High-mass star formation in southern disk galaxies

As part of a major study of the physical processes of star formation and the evolution of galactic discs, the detailed distribution of high-mass star formation within southern late-type spirals and Magellanic-type galaxies is being measured by means of narrow-band imaging in Ha and the continuum, spectroscopic studies of prominent HII regions identified in the Ha images, and by radio mapping in neutral hydrogen and the continuum. The radio mapping will be undertaken with the Southern Hemisphere's first large, multi-frequency synthesis array, the Australia Telescope. Some optical imaging and spectroscopic data has already been acquired; the optical data and some preliminary results are described

The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: final data release and the metallicity of UV-luminous galaxies

The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey measured the redshifts of over 200 000 ultraviolet (UV)-selected (NUV < 22.8 mag) galaxies on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. The survey detected the baryon acoustic oscillation signal in the large-scale distribution of galaxies over the redshift range 0.2 < z < 1.0, confirming the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe and measuring the rate of structure growth within it. Here, we present the final data release of the survey: a catalogue of 225 415 galaxies and individual files of the galaxy spectra. We analyse the emission-line properties of these UV-luminous Lyman-break galaxies by stacking the spectra in bins of luminosity, redshift, and stellar mass. The most luminous (−25mag < M_(FUV) < −22mag) galaxies have very broad Hβ emission from active nuclei, as well as a broad second component to the [O III] (495.9 nm, 500.7 nm) doublet lines that is blueshifted by 100 km s^(−1) , indicating the presence of gas outflows in these galaxies. The composite spectra allow us to detect and measure the temperature-sensitive [O III] (436.3 nm) line and obtain metallicities using the direct method. The metallicities of intermediate stellar mass (8.8 < log (M*/M⊙) < 10) WiggleZ galaxies are consistent with normal emission-line galaxies at the same masses. In contrast, the metallicities of high stellar mass (10 < log (M*/M⊙) < 12) WiggleZ galaxies are significantly lower than for normal emission-line galaxies at the same masses. This is not an effect of evolution as the metallicities do not vary with redshift; it is most likely a property specific to the extremely UV-luminous WiggleZ galaxies

Does repetitive task training improve functional activity after stroke? A Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis.

Repetitive task training resulted in modest improvement across a range of lower limb outcome measures, but not upper limb outcome measures. Training may be sufficient to have a small impact on activities of daily living. Interventions involving elements of repetition and task training are diverse and difficult to classify: the results presented are specific to trials where both elements are clearly present in the intervention, without major confounding by other potential mechanisms of action

Consequences of Post-Weaning Social Isolation on Anxiety Behavior and Related Neural Circuits in Rodents

Exposure to adverse experiences in early-life is implicated in the later vulnerability to development of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and affective disorders in humans. Adverse early-life experiences likely impart their long-term consequences on mental health by disrupting the normal development of neural systems involved in stress responses, emotional behavior and emotional states. Neural systems utilizing the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine and the neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) are implicated in mediating emotive behaviors, and dysfunction of these neurochemical systems is associated with mood/anxiety disorders. These neural systems continue maturing until early or mid-adolescence in humans, thus alterations to their development are likely to contribute to the long-term consequences of adverse early-life experiences. A large body of literature suggests that post-weaning isolation rearing of rodents models the behavioral consequences of adverse early-life experiences in humans. Overall, the majority findings suggest that post-weaning social isolation that encompasses pre-adolescence produces long-lasting alterations to anxiety behavior, while measures of monoaminergic activity in various limbic regions during social isolation suggest alterations to dopamine and serotonin systems. The goal of this review is to evaluate and integrate findings from post-weaning social isolation studies specifically related to altered fear and anxiety behaviors and associated changes in neuroendocrine function and the activity of monoaminergic systems

Microscopic theory of glassy dynamics and glass transition for molecular crystals

We derive a microscopic equation of motion for the dynamical orientational correlators of molecular crystals. Our approach is based upon mode coupling theory. Compared to liquids we find four main differences: (i) the memory kernel contains Umklapp processes, (ii) besides the static two-molecule orientational correlators one also needs the static one-molecule orientational density as an input, where the latter is nontrivial, (iii) the static orientational current density correlator does contribute an anisotropic, inertia-independent part to the memory kernel, (iv) if the molecules are assumed to be fixed on a rigid lattice, the tensorial orientational correlators and the memory kernel have vanishing l,l'=0 components. The resulting mode coupling equations are solved for hard ellipsoids of revolution on a rigid sc-lattice. Using the static orientational correlators from Percus-Yevick theory we find an ideal glass transition generated due to precursors of orientational order which depend on X and p, the aspect ratio and packing fraction of the ellipsoids. The glass formation of oblate ellipsoids is enhanced compared to that for prolate ones. For oblate ellipsoids with X <~ 0.7 and prolate ellipsoids with X >~ 4, the critical diagonal nonergodicity parameters in reciprocal space exhibit more or less sharp maxima at the zone center with very small values elsewhere, while for prolate ellipsoids with 2 <~ X <~ 2.5 we have maxima at the zone edge. The off-diagonal nonergodicity parameters are not restricted to positive values and show similar behavior. For 0.7 <~ X <~ 2, no glass transition is found. In the glass phase, the nonergodicity parameters show a pronounced q-dependence.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, accepted at Phys. Rev. E. v4 is almost identical to the final paper version. It includes, compared to former versions v2/v3, no new physical content, but only some corrected formulas in the appendices and corrected typos in text. In comparison to version v1, in v2-v4 some new results have been included and text has been change

Entwicklung von Phytophthora-resistentem Zuchtmaterial für den ökologischen Landbau

Die Ansprüche des ökologischen Landbaus an Kartoffelsorten unterscheiden sich zum Teil erheblich von denen des konventionellen Anbaus. Dies ist bedingt durch den alternativen Pflanzenschutz mit mechanischer Unkrautbekämpfung sowie durch eine in der Regel geringere Stickstoffversorgung der Pflanzen. Darum benötigt der ökologische Landbau spezielle Sorten, die neben den vom Verbraucher gewünschten Qualitätsmerkmalen auch eine hohe Widerstandsfähigkeit gegenüber Krankheiten und Schädlingen besitzen, durch schnelle Jugendentwicklung das Unkrautwachstum unterdrücken und eine hohe Nährstoffeffizienz aufweisen. Um neue Zuchtstämme zu schaffen, in denen die im Biolandbau gewünschten Eigenschaften kombiniert vorliegen, etablierte das seit 2012 im „Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau und andere Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft“ geförderte Projekt „Entwicklung von Phytophthora-resistentem Zuchtmaterial für den ökologischen Landbau“ ein Zuchtprogramm speziell für den ökologischen Kartoffelanbau. Für die Züchtung auf geringe Anfälligkeit gegenüber der Kraut- und Knollenfäule, die durch den Oomyceten Phytophthora infestans hervorgerufen wird, wurde auf resistente Kartoffelklone aus der Vorzüchtung des Julius-Kühn Institutes zurückgegriffen. Die untersuchten Zuchtstämme und Vergleichssorten wurden parallel in einem Beobachtungsanbau hinsichtlich weiterer agronomischer und qualitativer Eigenschaften wie Ertragsleistung, Wuchsform, Stärkegehalt, Speise- und Veredelungseignung und Abreifeverhalten untersucht. Weitere Resistenzen sowie gewünschte Qualitätsmerkmale wurden aus modernen Hochleistungssorten deutscher Züchtungsunternehmen und historischen Sorten der IPK Genbank während des Projektverlaufs ins Zuchtmaterial eingebracht. Neben der Evaluierung der Prüfglieder hinsichtlich der Resistenzeigenschaften wurden zur Erweiterung des Basiszuchtmaterials zahlreiche Kreuzungen durchgeführt. Hierbei wurden die Kreuzungseltern gezielt aus den im Projekt geprüften Sorten und Zuchtstämmen ausgewählt. Für die Bewertung und die Selektion der Klone wurde ein partizipativer Züchtungsansatz gewählt und dafür drei ökologisch wirtschaftende, landwirtschaftliche Betriebe ins Projekt eingebunden. Die Betriebsleiter wurden intensiv geschult und führten die Bewertung der Klone und die Selektion der Knollen in enger Zusammenarbeit mit den wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeitern der Institute durch. Ein solches Modell ist bislang in der der deutschen Kartoffelzüchtung einzigartig. Wissenschaftlich begleitet wurden die Züchtungsarbeiten durch eine phänotypische und genotypische Charakterisierung des Ausgangsmaterials und der Zuchtklone. Ziel hierbei war es, Grundlagen für eine molekulare Selektion KF-resistenter Nachkommen zu schaffen. Hierzu wurden an einem Prüfgliedsortiment Assoziationsstudien mit DArT- und SNP-Markern durchgeführt und ausgewertet. Im Projekt wurden am IPK erstmalig zwei Sortimente umfassend genetisch mittels zwei verschiedener Markersysteme zu charakterisiert. Mit den erzielten Ergebnisse konnten Duplikatgruppen innerhalb der Genbankakzessionen aufgedeckt sowie Unstimmigkeiten erkannt und bereinigt werden. Damit wurde das Genbankmanagement verbessert und nutzerorientiert gestaltet. Somit hat das Projekt eine nachhaltigere und intensivere Nutzung pflanzengenetischer Ressourcen ermöglicht. Dadurch ist es Züchtern wie auch Forschungsinstitutionen zukünftig möglich, zielgerichteter auf genetische Ressourcen der Kartoffel zuzugreifen und diese in die eigenen Zuchtprogramme und Forschungsprojekte einzubringen

The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey: final data release and the metallicity of UV-luminous galaxies

The WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey measured the redshifts of over 200 000 ultraviolet (UV)-selected (NUV < 22.8 mag) galaxies on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. The survey detected the baryon acoustic oscillation signal in the large-scale distribution of galaxies over the redshift range 0.2 < z < 1.0, confirming the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe and measuring the rate of structure growth within it. Here, we present the final data release of the survey: a catalogue of 225 415 galaxies and individual files of the galaxy spectra. We analyse the emission-line properties of these UV-luminous Lyman-break galaxies by stacking the spectra in bins of luminosity, redshift, and stellar mass. The most luminous (−25mag < M_(FUV) < −22mag) galaxies have very broad Hβ emission from active nuclei, as well as a broad second component to the [O III] (495.9 nm, 500.7 nm) doublet lines that is blueshifted by 100 km s^(−1) , indicating the presence of gas outflows in these galaxies. The composite spectra allow us to detect and measure the temperature-sensitive [O III] (436.3 nm) line and obtain metallicities using the direct method. The metallicities of intermediate stellar mass (8.8 < log (M*/M⊙) < 10) WiggleZ galaxies are consistent with normal emission-line galaxies at the same masses. In contrast, the metallicities of high stellar mass (10 < log (M*/M⊙) < 12) WiggleZ galaxies are significantly lower than for normal emission-line galaxies at the same masses. This is not an effect of evolution as the metallicities do not vary with redshift; it is most likely a property specific to the extremely UV-luminous WiggleZ galaxies