LLM-based Translation Across 500 Years. The Case for Early New High German

The recently developed large language models (LLMs) show surprising translation capabilities for modern languages. In contrast, this paper investigates the ability of GPT-4 and Gemini to translate 500-year-old letters from Early New High German into modern German. We experiment with a corpus from the 16th century that is partly in Latin and partly in ENH-German. This corpus consists of more than 3000 letters that have been edited and annotated by experts from the Institute of Swiss Reformation Studies. We exploit their annotations for the evaluation of machine translation from ENH-German to German. Our experiments show that using the lexical footnotes by the editors in the prompts or directly injected into the text leads to high quality translations

Interface between graphene and liquid Cu from molecular dynamics simulations

Controllable synthesis of defect-free graphene is crucial for applications since the properties of graphene are highly sensitive to any deviations from the crystalline lattice. We focus here on the emerging use of liquid Cu catalysts, which has high potential for fast and efficient industrial-scale production of high-quality graphene. The interface between graphene and liquid Cu is studied using force field and ab initio molecular dynamics, revealing a complete or partial embedding of finite-sized flakes. By analyzing flakes of different sizes we find that the size-dependence of the embedding can be rationalized based on the energy cost of embedding versus bending the graphene flake. The embedding itself is driven by the formation of covalent bonds between the under-coordinated edge C atoms and the liquid Cu surface, which is accompanied by a significant charge transfer. In contrast, the central flake atoms are located around or slightly above 3 {\AA} from the liquid Cu surface and exhibit weak vdW-bonding and much lower charge transfer. The structural and electronic properties of the embedded state revealed in our work provides the atomic-scale information needed to develop effective models to explain the special growth observed in experiments where various interesting phenomena such as flake self-assembly and rotational alignment, high growth speeds and low defect densities in the final graphene product have been observed.Comment: This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in J. Chem. Phys. 153, 074702 (2020) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.002012

Spatio-temporal structure of cell distribution in cortical Bone Multicellular Units: a mathematical model

Bone remodelling maintains the functionality of skeletal tissue by locally coordinating bone-resorbing cells (osteoclasts) and bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) in the form of Bone Multicellular Units (BMUs). Understanding the emergence of such structured units out of the complex network of biochemical interactions between bone cells is essential to extend our fundamental knowledge of normal bone physiology and its disorders. To this end, we propose a spatio-temporal continuum model that integrates some of the most important interaction pathways currently known to exist between cells of the osteoblastic and osteoclastic lineage. This mathematical model allows us to test the significance and completeness of these pathways based on their ability to reproduce the spatio-temporal dynamics of individual BMUs. We show that under suitable conditions, the experimentally-observed structured cell distribution of cortical BMUs is retrieved. The proposed model admits travelling-wave-like solutions for the cell densities with tightly organised profiles, corresponding to the progression of a single remodelling BMU. The shapes of these spatial profiles within the travelling structure can be linked to the intrinsic parameters of the model such as differentiation and apoptosis rates for bone cells. In addition to the cell distribution, the spatial distribution of regulatory factors can also be calculated. This provides new insights on how different regulatory factors exert their action on bone cells leading to cellular spatial and temporal segregation, and functional coordination.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures; v2: Completed model description after Eq. (16), clarified discussion/description after Eq. (23), between Eqs. (29)-(31), and in 2nd bullet point in conclusion

Multilingual Workflows in Bullinger Digital: Data Curation for Latin and Early New High German

This paper presents how we enhanced the accessibility and utility of historical linguistic data in the project Bullinger Digital. The project involved the transformation of 3,100 letters, primarily available as scanned PDFs, into a dynamic, fully digital format. The expanded digital collection now includes 12,000 letters, 3,100 edited, 5,400 transcribed, and 3,500 represented through detailed metadata and results from handwritten text recognition. Central to our discussion is the innovative workflow developed for this multilingual corpus. This includes strategies for text normalisation, machine translation, and handwritten text recognition, particularly focusing on the challenges of code-switching within historical documents. The resulting digital platform features an advanced search system, offering users various filtering options such as correspondent names, time periods, languages, and locations. It also incorporates fuzzy and exact search capabilities, with the ability to focus searches within specific text parts, like summaries or footnotes. Beyond detailing the technical process, this paper underscores the project’s contribution to historical research and digital humanities. While the Bullinger Digital platform serves as a model for similar projects, the corpus behind it demonstrates the vast potential for data reuse in historical linguistics. The project exemplifies how digital humanities methodologies can revitalise historical text collections, offering researchers access to and interaction with historical data. This paper aims to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of our project’s scope and broader implications for the field of digital humanities, highlighting the transformative potential of such digital endeavours in historical linguistic research

Ablation of trabecular meshwork

An enukleierten Augen führten wir experimentelle Untersuchungen zur Ablation des Trabekelwerks (AT) durch. Eine Quarzfaser wurde durch die Vorderkammer bis zum gegenüberliegenden Trabekelwerk geführt und dieses mit einem Excimer Laser mit 248 und 308 nm bestrahlt. Es reichte eine Energie von 0,3-1,5 mJ, um eine offene Verbindung zwischen Vorderkammer und Schlemmschem Kanal herzustellen. Die histologische Untersuchung der Bulbi bestätigte die klinische Beobachtung einer offenen Verbindung zwischen Vorderkammer und Schlemmschem Kanal. Dabei wurde keine nennenswerte Hitzewirkung an den abladierten Geweben festgestellt. Auf die genannte Weise konnten wir auch Cyclodialysen und basale Iridektomien durchführen. Die Durchführung der Operation ist einfach und sehr treffsicher.In an experimental investigation we examined the possibility to create an open pathway between the anterior chamber and Schlemm 's canal by excimer laser ablation of the trabecular meshwork (AT) in enucleated eyes. A quartzfiber was directed through the anterior chamber to the opposite chamber angle. With an energy of 0.3-1.5 mJ and wavelenghts of 248 and 308 nm pores were easily made into the trabecular meshwork leading to a direct connection between the anterior chamber and Schlemm's canal. This result was confirmed by histologic examination of the globes. The trabecular meshwork has disappeared completely. The surrounding tissue reveals only minimal thermal effects due to the laser burns. With the same method cyclodialysis and basal iridectomy may be performed. The operation is simple and effects can be placed with great accuracy

Astrogliosis in epilepsy leads to overexpression of adenosine kinase, resulting in seizure aggravation

Adenosine kinase (ADK) is considered to be the key regulator of the brain's endogenous anticonvulsant, adenosine. In adult brain, ADK is primarily expressed in a subpopulation of astrocytes and striking upregulation of ADK in these cells has been associated with astrogliosis after kainic acid-induced status epilepticus (KASE) in the kainic acid mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy. To investigate the causal relationship between KASE-induced astrogliosis, upregulation of ADK and seizure activity, we have developed a novel mouse model [the Adktm1−/−-Tg(UbiAdk) mouse] lacking the endogenous astrocytic enzyme due to a targeted disruption of the endogenous gene, but containing an Adk transgene under the control of a human ubiquitin promoter. Mutant Adktm1−/−-Tg(UbiAdk) mice were characterized by increased brain ADK activity and constitutive overexpression of transgenic ADK throughout the brain, with particularly high levels in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. This ADK overexpression was associated with increased baseline levels of locomotion. Most importantly, two-thirds of the mutant mice analysed exhibited spontaneous seizure activity in the hippocampus and cortex. This was the direct consequence of transgene expression, since this seizure activity could be prevented by systemic application of the ADK inhibitor 5-iodotubercidin. Intrahippocampal injection of kainate in the mutant mice resulted in astrogliosis to the same extent as that observed in wild-type mice despite the absence of endogenous astrocytic ADK. Therefore, KASE-induced upregulation of endogenous ADK in wild-type mice is a consequence of astrogliosis. However, seizures in kainic acid-injected mutants displayed increased intra-ictal spike frequency compared with wild-type mice, indicating that, once epilepsy is established, increased levels of ADK aggravate seizure severity. We therefore conclude that therapeutic strategies that augment the adenosine system after astrogliosis-induced upregulation of ADK constitute a neurochemical rationale for the prevention of seizures in epileps

The synthesis and characterization of an iron(VII) nitrido complex

Complexes of iron in high oxidation states are captivating research subjects due to their pivotal role as active intermediates in numerous catalytic processes. Structural and spectroscopic studies of well-defined model complexes often provide evidence of these intermediates. In addition to the fundamental molecular and electronic structure insights gained by these complexes, their reactivity also affects our understanding of catalytic reaction mechanisms for small molecule and bond-activation chemistry. Here, we report the synthesis, structural and spectroscopic characterization of a stable, octahedral Fe(VI) nitrido complex and an authenticated, unique Fe(VII) species, prepared by one-electron oxidation. The super-oxidized Fe(VII) nitride rearranges to an Fe(V) imide through an intramolecular amination mechanism and ligand exchange, which is characterized spectroscopically and computationally. This enables combined reactivity and stability studies on a single molecular system of a rare high-valent complex redox pair. Quantum chemical calculations complement the spectroscopic parameters and provide evidence for a diamagnetic (S = 0) d 2 Fe(VI) and a genuine S = 1/2, d 1 Fe(VII) configuration of these super-oxidized nitrido complexes

Nutzung öffentlichen Raums am Beispiel Freiburg: Forschungsfokus auf Adressat*innen Sozialer Arbeit der Suchthilfe und Sozialpsychiatrie

In diesem Forschungsprojekt wir versucht herauszufinden, welche Menschen sich an welchen Orten im öffentlichen Raum aufhalten, wozu sie den öffentlichen Raum nutzen und wie sie sich dort verhalten. Daraus könnten sich Rückschlüsse für die Bedeutung des öffentlichen Raums bei unterschiedlichen Menschen ziehen lassen, so die Annahme. Diese Schlüsse und Vermutungen könnten dabei helfen die Lebenssituation der Menschen vor Ort besser zu verstehen. Die Bedeutung für Soziale Arbeit ergibt sich aus den Erkenntnissen, der Nutzung und Bedeutungszuschreibung des öffentlichen Raums durch Adressat*innen Sozialer Arbeit. Hierzu wurden von der Seminargruppe zunächst Handlungsfeld spezifische Personengruppen bzw. Adressat*innen ausgewählt, die im Laufe des Seminars durch Beobachtungsmethoden genauer "unter die Lupe genommen" werden sollten. Als Beobachtungsfeld und Gegenstand der Untersuchung öffentlichen Raums, wurde mit dem "Platz an der alten Synagoge" ein zentraler Platz in der Freiburger Innenstadt ausgewählt. Das Lernziel des Lehrforschungsprojektes war, den Einsatz von Beobachtungsmethoden kennen und exemplarisch anwenden zu lernen, um diese auch für die empirische Arbeit in ihrer Abschlussarbeit einsetzen zu können