Der konziliare Prozeß als Paradigma evangelischer Publizistik: Zum politischen Mandat der Kirchengebietspresse

Erst vor kurzem hat Udo Hahn erneut auf das Fehlen einer theologisch fundierten Theorie der (kirchlichen) Publizistik aufmerksam gemacht. Die wissenschaftlich- theologische Auseinandersetzung mit Fragen christlicher Publizistik, so Hahn, beschränke sich in den meisten Fällen auf historische Abhandlungen: "Eine systematisch-theologische Beschäftigung findet in der Regel nur in Aufsätzen statt." 1 Kirchliche und kirchennahe Publizistik ist immer noch in erster Linie ein Bereich der Aktion und weniger der Reflexion, resultierend aus den alltäglichen Zwangsläufigkeilen des Journalismus und der Öffentlichkeitsarbeit/Public Relations. Schon 1978 hatte Eberhard Stammler festgestellt: "Publizistik ist eben primär eine Sache der Praktiker, deren Ambitionen sich auf die wirkungsvolle Aussage richtet und deren Können sozusagen in den Fingerspitzen liegt. So haben sie ihre kirchliche Legitimation nicht durch theologische Gutachten erworben, sondern durch die Einsicht in die Unverzichtbarkeit ihres Wirkens." (...)  EnglishThe author describes the ecumenical ,.Conciliar Process for justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation" as a current paradigm of protestant journalism. He holds that the Conciliar Process supplies the church journaHst with a theoretical background which takes into account his being part of a secular, plural and democratic society. The author suggests that in this soclcty only by writing kontextually (i.e. politically) the church journaHst is able tobring about kerygmatic essence. Thus, he fulfills both the demands of professional journalism as weil as witnessing the Gospel. He establishes a specific ministry of his own: the ministry of the mediator. In advocating the needs of the marginalized the church journaHst exercises this ministry independent from official church policy. In terms of the theologian Paul Tillich, he actualizes unconditioned meaning in dealing with conditioned cultural forms.

Focus Alignment Method for Laser Manufacturing at Sub-micron Positional Accuracy

AbstractAccurate positioning of a sample is one of the major challenges in the laser micro manufacturing – especially if the requirements on tolerances are high as in ultrafast laser micromachining. There are a number of methods that allow detection of the surface position, however only few of them use the beam of the processing laser as a basis for the measurement. These methods have an advantage that any changes in the structuring beam will be inherently accommodated for. This work describes a direct contact free method to accurately determine the surface position with respect to the structuring beam focal plane. The method makes alignment of unique samples precise and time efficient due to ease of automation and provides a reproducibility of surface detection of less than 1μm

Modulation of TTX-sensitive voltage-dependent Na+ channels by β-bungarotoxin in rat cerebellar neurons

Background The modulation of voltage-dependent Na+ channels by lipid metabolites such as arachidonic acid or eicosanoids plays a role in physiological functions as well as in degenerative diseases. So far TTX-resistant channels were found mainly to be regulated by lipid metabolites. Results We investigated the lipid-dependent modulation of TTX-sensitive (TTX-s) Na+ channels using beta-bungarotoxin (beta-BuTX, 10 pM), which has an intrinsic phospholipase-A2 activity, and indomethacin (10 muM), which blocks cyclooxygenase activity in primary cerebellar neurons. To investigate TTX-s Na+ channels, whole-currents were measured under K+-free conditions and blocked by 10 nM TTX. The currents resulting from calculating the difference of currents measured in the presence and the absence of TTX were used for further analysis. Application of indomethacin mainly changed the current kinetics but has only minor effects on voltage-dependence. In contrast beta-BuTX increased the maximal current amplitude and shifted the voltage-dependent activation towards more negative potentials. The effects of beta-BuTX were blocked by indomethacin. Analysis of lipid metabolites which accumulate by treatment with beta-BuTX using MALDI-TOF MS showed an increase of cyclooxygenase reaction products in relation to arachidonic acid. Conclusions In summary, we conclude that TTX-sensitive Na+ channels can be directly modulated by cyclooxygenase reaction products leading to higher activity at less depolarized potentials and subsequent higher excitability of neurons. Since activation of cyclooxygenase is also involved in pathways leading to apoptotic cells death this could play a role in degenerative diseases of the CNS and highlights a possible protective effect of cyclooxygenase inhibition

Mixture formation of OME3−5 and 1-Octanol in comparison with diesel-like Dodecane under ECN Spray A conditions

In order to be able to use the full potential of regenerative fuels, a comprehensive characterization is necessary to identify the differences between conventional fuels and regenerative fuels. In the current work, we compare OME3−5 and 1-Octanol with diesel-like Dodecane in terms of mixture formation under ECN Spray A conditions for single and multi-injection. To determine the mixtures, i.e., the mass distribution and the resulting air-fuel equivalence ratio, Naber and Siebers’ model as well as Musculus and Kattke’s model are used, which are based on experimental data. For this work, the mass flow rates and also the liquid and gaseous penetration depths of the fuel spray are measured. Results show that the mass ratios for the quasi-steady state of a single main injection for all three fuels are nearly the same, whereas the air-fuel equivalence ratios are very different. In addition, multiple injections are used to show that the fuel influences the opening and closing behavior of the injector. In the transient case of multiple injections, completely different mixtures result. In summary, it can be stated that OME3−5 and also 1-Octanol show a clearly different physio-chemical behavior from Dodecane and cannot simply be used as a drop-in fuel. Therefore, a simple exchange is not possible without major adaptations

Design of NbN Based Kinetic Inductance Detectors for Polarimetric Plasma Diagnostics

In this article, we present the design of a custom kinetic inductance detector (KID) tailored for polarimetric diagnostics of magnetically confined fusion plasma. The detector is of the lumped elements KID kind and is based on a crossed 2 × 2 pixel design for polarization sensitivity. Simulations have been performed to tune device parameters like resonance frequency, cross-talking and coupling with the microstrip feed line, taking into consideration the requirements of the final instrument and the field of application. The devices have been designed for optimal absorption at 1.3 THz, the chosen probing frequency for the final instrument, and they resonate in a range from 0.8 to 1.1 GHz. The characterization of the thin niobium nitride film and the first S $_{21}$ parameter measurements performed on patterned thin films deposited on 330 μm high resistivity silicon substrates are also presented

Mixture Formation Analysis for Diesel, n-Dodecane, RME, and HVO in Large-Scale Injector Nozzles

This project has received funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program. Grant Agreement No. 861002.Momentum conservation is a principle rule that affects the behaviour of vapour jet and liquid spray penetration. The air entrainment and mixture formation processes are dominated by the momentum transferred from the fuel to the ambient gas. Thus, it is a significant factor in the development of spray and jet penetration. This mixture formation process is well described for small-scale passenger car injectors; however, it has to be investigated in more detail for large-scale injector nozzles. The current work provides qualitative and quantitative results of spray and jet parameters in a constant volume combustion chamber (CVC). Two optical methods have been utilized to evaluate spray and jet details: Schlieren photography as a method to visualize the jet penetration and cone angle as well as Mie scattering for the phase change evaluation and the determination of liquid spray parameters. The temperature and pressure of inert gas and fuel inside a CVC are set to exemplify engine conditions. The chamber temperature is ranged between 873 to 973K, the chamber pressure is increased from 5 to 7 MPa and the injection pressure is changed between 50 to 150 MPa. Four fuels are selected in order to shed light upon the effects of fuel properties on spray and jet parameters. As a part of this evaluation, n dodecane and two types of bio-diesel fuel generations, RME (1st Generation) and HVO (2nd Generation) are dissected to expand their influences on mixture formation, which can be connected to the emission production in diesel engines. Finally, two large-scale injector nozzles with an outlet hole diameter of 300 µm (cylindrical and conical nozzles) cover the effects of geometry parameters on spray and jet development. The results accentuate the fact that the liquid spray parameters are effectively fuel-dependent, while total jet parameters are mostly affected by nozzle geometry. Liquid spray length is varied from n-dodecane as a low-boiling fuel to RME as a less-volatile fuel. The conical nozzle results in less cavitation, which is effectively influential on liquid spray and total jet penetrations

C‐reactive protein flare‐response predicts long‐term efficacy to first‐line anti‐PD‐1‐based combination therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Objectives Immune checkpoint blockade (IO) has revolutionised the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Early C-reactive protein (CRP) kinetics, especially the recently introduced CRP flare-response phenomenon, has shown promising results to predict IO efficacy in mRCC, but has only been studied in second line or later. Here, we aimed to validate the predictive value of early CRP kinetics for 1st-line treatment of mRCC with αPD-1 plus either αCTLA-4 (IO+IO) or tyrosine kinase inhibitor (IO+TKI). Methods In this multicentre retrospective study, we investigated the predictive potential of early CRP kinetics during 1st-line IO therapy. Ninety-five patients with mRCC from six tertiary referral centres with either IO+IO (N = 59) or IO+TKI (N = 36) were included. Patients were classified as CRP flare-responders, CRP responders or non-CRP responders as previously described, and their oncological outcome was compared. Results Our data validate the predictive potential of early CRP kinetics in 1st-line immunotherapy in mRCC. CRP responders, especially CRP flare-responders, had significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) compared with non-CRP responders (median PFS: CRP flare-responder: 19.2 months vs. responders: 16.2 vs. non-CRP responders: 5.6, P < 0.001). In both the IO+IO and IO+TKI subgroups, early CRP kinetics remained significantly associated with improved PFS. CRP flare-response was also associated with long-term response ≥ 12 months. Conclusions Early CRP kinetics appears to be a low-cost and easy-to-implement on-treatment biomarker to predict response to 1st-line IO combination therapy. It has potential to optimise therapy monitoring and might represent a new standard of care biomarker for immunotherapy in mRCC

Effects of empagliflozin and target-organ damage in a novel rodent model of heart failure induced by combined hypertension and diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension are two major risk factors leading to heart failure and cardiovascular damage. Lowering blood sugar by the sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor empagliflozin provides cardiac protection. We established a new rat model that develops both inducible diabetes and genetic hypertension and investigated the effect of empagliflozin treatment to test the hypothesis if empagliflozin will be protective in a heart failure model which is not based on a primary vascular event. The transgenic Tet29 rat model for inducible diabetes was crossed with the mRen27 hypertensive rat to create a novel model for heart failure with two stressors. The diabetic, hypertensive heart failure rat (mRen27/tetO-shIR) were treated with empagliflozin (10 mg/kg/d) or vehicle for 4 weeks. Cardiovascular alterations were monitored by advanced speckle tracking echocardiography, gene expression analysis and immunohistological staining. The novel model with increased blood pressure und higher blood sugar levels had a reduced survival compared to controls. The rats develop heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Empagliflozin lowered blood sugar levels compared to vehicle treated animals (182.3 ± 10.4 mg/dl vs. 359.4 ± 35.8 mg/dl) but not blood pressure (135.7 ± 10.3 mmHg vs. 128.2 ± 3.8 mmHg). The cardiac function was improved in all three global strains (global longitudinal strain − 8.5 ± 0.5% vs. − 5.5 ± 0.6%, global radial strain 20.4 ± 2.7% vs. 8.8 ± 1.1%, global circumferential strain − 11.0 ± 0.7% vs. − 7.6 ± 0.8%) and by increased ejection fraction (42.8 ± 4.0% vs. 28.2 ± 3.0%). In addition, infiltration of macrophages was decreased by treatment (22.4 ± 1.7 vs. 32.3 ± 2.3 per field of view), despite mortality was not improved. Empagliflozin showed beneficial effects on cardiovascular dysfunction. In this novel rat model of combined hypertension and diabetes, the improvement in systolic and diastolic function was not secondary to a reduction in left ventricular mass or through modulation of the afterload, since blood pressure was not changed. The mRen27/tetO-shIR strain should provide utility in separating blood sugar from blood pressure-related treatment effects