Acceptable Lies in Contract Negotiations

It is well established that lying is a widespread phenomenon in business-to-business (“B2B”) contract negotiations. Some of the most prominent lies may be those about the subject matter of the contract. However, negotiators also frequently lie about other aspects like offers from other potential buyers or sellers, the availability of their product, the legal situation regarding contractual aspects, as well as their emotions and preferences

Teaching Rivers. "Environmental Learning" mit dem Gedicht "Dart" von Alice Oswald im Fremdsprachlichen Englischunterricht

Seit einigen Jahren wandelt sich der Umgang mit den sog. Umweltthemen im fremdsprachlichen Englischunterricht, und zwar seitdem sie als gesamtgesellschaftlich relevant begriffen werden. Jedoch werden Umweltthemen häufig nur auf sprachlicher Ebene betrachtet, was häufig zu Frust bei Schüler*innen führt. Zudem sind sie meist verbunden mit moralischem Vorwurf und sozialer Erwünschtheit bzw. knüpfen sie kaum an die eigenen Erfahrungen an. Es zeigt sich jedoch, dass zunehmend das Potenzial für einen inter- /transkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht erkannt wird. Aber auch diese Entwicklungen zeigen, dass Umwelt nach wie vor als Objekt und Untersuchungsgegenstand betrachtet wird. Dabei wird ein traditioneller Zugang zu Natur und Umwelt sichtbar, der sich (mindestens) seit der Aufklärung zurückverfolgen lässt: Umwelt wird nicht als etwas begriffen, dessen Teil wir sind, sondern als Objekt, von dem wir getrennt sind und das man (objektiv) untersuchen, schützen (oder ausbeuten) kann. Als Ergänzung zu Nachhaltigkeitsthemen und (de)konstruktivistischen Untersuchungsformen von Natur im interkulturellen Kontext, sollten Schüler*innen die Möglichkeiten bekommen, einen Zugang zu dieser „Welt da draußen“ zu erfahren. In dem vorliegenden Artikel wird eine partizipatorische Ebene für das Arbeiten mit Umweltthemen im Englischunterricht entwickelt. Zentral dabei ist der Gedanke eines “reading with the world”. Ansätze aus dem Forschungsbereich Material Ecocriticism, aus der Phänomenologie und der Anthropologie geben Impulse für eine “ecocritical practice”, da sie, wenn auch aus völlig unterschiedlicher Perspektive, eine Subjekt-Objekt Trennung aufbrechen. Zentraler Bestandteil einer partizipatorischen Ebene ist die Arbeit mit Poesie, die alternative Sprechweisen und Bildneuheiten eröffnen kann. Denn durch Poesie können Grenzen und Kategorien neu verhandelt werden. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei die Arbeit mit dem Langgedicht “Dart” von Alice Oswald. Hier fokussiert sich Oswald auf die wechselseitige Beziehung zwischen Mensch und Fluss. Das Gedicht ermöglicht einen alternativen Blick auf einen Fluss. Um diesen Zugang zu ermöglichen, wird eine rationale Textanalyse nicht ausreichen. Die partizipatorische Ebene strebt ein ganzheitliches Arbeiten auf kognitiver, emotionaler und sensomotorischer Ebene an.Since environmental issues have been recognized to be of great relevance globally, dealing with such topical areas has undergone a change in EFL classrooms. Environmentally based topics, however, are often merely touched on a linguistic level which leads to frustration among students, especially as the same area is also explored in other subjects. In addition, these issues are not only frequently associated with a morally reproachful undertone and societal norms but also rarely connected to direct personal experience. Current developments have pointed out the potential of environmental issues for the inter- and transcultural foreign language classroom, but also show that nature is still seen as an object, and more precisely put, as a research object only. This traditional approach emphasizes a perception of nature that can be traced back, at the least, to the Age of Enlightenment where nature is perceived not as something that we are part of but rather as an extraneous object which can be investigated objectively, protected or exploited. As a supplement to existing sustainability topics and (de-)constructive types of investigations of nature in the context of intercultural awareness, students should be to given access to the ‘outside world’. Therefore, a participatory level is presented in this research paper. It focuses on the concept of ‘reading with the world.’ Approaches from Material Ecocriticism, phenomenology and anthropology inspire this new approach, even if they unravel the subject-object-separation from completely different perspectives. The central component of this participatory approach is working with poetry which can reveal alternative manners of speaking and new images of nature. Through poetry boundaries and categories can be destabilized. The long poem “Dart” by Alice Oswald (2002) is at the heart of this research project. It focuses on the mutual relationship between humans and rivers and offers an alternative view of rivers. As a rational text analysis is not deemed to be sufficient to give students access to this concept, this particular participatory approach will operate on various levels which encompasses emotional and sensomotoric pathways additional to the more conventional rational analysis and interpretation.Desde hace algunos años, la forma en que se tratan los denominados problemas medioambientales en las clases de inglés ha ido cambiando. Esto se da, principalmente, desde que estas han comenzado a considerarse relevantes para la sociedad en su conjunto. Sin embargo, los temas ambientales suelen abordarse únicamente a nivel lingüístico, lo que a menudo provoca frustración entre los estudiantes, especialmente debido a que estos temas también se tratan en otras materias. Además, estas ideas están generalmente asociadas al reproche moral y la conveniencia social. Es decir, apenas se les vincula con experiencias propias. Sin embargo, los desarrollos actuales muestran que el potencial para la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras interculturales/transculturales es cada vez más reconocido. Estos, no obstante, también demuestran que el entorno sigue siendo considerado como elemento y objeto de investigación, lo que revela un enfoque tradicional hacia la naturaleza y el medioambiente que puede remontarse (como mínimo) a la época de la Ilustración: no comprendemos el medioambiente como algo de lo que somos parte, sino como un objeto del que estamos separados y que puede ser investigado (objetivamente), protegido (o explotado). Como complemento a los temas de sostenibilidad y a las formas (des)constructivistas de investigación de la naturaleza en un contexto intercultural, se debería dar a los alumnos la oportunidad de tener acceso a «ese mundo de ahí afuera». En este estudio se analiza el denominado enfoque participativo, el cual se centra en la idea de una «una lectura con el mundo». Los enfoques del área de investigación de la ecocrítica material, de la fenomenología y la antropología suscitan unos impulsos innovadores, incluso aunque estas pretendan desestabilizar el binario sujeto-objeto desde perspectivas completamente diferentes. El componente central de un enfoque participativo es el trabajo con poesía, la cual puede inspirar formas alternativas de hablar y nuevas imágenes. A través de la poesía, los límites y las categorías se pueden reformular. Esta investigación se centra en el poema “Dart” (2002) de Alice Oswald, en el que se aborda la relación mutua entre el hombre y el río y se ofrece una visión alternativa de este último. En este sentido, un análisis racionalista de texto no es suficiente para habilitar este acceso y, por tanto, se ha de formular un enfoque participativo que funcione a nivel cognitivo, emocional y sensoriomotor. Según Descola, es en este punto donde se encuentran el ser humano y la naturaleza

Die Prävalenz von Delir auf einer neurologischen Intensivstation und Stroke Unit

In vielen klinischen Bereichen für die Versorgung akuter Krankheiten ist das Delir eine bekannte Komplikation. Vielfach wurde die Entstehung mit spezifischen Risikofaktoren assoziiert und Auswirkungen auf die Prognose wurden herausgearbeitet. Ein Patientenkollektiv, das bei diesen Untersuchungen bislang jedoch vernachlässigt wurde, sind Personen, die mit akut neurologischen Erkrankungen auf Schlaganfallstationen (Stroke Units) und neurologisch geführten Intensivstationen behandelt werden. Im Laufe der letzten Jahre wurde nun begonnen die Delirprävalenz bei ausgewählten neurologischen Krankheitsbildern, wie zum Beispiel dem Schlaganfall, zu untersuchen. Die klinische Realität dieser Stationen kann jedoch nur durch Untersuchungen, die das gesamte diagnostische Spektrum einschließen, dargestellt werden. Mit einem bislang einzigartigen Studienkonzept wurden alle Patienten, die auf der Stroke Unit und Intensivstation der neurologischen Abteilung am Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes (UKS) in Behandlung waren, auf die Entwicklung eines Delirs unter-sucht. In dem Studienzeitraum von drei Monaten wurden insgesamt 209 Patienten ein-geschlossen. Die Evaluation auf das Vorhandensein eines Delirs erfolgte kontinuierlich dreimal täglich, zu jeweils festgelegten Zeiträumen. Die Auswertung ergab eine Delirprävalenz von 30,6 % im gesamten Kollektiv. Zuvor mussten 11,0 % der Patienten von der Analyse ausgeschlossen werden, da bei ihnen zu keinem Erhebungszeitpunkt eine valide Testung möglich war. Ursächlich war am häu-figsten eine bestehende Aphasie. Für den Bereich der neurologischen Intensivstation und Stroke Unit konnte die Assoziation der Entstehung von Delir mit wesentlichen Risikofaktoren verifiziert werden. Auch multiple Auswirkungen auf den klinischen Verlauf und die Prognose der Patienten wurden aufgezeigt. Weiterführend wurde durch die Einteilung in psychomotorische Subtypen herausgestellt, dass die hypoaktive Symptomausprägung mit 45,6 % am meisten vertreten war. Der Vergleich der Gruppen mit verschiedenen Subtypen ergab, dass das gemischte Delir im untersuchten Patientenkollektiv mit einer schlechteren Prognose assoziiert ist. Die gefundenen Ergebnisse betonen die Relevanz des Krankheitsbildes Delir im Bereich einer Stroke Unit und neurologischen Intensivstation. Dadurch verdeutlicht die Studie die Notwendigkeit effizienter Präventions- und Behandlungsstrategien. Für deren Erstellung und Überprüfung kann der erarbeitete Datensatz eine umfassende Grundlage bieten.Delirium is a known complication during the in-hospital treatment of patients in acute clinical conditions. A lot of scientific interest has been drawn to achieve knowledge about associated risk factors and the effect of delirium on the clinical course and the outcome of affected patients. Still, certain medical departments were neglected in this field of research for a long time. This is the case for neurocritically ill patients, who require treatment on stroke units or neurological intensive care units. While recent re-search approached this field by examining specific diagnoses, such as stroke, studies comprehensively representing the situation in these settings are missing. In order to include the whole variety of patients treated at stroke units and neurological intensive care units a unique study design was developed. During a study period of three months, all patients admitted to both wards at Saarland University Hospital were continuously screened for delirium. Examinations were conducted with all patients three times per day at fixed time slots. In total 209 patients were included in the study. In the selected setting, the overall prevalence of delirium was 30,6 %. For further analysis 11,0 % of the examined patients had to be excluded because delirium testing could never be applied. Aphasia was found to be the most frequent reason to interfere with proper testing. The results of this study verify a variety of delirium risk factors in neurocritically ill patients. In addition, multiple effects of delirium on the clinical course are outlined. Further categorization of delirious patients in psychomotor subtypes showed that the hypoactive type was most common (45,6 %). By comparing the clinical course, patients with mixed delirium were associated with worse outcome parameters than patients with purely hypo- or hyperactive symptoms. In conclusion, the presented results highlight the role of delirium in the setting of neurocritically ill patients and emphasize the need for efficient prevention and treatment. For that purpose, the comprehensive database presented in this study may contribute to creating and evaluating efficient strategies

Opportunities and Challenges to Profile mRNA Modifications in Escherichia coli

mRNA methylation is an important regulator of many physiological processes in eukaryotes but has not been studied in depth in prokaryotes. Working with bacterial mRNA is challenging because it lacks a poly(A)-tail. However, methods for detecting RNA modifications, both sequencing and mass spectrometry, rely on efficient preparation of mRNA. Here, we compared size-dependent separation by electrophoresis and rRNA depletion for enrichment of Escherichia coli mRNA. The purification success was monitored by qRT-PCR and RNA sequencing. Neither method allowed complete removal of rRNA. Nevertheless, we were able to quantitatively analyze several modified nucleosides in the different RNA types. We found evidence for stress dependent RNA modification reprofiling in rRNA, but also several modified nucleosides in the mRNA enriched fractions showed significant changes

Trends in Memory Problems and Race/Ethnicity in the National Health and Examination Survey, 1999-2014.

BackgroundLittle data exist to describe serial population-level trends in cognitive impairment- especially among minority communities. Because memory problems are among the first warning signs of cognitive impairment, they provide a potential method for monitoring changes in cognitive health at the population level. This exploratory study aimed to: 1) estimate prevalence of memory problems among US residents by race/ethnicity, age category; and 2) examine whether racial/ethnic differences in subjective cognitive concerns (memory problems) varied across recent time periods.Design and settingSerial cross-sectional analysis of self-reported data from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2014.Participants20,585 participants aged ≥45 years during 1999-2014, who reported race/ethnicity as non-Hispanic White (NHW), non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and Latino/Hispanic.MeasurementsThe outcome of interest was subjective cognitive concerns, identified as self-reported memory problems. The frequencies of memory problems were examined for each 4-year period, across racial/ethnic groups.ResultsIn adjusted analyses, compared with older (aged ≥ 65 years) NHWs, disparities in subjective cognitive concerns were observed for older Latinos for most periods (range of AOR: 1.43 - 2.01, P<.05). Additionally, Latinos without a high school education had significantly higher odds of reporting memory problems than NHW in multiple periods (range of AOR: 1.95 - 2.17, P<.005), while Latino high school graduates did not. There were no significant changes in racial/ethnic differences in subjective cognitive concerns over time.ConclusionsThe prevalence of subjective cognitive concerns across time periods points to a need to engage patients - particularly older and less-educated Latinos - about warning signs for cognitive impairment. The impact of education on subjective cognitive concerns in older Latinos may be related to acculturation and warrant further investigation

Transport and kinase activities of CbrA of Pseudomonas putida KT2440

The CbrA/CbrB system is a two-component signal transduction system known to participate in the regulation of the cellular carbon/nitrogen balance and to play a central role in carbon catabolite repression in Pseudomonas species. CbrA is composed of a domain with similarity to proteins of the solute/sodium symporter family (SLC5) and domains typically found in bacterial sensor kinases. Here, the functional properties of the sensor kinase CbrA and its domains are analyzed at the molecular level using the system of the soil bacterium P. putida KT2440 as a model. It is demonstrated that CbrA can bind and transport L-histidine. Transport is specific for L-histidine and probably driven by an electrochemical proton gradient. The kinase domain is not required for L-histidine uptake by the SLC5 domain of CbrA, and has no significant impact on transport kinetics. Furthermore, it is shown that the histidine kinase can autophosphorylate and transfer the phosphoryl group to the response regulator CbrB. The SLC5 domain is not essential for these activities but appears to modulate the autokinase activity. A phosphatase activity of CbrA is not detected. None of the activities is significantly affected by L-histidine. The results demonstrate that CbrA functions as a L-histidine transporter and sensor kinase

NAIL-MS reveals the repair of 2-methylthiocytidine by AlkB in E. coli

RNAs contain post-transcriptional modifications, which fulfill a variety of functions in translation, secondary structure stabilization and cellular stress survival. Here, 2-methylthiocytidine (ms(2)C) is identified in tRNA of E. coli and P. aeruginosa using NAIL-MS (nucleic acid isotope labeling coupled mass spectrometry) in combination with genetic screening experiments. ms(2)C is only found in 2-thiocytidine (s(2)C) containing tRNAs, namely tRNA(CCG)(Arg), tRNA(ICG)(Ar)(g), tRNA(UCU)(Arg) and tRNA(GCU)(Ser )at low abundances. ms(2)C is not formed by, commonly known tRNA methyltransferases. Instead, we observe its formation in vitro and in vivo during exposure to methylating agents. More than half of the s(2)C containing tRNA can be methylated to carry ms(2)C. With a pulse-chase NAIL-MS experiment, the repair mechanism by AlkB dependent sulfur demethylation is demonstrated in vivo. Overall, we describe ms(2)C as a bacterial tRNA modification and damage product. Its repair by AlkB and other pathways is demonstrated in vivo by our powerful NAIL-MS approach

Small-scale analysis of population genetics and abundance patterns of honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum L. (Caprifoliaceae) in a North Sea island woodland system

Invasive alien plants are considered a major driving force of biodiversity loss and can deeply alter ecosystem functioning. However, invaders can also facilitate the distribution and establishment of native species, although this has been rarely documented in the literature. We observed an increase in population abundance of the liana Lonicera periclymenum L. (honeysuckle) on the north Frisian island of Amrum and hypothesized, that a surge in phorophyte availability due to the invasive neophyte Prunus serotina Ehrh. (black cherry) supported the colonization of new patches for this autochthonous liana species. Analysis of population genetics by inter-simple-sequence repeats polymerase chain reaction (ISSR-PCR) revealed high interpopulational differentiation. The genetic diversity within populations was low. The results indicated that barriers prevent small distance dispersal of seed and pollen. Further, additional results supported our hypothesis that honeysuckle may occasionally take advan-tage of the invasive neophyte black cherry

Prevalence of mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorders according to the International Classification of Diseases 11: a scoping review protocol

Introduction: Due to a change in diagnostic prerequisites and the inclusion of novel diagnostic entities, the implementation of the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) will presumably change prevalence rates of specific mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorders and result in an altered prevalence rate for this grouping overall. This scoping review aims to summarise the characteristics of primary studies examining the prevalence of mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorders based on ICD-11 criteria. The knowledge attained through this review will primarily characterise the methodological approaches of this research field and additionally assist in deciding which psychiatric diagnoses are—given the current literature—most relevant for subsequent systematic reviews and meta-analyses intended to approximate the magnitude of prevalence rates while providing a first glimpse of the range of expected (differences in) prevalence rates in these conditions. Methods and analysis: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and PsycINFO will be searched from 2011 to present without any language filters. This scoping review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Review guidelines. We will consider (a) cross-sectional and longitudinal studies (b) focusing on the prevalence rates of mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorders (c) using ICD-11 criteria for inclusion. The omission of (a) case numbers and sample size, (b) study period and period of data collection or (c) diagnostic procedures on full-text level is considered an exclusion criterion. This screening will be conducted by two reviewers independently from one another and a third reviewer will be consulted with disagreements. Data extraction and synthesis will focus on outlining methodological aspects. Ethics and dissemination: We intend to publish our review in a scientific journal. As the primary data are publicly available, we do not require research ethics approval