Klein-Gordon lower bound to the semirelativistic ground-state energy

For the class of attractive potentials V(r) <= 0 which vanish at infinity, we prove that the ground-state energy E of the semirelativistic Hamiltonian H = \sqrt{m^2 + p^2} + V(r) is bounded below by the ground-state energy e of the corresponding Klein--Gordon problem (p^2 + m^2)\phi = (V(r) -e)^2\phi. Detailed results are presented for the exponential and Woods--Saxon potentials.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Die Interessenpolitik des "nutzbringenden Individuums": Interessenhandeln und Interessenvertretung in individualisierter Leistungspolitik

Die gegenwärtigen Entwicklungen in der Leistungspolitik sind nicht nur durch eine zunehmende Markt- und Ergebnisorientierung, sondern auch durch eine wachsende Partizipationsorientierung geprägt. Mit der Abkehr vom tayloristischen Expertenmodell der Leistungspolitik werden die Beschäftigten von bloßen Adressaten leistungspolitischer Ansprüche zu reflektierenden und aktiv handelnden Akteuren rekonzeptualisiert. In aktuellen Leistungsbeurteilungsverfahren und Zielvereinbarungen werden die Selbstreflexion über das eigene Leistungshandeln und die partizipative Definition der Zielgrößen dieses Handelns zu integrativen Bestandteilen einer dezentralisierten Leistungspolitik. Diese Entwicklungstendenzen lassen die klassischen Instrumente der institutionalisierten Interessenvertretung im Betrieb mehr und mehr ins Leere laufen. Die Partizipationsorientierung kann aber auch neue Chancen individueller Interessendurchsetzung der Beschäftigten beinhalten: Sie werden nicht nur zu neuen Akteuren der Leistungspolitik aufgewertet, sie könnten auch neue Akteure der Interessenpolitik werden. Der Beitrag setzt sich anhand empirischer Ergebnisse zur Praxis von Leistungsbeurteilungen mit den Fragen auseinander, welche Möglichkeiten sich der institutionalisierten Interessenvertretung angesichts der Tendenzen zur Partizipationsorientierung und Dezentralisierung von Leistungspolitik bietet und welche Chancen und Gefährdungen die partizipative Leistungspolitik für das interessenpolitische Handeln der individualisierten Akteure beinhaltet. Hierbei werden sowohl die Aushandlungssituationen auf dezentraler Ebene als auch (nachträgliche) interessenpolitische Kontrollprozesse in Form von Reklamationsverfahren in den Blick genommen. Trotz ambivalenter Bilanz der gegenwärtigen Entwicklungen der Leistungspolitik hinsichtlich ihrer interessenpolitischen Konsequenzen sind dennoch Chancen zu erkennen, dass sich Selbst- und Stellvertretung miteinander verschränken und zu neuen Formen erfolgreicher Interessenpolitik führen könnten, in denen individuelles Interessenhandeln und institutionalisierte Gegenkontrolle einander in produktiver Weise wechselseitig verstärken.Current developments in work performance policies are not only characterised by an increasing market- and result-orientation but also by a rising weight of participatory principals. The renunciation of the tayloristic model leads to a situation where employees are conceived as actively involved subjects instead of being passive recipients of demands on their work performance. Self-reflection about one's own performance and the participatory definition of objectives are integrativeconstituents of performance appraisals and agreement on objectives. Because of these tendencies of development the classical instruments of the institutionalised employee representation do not come across anymore. The weight of participatory principals in current performance policies contains new chances for an individual assertion of interests though: Not only are employees revaluated as new individual protagonists of performance policies but also they might become new protagonists in the disputes of interests. Based on empirical results about performance appraisals in practice this article revolves around two problems: The changing conditions for institutionalised employee representation given the tendencies of participation and decentralisation in performance policies and the chances and endangering the participatory tendencies imply for individual employees to assert their interests. Therefore we examine the decentralised negotiation process as well as the (retroactive) controlling process through institutionalised proceeding of complaints. Despite an ambivalent conclusion concerning employee representation under the conditions of current developments of performance policies we state new opportunities for successful disputes of interests by interlocking of institutionalised employee representation and individual self-representation. This way the individual assertion of interest and institutionalised control process could reciprocally strengthen each other in a productive way

Stability and Flexibility in Psychotherapy Process Predict Outcome

Ten good outcome and ten poor outcome psychotherapy cases were compared to investigate whether or not the temporal stability and flexibility of their process variables can predict their outcomes. Each participant was monitored daily using the Therapy Process Questionnaire (TPQ), which has 43 items and seven sub-scales, and responses over time were analyzed in terms of correlation robustness and correlation variability across the TPQ sub-scales. “Correlation robustness” and “correlation variability” are two basic characteristics of any correlation matrix: the first is calculated as the sum of the absolute values of Pearson correlation coefficients, the second as the standard deviation of Pearson correlation coefficients. The results demonstrated that the patients within the poor outcome group had lower values on both variables, suggesting lower stability and flexibility. Furthermore, a higher number of cycles of increase and decrease in correlation robustness and variability of the TPQ sub-scales was observed within good outcome psychotherapies, suggesting that, these cycles can be considered as process-markers of good-outcomes. These results provide support for the validity of these quantitative process-parameters, correlation robustness and variability, in predicting psychotherapeutic outcomes. Moreover, the results lend support to the common clinical experience of alternating periods of flexibility and integration being beneficial to good psychotherapeutic processes

Impact of the Gut Microbiota on Atorvastatin Mediated Effects on Blood Lipids

Background and aims: The mechanisms of interindividual variation of lipid regulation by statins, such as the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) lowering effects, are not fully understood yet. Here, we used a gut microbiota depleted mouse model to investigate the relation between the gut microbiota and the regulatory property of atorvastatin on blood lipids. Methods: Mice (C57BL/6) with intact gut microbiota or antibiotic induced abiotic mice (ABS) were put on standard chow diet (SCD) or high fat diet (HFD) for six weeks. Atorvastatin (10 mg/kg body weight/day) or a control vehicle were applied per gavage for the last four weeks of dietary treatment. Blood lipids including total cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein and sphingolipids were measured to probe microbiota-dependent effects of atorvastatin. The expression of genes involved in hepatic and intestinal cholesterol metabolism was analyzed with qRT-PCR. The alteration of the microbiota profile was examined using 16S rRNA qPCR in mice with intact gut microbiota. Results: HFD feeding significantly increased total blood cholesterol and LDL levels, as compared to SCD in both mice with intact and depleted gut microbiota. The cholesterol lowering effect of atorvastatin was significantly attenuated in mice with depleted gut microbiota. Moreover, we observed a global shift in the abundance of several sphingolipids upon atorvastatin treatment which was absent in gut microbiota depleted mice. The regulatory effect of atorvastatin on the expression of distinct hepatic and intestinal cholesterol-regulating genes, including Ldlr, Srebp2 and Npc1l1 was altered upon depletion of gut microbiota. In response to HFD feeding, the relative abundance of the bacterial phyla Bacteroidetes decreased, while the abundance of Firmicutes increased. The altered ratio between Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes was partly reversed in HFD fed mice treated with atorvastatin. Conclusions: Our findings support a regulatory impact of atorvastatin on the gut microbial profile and, in turn, demonstrate a crucial role of the gut microbiome for atorvastatin-related effects on blood lipids. These results provide novel insights into potential microbiota-dependent mechanisms of lipid regulation by statins, which may account for variable response to statin treatment

First application of dynamic oxygen-17 magnetic resonance imaging at 7 Tesla in a patient with early subacute stroke.

Dynamic oxygen-17 (17O) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging method that enables a direct and non-invasive assessment of cerebral oxygen metabolism and thus potentially the distinction between viable and non-viable tissue employing a three-phase inhalation experiment. The purpose of this investigation was the first application of dynamic 17O MRI at 7 Tesla (T) in a patient with stroke. In this proof-of-concept experiment, dynamic 17O MRI was applied during 17O inhalation in a patient with early subacute stroke. The analysis of the relative 17O water (H217O) signal for the affected stroke region compared to the healthy contralateral side revealed no significant difference. However, the technical feasibility of 17O MRI has been demonstrated paving the way for future investigations in neurovascular diseases

Stanniocalcin 1 is overexpressed in multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells from acute myeloid leukemia patients

Objectives: Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) play a pivotal role in the bone marrow (BM) niche. Stanniocalcin 1 (STC1) secreted by MSC has been demonstrated to promote the survival of neoplastic cells and was suggested a marker for minimal residual disease of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Therefore, we evaluated the expression of STC1 in MSC from AML patients (MSCAML) compared to MSC from healthy donors (MSCHD). Methods: Liquid culture assays of MSCAML and MSCHD were performed to compare expansion capacity. Gene expression profiles of MSCAML vs. MSCHD were established. Secretion of STC1 was tested by ELISA in MSCAML vs. MSCHD and expression of STC1 in AML- vs. HD-BM by immunohistochemistry. In addition, co-cultures of AML cells on MSC were initiated and ultrastructural intercellular communication patterns were investigated. Finally, the effect of blocking STC1 on AML cells was evaluated. Results: MSCAML showed significant decreased expansion capacity compared to MSCHD. Gene analysis revealed marked overexpression of STC1 in MSCAML. ELISA and immunohistochemical findings confirmed this observation. Electron microscopy analysis showed reciprocal stimulation between AML cells and MSC. Blockade of STC1 did not significantly affect AML cell proliferation and apoptosis. Discussion: Characteristics of MSC differ depending on whether they originate from AML patients or from HD. STC1 was mostly overexpressed in MSCAML compared to MSCHD. In vitro blockade of STC1, however, was not associated with AML cell proliferation and apoptosis. Conclusion: Differences in expression levels of glycoproteins from MSCAML compared to MSCHD not necessarily assume that these molecules are niche-relevant in leukemic disease