Fly Fishing Romance

3rd Prize 2019 Winner of the Peter Sears Prize in Poetr

Retrospektive Langzeitanalyse zur Verwendung von unipolaren epikardialen Elektroden bei einem Herzschrittmacher mit ventrikulärer „Automatic-Capture™“-Funktion im Kindes- und Jugendalter

Objectives: Epicardial pacing is applied regularly in pacemaker (PM) therapy for paediatric patients. Automatic PM algorithms have been developed to increase patient safety. The “Automatic-Capture™” algorithm (AC) measures the ventricular threshold automatically, regulates output voltage and assesses the evoked response on a beat-to-beat basis. This long-term retrospective data analysis examined the feasibility and performance of AC combined with unipolar epicardial pacing leads in paediatric patients with and without congenital heart disease. There has not been any investigation on unipolar epicardial leads used with AC or similar algorithms so far, although small heart size or scar tissue often necessitates the use of unipolar epicardial leads in patients. Methods: The aims of this analysis were (1) to evaluate the extent of successful automatic threshold testing and beat-to-beat analysis in paediatric patients with an AC pacemaker produced by Boston Scientific™ (Insignia™/Altrua™) combined with unipolar epicardial leads over a long period of time, (2) to examine patient and lead characteristics as possible influencing factors on AC performance and (3) to assess PM longevity using AC. Results: 30 patients (aged 0,7 - 20,4 years at PM implantation) were followed up for a median of 3.9 (0.8 - 7.8) years between 2004 and 2012. 10 of these patients received a PM replacement after battery depletion or lead failure, equalling a total of 40 studied PMs. The beat-to-beat analysis functioned well according to routine 12-channel-ECGs and Holter-ECGs in all 40 PMs. The median extent of successful automatic threshold testing in the 40 PMs was 100% (interquartile range 1,1%), in 33 of 40 PMs (82.5%) it was >95%. During follow-up no adverse effects of AC were seen. On univariate analysis, none of the examined patient or lead characteristics (lead model, congenital heart disease, quantity of former heart operations, lead age at PM implantation, patient's age at PM implantation) indicated an influence on AC performance. A comparison between actual AC-PM longevity and theoretical longevity with AC turned off in 5 PMs indicated only slight differences, strongly depending on the average threshold and choice of safety margins in the conventional pacing. Conclusion: Combined with the unipolar epicardial leads used in this analysis, AC worked safely and continuously as intended in paediatric patients over a long period of time

Brief of Antitrust Scholars as Amici Curiae in Support of Appellees, Supporting Affirmance

Amici urge affirmance for three principal reasons. First, we elaborate a point to dispel Appellant\u27s suggestion that antitrust somehow does not belong here. Second, we show that ordinary rule of reason treatment was appropriate. Relying rather daringly on a case that it overwhelmingly lost, Appellant asks this Court to find within NCAA v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla., 468 U. S. 85 (1984), a rule that its amateurism or eligibility restraints are valid...as a matter of law. NCAA Br. at 14, 22. Board of Regents did not say that, and even Appellant\u27s own amici admit it. See Wilson Sonsini Br. at 5 & n. 2. Last, but most important, having shown that no special rule applies, we show ample grounds to affirm within the district court\u27s opinion. Of fundamental importance is the court\u27s finding that anticompetitive harm outweighed the minor benefits that Appellant could show

Purification, sequencing and characterization of rabbit liver arsenite and methylarsonic acid methyltransferase

Inorganic arsenic is an important environmental toxicant of both natural and anthropogenic sources. It is a human carcinogen for which appropriate animal models of most arsenic-induced cancers are lacking. Presently, 17 species of non-human primates were screened using an in vitro assay to determine their arsenic methylation ability as a predictive tool for better understanding the presence, and in some instances, deficiency of arsenic methyltransferase activity among animal species. Four of the 17 species investigated had arsenite methyltransferase activity, three of which were from the genus Macaca. This suggested a phylogenetic component to an animal having arsenic methyltransferase activity. That all of the hepatic tissues were viable was demonstrated by their all having arsenate reductase activity. These data suggested that arsenic methylation cannot be a detoxification mechanism for many non-human primates and that alternative methods of detoxifying inorganic arsenic must be considered and investigated. Biomethylation of inorganic arsenic has classically been considered its primary mechanism of detoxification, although results of recent investigations disagree. As arsenic methylation may represent a bioactivation process leading to cancer development, it now becomes critical to identify the methyltransferase protein, its endogenous function, as well as additional substrates and inhibitory molecules. Using a combination of chromatographic and isoelectric focusing protein separation methods, rabbit liver arsenite and methylarsonic acid methyltransferase activities were purified 19,000- and 604-fold, respectively. These activities co-purified during all steps. The arsenic methyltransferase protein had a molecular mass of approximately 46.5 kDa and a pl of 5.7 to 6.0 and is inhibited by Sadenosyl-L-homocysteine, sinefungin and trivalent antimony. The final purified fraction contained a heterogeneous protein mixture as assessed by SDS-PAGE analysis. Proteins in this fraction were identified using tandem and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry techniques against databases of known proteins. Identified protein sequences were searched for putative S-adenosylmethionine binding motifs conserved among small molecule methyltransferases. Homologs of the identified proteins were obtained commercially, where available, and screened for arsenite methyltransferase activity. The arsenic methyltransferase was not identified among the obtained homologs and cloning efforts must be considered to screen the other proteins identified in the final purified fraction for arsenic methyltransferase functionality

Terrorismus. Definition – Struktur – Dynamik

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht Terrorismus vor dem Hintergrund kriminologischer und sozialpsychologischer Theorien, um die Phänomenologie sowie die Konstruktion des Terrorismus zu beleuchten. Damit wird eine Wissenserweiterung in Bezug auf Erscheinen, Entwicklung, Wirkung und Attraktivität des Terrorismus angestrebt, deren Ergebnisse die rechtspolitischen Überlegungen zur Behandlung des Terrorismus bereichern sollen. Zu diesem Zweck wird zunächst der Gegenstandsbereich des Terrorismus erfasst. Hervorgehoben werden die Schwierigkeiten bei einer Definitionsfindung, welche insbesondere in der Abhängigkeit von der subjektiven Wahrnehmung des Betrachters sowie der spezifischen Wirkweise des Terrorismus gründen. Als Gruppenphänomen findet ferner die Struktur terroristischer Gruppierungen Beachtung. Terroristische Gruppen bilden in der Regel Strukturhybriden aus hierarchischen und netzwerkartigen Elementen, wobei aufgrund der Bedingungen des Untergrundes Regelmäßigkeiten festzustellen sind. Sodann wird vor dem Hintergrund der Sozialen Identitätstheorie sowie gruppendynamischen Ansätzen die Entwicklung einer terroristischen Gruppe nachgezeichnet. Die besondere Distinktheit zu Fremdgruppen bewirkt bei terroristischen Gruppen eine außergewöhnliche Selbstwerterhöhung und Unsicherheitsreduktion und damit Attraktion für das Individuum. In Zusammenhang mit gruppendynamischen Effekten, Neutralisationsmechanismen und kollektiven Lernerfahrungen erklärt sich weiter eine Hinwendung zur Gewalt und Gewalteskalation. Die Kombination von theoretischen Betrachtungen, mit Schwerpunkt auf der Kollektivität des Terrorismus sowie dessen selbstwertschützenden Eigenschaften, bietet ein Konzept für die Entwicklung terroristischer Gruppen, welches sowohl deren Attraktivität als Eigengruppe, die Dynamik mit Fremdgruppen als auch die Gewaltanwendung umfasst. Damit bindet diese Studie die aktuelle, kriminologisch bisher vernachlässigte Thematik des Terrorismus theoretisch ein und bietet somit eine Grundlage für dringend benötigte empirische Forschung sowie Anknüpfungspunkte für die Sinnhaftigkeit und Effektivität von Anti-Terrorismusmaßnahmen

Brief of Antitrust Scholars as Amici Curiae in Support of Appellees, Supporting Affirmance

Amici urge affirmance for three principal reasons. First, we elaborate a point to dispel Appellant\u27s suggestion that antitrust somehow does not belong here. Second, we show that ordinary rule of reason treatment was appropriate. Relying rather daringly on a case that it overwhelmingly lost, Appellant asks this Court to find within NCAA v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Okla., 468 U. S. 85 (1984), a rule that its amateurism or eligibility restraints are valid...as a matter of law. NCAA Br. at 14, 22. Board of Regents did not say that, and even Appellant\u27s own amici admit it. See Wilson Sonsini Br. at 5 & n. 2. Last, but most important, having shown that no special rule applies, we show ample grounds to affirm within the district court\u27s opinion. Of fundamental importance is the court\u27s finding that anticompetitive harm outweighed the minor benefits that Appellant could show