Organic Solar Cell at Room Temperature

Organic electronics have become of great interest in the field of materials science research due to the potential for flexible electronic devices and low cost technologies. Difficulties emerge with creating a stable and efficient device, while still maintaining a simple and room-temperature production process. With the advent of relatively stable organic semiconductors and graphene (or other nanotube or fullerene morphologies), it is possible to fabricate photovoltaic cells at near room temperature. By stacking these cells, devices of reasonable efficiencies \u3e5% can be fabricated. Devices were created with a perylene-P3HT photoactive layer, polyaniline buffer layer, and PEDOT:PSS as the hole transport material. Devices were fabricated, tested for J-V characteristics, and re-designed for a final structure

Histochemical characterization of inputs to motoneurons of extraocular muscles subserving different functions

Eye movements are important to aid vision, and they serve two main functions: to stabilize a moving visual target on the retina and to stabilize gaze during own body movements. Six types of eye movements have been evolved fulfilling this function: saccades, smooth pursuit, vestibulo-ocular reflex, optokinetic response, convergence and gaze holding. In all vertebrates the eyes are moved by six pairs of extraocular muscles that enable horizontal, vertical and rotatory eye movements. The motoneurons of these muscles are located in the oculomotor (nIII), trochlear (nIV) and abducens (nVI) nucleus in the brainstem. Motoneurons of the lateral rectus muscle (LR) in nVI and of the medial rectus muscle (MR) in nIII provide horizontal eye movements, those of inferior oblique (IO) and superior rectus muscle (SR) in nIII upward eye movements. Motoneurons of the superior oblique (SO) and the inferior rectus muscle (IR) in nIII convey downward eye movements. Recently, it was shown that each extraocular muscle is controlled by two motoneuronal groups: 1. Motoneurons of singly innervated muscle fibers (SIF) that lie within the boundaries of motonuclei providing a fast muscle contraction (twitch) and 2. motoneurons of multiply innervated muscle fibers (MIF) in the periphery of motonuclei providing a tonic muscle contraction (non-twitch). Tract-tracing studies indicate that both motoneuronal groups receive premotor inputs from different brainstem areas. A current hypothesis suggests that pathways controlling twitch motoneurons serve to generate eye movements, whereas the non-twitch system is involved in gaze holding. Lesions of inputs to the twitch motoneuron system may lead to supranuclear gaze palsies, whereas impairment of the non-twitch motoneuron system may result in gaze holding deficits, like nystagmus, or strabismus. Up to date only limited data are available about the histochemical characteristics including transmitters to the SIF- (twitch) and MIF (non-twitch) motoneurons. The present study was undertaken to investigate the histochemical profile of inputs to motoneuronal groups of individual eye muscles mediating horizontal and vertical eye movements including the inputs to MIF- and SIF motoneurons. The MIF motoneurons of the IR and MR are located in the periphery dorsolateral to nIII, close to the Edinger-Westphal nucleus (EW), which is known to contain preganglionic cholinergic neurons. Other scientists have found that the EW is composed of urocortin-positive neurons involved in food intake or stress. In order to delineate these different cell populations within the supraoculomotor area dorsal to nIII, a comparative study in different mammals was conducted to locate the cholinergic preganglionic neurons and urocortin-positive neurons. Only then, it became obvious that the cytoarchitecturally defined EW labels different cell populations in different species. In rat, ferret and human the cytoarchitecturally defined EW is composed of urocortin-positive neurons. Only in monkey the EW contains cholinergic preganglionic neurons, which lie close to the MIF-motoneurons of MR and IR in the C-group. In monkey, I performed a systematic study on the histochemical profile and transmitter inputs to the different motoneuron subgroups, including MIF- and SIF motoneurons. Brainstem sections containing prelabelled motoneurons were immunostained for the calcium-binding protein calretinin (CR), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), glycine transporter 2, glycine receptor 1, and the vesicular glutamate transporters (vGlut) 1 and 2. The study on the histochemical profile of the motoneuron inputs revealed three main results: 1.The inhibitory control of SIF motoneurons for horizontal and vertical eye movements differs. Unlike previous studies in the primate a considerable GABAergic input was found to all SIF motoneuronal groups, but a glycinergic input was confined to motoneurons of the MR mediating horizontal eye movements. 2. The excitatory inputs to motoneurons for upgaze and downgaze differ in their histochemistry. A striking finding was that CR-positive nerve endings were confined to the motoneurons of muscles involved in upgaze, e.g. SR, IO and the levator palpebrae, which elevates the upper eyelid and acts in synchrony with the SR. Since double-immunoflourescence labelling with anti-GAD did not reveal any colocalization of GAD and CR, the CR-input to upgaze motoneurons is considered as excitatory. 3. The histochemistry of MIF- and SIF motoneurons differs only for vGlut1. Whereas SIF- and MIF motoneurons of individual eye muscles do not differ in their GABAergic, glycinergic and vGlut2 input, vGlut1 containing terminals were covering the supraoculomotor area and targeting only MR MIF motoneurons. It is reasonable to assume that the vGlut1 input affects the near response system in the supraoculomotor area, which houses the preganglionic neurons in the EW mediating pupillary constriction and accommodation and the MR MIF motoneurones involved in vergence. The histochemical data in monkey enabled the localization of the corresponding motoneuronal subgroups of individual eye muscles in human with the development of an updated nIII map. Taken together the present work provides new data on the histochemical properties of premotor inputs to motoneuronal groups of the twitch- and non-twitch eye muscle systems in primates. Especially the selective association of CR in premotor upgaze pathways may open the possibility for a targeted research of this system in human post-mortem studies of clinical cases with impairment of upward eye movements, such as progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) or Niemann-Pick disease (NPC)

Ever Decreasing Budgets (?): How Mid-Level Student Affairs Directors Manage Perceived Resource Cuts

This multiple case study examined how 15 mid-level student affairs directors responded to real or perceived institutional funding decreases. This is an important topic because mid-level student affairs directors have little budget training or expertise, and few researchers have investigated how they make financial decisions when experiencing decreasing resources. This study is significant because it provides insight for current and future student affairs directors on how to be financially pro-active. The method I chose to determine if directors received budget cuts was through unit level budget analysis, and I attempted to understand how they responded to perceived or real decreases through semi-structured interviews. The primary findings that emerged from the results were (a) the disconnect between my assumption that directors are experiencing budget cuts, and what I actually found; (b) directors continually expecting to receive decreasing resources and perceived they were experiencing decreasing resources; (c) directors choosing similar pro-active financial and budgeting strategies; (d) directors believing they have limited financial power and control; (e) directors engaging in budget confidentiality; and (f) student affairs norms. The first takeaway is that student affairs units and the mid-level directors that lead them are contributing parties to the overall institutional revenue, and have become more mission central. The second takeaway is the mid-level directors are not simply responding, but utilizing proactive strategies in preparation for decreasing state funding and institutional budget cuts. The third takeaway is the lack of reality that exists around finance and resource allocations within student affairs. A final takeaway is that public higher education institutions continue to be highly institutionalized environments, and student affairs division are highly normative environments

Evaluierung von Motivationsschreiben als Instrument in universitären Aufnahmeverfahren

Während Zulassungstests an Universitäten im Regelfall evaluiert werden, sind entsprechende Verfahren zur Evaluierung anderer Prozessschritte in Bewerbungsverfahren - wie die Einreichung von Motivationsschreiben - noch nicht etabliert. Um diese Lücke zu schließen, wird in diesem Beitrag ein Multi-Method-Ansatz zur Evaluierung von Motivationsschreiben vorgestellt, bei dem Text-Mining-Techniken mit inhaltsanalytischen Elementen kombiniert werden. Es wird dargelegt, wie unterschiedliche von Studierenden gesendete "Signale" mit Studienerfolg korrelieren, und aufgezeigt, dass soziodemografische Effekte bei der Bewertung von Motivationsschreiben berücksichtigt werden müssten

Histochemical Characterization of the Vestibular Y-Group in Monkey

The Y-group plays an important role in the generation of upward smooth pursuit eye movements and contributes to the adaptive properties of the vertical vestibulo-ocular reflex. Malfunction of this circuitry may cause eye movement disorders, such as downbeat nystagmus. To characterize the neuron populations in the Y-group, we performed immunostainings for cellular proteins related to firing characteristics and transmitters (calretinin, GABA-related proteins and ion channels) in brainstem sections of macaque monkeys that had received tracer injections into the oculomotor nucleus. Two histochemically different populations of premotor neurons were identified: The calretinin-positive population represents the excitatory projection to contralateral upgaze motoneurons, whereas the GABAergic population represents the inhibitory projection to ipsilateral downgaze motoneurons. Both populations receive a strong supply by GABAergic nerve endings most likely originating from floccular Purkinje cells. All premotor neurons express nonphosphorylated neurofilaments and are ensheathed by strong perineuronal nets. In addition, they contain the voltage-gated potassium channels Kv1.1 and Kv3.1b which suggests biophysical similarities to high-activity premotor neurons of vestibular and oculomotor systems. The premotor neurons of Y-group form a homogenous population with histochemical characteristics compatible with fast-firing projection neurons that can also undergo plasticity and contribute to motor learning as found for the adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in response to visual-vestibular mismatch stimulation. The histochemical characterization of premotor neurons in the Y-group allows the identification of the homologue cell groups in human, including their transmitter inputs and will serve as basis for correlated anatomical-neuropathological studies of clinical cases with downbeat nystagmus

Fankultur im Frauenfußball?

Wer sind die ZuschauerInnen beim österreichischen Frauenfußball? Die vorliegende Arbeit liefert darauf Antworten anhand einer Fallstudie der Fans des SV Neulengbach. Neben einer Einschätzung der Fankultur der Frauenfußball-Fans werden Motive und Zugangsformen der AnhängerInnen analysiert. Im theoretischen Teil der Arbeit werden Männlichkeitskonstruktion im Fußball und die Positionen von Frauen in hegemonialen Sportarten mit Hilfe der Denkwerkzeuge Bourdieus betrachtet. Daran anschließend wird die Neulengbacher Fankultur im Rahmen eines qualitativen Forschungsdesigns untersucht: Mit Hilfe von teilnehmenden Beobachtungen des Publikums bei den Spielen des SV Neulengbach und narrativen Interviews mit ZuschauerInnen wird ein breites und differenziertes Bild des Publikums erzeugt. Die Spiele werden als Insidertreffen beschrieben und weisen einige Parallelen zum Wiener Unterhaus-Fußball auf. Das damit verbundene niedrige ZuschauerInneninteresse liegt neben der geringen medialen Berichterstattung und der örtlichen Abgeschiedenheit hauptsächlich in der fehlenden Ergebnisoffenheit begründet. Fankultur kann daher nur bei einer kleinen Fangruppe beobachtet werden, diese zeichnet sich durch eine starke Gruppenidentität durch ihre Raumaneignung im Stadion und ihren Anspruch auf Beherrschung des Schallraums aus. Der Umgang mit Klischees und Vorurteilen ist für die Fans ebenso wichtig wie der ständig im Raum stehende Vergleich mit dem Männerfußball. Moderne Entwicklungen im Männerfußball wie Eventisierung und Personalisierung finden auch in Neulengbach, insbesondere bei den Champions League-Spielen, Einzug: Die internationalen Spiele sind folglich jene Spiele, bei der tatsächlich eine Form der Fankultur im eigentlichen Sinne mit ihren eigenen Ritualen und Symbolen beobachtet werden kann, diese orientiert sich stark an den Großveranstaltungen des Männerfußballs.Who are the spectators in Austrian women's football? This research provides answers to this based upon a study of SV Neulengbach fans. Along with a description of the fan culture of women's football fans, their motives and approach to the events is analysed. The theoretical portion of this work examines the male structure in football and the position of women in hegemonic sport types with the aid of Bourdieu's reasoning. In addition, the Neulengbach fan culture is investigated within the framework of a qualitative research design: a broad and differentiated image of the public is generated through participant observation of it during games played by the SV Neulengbach and through narrative interviews with spectators. The games are described as insider meetings, and exhibit parallels to Viennese Unterhaus football. The low spectator interest associated with this is caused mainly by the predictability of the results, along with scarce reporting in the media and the isolation of the locations. Therefore, fan culture can only be observed in a small group of fans, and it is characterised by a strong group identity expressed through appropriation of space in the stadium, and its efforts to control the acoustic space. For the fans, dealing with clichés and prejudices is just as important as the ever-present comparison with men's football. Modern developments in men's football, like eventisation and personalisation, are adopted in Neulengbach as well, especially during the Champions' League games: the international games are therefore those in which, indeed, a form of proper fan culture, with its rituals and symbols, can be observed, and it is markedly oriented towards the major events in men's football

Factors driving pig owners' motivation and satisfaction to perform eradications from Swine dysentery.

Brachyspira hyodysenteriae is one of the agents of swine dysentery (SD) and its eradication is an effective, but costly control measure. Being a voluntary measure, knowledge about drivers of motivation and satisfaction regarding the eradication of SD would help to convince farmers to eradicate. We aimed to describe eradications performed in Switzerland and to analyse factors influencing the pig owners' perception (motivation and satisfaction) of SD eradications to provide a basis to formulate recommendations and guidelines. Pig farmers (n = 68) having conducted an SD eradication and being interested in the study were interviewed using a standardised digital questionnaire. We assessed their motivation as moderately or highly motivated. Based on the farmers' evaluation of nine aspects of the eradication, satisfaction was considered to be moderate (<7/9 aspects positively evaluated) or high (≥7/9). Farms with fattening pigs and farms with breeding stock were analysed separately in subsets. First, multivariable factor analysis for mixed data (FAMD) were performed to describe the main patterns of variation. Then, risk factors for motivation and satisfaction were quantified by means of logistic regression models. Mainly total depopulations (73.5%) had been performed. Of the 36 farmers with breeding pigs, 24 were highly motivated, and 20 highly satisfied. Of the 61 farmers with fattening pigs, 45 were highly motivated and 42 highly satisfied. The FAMD revealed that the two main components explained only 17.0% and 11.0% (breeding stock) and 13.0% and 11.0% (fattening pigs) of the total variation, respectively. For farmers with breeding stock no significant factors for motivation were detected, but they were more satisfied (OR 25.0) when they had a batch farrowing of 3 weeks. Farmers with fattening pigs were more likely to be more motivated when providing access to outdoor areas (OR 3.3) and when it was their own initiative (OR 5.5). Farmers were more likely to be satisfied when they had only fattening pigs (OR 5.7), when the eradication was their own initiative (OR 5.5) and when they did not disinfect the barns during the eradication (OR 15.6). Farmers deciding themselves to eradicate are presumably more likely convinced of the benefits of the eradication. Satisfaction associated with a 3-weeks batch farrowing might be related to an easier to organise eradication and no disinfection to reduced labour and costs. In summary, the majority of the farmers were satisfied with the eradication. Education could promote self-motivation of farmers, and subsidies might support the implementation of SD eradications

Ulceroglandular form of tularemia after squirrel bite: a case report

Background The diagnosis of tularemia is not often considered in Germany as the disease is still rare in this country. Nonetheless, Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, can infect numerous animal species and should, therefore, not be neglected as a dangerous pathogen. Tularemia can lead to massively swollen lymph nodes and might even be fatal without antibiotic treatment. To our knowledge, the case described here is the first report of the disease caused by a squirrel bite in Germany. Case presentation A 59-year-old German woman with a past medical history of hypothyroidism and cutaneous lupus erythematosus presented at the emergency room at St. Katharinen Hospital with ongoing symptoms and a swollen right elbow persisting despite antibiotic therapy with cefuroxime for 7 days after she had been bitten (right hand) by a wild squirrel (Eurasian red squirrel). After another 7 days of therapy with piperacillin/tazobactam, laboratory analysis using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed the suspected diagnosis of tularemia on day 14. After starting the recommended antibiotic treatment with ciprofloxacin, the patient recovered rapidly. Conclusion This is the first report of a case of tularemia caused by a squirrel bite in Germany. A naturally infected squirrel has recently been reported in Switzerland for the first time. The number of human cases of tularemia has been increasing over the last years and, therefore, tularemia should be taken into consideration as a diagnosis, especially in a patient bitten by an animal who also presents with headache, increasing pain, lymphadenitis, and fever, as well as impaired wound healing. The pathogen can easily be identified by a specific real-time PCR assay of wound swabs and/or by antibody detection, for example by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), if the incident dates back longer than 2 weeks.Peer Reviewe

Trichinellosis in Switzerland

Human trichinellosis is a food-borne zoonosis exhibiting significant health and economical problems predominantly in countries with high pork consumption. During the past ten years the number of human outbreaks around the world has increased in certain areas. In Europe, more than 20,000 human cases have been detected between the year 1991 and 2000. Conversely, Trichinella infection has not been reported for many decades among Swiss domestic pigs

Transmitter inputs to different motoneuron subgroups in the oculomotor and trochlear nucleus in monkey

In all vertebrates the eyes are moved by six pairs of extraocular muscles enabling horizontal, vertical and rotatory movements. Recent work showed that each extraocular muscle is controlled by two motoneuronal groups: (1) Motoneurons of singly-innervated muscle fibers (SIF) that lie within the boundaries of motonuclei mediating a fast muscle contraction: and (2) motoneurons of multiply-innervated muscle fibers (MIF) in the periphery of motonuclei mediating a tonic muscle contraction. Currently only limited data about the transmitter inputs to the SIF and MIF motoneurons are available. Here we performed a quantitative study on the transmitter inputs to SIF and MIF motoneurons of individual muscles in the oculomotor and trochlear nucleus in monkey. Pre-labeled motoneurons were immunostained for GABA, glutamate decarboxylase, GABA-A receptor, glycine transporter 2, glycine receptor 1, and vesicular glutamate transporters 1 and 2. The main findings were: (1) the inhibitory control of SIF motoneurons for horizontal and vertical eye movements differs. Unlike in previous primate studies a considerable GABAergic input was found to all SIF motoneuronal groups, whereas a glycinergic input was confined to motoneurons of the medial rectus (MR) muscle mediating horizontal eye movements and to those of the levator palpebrae (LP) muscle elevating the upper eyelid. Whereas SIF and MIF motoneurons of individual eye muscles do not differ numerically in their GABAergic, glycinergic and vGlut2 input, vGlut1 containing terminals densely covered the supraoculomotor area (SOA) targeting MR MIF motoneurons. It is reasonable to assume that the vGlut1 input affects the near response system in the SOA, which houses the preganglionic neurons mediating pupillary constriction and accommodation and the MR MIF motoneurones involved in vergence