatures (up to 1000 K) yields a thermal activation energy of 2.1 ± 0.1 eV, consistent with the position of the Co acceptor level. Furthermore, the results show that Co doping is promising for producing semi-insulating β-Ga2O3 crystals