Die Digitalisierung des Wissens – oder: Haben Bibliotheken und wissenschaftliches Publizieren eine gemeinsame Zukunft?

Bereits heute kontrollieren einige wenige Konzerne weite Teile der öffentlichen Grundversorgung mit digitalen Inhalten. Dies stellt eine Bedrohung für eine demokratischeWissens- und Informationsgesellschaft dar. Wir laufen Gefahr, die Hoheit über unser wichtigstes Kulturgut zu verlieren und von jenen anhängig zu werden, welche die systemrelevanten Infrastrukturen betreiben. Ein Aufruf für eine gemeinsames Gegenmodell.A few corporations are gaining more and more control over large sections of the public supply of digital content, which poses a threat to every democratic knowledge and information society. We are in danger of losing control over our most important cultural asset – and becoming totally dependent from those infrastructures. A call for a common counter-model

Emerging IL-12 family cytokines in the fight against fungal infections

Invasive fungal infections cause approximately 1.5 million deaths per year worldwide and are a growing threat to human health. Current anti-fungal therapies are often insufficient, therefore studies into host-pathogen interactions are critical for the development of novel therapies to improve mortality rates. Myeloid cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells, express pattern recognition receptor (PRRs), which are important for fungal recognition. Engagement of these PRRs by fungal pathogens induces multiple cytokines, which in turn activate T effector responses. Interleukin (IL)-12 family members (IL-12p70, IL-23, IL-27 and IL-35) link innate immunity with the development of adaptive immunity and are also important for regulating T cell responses. IL-12 and IL-23 have established roles during anti-fungal immunity, whereas emerging roles for IL-27 and IL-35 have recently been reported. Here, we discuss the IL-12 family, focusing on IL-27 and IL-35 during anti-fungal immune responses to pathogens such as Candida and Aspergillus

Wirkung digitaler Tools auf Einstellungen und Leistungen beim Bruchrechnen: Ergebnisse dreier Pilotstudien

Features digitaler Tools – wie z. B. Interaktivität, Adaptivität und Feedback – bergen Potenziale für den Mathematikunterricht (Hillmayr et al., 2020) und zeigen sich insbesondere beim Bruchrechnenlernen empirisch wirksam (Reinhold et al., 2020). Lehr-lernpsychologische Wirkmechanismen, die diese positiven Effekte erklären, sind Gegenstand aktueller Diskussion. Ein Erklärungsansatz ist, dass diese Features motivierend wirken und damit die Angebotsnutzung der Schüler*innen positiv beeinflussen, was zu lernförderlichen Effekten führt (Heckhausen & Heckhausen, 2010)

Increased Systemic Th17 Cytokines Are Associated with Diastolic Dysfunction in Children and Adolescents with Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Diastolic dysfunction suggestive of diabetic cardiomyopathy is established in children with T1DM, but its pathogenesis is not well understood. We studied the relationships of systemic inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and cardiac function in 17 children with T1DM during and after correction of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Twenty seven of the 39 measured cytokines/chemokines were elevated at 6–12 hours into treatment of DKA compared to values after DKA resolution. Eight patients displayed at least one parameter of diastolic abnormality (DA) during acute DKA. Significant associations were present between nine of the cytokine/chemokine levels and the DA over time. Interestingly, four of these nine interactive cytokines (GM-CSF, G-CSF, IL-12p40, IL-17) are associated with a Th17 mediated cell response. Both the DA and CCL7 and IL-12p40, had independent associations with African American patients. Thus, we report occurrence of a systemic inflammatory response and the presence of cardiac diastolic dysfunction in a subset of young T1DM patients during acute DKA

More stories on Th17 cells

For more than two decades, immunologists have been using the so-called Th1/Th2 paradigm to explain most of the phenomena related to adaptive immunity. the Th1/Th2 paradigm implied the existence of two different, mutually regulated, CD4(+) T helper subsets: Th1 cells, driving cell-mediated immune responses involved in tissue damage and fighting infection against intracellular parasites; and Th2 cells that mediate IgE production and are particularly involved in eosinophilic inflammation, allergy and clearance of helminthic infections. A third member of the T helper set, IL-17-producing CD4(+) T cells, now called Th17 cells, was recently described as a distinct lineage that does not share developmental pathways with either Th1 or Th2 cells. the Th17 subset has been linked to autoimmune disorders, being able to produce IL-17, IL-17F and IL-21 among other inflammatory cytokines. Interestingly, it has been reported that there is not only a cross-regulation among Th1, Th2 and Th17 effector cells but there is also a dichotomy in the generation of Th17 and T regulatory cells. Therefore, Treg and Th17 effector cells arise in a mutually exclusive fashion, depending on whether they are activated in the presence of TGF-beta or TGF-beta plus inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6. This review will address the discovery of the Th17 cells, and recent progress on their development and regulation.Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of AmericaNIHLa Jolla Inst Allergy & Immunol, La Jolla, CA 92037 USAUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilNIH: RO1 AI050265-06Web of Scienc

A Simple Model Setup Using Spray‐Drying Principles and Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles to Evaluate the Efficiency of Facemask Materials in Terms of Virus Particle Retention

Abstract Herein, a simple model setup is presented to spray fine liquid droplets containing nanoparticles in an air stream transporting this toward a filter material. The nanoparticles are made of silica and tagged with a fluorescent dye in order to render the trace of the particles easily visible. The silica nanoparticles, in a first approximation, mimic virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) particles. The setup is used to evaluate different tissues, nowadays, in times of the coronavirus pandemic, commonly used as facemasks, with regard to their particle retention capability. The setup enables adjusting different “breathing scenarios” by adjusting the gas flow speed and, thereby, to compare the filter performance for these scenarios. The effective penetration of particles can be monitored via fluorescence intensity measurements and is visualized via scanning electron micrographs and photographs under UV light. Ultimately, a strong increase of particle penetration in various mask materials as function of flow speed of the droplets is observed and an ultimate retention is only observed for FFP3 and FFP2 masks

Role of IL-23 and Th17 Cells in Airway Inflammation in Asthma

Asthma is characterized by chronic airway inflammation with intense eosinophil and lymphocyte infiltration, mucus hyperproduction, and airway hyperresponsiveness. Accumulating evidence indicates that antigen-specific Th2 cells and their cytokines such as IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 orchestrate these pathognomonic features of asthma. In addition, we and others have recently shown that IL-17-producing CD4+ T cells (Th17 cells) and IL-23, an IL-12-related cytokine that is essential for survival and functional maturation of Th17 cells, are involved in antigen-induced airway inflammation. In this review, our current understanding of the roles of IL-23 and Th17 cells in the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation will be summarized

Establishing and testing a robot-based platform to enable the automated production of nanoparticles in a flexible and modular way

Robotic systems facilitate relatively simple human–robot interaction for non-robot experts, providing the flexibility to implement different processes. In this context, shorter process times, as well as an increased product and process quality could be achieved. Robots short time-consuming processes, take over ergonomically unfavorable tasks and work efficiently all the time. In addition, flexible production is possible while maintaining or even increasing safety. This study describes the successful development of a dual-arm robot-based modular infrastructure and the establishment of an automated process for the reproducible production of nanoparticles. As proof of concept, a manual synthesis protocol for silica nanoparticle preparation with a diameter of about 200 nm as building blocks for photonic crystals was translated into a fully automated process. All devices and components of the automated system were optimized and adapted according to the synthesis requirements. To demonstrate the benefit of the automated nanoparticle production, manual (synthesis done by lab technicians) and automated syntheses were benchmarked. To this end, different processing parameters (time of synthesis procedure, accuracy of dosage etc.) and the properties of the produced nanoparticles were compared. We demonstrate that the use of the robot not only increased the synthesis accuracy and reproducibility but reduced the personnel time and costs up to 75%.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347Fraunhofer-Institut für Silicatforschung ISC (1050