Conjunctival Changes Induced By Prostaglandin Analogues And Timolol Maleate: A Histomorphometric Study

Purpose: To compare histological changes induced by antiglaucoma medications in the rabbit conjunctiva. Methods: Fifty New Zeland rabbits were divided in 5 groups 10 animals. The left eyes were treated daily with one drop of bimatoprost 0.03%, travoprost 0.004%, latanoprost 0.005%, timolol maleate 0.5% or artificial tears containing benzalkonium chloride (BAK) for 30 days. The right eyes served as control. Superior limbic conjunctival biopsies were performed at the 8th and 30th day in 5 rabbits of each group. The conjunctive was fixed with 10% formaldehyde, followed by He and PAS staining. Morphohistometric quantitative analyses were performed to evaluate the following parameters: inflammatory infiltrate, epithelial thickness number of goblet cells, diameter and number of blood vessels. Results: At the 8th and 30th posttreatment days, all groups, except one that received artificial tears, exhibited a diffuse inflammatory infiltrate, composed by lymphocytes and neutrophils, which was denser in the timolol group than in the prostaglandin (PG) analogues groups. At the 30th day, the timolol group showed an increased subepithelial collagen density and a significant increase in epithelial thickness (p=0.0035). The goblet cell density was significantly increased at the 8th day in the group treated with travoprost (p=0.0006), and at the 30th day in those treated with bimaprost (p=0.0021) and latanoprost (p=0.009). Conclusions: Although a moderate, diffuse inflammatory infiltrate was observed in PG-treated eyes, no changes in conjunctival epithelial thickness or subconjunctival collagen density were observed with these medications, suggesting that these drugs induce fewer changes than timolol maleate in the rabbit conjuctiva.706910916Gordon MO, Beiser JA, Brandt JD, Heuer DK, Higginbotham EJ, Johnson CA, et al. The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study: baseline factors that predict the onset of primary open-angle glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol. 2002;120(6):714-20discussion 829-30. Comment in: Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122(7):1088-9author reply 1089Ritch, P., Shields, B., Krupin, T., Pharmacology The glaucomas, 3 (C1996), pp. 1375-1489. , Ritch R, Shields MB, Krupin T, editors, 2nd ed. St. Louis: Mosby;Lindén, C., Therapeutic potential of prostoglandin analogues in glaucoma (2001) Expert Opin Investig Drug, 10 (4), pp. 679-694Noecker, R.S., Dirks, M.S., Choplin, N., Bimatoprost/Latanoprost Study Group. Comparison of latanoprost, bimatoprost, and travoprost in patients with elevated intraocular pressure: A 12-week, randomized, masked-evaluator multicenter study (2003) Am J Ophthalmol, 137 (1), pp. 210-211Parrish RK, Palmberg P, Shen WPXLT Study Group. A comparison of latanoprost, bimatoprost, and travoprost in patients with elevated intraocular pressure: a 12-week, randomized, masked-evaluator multicenter study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2003;135(5):688-703Stewart, W.C., Kolker, A.E., Stewart, J.A., Leech, J., Jackson, A.L., Conjunctival hyperemia in healthy subjects after short-term dosing with latanoprost, bimatoprost, and travoprost (2003) Am J Ophthalmol, 135 (3), pp. 314-320Feldman, R.M., Conjunctival hyperemia and the use of topical prostaglandins in glaucoma and ocular hypertension (2003) J Ocul Pharmacol Ther, 19 (1), pp. 23-35Johnstone, M.A., Hypertrichosis and increased pigmentation of eyelashes and adjacent hair in the region of the ipsilateral eyelids of patients treated with unilateral topical latanoprost (1997) Am J Ophthalmol, 124 (4), pp. 544-547Kook, M.S., Lee, K., Increased eyelid pigmentation associated with use of latanoprost (2000) Am J Ophtalmol, 129 (6), pp. 804-806Pfeiffer, N., Griesrson, I., Goldsmith, H., Hochgesand, D., Winkgen-Böhres, A., Appleton, P., Histological effects in the iris after 3 months of latanoprost therapy: The Mainz 1 study (2001) Arch Ophtalmol, 119 (2), pp. 191-196Teus, M.A., Arranz-Marquez, E., Lucea-Suescun, P., Incidence of iris colour change in latanoprost treated eyes (2002) Br J Ophthalmol, 86 (10), pp. 1085-1088Arcieri, E.S., Santana, A., Rocha, F.N., Guapo, G.L., Costa, V.P., Blood-aqueous barrier changes after the use of prostaglandin analogues in patients with pseudophakia and aphakia: A 6-month randomized trial (2005) Arch Ophthalmol, 123 (2), pp. 186-192Brandt, J.D., Wittpenn, J.R., Katz, L.J., Steinmann, W.N., Spaeth, G.L., Conjunctival impression cytology in patients with glaucoma using long-term topical medication (1991) Am J Ophthalmol, 112 (3), pp. 297-301Mietz, H., Shlötzer-Schrehardt, U., Strassfeld, C., Krieglstein, G.K., Effect of latanoprost and timolol on the histopathology of the rabbit conjunctiva (2001) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 42 (3), pp. 679-687Miatz, H., Esser, J.M., Welsandt, G., Kociok, N., Hueber, A., Joussen, A., Latanoprost stimulates secretion of matrix metalloproteinases in tenon fibroblasts both in vitro and in vivo (2003) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 44 (12), pp. 5182-5188Costagliola, C., Prete, A.D., Incorvaia, C., Fusco, R., Parmeggiani, F., Di Giovanni, A., Ocular surface changes induced by topical application of latanoprost and timolol: A short-term study in glaucomatous patients with and without allergic conjunctivitis (2001) Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol, 239 (11), pp. 809-814Herrems JM, Pastor JC, Calonge M, Asensio VM. Ocular surface alteration after long-term treatment with antiglaucomatious drug. Ophthalmology. 199299(7):1082-8. Comment in: Ophthalmology. 1993;100(3):293-4Broadway, D.C., Grierson, I., O'Brien, C., Hitchings, R.A., Adverse effects of topical antiglaucoma medication. I. The conjunctival cell profile (1994) Arch Ophthalmol, 112 (11), pp. 1437-1445Broadway DC, Grierson I, O'Brien C, Hitchings RA. Adverse effects of topical antiglaucoma medication. II. The outcome of filtration surgery. Arch Ophthalmol. 1994;112(11):1446-54. Comment in: Arch Ophthalmol. 1995;113(7):849-50Lavin, M.J., Wormald, R.P., Migdal, C.S., Hitchings, R.A., The influence of prior therapy on the success of trabeculectomy (1990) Arch Ophthalmol, 108 (11), pp. 1543-1548Baudouin, C., Garcher, C., Haouat, N., Bron, A., Gastaud, P., Expression of inflammatory membrane markers by conjunctival cells in chronically treated patients with glaucoma (1994) Ophthalmology, 101 (3), pp. 454-460Aragona, P., Candela, V., Caputi, A.P., Micali, A., Puzzolo, D., Quintieri, M., Effects of a stable analogue of PGE2 (11-deoxy-13,14-didehydro-16 (S)- methylester methyl PGE2: FCE 20700) on the secretory processes of conjunctival globet cells of rabbit (1987) Exp Eye Res, 45 (5), pp. 647-654Baudouin, C., Side effects of antiglaucomatous drugs on the ocular surface (1996) Curr Opin Ophthalmol, 7 (2), pp. 80-86Baudouin C, Pisella PJ, Fillacier K, Goldschild M, Becquet F, De Saint Jean M. Béchetoille A. Ocular surface inflammatory changes induced by topical antiglaucoma drugs: human and animal studies. Ophthalmology. 1999106(3):556-63. Comment in: Ophthalmology. 1999106(10):1853Blondin, C., Hamard, P., Cholley, B., Haeffner-Cavaillon, N., Baudouin, C., In vitro effects of preserved or preservative-free antiglaucoma medications on human complement system (2003) Curr Eye Res, 27 (4), pp. 253-259Broadway, D., Hitchings, R., Grierson, I., The affect of topical anti-glaucomatous medications on the cell profile of the conjunctiva (1993) Curr Opin Ophthalmol, 4, pp. 51-57Addicks, E.M., Quigley, H.A., Green, W.R., Robin, A.L., Histologic characteristics of filtering blebs in glaucomatous eyes (1993) Arch Ophthalmol, 101 (5), pp. 795-798Gwynn, D.R., Stewart, W.C., Pitts, R.A., McMillan, T.A., Hennis, H.L., Conjunctival structure and cell counts and the results of filtering surgery (1993) Am J Ophthalmol, 116 (4), pp. 464-468Sherwood, M.B., Grierson, I., Millar, L., Hitchings, R.A., Long-term morphologic effects of antiglaucoma drugs on the conjunctiva and Tenon's capsule in glaucomatous patients (1989) Ophthalmology, 96 (3), pp. 327-335Mietz, H., Niesen, U., Krleglstein, G.K., The effect of preservatives and antiglaucomatous medication on the histopathology of the conjunctiva (1994) Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol, 232 (9), pp. 561-565Bensoussan, I., Blondin, C., Baudouin, C., Hamard, P., Sabeh Afaki, G., Creuzot-Garcher, C.A., Flow cytometic analysis of HLA-DR, IL-6 and IL-8 expression by conjunctival epithelial cells from patients with prolonged topical antiglaucoma treatments] (2003) J Fr Ophtalmol, 26 (8), pp. 762-769Guenoun, J.M., Baudouin, C., Rat, P., Pauly, A., Warnet, J.M., Brignole-Baudouin, F., In vitro study of inflammatory potential and toxicity profile of latanoprost, travoprost, and bimatoprost in conjunctiva-derived epithelial cells (2005) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 46 (7), pp. 2444-2450Moreno, M., Villena, A., Cabarga, C., Sanchez-Font, E., Garcia-Campos, J., Impression cytology of the conjunctival epithelium after antiglaucomatous treatment with latanaprost (2003) Eur J Ophthalmol, 13 (6), pp. 553-559Guglielminetti, E., Barabino, S., Monaco, M., Mantero, S., Rolando, M., HLA-DR expression in conjunctival cells after latanoprost (2002) J Ocul Pharmacol Ther, 18 (1), pp. 1-9Broadway, D., Hitchings, R., Grierson, I., Topical antiglaucoma therapy: Adverse effects on the conjunctiva and implications for filtration surgery (1995) J Glaucoma, 4, pp. 136-148Oh, D.J., Martin, J.L., Williams, A.J., Peck, R.E., Pokorny, C., Russell, P., Analysis of expression of matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases in human ciliary body after latanoprost (2006) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 47 (3), pp. 953-963Young, L.T., Higginbotham, E.J., Zou, X.L., Farber, M.D., Effects of topical glaucoma drugs on fistulized rabbit conjunctiva (1990) Ophthalmology, 97 (11), pp. 1423-1427De Saint Jean, M., Brignole, F., Bringuier, A.F., Bauchet, A., Feldmann, G., Baudouin, C., Effects of benzalkonium chloride on growth and survival of Chang conjunctival cells (1999) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 40 (3), pp. 619-630Bensoussan, L., Blondin, C., Baudouin, C., Hemard, P., Sabeh Afaki, G., Creuzot-Garcher, C., (2003) Flow cytometric analysis of HLA-DR, IL-6 and IL-8 expression by conjunctival epithelial cells from patients with prolonged topical antiglaucoma treatments]J Fr Ophtalmol, 26 (8), pp. 782-789Pisella, P.J., Debbasch, C., Hamard, P., Creuzot-Garchar, C., Rat, P., Brignole, F., Baudouin, C., Conjunctival proinflammatory and proapoptotic effects of latanoprost and preserved and unpreserved timolol: An ex vivo and in vitro study (2004) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 45 (5), pp. 1360-1368Debbasch, C., De La Salle, S.B., Brignole, F., Rat, P., Warnet, M., Baudouin, C., Cytoprotective effects of hyaluronic acid and Carbomer 934P in ocular surface epithelial cells (2002) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 43 (11), pp. 3409-341

Modeling magnetospheric fields in the Jupiter system

The various processes which generate magnetic fields within the Jupiter system are exemplary for a large class of similar processes occurring at other planets in the solar system, but also around extrasolar planets. Jupiter's large internal dynamo magnetic field generates a gigantic magnetosphere, which is strongly rotational driven and possesses large plasma sources located deeply within the magnetosphere. The combination of the latter two effects is the primary reason for Jupiter's main auroral ovals. Jupiter's moon Ganymede is the only known moon with an intrinsic dynamo magnetic field, which generates a mini-magnetosphere located within Jupiter's larger magnetosphere including two auroral ovals. Ganymede's magnetosphere is qualitatively different compared to the one from Jupiter. It possesses no bow shock but develops Alfv\'en wings similar to most of the extrasolar planets which orbit their host stars within 0.1 AU. New numerical models of Jupiter's and Ganymede's magnetospheres presented here provide quantitative insight into the processes that maintain these magnetospheres. Jupiter's magnetospheric field is approximately time-periodic at the locations of Jupiter's moons and induces secondary magnetic fields in electrically conductive layers such as subsurface oceans. In the case of Ganymede, these secondary magnetic fields influence the oscillation of the location of its auroral ovals. Based on dedicated Hubble Space Telescope observations, an analysis of the amplitudes of the auroral oscillations provides evidence that Ganymede harbors a subsurface ocean. Callisto in contrast does not possess a mini-magnetosphere, but still shows a perturbed magnetic field environment. Callisto's ionosphere and atmospheric UV emission is different compared to the other Galilean satellites as it is primarily been generated by solar photons compared to magnetospheric electrons.Comment: Chapter for Book: Planetary Magnetis

Stellar population synthesis at the resolution of 2003

We present a new model for computing the spectral evolution of stellar populations at ages between 100,000 yr and 20 Gyr at a resolution of 3 A across the whole wavelength range from 3200 to 9500 A for a wide range of metallicities. These predictions are based on a newly available library of observed stellar spectra. We also compute the spectral evolution across a larger wavelength range, from 91 A to 160 micron, at lower resolution. The model incorporates recent progress in stellar evolution theory and an observationally motivated prescription for thermally-pulsing stars on the asymptotic giant branch. The latter is supported by observations of surface brightness fluctuations in nearby stellar populations. We show that this model reproduces well the observed optical and near-infrared colour-magnitude diagrams of Galactic star clusters of various ages and metallicities. Stochastic fluctuations in the numbers of stars in different evolutionary phases can account for the full range of observed integrated colours of star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds. The model reproduces in detail typical galaxy spectra from the Early Data Release (EDR) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We exemplify how this type of spectral fit can constrain physical parameters such as the star formation history, metallicity and dust content of galaxies. Our model is the first to enable accurate studies of absorption-line strengths in galaxies containing stars over the full range of ages. Using the highest-quality spectra of the SDSS EDR, we show that this model can reproduce simultaneously the observed strengths of those Lick indices that do not depend strongly on element abundance ratios [abridged].Comment: 35 pages, 22 figures, to appear in MNRAS; version with full resolution figures available at http://www.iap.fr/~charlot/bc2003/pape

Coupled free-carrier and exciton relaxation in optically excited semiconductors

The energy relaxation of coupled free-carrier and exciton populations in semiconductors after low-density ultrafast optical excitation is studied through a kinetic approach. The set of semiclassical Boltzmann equations, usually written for electron and hole populations only, is complemented by an additional equation for the exciton distribution. The equations are coupled by reaction terms describing phonon-mediated exciton binding and dissociation. All the other relevant scattering mechanisms, such as carrier-carrier, carrier-phonon, and exciton-phonon interactions, are also included. The resulting system of rate equations in reciprocal space is solved by an extended ensemble Monte Carlo method. As a first application, we show results for the dynamics of bulk GaAs in the range from 1 to ∼200 ps after photoexcitation. The build-up of an exciton population and its sensitivity to the excitation conditions are discussed in detail. As a consequence of the pronounced energy dependence of the LO-phonon-assisted transition probabilities between free-pair states and excitons, it is found that the efficiency of the exciton-formation process and the temporal evolution of the resulting population are sensitive to the excitation energy. We discuss the effects on luminescence experiments

Conservation of co-evolved interactions: understanding the Maculinea–Myrmica complex

1. The six papers in this Special Issue of Insect Conservation and Diversity are presented as a gedenkschrift honouring ground‐breaking contributions made by the late Graham Elmes towards understanding the biology of Myrmica ants and their social parasites. 2. A common theme is that each research paper contributes new knowledge applicable to the future survival of Maculinea (= Phengaris) species of butterflies, which have become flagships for insect conservation across Europe. All Maculinea species are highly specialised, with larvae that feed briefly on a specific foodplant before living underground for 11–23 months as social parasites of Myrmica colonies. 3. This introductory overview provides a brief history of the research that has led to the current collection, with emphasis on Graham Elmes' life and work. It is followed by three research papers that illustrate the diversity, socio‐biology and ecology of Myrmica ants. A fourth describes an extreme adaptation that increases the efficiency with which some populations of Maculinea larvae exploit the resources within Myrmica nests. A fifth, more theoretical, paper models the constraints that typically lead to host specificity among social parasites and explores why host switches are rare and quick

Investigations of the Mars Upper Atmosphere with ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter

The Martian mesosphere and thermosphere, the region above about 60 km, is not the primary target of the ExoMars 2016 mission but its Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) can explore it and address many interesting issues, either in-situ during the aerobraking period or remotely during the regular mission. In the aerobraking phase TGO peeks into thermospheric densities and temperatures, in a broad range of latitudes and during a long continuous period. TGO carries two instruments designed for the detection of trace species, NOMAD and ACS, which will use the solar occultation technique. Their regular sounding at the terminator up to very high altitudes in many different molecular bands will represent the first time that an extensive and precise dataset of densities and hopefully temperatures are obtained at those altitudes and local times on Mars. But there are additional capabilities in TGO for studying the upper atmosphere of Mars, and we review them briefly. Our simulations suggest that airglow emissions from the UV to the IR might be observed outside the terminator. If eventually confirmed from orbit, they would supply new information about atmospheric dynamics and variability. However, their optimal exploitation requires a special spacecraft pointing, currently not considered in the regular operations but feasible in our opinion. We discuss the synergy between the TGO instruments, specially the wide spectral range achieved by combining them. We also encourage coordinated operations with other Mars-observing missions capable of supplying simultaneous measurements of its upper atmosphere

Bildung und Demenz Erwachsenenbildung und das Lernen von älteren Menschen mit Demenz zum Erhalt und Förderung der Identität

Der demografische Wandel und die damit einhergehenden steigenden Zahlen von älteren Demenzbetroffenen stellen die Gesellschaft sowie die Betroffenen und ihr Umfeld vor besondere Herausforderungen. Demenzbetroffene leiden unter einem fortschreitenden Verlust ihrer Identität. Bildung, auch als Identitätsbildung verstanden, kann dabei helfen, Identität zu vermitteln. Häufig werden bei der Betrachtung der Wechselwirkung zwischen Bildung und Demenz die Demenzbetroffenen selbst nicht in miteinbezogen. Der Fokus dieser Masterarbeit soll auf dem Lernen und der Bildung älterer Demenzbetroffenen selbst liegen. Dabei liegt das Ziel darin, zu beantworten, wie eine Erwachsenenbildung auf Bildung für Demenzbetroffene reagieren kann. Es soll die Forschungsfrage beantwortet werden: Inwieweit kann eine Erwachsenenbildung auf der personalen Ebene mit Lern- und Bildungsprozessen für ältere Demenzbetroffene zum Erhalt und zur Förderung der Identität beitragen? Durch die Beantwortung dieser Frage sollen konkrete Empfehlungen bezüglich einer weitergehenden Professionalisierung in der Erwachsenenbildung vorgestellt werden. Dazu wird als Erstes anhand von Lerntheorien begründet, wie erwachsene Menschen lernen. Danach wurde die Frage beantwortet, wie ältere Menschen lernen, um diese Antwort im Folgenden mit den besonderen Anforderungen älterer Demenzbetroffener zu verknüpfen. Das Ergebnis der Literaturrecherche zeigte, dass neben konstruktivistischen Lernprozessen eine weitergehende Professionalisierung der Lernbegleitenden nötig ist. Dabei wurden als weitergehende Professionalisierung der Lernbegleitenden eine besondere Emotionalität, vertiefende Selbstreflektionsfähigkeiten, eine spezielle Haltung und ausgeprägte Kommunikationskompetenzen identifiziert. So können Lern- und Bildungsprozesse für ältere Demenzbetroffene zum Erhalt und zur Förderung von Identität in der Erwachsenenbildung ermöglicht werden. Um die Wahrung der Identität und den Kompetenzerhalt älterer Menschen mit Demenz so lange wie möglich zu gewährleisten, bedarf es einer Erwachsenenbildung, die diesem Ziel explizit verpflichtet ist

Pronominale Partitivität: Arealität und Mikrovariation einer morphosyntaktischen Variable in den Varietäten des Deutschen

Diese Untersuchung beschäftigt sich mit der Morphosyntax pronominaler Partitivanaphern im kontinentalwestgermanischen Dialektkontinuum im Allgemeinen und im deutschen (insbesondere hessischen) Sprachraum im Speziellen. Schwerpunkte sind dabei die sprachgeografische Verteilung, die morphosyntaktische Variation und die strukturelle Analyse pronominaler Ausdrucksmittel der unbestimmten Teilmenge. Es werden traditionell dialektologische Erkenntnisinteressen (Raumstruktur syntaktischer Variablen und Verlauf syntaktischer Isoglossen) mit Fragestellungen der (theoretisch orientierten) Syntaxforschung verbunden. Außerdem erfolgt erstmals eine wirklich sprachübergreifende Behandlung der verschiedenen Systeme pronominaler Partitivität, zum einen innerhalb der (West-)Germania, zum anderen durch den Einbezug (zentral-)romanischer Sprachen, um Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten auf der Mikro- und Mesoebene herauszuarbeiten. Die gewählte Methode ist nicht nur kontrastiv, sondern auch geolinguistisch fundiert, insofern als morphologische Formen und syntaktische Variation im Raum abgebildet werden, wodurch nicht zuletzt auch interessante Korrelationen und Anti-Korrelationen in den Daten bestätigt bzw. entdeckt werden konnten. Nach einer Gegenstandsbestimmung der morphosyntaktischen Variable und ihrer Varianten (Inventarisierung und Typisierung) sowie des Variationsrahmens (areal-horizontal, vertikal, morphosyntaktisch, historisch, idiolektal etc.) wird zunächst das DFG-Projekt „Syntax hessischer Dialekte“ (SyHD) vorgestellt, das die empirische Basis zur Untersuchung lieferte. Dabei werden generelle und spezifische Fragen der Datengewinnung (multivariate Methode mit indirekten und direkten Elementen) sowie der Datenanalyse und -interpretation (Instrument der Kartierung) diskutiert. Den Hauptteil der Arbeit bildet die diatopische, diachrone und distributionell-syntaktische Variation der Systeme pronominaler Partitivität. Als die vier Hauptstrategien zum Ausdruck partitiv-anaphorischer Referenz innerhalb des deutschsprachigen Gebiets finden sich das konservative System versteinerter Pronominalgenitive wie „(d)(e)r(e)“, „s(e)n“ und „es“ (vor allem in einem mitteldeutschen Streifen und randdialektal) - Relikte eines ehemals umfassenderen genitivbasierten Systems der Partitivität -, das sprachgeschichtlich junge und typologisch auffällige indefinit-partitive Pronomen „welch-“/„we(l)k-“ (im Nieder-/Norddeutschen und in der Standardsprache) sowie schließlich die innovativen Systeme der Null-Anapher (im Alemannischen bzw. Südwesten) und des generalisierten Indefinitpronomens „ein-“ (im Bairischen bzw. Südosten). Wenngleich sich diese areale Distribution im zentral gelegenen und daher unter dem Einfluss nahezu aller Strategien stehenden Hessen als Kleinraum bestätigt - mit Ausnahme der weitgehenden Abwesenheit des „ein“-Systems -, so zeigen sich doch einige überraschende Ergebnisse wie beispielsweise ein kategorialer Unterschied nach Numerus und zum Teil Genus bei der Vitalität der Genitivpartikeln. Sprachhistorisch können zwei Arten von Wandel beim Genitiv-System identifiziert werden: systeminterne Veränderungen (durch Merkmals- oder Formverlust) und systemexterne Verdrängungsprozesse (durch Ausbreitung der innovativen Ausdrucksformen, was in einem Dialekt bzw. intraindividuell zu konkurrierenden oder Mischsystemen führen kann). Darüber hinaus sind mit Blick auf die Art und Weise der Veränderungen für Sprachwandelprozesse allgemein typische zyklische Abfolgen von Abschwächung und Verstärkung erkennbar. In Bezug auf die syntaktische Distribution werden insbesondere die Genitivanaphern auf ihre Kompatibilität mit nominalen Modifikatoren wie Numeralien/(schwachen) Quantoren, „flektierten“ Zahlwörtern (Schwa), Adjektiven, verschiedenen Arten von Präpositionalphrasen sowie Relativ- vs. Komplementsätzen hin untersucht und - funktional wie formal - mit ihrem niederländischen partitiven/quantitativen Äquivalent „er“ sowie den romanischen, in ein partitives System integrierten Pronomina fr. „en“/it. „ne“ verglichen. Für die deutschen Partitivanaphern ergibt sich daraus Evidenz für zwei unterschiedliche Pronominalisierungsebenen. Abschließend wird das Phänomen in die allgemeine Diskussion um nominale Ellipsen eingebettet (Elision und Pronominalisierung). Aufgrund der Evaluation der in der Literatur diskutierten Lizenzierungsansätze anhand neuer dialektaler und typologischer Daten wird hier ein flexions-/kongruenzbasierter Ansatz favorisiert (Rolle von Adjektivmorphologie bzw. generell von unterschiedlichen Flexionssystemen, etwa im Deutschen vs. Englischen).This thesis investigates the morphosyntax of pronominal partitive anaphors in Continental West Germanic, particularly in varieties of German (especially Hessian). It concentrates on the geolinguistic distribution, morphosyntactic variation and structural analysis of pronominal devices expressing an indefinite subset. Traditional dialectological issues (regarding, for example, the spatial structure of syntactic variables and the location and nature of syntactic isoglosses) are combined with questions of (theoretically informed) syntactic research. Furthermore, the study aims at comparing various systems of pronominal partitivity for the first time in a truly crosslinguistic manner: This is carried out predominantly within (West) Germanic varieties, but also by including (Central) Romance languages, in order to comprehend both differences and common features on a micro- and mesovariational level. The method used, however, is not only contrastive, but also geolinguistically grounded in the sense that morphological forms and syntactic variation are projected into language space, not least because this allows us to confirm or discover interesting correlations and anti-correlations in the data. After a thorough definition of the morphosyntactic variable and its variants (inventory and types of forms) plus the different dimensions of variation concerned (areal-horizontal, social-vertical, morphological, syntactic, historical, idiolectal etc.), the DFG-funded project „Syntax of Hessian Dialects“ (SyHD) is presented, since it provides the bulk of the empirical data for the present investigation. In this context, I discuss general and specific questions of data collection (multidimensional approach with indirect and direct elements of elicitation) as well as data analysis and interpretation (e.g. by using linguistic cartography as a tool). The core part of the dissertation addresses the diatopic, diachronic and distributional-syntactic variation of the systems of pronominal partitivity. The main strategies of partitive-anaphoric reference within the German-speaking language area comprise an older system as well as three innovative systems: (i) archaic, fossilized pronominal genitive forms such as „(d)(e)r(e)“, „s(e)n“, „es“ ‘of them/it’ (living on primarily in a strip from West Central German to East Franconian, but also in southern peripheral areas, i.e. in High/Highest Alemannic and Southern Bavarian), remnants of a former, more comprehensive system of partitivity based on genitive case, (ii) the typologically salient indefinite-partitive pronoun „welch-“/„we(l)k-“ ‘some’ of Standard and Low/Northern German, (iii) the southwestern (Alemannic) strategy of null anaphora, and (iv) the southeastern (Bavarian) generalized indefinite pronoun „ein-“ ‘one’, extended to mass nouns and plural entities. This areal distribution is basically confirmed on a smaller scale for Hesse, a dialect area located centrally and thus being under the influence of virtually all strategies, except for the almost absent „ein“-system. Nonetheless, there are some surprising results such as a categorial difference for number and to some extent also gender when it comes to the vitality of the partitive genitive pronouns. Diachronically, one can identify two types of changes in the system of genitive anaphors: internal alterations (by the loss of features or forms) and external processes of replacement (due to the expansion of the innovative means of expression, leading to competing or mixed systems within one dialect or individual). Moreover, as to the course of change, cyclic sequences of weakening and reinforcement can be discerned, which are often reported for language change processes. Concerning the syntactic distribution, especially the genitive pronouns are tested for their compatibility with nominal modifiers such as numerals/(weak) quantifiers, “inflected” cardinal numbers (schwa), adjectives, different types of prepositional phrases and relative versus complement clauses. For this purpose, the dialectal German genitive particles are also functionally and formally compared to the equivalent Dutch partitive/quantitative pronoun „er“ and to the Romance “partitive” clitics Fr. „en“/It. „ne“, the latter of which are integrated in a more sophisticated system of partitive expressions. With respect to the German partitive anaphors, there turns out to be evidence for two distinct syntactic levels of pronominalization. Eventually, the phenomenon is embedded into the more general discussion of nominal ellipsis (elision and pronominalization strategies). As a result of evaluating the licensing approaches discussed in the literature on the basis of new dialectal and typological data, I argue for an analysis in terms of inflection/agreement or morphosyntactic features (i.e. adjectival morphology or, more generally speaking, different inflectional systems as in German vs. English)

Data: Reward and Punishment in a Team Contest

This is the database for the article Reward and Punishment in a Team Contest. A team contest entails both public good characteristics within the teams as well as a contest across teams. In an experimental study, we analyse behaviour in such a team contest when allowing to punish or to reward other team members. Moreover, we compare two types of contest environment: One in which two teams compete for a prize and another one in which we switch off the between-group element of the contest. We find that reward giving, as opposed to punishing, induces higher contributions to the team contest. Furthermore, expenditures on rewarding other co-players are significantly higher than those for punishing

IR-spectroscopy of skin in vivo: Optimal skin sites and properties for non-invasive glucose measurement by photoacoustic and photothermal spectroscopy.

We have reported two methods to analyze glucose in the interstitial fluid of skin based on mid-infrared excitation with a tunable quantum cascade laser and photoacoustic or photothermal detection. These methods were evaluated for optimum skin locations to obtain reproducible glucose information. The lower part of the arm, the hypothenar, the tips of the index finger and the thumb were tested. The thumb appears to be the optimal skin location, followed by the index finger. Basic requirements for an optimum site are good capillary blood perfusion, low Stratum corneum thickness and the absence of fat layers. To obtain a correlation on such a site, spectra were recorded on volunteers continuously after blood glucose manipulation. However, continuous measurements on an in vivo sample such as the skin have to cope with physiological alterations such as the formation of sweat. We have used both detection schemes to investigate the acid mantle reformation after washing during time scales similar to continuous measurements for calibration spectra. We found that reconstitution of the acid mantle of skin may be seen in less than one hour. Precleaning of the measurement site may thus be useful for intermittent, but not for long term continuous measurements. [GRAPHICS]