Transferring Davey`s Theorem on Annihilators in Bounded Distributive Lattices to Modular Congruence Lattices and Rings

Congruence lattices of semiprime algebras from semi--degenerate congruence--modular varieties fulfill the equivalences from B. A. Davey`s well--known characterization theorem for $m$--Stone bounded distributive lattices, moreover, changing the cardinalities in those equivalent conditions does not change their validity. I prove this by transferring Davey`s Theorem from bounded distributive lattices to such congruence lattices through a certain lattice morphism and using the fact that the codomain of that morphism is a frame. Furthermore, these equivalent conditions are preserved by finite direct products of such algebras, and similar equivalences are fulfilled by the elements of semiprime commutative unitary rings and, dualized, by the elements of complete residuated lattices.Comment: 18 page

Religion, crime, and financial reporting

The literature provides evidence on the separate roles of injunctive and descriptive norms in explaining corporate financial reporting, ignoring that descriptive norms are likely endogenous and partly explained by injunctive norms. We jointly analyze the direct and indirect effects of religious social norms (an injunctive norm) via local crime rates (a descriptive norm) on financial reporting quality. We find that religious social norms relate negatively to corporate earnings management and tax avoidance. We also show that this association is partially explained by crime rates in the firm’s geographical environment, underlining the indirect relation between religious social norms and financial reporting quality. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering the interrelations between injunctive and descriptive norms when analyzing the effect of norms on corporate decision-making

Antenna-enhanced Optoelectronic Probing of Carbon Nanotubes

We report on the first antenna-enhanced optoelectronic microscopy studies on nanoscale devices. By coupling the emission and excitation to a scanning optical antenna, we are able to locally enhance the electroluminescence and photocurrent along a carbon nanotube device. We show that the emission source of the electroluminescence can be point-like with a spatial extension below 20 nm. Topographic and antenna-enhanced photocurrent measurements reveal that the emission takes place at the location of highest local electric field indicating that the mechanism behind the emission is the radiative decay of excitons created via impact excitation

Reconciliation/Versöhnung auf dem Balkan: eine Bestandsaufnahme

"Berichte über Konflikte und Gewalt in den Medien lenken immer wieder die Aufmerksamkeit auf die Staaten Südosteuropas. Tatsächlich ist Südosteuropa seit jeher als Krisenherd bekannt. Nach der Zeit von Auseinandersetzungen und Kriegen muss die Region einen Weg zurück in den Alltag finden. Um diesen Prozess zu unterstützen, haben sich viele Staaten gefunden, die sich neben der Europäischen Union um eine friedliche Konfliktlösung, den Wiederaufbau der zerstörten Infrastruktur und auch um ein friedliches Miteinander auf der Basis von Vertrauen bemühen. Um 'Frieden und Demokratie, aber auch die Achtung der Menschenrechte und ökonomischen Wohlstand zu fördern, um anhaltende Stabilität in der ganzen Region zu erhalten' wurde 1999 der Stabilitätspakt gegründet. Wie unsicher die Lage in diesen Staaten ist und wie schnell die oberflächlich ruhige Stimmung in Hass und Misstrauen umschlagen kann, zeigten erst die Vorfälle im Kosovo. Eine Versöhnung ist dringender denn je." (Autorenreferat

Repeated Parallel Evolution of Parental Care Strategies within Xenotilapia, a Genus of Cichlid Fishes from Lake Tanganyika

The factors promoting the evolution of parental care strategies have been extensively studied in experiment and theory. However, most attempts to examine parental care in an evolutionary context have evaluated broad taxonomic categories. The explosive and recent diversifications of East African cichlid fishes offer exceptional opportunities to study the evolution of various life history traits based on species-level phylogenies. The Xenotilapia lineage within the endemic Lake Tanganyika cichlid tribe Ectodini comprises species that display either biparental or maternal only brood care and hence offers a unique opportunity to study the evolution of distinct parental care strategies in a phylogenetic framework. In order to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships among 16 species of this lineage we scored 2,478 Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) across the genome. We find that the Ectodini genus Enantiopus is embedded within the genus Xenotilapia and that during 2.5 to 3 million years of evolution within the Xenotilapia clade there have been 3–5 transitions from maternal only to biparental care. While most previous models suggest that uniparental care (maternal or paternal) arose from biparental care, we conclude from our species-level analysis that the evolution of parental care strategies is not only remarkably fast, but much more labile than previously expected

Working from home and management controls

The Covid-19 pandemic and the corresponding shift toward working from home (WFH) amplifies control problems within organizations and poses severe challenges for management control as employees’ tasks are difficult to observe under WFH conditions. We examine the association between WFH and action controls. Based on a survey among employees in a large international corporation, we find that under WFH conditions the organization more intensively uses standardization and planning participation. We also examine the association between WFH and employee outcomes. The findings suggest that WFH is associated with more time employees spend in meetings and a higher job focus. Overall, the study adds to the literature by exploring the association between WFH and the use of management controls in organizations

A Step Towards a Better Understanding of Pain Phenotypes: Latent Class Analysis in Chronic Pain Patients Receiving Multimodal Inpatient Treatment

Purpose: The number of non-responders to treatment among patients with chronic pain (CP) is high, although intensive multimodal treatment is broadly accessible. One reason is the large variability in manifestations of CP. To facilitate the development of tailored treatment approaches, phenotypes of CP must be identified. In this study, we aim to identify subgroups in patients with CP based on several aspects of self-reported health. Patients and Methods: A latent class analysis (LCA) was carried out in retrospective data from 411 patients with CP of different origins. All patients experienced severe physical and psychosocial consequences and were therefore undergoing multimodal inpatient pain treatment. Self-reported measures of pain (visual analogue scales for pain intensity, frequency, and impairment; Pain Perception Scale), emotional distress (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9; Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, GAD-7) and physical health (Short Form Health Survey; SF-8) were collected immediately after admission and before discharge. Instruments assessed at admission were used as input to the LCA. Resulting classes were compared in terms of patient characteristics and treatment outcome. Results: A model with four latent classes demonstrated the best model fit and interpretability. Classes 1 to 4 included patients with high (54.7%), extreme (17.0%), moderate (15.6%), and low (12.7%) pain burden, respectively. Patients in class 4 showed high levels of emotional distress, whereas emotional distress in the other classes corresponded to the levels of pain burden. While pain as well as physical and mental health improved in class 1, only the levels of depression and anxiety improved in patients in the other groups during multimodal treatment. Conclusion: The specific needs of these subgroups should be taken into account when developing individualized treatment programs. However, the retrospective design limits the significance of the results and replication in prospective studies is desirable

Increased expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, MCP-1, and MIP-1α by spinal perivascular macrophages during experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in rats

BACKGROUND: T-cells extravasation and CNS parenchyma infiltration during autoimmune neurodegenerative disease can be evoked by local antigen presenting cells. Studying the chemoattracting potential of spinal perivascular macrophages (SPM) during experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), we observed numerous infiltrates of densely-packed mononuclear cells. Apart from the poor spatial and optical resolution, no differentiation between the resident SPM (mabs ED1(+), ED2(+)) and the just recruited monocytes/macrophages (mab ED1(+)) was possible. RESULTS: This is why we labeled SPM by injections of different fluoresecent dyes into the lateral cerebral ventricle before induction of active EAE. Within an additional experimental set EAE was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of T-cells specifically sensitized to myelin basic protein (MBP) and engineered to express the green fluorescent protein (GFP). In both experiments we observed a strong activation of SPM (mabs OX6(+), SILK6(+), CD40(+), CD80(+), CD86(+)) which was accompanied by a consistently increased expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and the chemokines MCP-1 and MIP-1α. CONCLUSION: These observations indicate that SPM play a role in promoting lymphocyte extravasation

Cyclophilin inhibitors restrict Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus via interferon-λ in vitro and in mice

While severe coronavirus infections, including Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), cause lung injury with high mortality rates, protective treatment strategies are not approved for clinical use. We elucidated the molecular mechanisms by which the cyclophilin inhibitors cyclosporin A (CsA) and alisporivir (ALV) restrict MERS-CoV to validate their suitability as readily available therapy in MERS-CoV infection. Calu-3 cells and primary human alveolar epithelial cells (hAECs) were infected with MERS-CoV and treated with CsA or ALV or inhibitors targeting cyclophilin inhibitor-regulated molecules including calcineurin, nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFATs) or mitogen-activated protein kinases. Novel CsA-induced pathways were identified by RNA sequencing and manipulated by gene knockdown or neutralising antibodies. Viral replication was quantified by quantitative real-time PCR and 50% tissue culture infective dose. Data were validated in a murine MERS-CoV infection model. Both CsA and ALV reduced MERS-CoV titres and viral RNA replication in Calu-3 cells and hAECs, improving epithelial integrity. While neither calcineurin nor NFAT inhibition reduced MERS-CoV propagation, blockade of c-Jun N-terminal kinase diminished infectious viral particle release but not RNA accumulation. Importantly, CsA induced interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1), a pronounced type III interferon (IFNλ) response and expression of antiviral genes. Downregulation of IRF1 or IFNλ increased MERS-CoV propagation in the presence of CsA. Importantly, oral application of CsA reduced MERS-CoV replication in vivo, correlating with elevated lung IFNλ levels and improved outcome. We provide evidence that cyclophilin inhibitors efficiently decrease MERS-CoV replication in vitro and in vivo via upregulation of inflammatory antiviral cell responses, in particular IFNλ. CsA might therefore represent a promising candidate for treating MERS-CoV infection