Promoting Healthy Development: Educating Somali Mothers and Children on the Importance of Outdoor Physical Activity

This paper describes an educational program that was designed to provide education and awareness for Somali mothers and children about the importance of outdoor physical activity on healthy child development. The program is based on Margaret Newman\u27s nursing theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness and Hartrick-Doane & Varcoe\u27s concept of walking with. A comprehensive literature review was completed to exemplify the need for outdoor physical activity education in the immigrant population

The 4-Aminopyridine Model of Acute Seizures in vitro Elucidates Efficacy of New Antiepileptic Drugs

Up to date, preclinical screening for new antiepileptic substances is performed by a combination of different in vivo models of acute seizures, for which large numbers of animals are necessary. So far, little attention has been paid to in vitro models, which are also able to detect antiepileptic efficacy and in principle could likewise serve for exploratory preclinical screening. One of the established in vitro models of acute seizures is the 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) model. Previous studies have shown that the 4-AP model is capable to recapitulate the antiepileptic efficacy of standard antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) such as valproate or carbamazepine. Here, we employed a dual methodological approach using electrophysiology and optical imaging to systematically test the antiepileptic efficacy of three new-generation AEDs with distinct mechanisms of action (lacosamide, zonisamide, and levetiracetam). We found that frequency of 4-AP induced seizure like events (SLE) was the most sensitive parameter to detect dose-dependent antiepileptic effects in these compounds. Specifically, levetiracetam reduced SLE frequency while lacosamide and zonisamide at higher doses completely blocked SLE incidence. Analysis of the intrinsic optical signal additionally revealed a subiculum-specific reduction of the area involved in the propagation of ictal activity when lacosamide or zonisamide were administered. Taken together, our data adds some evidence that acute seizure models in vitro are in principle capable to detect antiepileptic effects across different mechanisms of action with efficacy similar to acute models in vivo. Further studies with negative controls, e.g., penicillin as a proconvulsant, and other clinically relevant AEDs are needed to determine if this acute in vitro model might be useful as exploratory screening tool. In view of the increasing sensitivity toward animal welfare, an affective in vitro model may help to reduce the number of laboratory animals deployed in burdening in vivo experiments and to preselect substances for subsequent testing in time- and cost-laborious models of chronic epilepsy

Influence of Lattice Mismatch on Structural and Functional Properties of Epitaxial Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 Thin Films

Substrate-induced strains can significantly influence the structural properties of epitaxial thin films. In ferroelectrics, this might lead to significant changes in the functional properties due to the strong electromechanical coupling in those materials. To study this in more detail, epitaxial Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 films, which have a perovskite structure and a structural phase transition close to room temperature, were grown with different thicknesses on REScO3 (RE–rare earth element) substrates having a smaller lattice mismatch compared to SrTiO3. A fully strained SrRuO3 bottom electrode and Pt top contacts were used to achieve a capacitor-like architecture. Different X-ray diffraction techniques were applied to study the microstructure of the films. Epitaxial films with a higher crystalline quality were obtained on scandates in comparison to SrTiO3, whereas the strain state of the functional layer was strongly dependent on the chosen substrate and the thickness. Differences in permittivity and a non-linear polarization behavior were observed at higher temperatures, suggesting that ferroelectricity is supressed under tensile strain conditions in contrast to compressive strain for our measurement configuration, while a similar reentrant relaxor-like behavior was found in all studied layers below 0°C

FGB1 and WSC3 are in planta-induced beta-glucan-binding fungal lectins with different functions

In the root endophyte Serendipita indica, several lectin-like members of the expanded multigene family of WSC proteins are transcriptionally induced in planta and are potentially involved in beta-glucan remodeling at the fungal cell wall. Using biochemical and cytological approaches we show that one of these lectins, SiWSC3 with three WSC domains, is an integral fungal cell wall component that binds to long-chain beta 1-3-glucan but has no affinity for shorter beta 1-3- or beta 1-6-linked glucose oligomers. Comparative analysis with the previously identified beta-glucan-binding lectin SiFGB1 demonstrated that whereas SiWSC3 does not require beta 1-6-linked glucose for efficient binding to branched beta 1-3-glucan, SiFGB1 does. In contrast to SiFGB1, the multivalent SiWSC3 lectin can efficiently agglutinate fungal cells and is additionally induced during fungus-fungus confrontation, suggesting different functions for these two beta-glucan-binding lectins. Our results highlight the importance of the beta-glucan cell wall component in plant-fungus interactions and the potential of beta-glucan-binding lectins as specific detection tools for fungi in vivo

Studien zum Frühwerk von Ernst Fuchs

Die Diplomarbeit behandelt das Leben und die Werke von Ernst Fuchs, beginnend schon mit seinen Kinderzeichnungen. Sein Eintritt in die Akademie der bildenden Künste 1945 fällt mit der Zeit zusammen, in der nach dem Krieg langsam Informationen über das Kunstgeschehen im Westen bekannt wurden. Fuchs verarbeitet in kurzer Zeit verschiedene Kunstrichtungen wie den Kubismus und die Abstraktion, von der er sich bald wieder löst. Nach einer surrealistischen Phase wendet sich Ernst Fuchs der Kunst der Alten Meister zu. Durch die mir im Rahmen meiner Diplomarbeit zur Verfügung gestandene außergewöhnliche Option des persönlichen Kontaktes zu Ernst Fuchs und Künstlern der Gegenwart konnte ich in vielen Gesprächen in einer Art Feldforschung meine Studien über das Frühwerk von Ernst Fuchs erweitern. Durch meinen Zugang zum Archiv von Ernst Fuchs konnte ich wesentliche Materialien hinzufügen sowie zum Teil in der Literatur noch nicht beantwortete Fragen klären. Diese Arbeit versteht sich somit auch als Sammlung wichtiger Basisinformationen

Concentration-dependent sedimentation and diffusion coefficient in analytical ultracentrifugation experiments

Experimental data of analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) experiments is defined by sedimentation and diffusion transport of molecules in solution. While the sedimentation properties define the position of the measured sedimentation boundaries, information on the diffusion is included in the broadening. Both effects are then analysed with well-established finite element solutions of Lamm’s equation The results from this multidimensional analysis provide e.g. molecular mass or size distributions or information on core-shell structures [1,2]