Circuit Electromechanics with a Non-Metallized Nanobeam

We have realized a nano-electromechanical hybrid system consisting of a silicon nitride beam dielectrically coupled to a superconducting microwave resonator. We characterize the sample by making use of the Duffing nonlinearity of the strongly driven beam. In particular, we calibrate the amplitude spectrum of the mechanical motion and determine the electromechanical vacuum coupling. A high quality factor of 480,000 at a resonance frequency of 14 MHz is achieved at 0.5 K. The experimentally determined electromechanical vacuum coupling of 11.5 mHz is quantitatively compared with finite element based model calculations.Comment: Typos and one reference have been correcte

A new Lagrangian in-time particle simulation module (Itpas v1) for atmospheric particle dispersion

Trajectory models are intuitive tools for airflow studies. But in general, they are limited to non-turbulent, i.e. laminar flow, conditions. Therefore, trajectory models are not particularly suitable for investigating airflow within the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer. To overcome this, a common approach is handling the turbulent uncertainty as a random deviation from a mean path in order to create a statistic of possible solutions which envelops the mean path. This is well known as the Lagrangian particle dispersion model (LPDM). However, the decisive factor is the representation of turbulence in the model, for which widely used models such as FLEXPART and HYSPLIT use an approximation. A conceivable improvement could be the use of a turbulence parameterisation approach based on the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) at high temporal resolution. Here, we elaborated this approach and developed the LPDM Itpas, which is coupled online to the German Weather Service's mesoscale weather forecast model COSMO. It benefits from the prognostically calculated TKE as well as from the high-frequency wind information. We demonstrate the model's applicability for a case study on agricultural particle emission in eastern Germany. The results obtained are discussed with regard to the model's ability to describe particle transport within a turbulent boundary layer. Ultimately, the simulations performed suggest that the newly introduced method based on prognostic TKE sufficiently represents the particle transport

Pro-Inflammatory wnt5a and Anti-Inflammatory sFRP5 Are Differentially Regulated by Nutritional Factors in Obese Human Subjects

Background: Obesity is associated with macrophage infiltration of adipose tissue. These inflammatory cells affect adipocytes not only by classical cytokines but also by the secreted glycopeptide wnt5a. Healthy adipocytes are able to release the wnt5a inhibitor sFRP5. This protective effect, however, was found to be diminished in obesity. The aim of the present study was to examine (1) whether obese human subjects exhibit increased serum concentrations of wnt5a and (2) whether wnt5a and/or sFRP5 serum concentrations in obese subjects can be influenced by caloric restriction. Methodology: 23 obese human subjects (BMI 44.161.1 kg/m 2) and 12 age- and sex-matched lean controls (BMI 22.360.4 kg/m 2) were included in the study. Obese subjects were treated with a very low-calorie diet (approximately 800 kcal/d) for 12 weeks. Body composition was assessed by impedance analysis, insulin sensitivity was estimated by HOMA-IR and the leptin-to-adiponectin ratio and wnt5a and sFRP5 serum concentrations were measured by ELISA. sFRP5 expression in human adipose tissue biopsies was further determined on protein level by immunohistology. Principal Findings: Pro-inflammatory wnt5a was not measurable in any serum sample of lean control subjects. In patients with obesity, however, wnt5a became significantly detectable consistent with low grade inflammation in such subjects. Caloric restriction resulted in a weight loss from 131.964.0 to 112.363.2 kg in the obese patients group. This was accompanied by a significant decrease of HOMA-IR and leptin-to-adiponectin ratio, indicating improved insulin sensitivity

Thermo-Responsive Ultrafiltration Block Copolymer Membranes Based on Polystyrene-block-poly(diethyl acrylamide)

Within the present work, a thermo-responsive ultrafiltration membrane is manufactured based on a polystyrene-block-poly(diethyl acrylamide) block copolymer (BCP). The poly(diethyl acrylamide) block segment features a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water, similar to the well-known poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), but having increased biocompatibility and without exhibiting a hysteresis of the thermally induced switching behavior. The BCP is synthesized via sequential “living” anionic polymerization protocols and analyzed by 1H-NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. The resulting morphology in the bulk state is investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) revealing the intended hexagonal cylindrical morphology. The BCPs form micelles in a binary mixture of tetrahydrofuran and dimethylformamide, where BCP composition and solvent affinities are discussed in light of the expected structure of these micelles and the resulting BCP membrane formation. The membranes are manufactured using the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process and are characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and water permeation measurements. The latter are carried out at room temperature and at 50 °C revealing up to a 23-fold increase of the permeance, when crossing the LCST of the poly(diethyl acrylamide) block segment in water

Airborne bacterial emission fluxes from manure-fertilized agricultural soil

This is the first study to quantify the dependence on wind velocity of airborne bacterial emission fluxes from soil. It demonstrates that manure bacteria get aerosolized from fertilized soil more easily than soil bacteria, and it applies bacterial genomic sequencing for the first time to trace environmental faecal contamination back to its source in the chicken barn. We report quantitative, airborne emission fluxes of bacteria during and following the fertilization of agricultural soil with manure from broiler chickens. During the fertilization process, the concentration of airborne bacteria culturable on blood agar medium increased more than 600 000-fold, and 1 m(3)of air carried 2.9 x 10(5)viable enterococci, i.e. indicators of faecal contamination which had been undetectable in background air samples. Trajectory modelling suggested that atmospheric residence times and dispersion pathways were dependent on the time of day at which fertilization was performed. Measurements in a wind tunnel indicated that airborne bacterial emission fluxes from freshly fertilized soil under local climatic conditions on average were 100-fold higher than a previous estimate of average emissions from land. Faecal bacteria collected from soil and dust up to seven weeks after fertilization could be traced to their origins in the poultry barn by genomic sequencing. Comparative analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences from manure, soil and dust showed that manure bacteria got aerosolized preferably, likely due to their attachment to low-density manure particles. Our data show that fertilization with manure may cause substantial increases of bacterial emissions from agricultural land. After mechanical incorporation of manure into soil, however, the associated risk of airborne infection is low

Agricultural fertilization with poultry manure results in persistent environmental contamination with the pathogen Clostridioides difficile

During a field experiment applying broiler manure for fertilization of agricultural land, we detected viable Clostridioides (also known as Clostridium) difficile in broiler faeces, manure, dust and fertilized soil. A large diversity of toxigenic C. difficile isolates was recovered, including PCR ribotypes common from human disease. Genomic relatedness of C. difficile isolates from dust and from soil, recovered more than 2 years after fertilization, traced their origins to the specific chicken farm that had delivered the manure. We present evidence of long-term contamination of agricultural soil with manure-derived C. difficile and demonstrate the potential for airborne dispersal of C. difficile through dust emissions during manure application. Clostridioides genome sequences virtually identical to those from manure had been recovered from chicken meat and from human infections in previous studies, suggesting broiler-associated C. difficile are capable of zoonotic transmission

Cellular and molecular biomarkers indicate premature aging in pseudoxanthoma elasticum patients

The molecular processes of aging are very heterogenic and not fully understood. Studies on rare progeria syndromes, which display an accelerated progression of physiological aging, can help to get a better understanding. Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) caused by mutations in the ATP-binding cassette sub-family C member 6 (ABCC6) gene shares some molecular characteristics with such premature aging diseases. Thus, this is the first study trying to broaden the knowledge of aging processes in PXE patients. In this study, we investigated aging associated biomarkers in primary human dermal fibroblasts and sera from PXE patients compared to healthy controls. Determination of serum concentrations of the aging biomarkers eotaxin-1 (CCL11), growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) showed no significant differences between PXE patients and healthy controls. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) showed a significant increase in serum concentrations of PXE patients older than 45 years compared to the appropriate control group. Tissue specific gene expression of GDF11 and IGFBP3 were significantly decreased in fibroblasts from PXE patients compared to normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF). IGFBP3 protein concentration in supernatants of fibroblasts from PXE patients were decreased compared to NHDF but did not reach statistical significance due to potential gender specific variations. The minor changes in concentration of circulating aging biomarkers in sera of PXE patients and the significant aberrant tissue specific expression seen for selected factors in PXE fibroblasts, suggests a link between ABCC6 deficiency and accelerated aging processes in affected peripheral tissues of PXE patients

Für wen gebe ich mein Urteil ab? Der systematische Einfluss des Fragebogenadressaten auf Kausalattributionsgewichtungen bei geschlossenen Antwortformaten

Die Fragebogenforschung belegt, dass Respondenten durch Kontextinformationen eines Fragebogens systematisch in ihrem Antwortverhalten beeinflusst werden. So zeigten Norenzayan und Schwarz (1999), dass Probanden bei freier Antwortmöglichkeit eher persönlichkeitsbezogene Ursachen zur Erklärung von Straftaten nennen, wenn der Fragebogen scheinbar von einem Institut für Persönlichkeitsforschung (verglichen mit einem Institut für Sozialforschung) erstellt wurde. Hierzu diskutierte Erklärungen sind einerseits Konversationsmaximen, die einen Bezug zwischen Adressat und Gesagtem induzieren, andererseits kognitive Primings, die selektive kognitive Aktivierungen und damit Verfügbarkeiten bedingen sollen. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht diese Erklärungsalternativen, indem sie erstmals in einem analogen Studiendesign persönlichkeitsbezogene und soziale Gründe in geschlossenen Antwortformaten vorgibt und gewichten lässt. Mögliche Gewichtungsunterschiede sind somit nicht mittels kognitiver Verfügbarkeit erklärbar. Eine Kovarianzanalyse (Alter, Geschlecht und die Big-Five-Persönlichkeitsdimensionen als Kovariaten) belegt im Einklang mit den Konversationsmaximen eine signifikant stärkere Bedeutungszuschreibung für persönlichkeitsbezogene Ursachen unter der Bedingung „Institut für Persönlichkeitsforschung“ im Vergleich zu „Institut für Sozialforschung“ und einer Kontrollbedingung („Institut für Kriminologie“)

Genetic deletion of Abcc6 disturbs cholesterol homeostasis in mice

Genetic studies link adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter C6 (ABCC6) mutations to pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE). ABCC6 sequence variations are correlated with altered HDL cholesterol levels and an elevated risk of coronary artery diseases. However, the role of ABCC6 in cholesterol homeostasis is not widely known. Here, we report reduced serum cholesterol and phytosterol levels in Abcc6-deficient mice, indicating an impaired sterol absorption. Ratios of cholesterol precursors to cholesterol were increased, confirmed by upregulation of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (Hmgcr) expression, suggesting activation of cholesterol biosynthesis in Abcc6-/- mice. We found that cholesterol depletion was accompanied by a substantial decrease in HDL cholesterol mediated by lowered ApoA-I and ApoA-II protein levels and not by inhibited lecithin-cholesterol transferase activity. Additionally, higher proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (Pcsk9) serum levels in Abcc6-/- mice and PXE patients and elevated ApoB level in knockout mice were observed, suggesting a potentially altered very low-density lipoprotein synthesis. Our results underline the role of Abcc6 in cholesterol homeostasis and indicate impaired cholesterol metabolism as an important pathomechanism involved in PXE manifestation