Europa braucht Klarheit nach dem Brexit

Die Parlamentswahl in Großbritannien hat unmittelbar Auswirkungen auf ganz Europa. Premierminister Boris Johnson, der die Umfragen anführt, will mit einer absoluten Mehrheit im Unterhaus den Austritt zum 31. Januar 2020 vollziehen. Doch die schwierigen Entscheidungen über das künftige Verhältnis zwischen der EU und Großbritannien stehen noch bevor. Die Zeit dafür ist knapp und Großbritannien wird sich nach dem Brexit erneut in einer schwierigen Verhandlungsposition wiederfinden

Electrospun antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) nanofibers as a versatile conducting matrix

Nanoparticles of ATO (antimony doped tin oxide) were used to produce thick conductive, free standing mats of nanofibers via electrospinning. These fibrous mats were incorporated into polymer films to produce a transparent conducting polymer foil. Moreover, the fiber mats can serve as porous electrodes for electrodeposition of Prussian Blue and TiO2 and were tested in dye-sensitized solar cells

The mature part of proNGF induces the structure of its pro-peptide

AbstractHuman nerve growth factor (NGF) belongs to the structural family of cystine knot proteins, characterized by a disulfide pattern in which one disulfide bond threads through a ring formed by a pair of two other disulfides connecting two adjacent β-strands. Oxidative folding of NGF revealed that the pro-peptide of NGF stimulates in vitro structure formation. In order to learn more about this folding assisting protein fragment, a biophysical analysis of the pro-peptide structure has been performed. While proNGF is a non-covalent homodimer, the isolated pro-peptide is monomeric. No tertiary contacts stabilize the pro-peptide in its isolated form. In contrast, the pro-peptide appears to be structured when bound to the mature part. The results presented here demonstrate that the mature part stabilizes the structure in the pro-peptide region. This is the first report that provides a biophysical analysis of a pro-peptide of the cystine knot protein family

Noninvasive Detection of Fibrosis Applying Contrast-Enhanced Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Different Forms of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Relation to Remodeling

ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate the incidence and patterns of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in different forms of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and to determine their relation to severity of left ventricular (LV) remodeling.BackgroundLeft ventricular hypertrophy is an independent predictor of cardiac mortality. The relationship between LVH and myocardial fibrosis as defined by LGE cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is not well understood.MethodsA total of 440 patients with aortic stenosis (AS), arterial hypertension (AH), or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) fulfilling echo criteria of LVH underwent CMR with assessment of LV size, weight, function, and LGE. Patients with increased left ventricular mass index (LVMI) resulting in global LVH in CMR were included in the study.ResultsCriteria were fulfilled by 83 patients (56 men, age 57 ± 14 years; AS, n = 21; AH, n = 26; HCM, n = 36). Late gadolinium enhancement was present in all forms of LVH (AS: 62%, AH: 50%; HCM: 72%, p = NS) and was correlated with LVMI (r = 0.237, p = 0.045). There was no significant relationship between morphological obstruction and LGE. The AS subjects with LGE showed higher LV end-diastolic volumes than those without (1.0 ± 0.2 ml/cm vs. 0.8 ± 0.2 ml/cm, p < 0.015). Typical patterns of LGE were observed in HCM but not in AS and AH.ConclusionsFibrosis as detected by CMR is a frequent feature of LVH, regardless of its cause, and depends on the severity of LV remodeling. As LGE emerges as a useful tool for risk stratification also in nonischemic heart diseases, our findings have the potential to individualize treatment strategies

An open-source software tool for the generation of relaxation time maps in magnetic resonance imaging

BACKGROUND: In magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, T1, T2 and T2* relaxation times represent characteristic tissue properties that can be quantified with the help of specific imaging strategies. While there are basic software tools for specific pulse sequences, until now there is no universal software program available to automate pixel-wise mapping of relaxation times from various types of images or MR systems. Such a software program would allow researchers to test and compare new imaging strategies and thus would significantly facilitate research in the area of quantitative tissue characterization. RESULTS: After defining requirements for a universal MR mapping tool, a software program named MRmap was created using a high-level graphics language. Additional features include a manual registration tool for source images with motion artifacts and a tabular DICOM viewer to examine pulse sequence parameters. MRmap was successfully tested on three different computer platforms with image data from three different MR system manufacturers and five different sorts of pulse sequences: multi-image inversion recovery T1; Look-Locker/ TOMROP T1; modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) T1; single-echo T2/ T2*; and multi-echo T2/ T2*. Computing times varied between 2 and 113 seconds. Estimates of relaxation times compared favorably to those obtained from non-automated curve fitting. Completed maps were exported in DICOM format and could be read in standard software packages used for analysis of clinical and research MR data. CONCLUSIONS: MRmap is a flexible cross-platform research tool that enables accurate mapping of relaxation times from various pulse sequences. The software allows researchers to optimize quantitative MR strategies in a manufacturer-independent fashion. The program and its source code were made available as open-source software on the internet

Neue Daten für die Sozialstaatsforschung : zur Konzeption der IAB-Panelerhebung "Arbeitsmarkt und Soziale Sicherung"

"Der Bericht resümiert die konzeptionellen und methodischen Vorarbeiten zur neuen Panelerhebung 'Arbeitsmarkt und Soziale Sicherung', die im Dezember 2006 erstmals ins Feld ging. Deren haushaltsbasierte Daten sollen dazu beitragen, eine wichtige Lücke im Bereich der Armuts- und Arbeitsmarktforschung zu schließen und wesentliche Befunde für die Wirkungsforschung zum SGB II zu liefern. Die Darstellung umfasst die konzeptionellen Vorüberlegungen bis hin zum modularen Aufbau des Erhebungsinstruments sowie eine Begründung der gegenüber früheren Ansätzen innovativen Stichprobengestaltung und deren Umsetzung in ein Forschungsdesign. Darüber hinaus wird ein mit dieser Panelerhebung verbundenes qualitatives Begleitprojekt vorgestellt, zu dessen Aufgaben die Feldexploration, die Entwicklung neuer Befragungsinstrumente und die Vertiefung statistischer Befunde gehören." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku) Inhaltsverzeichnis: Juliane Achatz, Andreas Hirseland, Markus Promberger: Rahmenkonzept für das IAB-Panel "Arbeitsmarkt und Soziale Sicherung (11-32); Rainer Schnell: Alternative Verfahren zur Stichprobengewinnung für ein Haushaltspanelsurvey mit Schwerpunkt im Niedrigeinkommens- und Transferleistungsbezug (33-59); Helmut Rudolph, Mark Trappmann: Design und Stichprobe des Panels "Arbeitsmarkt und Soziale Sicherung" (PASS) (60-101); Andreas Hirseland, Markus Promberger, Ulrich Wenzel: Armutsdynamik und Arbeitsmarkt: Qualitative Beobachtungen und Befragungen im Feld von Arbeitsmarkt und sozialer Sicherung (102-130).IAB-Haushaltspanel - Konzeption, empirische Sozialforschung, Erhebungsmethode, Stichprobe, soziale Sicherheit, Arbeitsmarktchancen, Niedrigeinkommen, Transferleistung