Induced decay of composite JPC=1++ particles in atomic Coulomb fields

The electron-positron pairs observed in heavy-ion collisions at Gesellschaft für Schwerionen-forschung Darmstadt mbH have been interpreted as the decay products of yet unknown particles with masses around 1.8 MeV. The negative results of resonant Bhabha scattering experiments, however, do not support such an interpretation. Therefore we focus on a more complex decay scenario, where the e+e- lines result from a two-collision process. We discuss the induced decay of a metastable 1++ state into e+e- pairs. For most realizations of a 1++ state such a decay in leading order can only take place in the Coulomb field of a target atom. This fact has the attractive consequence that for such a state the Bhabha bounds are no longer valid. However, the absolute value of the e+e- production cross section turns out to be unacceptably small

Aminosäuren – Leitlinie Parenterale Ernährung, Kapitel 4

Protein catabolism should be reduced and protein synthesis promoted with parenteral nutrion (PN). Amino acid (AA) solutions should always be infused with PN. Standard AA solutions are generally used, whereas specially adapted AA solutions may be required in certain conditions such as severe disorders of AA utilisation or in inborn errors of AA metabolism. An AA intake of 0.8 g/kg/day is generally recommended for adult patients with a normal metabolism, which may be increased to 1.2–1.5 g/kg/day, or to 2.0 or 2.5 g/kg/day in exceptional cases. Sufficient non-nitrogen energy sources should be added in order to assure adequate utilisation of AA. A nitrogen calorie ratio of 1:130 to 1:170 (g N/kcal) or 1:21 to 1:27 (g AA/kcal) is recommended under normal metabolic conditions. In critically ill patients glutamine should be administered parenterally if indicated in the form of peptides, for example 0.3–0.4 g glutamine dipeptide/kg body weight/day (=0.2–0.26 g glutamine/kg body weight/day). No recommendation can be made for glutamine supplementation in PN for patients with acute pancreatitis or after bone marrow transplantation (BMT), and in newborns. The application of arginine is currently not warranted as a supplement in PN in adults. N-acetyl AA are only of limited use as alternative AA sources. There is currently no indication for use of AA solutions with an increased content of glycine, branched-chain AAs (BCAA) and ornithine-α-ketoglutarate (OKG) in all patients receiving PN. AA solutions with an increased proportion of BCAA are recommended in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy (III–IV).Ein Proteinkatabolismus soll bei parenteraler Ernährung (PE) vermindert und anabole Stoffwechselprozesse gefördert werden. Standard-Aminosäure (AS)-Lösungen werden empfohlen, falls nicht in Sondersituationen z. B. bei schweren AS-Verwertungsstörungen oder bei angeborenen Stoffwechselstörungen spezifisch adaptierte AS-Lösungen eingesetzt werden müssen. Für erwachsene Patienten in ausgeglichenem Stoffwechselzustand wird eine AS-Zufuhr von 0,8 g/kg/Tag empfohlen, die auf 1,2–1,5 g/kg/Tag oder in Ausnahmefällen auch auf 2,0–2,5 g/kg/Tag gesteigert werden kann. Zur Gewährleistung einer angemessenen Utilisation von AS sollten ausreichend Nicht-Stickstoff-Energieträger zugegeben werden. Das angestrebte Verhältnis zwischen Stickstoff- und Energiezufuhr (Stickstoff-Kalorien-Verhältnis) sollte unter Normalbedingungen 1:100–1:130 (g N:kcal) bzw. 1:16–1:21 (g AS:kcal) betragen. Glutamin sollte parenteral bei kritisch Kranken, sofern indiziert, in Form von Peptiden verabreicht werden, wie z.B. 0,3–0,4 g Glutamin-Dipepetid/kg KG/Tag (entsprechend 0,2–0,26 g Glutamin/kg KG/Tag). Für Patienten mit akuter Pankreatitis, nach Knochenmarkstransplantation sowie für Neugeborene kann derzeit keine Empfehlung für eine Glutaminsupplementierung mit der PE ausgesprochen werden. Der Einsatz von Arginin als Supplement in der PE beim Erwachsenen ist derzeit nicht gerechtfertigt. Den N-azetylierten AS kommen als alternative Aminosäurenquellen zur Zeit nur eine begrenzte Bedeutung zu. Für eine generelle Verwendung von AS-Lösungen mit einem erhöhten Gehalt von Glyzin und verzweigtkettigten AS (VKAS) wie auch für Ornithin-α-Ketoglutarat (OKG) besteht keine gesicherte Indikation. Die Wirksamkeit von AS-Lösungen mit erhöhtem Anteil an VKAS in der Behandlung der hepatischen Enzephalopathie (III–IV) wird empfohlen

Fracture Resistance of Zirconia Oral Implants In Vitro: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Various protocols are available to preclinically assess the fracture resistance of zirconia oral implants. The objective of the present review was to determine the impact of different treatments (dynamic loading, hydrothermal aging) and implant features (e.g., material, design or manufacturing) on the fracture resistance of zirconia implants. An electronic screening of two databases (MEDLINE/Pubmed, Embase) was performed. Investigations including > 5 screw-shaped implants providing information to calculate the bending moment at the time point of static loading to fracture were considered. Data was extracted and meta-analyses were conducted using multilevel mixed-effects generalized linear models (GLMs). The Šidák method was used to correct for multiple testing. The initial search resulted in 1864 articles, and finally 19 investigations loading 731 zirconia implants to fracture were analyzed. In general, fracture resistance was affected by the implant design (1-piece > 2-piece, p = 0.004), material (alumina-toughened zirconia/ATZ > yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal/Y-TZP, p = 0.002) and abutment preparation (untouched > modified/grinded, p < 0.001). In case of 2-piece implants, the amount of dynamic loading cycles prior to static loading (p < 0.001) or anatomical crown supply (p < 0.001) negatively affected the outcome. No impact was found for hydrothermal aging. Heterogeneous findings of the present review highlight the importance of thoroughly and individually evaluating the fracture resistance of every zirconia implant system prior to market release

Seismic Interferometry at the TIMO2-network, Germany

Using seismic interferometry, we analyze the seismic noise wavefield around the city of Landau, Germany. The crosscorrelation functions (CCFs) are investigated with respect to signals which might contain information on the underground and its temporal variations. The used data set comes from the TIMO2-project (TIMO: Deep Structure of the Central Upper Rhine Graben). Since the summer of 2009, seismic stations have been installed especially to detect induced seismicity in the region of Landau. The obtained CCFs are dominated by signals with frequencies between 0.4 and 0.8 Hz which are strongly asymmetric. We will present the results of the ongoing work to characterize and identify the source(s) of these signals

Home death for children dying in six European countries

Aim: Guidelines on pediatric palliative care underline that care at the end of life of chronically ill children should preferably be provided in the child’s home situation. Till present, no European data at population level are available for place of death of children. The aim of this study was to compare proportions of home death for children in six European countries and investigate relation between place of death and sociodemographic and clinical factors. Method: Data were collected from death certificates of all deceased children aged 1-17 in Belgium (BE), the Netherlands (NL), Norway (NO), England (E), Wales (W) (2003) and Italy (IT) (2002). Gender, cause (cancer, natural non-cancer and external) and place of death (home vs. outside home) and sociodemographic factors (socio-economic status (SES), degree of urbanization and number of hospital beds in the area) were included in the analyses. Data were analyzed using frequencies and multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 3.187 deaths were included in the analyses, 534 (16,8%) died from cancer. The proportion of home deaths was 19,6% (IT), 20,5% (E), 20,6% (W), 21,0% (NO), 23,8% (BE) and 28,6% (NL). Home death was more likely for children dying from cancer in BE, NL, E and W, for children with high SES in BE, in areas with low number of hospital beds in IT, and for boys in NL. Conclusion: The proportion of home deaths for children differs between studied countries. In most, but not all, countries children dying from cancer had better odds of dying at home than those not dying from cancer. Although acknowledging the influence of culture in the differences, studying care provisions in countries with higher proportions of home deaths, particularly in chronically ill children, can be helpful to identify factors facilitating terminally ill children to die at home. Early involvement of palliative care and equal access to these services can be important in this context. Funding: IWT-Flanders

Wissensgesellschaft

Durch den qualitativen Sprung in der Art und Weise, wie Wissen generiert, geteilt und genutzt wird, kommt es zur Entwicklung der sogenannten Wissensgesellschaft. Die Voraussetzungen für ihre Entwicklung variieren zwischen Räumen sowohl bezüglich ihrer Lage zu den wichtigen Zentren und Kommunikationsachsen als auch bezüglich der ausgebildeten kommunikativen Beziehungen und Netzwerke. Die Raumpolitik ist herausgefordert, hierauf zu reagieren

The development of behavioral and endocrine abnormalities in rats after repeated exposure to direct and indirect stress

The present study compared the effects of direct and indirect stress on the behavior and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of rats. Animals were placed in a two compartment box. In one compartment the direct stressed rat was subjected to electric foot shocks randomly applied for 10 minutes (0.5 mA of 1 s duration). In the adjacent compartment, the indirect stressed rats witnessed the application of these electric foot shocks. Our data showed substantial behavioral changes in the open field test, but limited effects in the elevated plus maze. The findings suggested that single and repeated stress exposure may have different consequences, that the effects of stress exposure may develop over time and persist for an extended period, and that both direct and indirect stressed rats displayed a hyposensitive HPA axis following acute restraint stress. Overall our observations moderately indicate direct exposure to elicit behavioral changes, and both direct and indirect exposure to stress to result in aberrations within the neuroendocrine system. With additional development our stress models may be considered for studying the complex interrelationship between an external stressor, and the experience of the organism