Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C - Who Should Not Be Treated?

The decision to treat a patient with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is based on what is known about the risk factors for developing liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as on conditions that contraindicate therapy or impair therapy effectiveness. Several factors, including age, treatment side effects, disease severity, concurrent diseases and life conditions, may render treatment decisions more difficult. This review focuses on identifying CHC patients who should not receive treatment

Zur Vorteilhaftigkeit lohnsubstituierender Direktzusagen aus Arbeitnehmer- und Anteilseignersicht

Mit dem Altersvermögensgesetz (AvmG) hat der Gesetzgeber Anstöße zum Aufbau bzw. zur Weiterentwicklung der privaten und betrieblichen Altersversorgung gegeben. Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der betrieblichen Altersversorgung. Teil 2 betrachtet die lohnsubstituierende Direktzusage aus der Sicht eines Arbeitnehmers. Teil 3 nimmt den Blickwinkel der Eigentümer des Unternehmens ein. Teil 4 zeigt die Eckpunkte der Einigungsbereiche auf und fasst zusammen. Deferred compensation schemes made profitable employees and owners In this paper we analyze the influence of deferred compensation on the wealth of employees and owners of a company. The analysis is based on the German tax and social security regime and also on the German legal framework concerning corporate pension payments. We derive a range of quota for transforming current salaries into future pension payments considering the position of employees and owners. That range depends upon the reinvestment of the deferred payments until retirement. It is surprisingly wide under any reasonable reinvestment assumption.Betriebliche Ruhegeldverpflichtung; ;

Glycan-binding specificities of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus lectin-like adhesins

Since the adhesion of bacteria to the tooth surface is a prerequisite for dental plaque and subsequent caries development, a promising caries preventive strategy could be to block the lectin-glycan-mediated adherence of cariogenic bacteria. The aim of the study was to evaluate potential differences in glycan-binding specificities of two Streptococcus mutans strains (DSM 20523 and DSM 6178) and Streptococcus sobrinus (DSM 20381). A competitive enzyme-linked lectin-binding assay was used to identify the binding specificities of isolated bacterial surface lectins. Blotting of the microbial proteins on neoglycoprotein-coated PVP membranes enabled a qualitative protein analysis of all specific bacterial lectins. Different glycan-binding sites could be identified for the S. mutans strains in comparison to S. sobrinus. An earlier reported glycan-binding specificity for terminal galactose residues could be confirmed for the S. mutans strains. For the S. sobrinus strain, more than one glycan-binding specificity could be found (oligomannose and terminal sialyl residues). Each of the tested strains showed more than one surface lectin responsible for the specific lectin-binding with varying molecular weight (S. mutans, 90/155kDa and S. sobrinus, 35/45kDa). The established experimental setup could be used as future standard procedure for the identification of bacterial lectin-derived binding specificities. The findings from this study might serve as basis for the design of an individual ‘glycan cocktail' for the competitive inhibition of lectin-mediated adhesion of mutans streptococci to oral surface

FID GEO: Digital transformation and Open Access in Germany's geoscience research community

Poster presented at EGU General Assembly 2017 Abstract: http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2017/EGU2017-17673.pdf The ‘Specialized Information Service for Solid Earth Sciences’ (FID GEO) supports Germany’s geoscience research community in 1) electronic publishing of i) institutional and “grey” literature not released in publishing houses and ii) pre- and postprints of research articles 2) digitising geoscience literature and maps and 3) addressing the publication of research data associated with peer-reviewed research articles (data supplements). Established in 2016, FID GEO is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and is run by the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB Göttingen) and the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

User assessment of fabric shading devices with a low openness factor

Providing adequate glare protection and a view to the outside through fabric shading devices is challenging because these two objectives require conflicting material properties for a fully lowered shading. In a semi-controlled office-like experiment involving 32 participants, we investigated four types of neutrally-colored fabrics (charcoal and gray) with Openness Factors (OF) smaller than 7% focussing on view clarity, discomfort glare with the sun in the field of view, and participants\u27 behavior when it comes to blind control. The results show that fabrics with OF6% resulted in lower glare protection but higher quality of view out. Our results show inconsistencies with the EN14501 blind classifications for glare and visual contact (i.e., view clarity), but acceptable agreement with the view clarity index, especially for the fabrics with the highest light transmittance. During the final session, three quarters of participants raised the blinds to allow an average of 10° view to the outside, reporting as primary motivations the wish for more light and view out. Despite the relatively small rise of the fabric (15% of the total shade), daylight levels and view out were significantly improved, suggesting that operable blinds should not be controlled nor described according to the "all-or-nothing" approach. The change in fabric height did not compromise glare perception. These results suggest that if the control of shading height is effectively provided to occupants, then the fabric material could be selected primarily based on glare requirements

(Infra-)Strukturelle Differenzen und deren Ursachen in peripheren Räumen – Aktuelle Beitrage des Lehrstuhls für Regionale Geographie

In Anlehnung an den Forschungsschwerpunkt der Universität beschäftigt sich der Lehrstuhl für Regionale Geographie mit der Analyse von Wirtschafts- und Gesellschaftsstrukturen vor dem Hintergrund der langfristigen Regionalentwicklung. Hierzu werden Strategien und Maßnahmen beleuchtet, welche der Infrastrukturentwicklung dienen und überdies zu einer Optimierung der Programmräume von Behörden sowie Unternehmen führen sollen. Der Untersuchungsgegenstand ist in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Nord- und Osteuropa sowie Russland zu verorten. Mit dem hier vorgelegten Band 49 der „Greifswalder Geographischen Arbeiten“ geben wir einen Einblick in unsere aktuellen Projekte am Lehrstuhl für Regionale Geographie. Mit der Auswahl an Themen ist gleichzeitig das Ziel verbunden, die inhaltliche Ausgestaltung des Lehrstuhls einem breiteren Publikum darzulegen und zusätzlich den wissenschaftlichen Diskurs zu bereichern. Dabei werden in den Beiträgen auch Sachverhalte und Kausalitäten gezeigt, die oftmals eine ungewohnte Sichtweise ermöglichen und somit eingeschliffene Denkweisen in Frage stellen.ISBN: 978-3-86006-414-6researc

Genome-Wide Identification of Essential and Auxiliary Gene Sets for Magnetosome Biosynthesis in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) stand out by their ability to manufacture membrane-enclosed magnetic organelles, so-called magnetosomes. Previously, it has been assumed that a genomic region of approximately 100 kbp, the magnetosome island (MAI), harbors all genetic determinants required for this intricate biosynthesis process. Recent evidence, however, argues for the involvement of additional auxiliary genes that have not been identified yet. In the present study, we set out to delineate the full gene complement required for magnetosome production in the alphaproteobacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense using a systematic genome-wide transposon mutagenesis approach. By an optimized procedure, a Tn5 insertion library of 80,000 clones was generated and screened, yielding close to 200 insertants with mild to severe impairment of magnetosome biosynthesis. Approximately 50% of all Tn5 insertion sites mapped within the MAI, mostly leading to a nonmagnetic phenotype. In contrast, in the majority of weakly magnetic Tn5 insertion mutants, genes outside the MAI were affected, which typically caused lower numbers of magnetite crystals with partly aberrant morphology, occasionally combined with deviant intracellular localization. While some of the Tn5-struck genes outside the MAI belong to pathways that have been linked to magnetosome formation before (e.g., aerobic and anaerobic respiration), the majority of affected genes are involved in so far unsuspected cellular processes, such as sulfate assimilation, oxidative protein folding, and cytochrome c maturation, or are altogether of unknown function. We also found that signal transduction and redox functions are enriched in the set of Tn5 hits outside the MAI, suggesting that such processes are particularly important in support of magnetosome biosynthesis. IMPORTANCE Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense is one of the few tractable model magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) for studying magnetosome biomineralization. So far, knowledge on the genetic determinants of this complex process has been mainly gathered using reverse genetics and candidate approaches. In contrast, nontargeted forward genetics studies are lacking, since application of such techniques in MTB has been complicated for a number of technical reasons. Here, we report on the first comprehensive transposon mutagenesis study in MTB, aiming at systematic identification of auxiliary genes necessary to support magnetosome formation in addition to key genes harbored in the magnetosome island (MAI). Our work considerably extends the candidate set of novel subsidiary determinants and shows that the full gene complement underlying magnetosome biosynthesis is larger than assumed. In particular, we were able to define certain cellular pathways as specifically important for magnetosome formation that have not been implicated in this process so far

Glycan-binding specificities of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus lectin-like adhesins

Since the adhesion of bacteria to the tooth surface is a prerequisite for dental plaque and subsequent caries development, a promising caries preventive strategy could be to block the lectin-glycan-mediated adherence of cariogenic bacteria. The aim of the study was to evaluate potential differences in glycan-binding specificities of two Streptococcus mutans strains (DSM 20523 and DSM 6178) and Streptococcus sobrinus (DSM 20381). A competitive enzyme-linked lectin-binding assay was used to identify the binding specificities of isolated bacterial surface lectins. Blotting of the microbial proteins on neoglycoprotein-coated PVP membranes enabled a qualitative protein analysis of all specific bacterial lectins. Different glycan-binding sites could be identified for the S. mutans strains in comparison to S. sobrinus. An earlier reported glycan-binding specificity for terminal galactose residues could be confirmed for the S. mutans strains. For the S. sobrinus strain, more than one glycan-binding specificity could be found (oligomannose and terminal sialyl residues). Each of the tested strains showed more than one surface lectin responsible for the specific lectin-binding with varying molecular weight (S. mutans, 90/155 kDa and S. sobrinus, 35/45 kDa). The established experimental setup could be used as future standard procedure for the identification of bacterial lectin-derived binding specificities. The findings from this study might serve as basis for the design of an individual 'glycan cocktail' for the competitive inhibition of lectin-mediated adhesion of mutans streptococci to oral surfaces

Platform Architecture for the Diagram Assessment Domain

Using e-learning and e-assessment environments in higher education bears considerable potential for both students and teachers. In this contribution we present an architecture for a comprehensive e-assessment platform for the modeling domain. The platform – currently developed in the KEA-Mod project – features a micro-service architecture and is based on different inter-operable components. Based on this idea, the KEA-Mod platform will provide e-assessment capabilities for various graph-based modeling languages such as Unified Modeling Language (UML), EntityRelationship diagrams (ERD), Petri Nets, Event-driven Process Chains (EPC) and the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and their respective diagram types

Interactive optimization for the planning of urban systems

This paper introduces urb.io, an interactive optimization framework for early-stage urban planning. It allows urban planners to generate and explore many alternative urban configurations, while focusing their attention on the most promising ones. First, addressing the need for integrated urban modeling approaches, a Mixed Integer Linear Programing (MILP) optimization model representing both urban and energy system components was developed. Second, an interface based on parallel coordinates and georeferenced maps is proposed to effectively communicate the optimization results to decision makers, revealing tradeoffs and synergies between competing objectives. Interaction with the parallel coordinates charts further allows planners to steer consec- utive optimization runs based on their preferences and experience. The framework is applied to an urban development project in Switzerland to demonstrate its usability and relevance