THE STYLISTIC INFLUENCE OF THE FRENCH VIOLIN SCHOOL ON THE BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO OP. 61

Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is universally considered one of the most significant essays in the genre. Though much has already been written and explored, this project investigates the stylistic influences of the French Violin School in relation to this concerto. The violinists at the forefront of the French School were involved in different ways with opera. Their acquaintance with vocal music transferred to the violin, inevitably driven by their pursuit of new ways of expression, resulting in works that highlighted the lyrical singing quality of the violin and possibly foreshadowing the Romantic style of the nineteenth-century. For Beethoven, the early 1800s were a time of exploration as he searched for his own voice and perhaps it was the lyrical quality of French violin music as well as the idiomatic writing of the solo violin that turned him toward the works of the French violin school. A portion of the paper assesses the extent to which Beethoven adopted idiomatic language popular with French masters in writing the solo part of his violin concerto, and shows how he incorporated that language to create something unique, a model for the large-scale symphonic concerto that became popular with nineteenth-century composers. This research also studies the treatment of melodies in Beethoven, Viotti and Kreutzer concertos. A chapter on the cadenza is included that surveys the different cadenzas written for Beethoven’s Concerto and their stylistic implications, along with my own cadenza for the first movement.Ope

Untersuchungen zur Funktion der Knorpelproteine Ucma und Matrilin-1 im Zebrafisch

UCMA (im Zebrafisch Ucma) und Matrilin-1 sind zwei „nicht kollagene“ Proteine der Extrazellulärmatrix des Knorpels, deren Funktion bisher nur unzureichend aufgeklärt wurde. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde der Zebrafisch als Modellorganismus herangezogen um Expression und Funktion beider Proteine während der Zebrafisch Embryonalentwicklung zu untersuchen. UCMA, auch GRP genannt, ist ein vor kurzem entdecktes Mitglied der Familie der Glutamat γ-carboxylierten Proteine und wird hauptsächlich im Knorpel exprimiert. Im Zebrafisch sind aufgrund einer zusätzlichen Genomduplikation zwei Kopien des UCMA Gens vorhanden, ucmaa und ucmab, die sich jeweils auf den Chromosomen 25 und 4 befinden. Genstruktur, alternatives Spleißen und Proteinsequenz von UCMA sind zwischen Säugetieren und Zebrafisch stark konserviert und beide Formen von Zebrafisch Ucma sind in skelettalen Geweben exprimiert. Ucmaa wurde ab 18 hpf im sich entwickelnden Notochord detektiert. Außerdem wurde es in den sich entwickelnden Kraniofazialknorpeln gefunden. Ucmab Expression hingegen konnte nur schwach in spezifischen Knorpeln des Kraniofazialskeletts, jedoch nicht im Notochord und erst ab 96 hpf detektiert werden. Der „knockdown“ von Ucmaa führt zu schweren Wachstumsdefekten und Störungen der Skelettbildung. Im Knorpel von Morphanten findet sich weniger Aggrecan und Kollagen II. Vergleichbare Defekte konnten nach Unterdrückung der Glutamat γ-Carboxylierung durch Warfarin beobachtet werden, ein Hinweis darauf, dass die posttranslationale Modifikation essentiell für die Funktion von Ucmaa ist und die fehlende Glutamat γ-Carboxylierung an der Entstehung der sogenannten „Warfarin Embryopathien“ und ähnlichen skelettalen Krankheiten des Menschen beteiligt sein kann. Matrilin-1 ist das prototypische Mitglied der Familie der Matriline und in Mensch und Maus hauptsächlich in Knorpel exprimiert. Matn-1 weist während der Entwicklung des Zebrafisches eine mehrphasige Expression auf. Während der frühen Expression, die bei ca. 15 hpf ihren Höhepunkt erreicht, ist Matn-1 im ganzen Zebrafischembryo mit Ausnahme des Notochords exprimiert. Während der späten Expression, die ab etwa 64 hpf beginnt, kann Matn-1 hauptsächlich im Knorpel detektiert werden. Der „knockdown“ von Matn-1 führt, ähnlich wie jener von Ucmaa, sowohl zu Wachstumsdefekten und Störungen bei der Bildung der Kraniofazialknorpel, als auch zum Verlust von Aggrecan und Kollagen II. Der Verlust von Matn-1 hat während der frühen und der späten Expression unterschiedliche Auswirkungen. In der frühen Expressionsphase ändert sich die Zellmorphologie nicht, jedoch können ER-Stress und Apoptose nachgewiesen werden. Während der zweiten Expressionsphase führt der Verlust von Matn-1 zu ausgeprägten morphologischen Veränderungen des endoplasmatischen Retikulums von Chondrozyten. Anzeichen für ER-Stress gibt es nicht, dagegen kann Autophagie nachgewiesen werden. Ein weiterer Hinweis auf eine Störung von Synthese und Sekretion durch den „knockdown“ von Matn-1 ergibt sich aus der Behandlung von Matn-1 Morphanten mit dem Proteasominhibitor Bortezomib. Diese Behandlung erhöhte die Phänotypenrate signifikant, so dass anzunehmen ist, dass die betroffenen Zellen in begrenztem Umfang in der Lage sind den Matn-1 „knockdown“ mit einem erhöhten Proteinabbau zu kompensieren

Factor associated with neutral sphingomyelinase activity mediates navigational capacity of leukocytes responding to wounds and infection:live imaging studies in zebrafish larvae

Factor associated with neutral sphingomyelinase activity (FAN) is an adaptor protein that specifically binds to the p55 receptor for TNF (TNF-RI). Our previous investigations demonstrated that FAN plays a role in TNF-induced actin reorganization by connecting the plasma membrane with actin cytoskeleton, suggesting that FAN may impact on cellular motility in response to TNF and in the context of immune inflammatory conditions. In this study, we used the translucent zebrafish larvae for in vivo analysis of leukocyte migration after morpholino knockdown of FAN. FAN-deficient zebrafish leukocytes were impaired in their migration toward tail fin wounds, leading to a reduced number of cells reaching the wound. Furthermore, FAN-deficient leukocytes show an impaired response to bacterial infections, suggesting that FAN is generally required for the directed chemotactic response of immune cells independent of the nature of the stimulus. Cell-tracking analysis up to 3 h after injury revealed that the reduced number of leukocytes is not due to a reduction in random motility or speed of movement. Leukocytes from FAN-deficient embryos protrude pseudopodia in all directions instead of having one clear leading edge. Our results suggest that FAN-deficient leukocytes exhibit an impaired navigational capacity, leading to a disrupted chemotactic response

Regulation of TRPM8 channel activity by Src-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation

The transient receptor potential melastatin type 8 (TRPM8) receptor channel is expressed in primary afferent neurons where it is the main transducer of innocuous cold temperatures and also in a variety of tumors, where it is involved in progression and metastasis. Modulation of this channel by intracellular signaling pathways has therefore important clinical implications. We investigated the modulation of recombinant and natively expressed TRPM8 by the Src kinase, which is known to be involved in cancer pathophysiology and inflammation. Human TRPM8 expressed in HEK293T cells is constitutively tyrosine phosphorylated by Src which is expressed either heterologously or endogenously. Src action on TRPM8 potentiates its activity, as treatment with PP2, a selective Src kinase inhibitor, reduces both TRPM8 tyrosine phosphorylation and cold‐induced channel activation. RNA interference directed against the Src kinase diminished the extent of PP2‐induced functional downregulation of TRPM8, confirming that PP2 acts mainly through Src inhibition. Finally, the effect of PP2 on TRPM8 cold activation was reproduced in cultured rat dorsal root ganglion neurons, and this action was antagonized by the protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor pervanadate, confirming that TRPM8 activity is sensitive to the cellular balance between tyrosine kinases and phosphatases. This positive modulation of TRPM8 by Src kinase may be relevant for inflammatory pain and cancer signaling

Micromechanical function of myofibrils isolated from skeletal and cardiac muscles of the zebrafish

The zebrafish is a potentially important and cost-effective model for studies of development, motility, regeneration, and inherited human diseases. The object of our work was to show whether myofibrils isolated from zebrafish striated muscle represent a valid subcellular contractile model. These organelles, which determine contractile function in muscle, were used in a fast kinetic mechanical technique based on an atomic force probe and video microscopy. Mechanical variables measured included rate constants of force development (kACT) after Ca2+ activation and of force decay (τREL−1) during relaxation upon Ca2+ removal, isometric force at maximal (Fmax) or partial Ca2+ activations, and force response to an external stretch applied to the relaxed myofibril (Fpass). Myotomal myofibrils from larvae developed greater active and passive forces, and contracted and relaxed faster than skeletal myofibrils from adult zebrafish, indicating developmental changes in the contractile organelles of the myotomal muscles. Compared with murine cardiac myofibrils, measurements of adult zebrafish ventricular myofibrils show that kACT, Fmax, Ca2+ sensitivity of the force, and Fpass were comparable and τREL−1 was smaller. These results suggest that cardiac myofibrils from zebrafish, like those from mice, are suitable contractile models to study cardiac function at the sarcomeric level. The results prove the practicability and usefulness of mechanical and kinetic investigations on myofibrils isolated from larval and adult zebrafish muscles. This novel approach for investigating myotomal and myocardial function in zebrafish at the subcellular level, combined with the powerful genetic manipulations that are possible in the zebrafish, will allow the investigation of the functional primary consequences of human disease–related mutations in sarcomeric proteins in the zebrafish model

Solutions to operate transmission and distribution gas networks

In order to respect the actual and future regulations, besides SCADA, there is a need for further modern operating solutions for the transmission and distribution gas network. The paper presents the newest operating principles and modern software solutions that represent a considerable help to operate the transmission and distribution gas networks

Fuzzy queries in romanian language an intelligent interface

The most accessible interfaces querying databases must be so intelligent, able to understand natural language expressions and including vague terms in selection criteria. The paper proposes a general architecture for a flexible database interface and also a real implementation of such a system. It is general enough, so it can be connected to any database, after a specific knowledge base description. The natural language processing is mainly based on lexico-syntagmatical analyse; the vague criteria interpreting and evaluating are based on the fuzzy logic

Correlation of Gas Quality with Hydrodynamic Parameters in Transmission Networks

Natural gases are a mixture of hydrocarbons. Their composition determines the basic variables that need to be taken into account in the calculation of transport or gathering systems. In the daily operation of gas gathering and transport networks, the available composition measured by online systems is reduced. In the usual composition a pseudo-component called C6+ (or C7+) is used. If this component is defined from the complete chromatograph analysis of gas, the properties are established through a lumping procedure. Online chromatographic analysis is done on a small group of basic components, usually for heavy components by introducing a pseudo-component, in this paper called C6+. In this paper we will show how to determine the properties of the pseudo-component according to the measured density of the mixture and its dynamics through the network. Generally, transport networks operators are interested in operating them so as to maximize the benefit and reduce any penalties. For this they have SCADA systems, which provide information on transport parameters and gas quality at the monitored points. The overall picture of the network and its short and medium-term evolution is achieved with a powerful simulator. Managing the gas quality from the entry points to the exit points must be made dynamically by the simulator. In this paper we will present results obtained with the ADMODUNET simulator produced by NetGas R&D based on the company’s agreement

Low frequency low intensity pulse electromagnetic filed in vivo influence on blood cells permeability in rat

The in vivo influence of a low frequency and intensity (50 Hz, 2.7 mT) pulse electromagnetic field (PEMF) applied continuously and intermittently, 30 min for a period of 20 days, on the permeability of blood cells in rats was studied. For this aim, concentrations of Na+, K+ and Ca2+ in plasma (extracellular compartment) and blood cells (intracellular compartment) after their separation by centrifugation of blood collected from treated animals were determined by the flame photometry method. PEMF induced a decrease of the extracellular Na+ concentration and an increase of the intracellular one, causing a reduction in the ratio Na+e/Na+i value as compared with the control, reflecting the increase of passive membrane permeability to this ion. Also, PEMF induce the reduction of extracellular K+ level and increase the intracellular K+ level and a consequent K+e/K+i ratio reducing, which indicates an increase in transmembrane K+ active transport, correlated with dynamic of Na+,K+-ATPase activity. PEMF effect on Ca2+ is more diverse, manifesting a general trend of increasing of its intracellular concentration. These findings also indicate a possible increase in the membrane resting potenti

The Balance of Multi-phase Gathering and Transport Systems

Natural gases are a mixture of hydrocarbons which are generally in a gaseous state. Due to the variation in transport parameters (pressure, temperature) and gas composition, there may be sectors where those appear in liquid state, the condensate. The paper presents a system for managing the quantities of fluids from a network in which the liquid state appears. Based on a simulator that includes flash computation, a physical balance of the transport or gathering network can be made