424 research outputs found
The long-term proficiency of early, middle, and late starters learning English as a foreign language at school: A narrative review and empirical study
Systemic inflammatory mediators in post-traumatic Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS I) - longitudinal investigations and differences to control groups
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>The Complex Regional Pain Syndrome I (CRPS I) is a disease that might affect an extremity after trauma or operation. The pathogenesis remains yet unclear. It has clinical signs of severe local inflammation as a result of an exaggerated inflammatory response but neurogenic dysregulation also contributes to it. Some studies investigated the role inflammatory mediators and cytokines; however, few longitudinal studies exist and control groups except healthy controls were not investigated yet.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To get further insights into the role of systemic inflammatory mediators in CRPS I, we investigated a variety of pro-, anti-, or neuro-inflammatory mediators such as C-Reactive Protein (CRP), White Blood Cell Count (WBC), Interleukins 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12 (p70), Interferon gamma, Tumor-Necrosis-Factor alpha (TNF-α) and its soluble Receptors I/II, soluble Selectins (E, L, P), Substance-P (SP), and Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) at different time points in venous blood from patients with acute (AC) and chronic (CC) CRPS I, patients with forearm fractures (FR), with neuralgia (NE), and from healthy volunteers (C).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No significant changes for serum parameters investigated in CRPS compared to control groups were found except for CC/C (CGRP p = 0.007), FR/C (CGRP p = 0.048) and AC/CC (IL-12 p = 0.02; TNFRI/II p = 0.01; SP p = 0.049). High interindividual variations were observed. No intra-or interindividual correlation of parameters with clinical course (e.g. chronification) or outcome was detectable.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although clinically appearing as inflammation in acute stages, local rather than systemic inflammatory responses seem to be relevant in CRPS. Variable results from different studies might be explained by unpredictable intermittent release of mediators from local inflammatory processes into the blood combined with high interindividual variabilities. A clinically relevant difference to various control groups was not notable in this pilot study. Determination of systemic inflammatory parameters is not yet helpful in diagnostic and follow-up of CRPS I</p
Enhanced ionization in small rare gas clusters
A detailed theoretical investigation of rare gas atom clusters under intense
short laser pulses reveals that the mechanism of energy absorption is akin to
{\it enhanced ionization} first discovered for diatomic molecules. The
phenomenon is robust under changes of the atomic element (neon, argon, krypton,
xenon), the number of atoms in the cluster (16 to 30 atoms have been studied)
and the fluency of the laser pulse. In contrast to molecules it does not
dissappear for circular polarization. We develop an analytical model relating
the pulse length for maximum ionization to characteristic parameters of the
cluster
Formalism for Multiphoton Plasmon Excitation in Jellium Clusters
We present a new formalism for the description of multiphoton plasmon
excitation processes in jellium clusters. By using our method, we demonstrate
that, in addition to dipole plasmon excitations, the multipole plasmons
(quadrupole, octupole, etc) can be excited in a cluster by multiphoton
absorption processes, which results in a significant difference between plasmon
resonance profiles in the cross sections for multiphoton as compared to
single-photon absorption. We calculate the cross sections for multiphoton
absorption and analyse the balance between the surface and volume plasmon
contributions to multipole plasmons.Comment: 29 pages, 1 figur
Zum Zusammenspiel von Selbstwert, sozialer Herkunft und kognitiven Fähigkeiten für die Vorhersage des Bildungs- und Berufserfolgs im Erwachsenenalter
Basic concepts for convection parameterization in weather forecast and climate models: COST Action ES0905 final report
The research network “Basic Concepts for Convection Parameterization in Weather Forecast and Climate Models” was organized with European funding (COST Action ES0905) for the period of 2010–2014. Its extensive brainstorming suggests how the
subgrid-scale parameterization problem in atmospheric modeling, especially for convection, can be examined and developed from the point of view of a robust theoretical basis. Our main cautions are current emphasis on massive observational data analyses and process studies. The closure and the entrainment–detrainment problems are identified as the two highest priorities for convection parameterization under the mass–flux formulation. The need for
a drastic change of the current European research culture as concerns policies and funding in order not to further deplete the visions of the European researchers focusing on those basic issues is emphasized
A multi-center study of their physicochemical characteristics, cell culture and in vivo experiments
PVP-capped silver nanoparticles with a diameter of the metallic core of 70 nm,
a hydrodynamic diameter of 120 nm and a zeta potential of −20 mV were prepared
and investigated with regard to their biological activity. This review
summarizes the physicochemical properties (dissolution, protein adsorption,
dispersability) of these nanoparticles and the cellular consequences of the
exposure of a broad range of biological test systems to this defined type of
silver nanoparticles. Silver nanoparticles dissolve in water in the presence
of oxygen. In addition, in biological media (i.e., in the presence of
proteins) the surface of silver nanoparticles is rapidly coated by a protein
corona that influences their physicochemical and biological properties
including cellular uptake. Silver nanoparticles are taken up by cell-type
specific endocytosis pathways as demonstrated for hMSC, primary T-cells,
primary monocytes, and astrocytes. A visualization of particles inside cells
is possible by X-ray microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and combined FIB/SEM
analysis. By staining organelles, their localization inside the cell can be
additionally determined. While primary brain astrocytes are shown to be fairly
tolerant toward silver nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles induce the
formation of DNA double-strand-breaks (DSB) and lead to chromosomal
aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges in Chinese hamster fibroblast cell
lines (CHO9, K1, V79B). An exposure of rats to silver nanoparticles in vivo
induced a moderate pulmonary toxicity, however, only at rather high
concentrations. The same was found in precision-cut lung slices of rats in
which silver nanoparticles remained mainly at the tissue surface. In a human
3D triple-cell culture model consisting of three cell types (alveolar
epithelial cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells), adverse effects were also
only found at high silver concentrations. The silver ions that are released
from silver nanoparticles may be harmful to skin with disrupted barrier (e.g.,
wounds) and induce oxidative stress in skin cells (HaCaT). In conclusion, the
data obtained on the effects of this well-defined type of silver nanoparticles
on various biological systems clearly demonstrate that cell-type specific
properties as well as experimental conditions determine the biocompatibility
of and the cellular responses to an exposure with silver nanoparticles
Environmental Acidification Drives S. pyogenes Pilus Expression and Microcolony Formation on Epithelial Cells in a FCT-Dependent Manner
Group A Streptococcus (GAS, Streptococcus pyogenes) is a Gram-positive human pathogen responsible for a diverse variety of diseases, including pharyngitis, skin infections, invasive necrotizing fasciitis and autoimmune sequelae. We have recently shown that GAS cell adhesion and biofilm formation is associated with the presence of pili on the surface of these bacteria. GAS pilus proteins are encoded in the FCT (Fibronectin- Collagen-T antigen) genomic region, of which nine different variants have been identified so far. In the present study we undertook a global analysis of GAS isolates representing the majority of FCT-variants to investigate the effect of environmental growth conditions on their capacity to form multicellular communities. For FCT-types 2, 3, 5 and 6 and a subset of FCT-4 strains, we observed that acidification resulting from fermentative sugar metabolism leads to an increased ability of the bacteria to form biofilm on abiotic surfaces and microcolonies on epithelial cells. The higher biofilm forming capacity at low environmental pH was directly associated with an enhanced expression of the genes encoding the pilus components and of their transcription regulators. The data indicate that environmental pH affects the expression of most pilus types and thereby the formation of multicellular cell-adhering communities that assist the initial steps of GAS infection
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