Die systemkonforme russische Rechte: Ideologie und Einfluss

In der russischen Politik stellen rechte Strömungen seit langem eine relevante Größe dar. Neben den »Liberaldemokraten« Shirinowskijs, den kruden Theorien Alexander Dugins und den Neonazis in vielen russischen Städten spielt eine rechte Bewegung eine Rolle, die sich phasenweise auch als Partei etablieren konnte. Diese Bewegung formierte sich zunächst im »Kongress der russischen Gemeinden« und suchte sich dann mit den Projekten »Heimat« und »Großrussland« im politischen System zu etablieren. Die Vorstellungswelt dieser Bewegung war von der Idee bestimmt, dass man Russland wesensfremde Einflüsse wie westliche Demokratieformen zurückdrängen und durch russische Elemente ersetzen müsse. Trotz des zweifellos großen Einflusses, den sowohl die extreme wie die systemkonforme Rechte in Russland mittlerweile besitzt, kann man nicht davon ausgehen, dass die offizielle Ideologie bzw. das offizielle Identitätsangebot von den Konzepten der Rechten bestimmt wird. Vielmehr zeigen sich große Unterschiede zwischen der Rechten und dem offi ziellen Russland im Hinblick auf die Frage nach einer eigenständigen Zivilisation, der Zugehörigkeit zu Europa, dem Verhältnis von Russen zu Russländern und der Wiederherstellung des Imperiums

Untersuchung der Prävalenz neuroradiologischer Schädigungsmuster sowie des Hirnvolumens bei Kindern mit Hypoplastischem Linksherzsyndrom nach dreistufiger operativer Palliation

Durch die deutlich verbesserte Überlebenssituation von Kindern mit Hypoplastischem Linkherzsyndrom (HLHS) richtet sich nun ein vermehrtes Interesse auf mögliche neurologische Folgen der komplexen dreistufigen operativen Palliation. Das Ziel dieser prospektiven Studie war es, neuroradiologische Auffälligkeiten zu untersuchen und mögliche Risikofaktoren zu bestimmen. Desweiteren sollte das Volumen der grauen Substanz (GM), weißen Substanz (WM) und zerebrospinaler Flüssigkeit (CSF) mit gesunden Kontrollen verglichen werden. Material und Methoden: Nach Abschluss der operativen Palliation wurden 82 HLHS-Patienten mittels 3-Tesla-MRT untersucht. Pathologische Muster wurden evaluiert und anhand ihres Schweregrades in einen Gesamt-Schädigungscore eingeteilt. Eine Hirnvolumenbestimmung erfolgte mit der auf SPM8 aufbauenden VBM8 Toolbox. Als herzgesunde Kontrollen wurden 64 Kinder gleichen Alters mit unauffälligem neuroradiologischem ZNS-Befund herangezogen. Mithilfe univariater Regressionsmodelle wurden Prädiktoren für Schädigungsmuster und geringe Hirnvolumen ermittelt. Ergebnisse: 77% der Patienten wiesen nach Abschluss der operativen Palliation Hirnläsionen auf, die überwiegend als leicht einzustufen waren. Das Hirnvolumen der Patienten zeigte eine deutliche Substanzminderung in allen Kompartimenten gegenüber der Kontrollgruppe. Patienten mit schwerer Hirnschädigung wiesen ein signifikant größeres Volumen an CSF als Patienten ohne Hirnschädigungen auf. Statistische Prädiktoren aus der prä-, peri- und postoperativen Phase konnten identifiziert werden. Schlussfolgerung: Bei Kindern mit HLHS sind neuroradiologisch Volumenminderungen der GM, WM und CSF zu finden. Außerdem findet sich eine Vielzahl, überwiegend geringgradiger, neuroradiologischer Läsionen. Der Vorhersagewert des von uns entwickelten Schädigungsscores muss hinsichtlich seiner klinischen Relevanz weiter evaluiert werden. Eine Optimierung des Operationszeitpunktes könnte das Outcome weiter verbessern

Novel roles for JNK1 in metabolism

Activation of stress-kinase signaling has recently been recognized as an important pathophysiological mechanism in the development of diet-induced obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and other aging-related pathologies. Here, c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) 1 knockout mice have been shown to exhibit protection from diet-induced obesity, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. Nonetheless, the tissue-specific role of JNK1-activation in the development of the metabolic syndrome has been poorly defined so far. Recently, it was demonstrated that JNK1 signaling plays a crucial role in the central nervous system (CNS) and in the pituitary to control systemic glucose and lipid metabolism partially through regulation of hormones involved in growth and energy expenditure

Use of streptavidin bound to biotinylated DNA structures as model substrates for analysis of nucleoprotein complex disruption by helicases

Helicases are a subfamily of translocases that couple the directional translocation along a nucleic acid lattice to the separation of nucleic acid duplexes using the energy derived from nucleoside triphosphate hydrolysis. These enzymes perform essential functions in all aspects of nucleic acid metabolism by unwinding and remodelling DNA or RNA in DNA replication, repair, recombination and transcription. Most classical biochemical studies assay the ability of these enzymes to separate naked nucleic acids. However, many different types of proteins form non-covalent interactions with nucleic acids in vivo and so the true substrates of helicases are protein-nucleic acid complexes rather than naked DNA and RNA. Studies over the last decade have revealed that bound proteins can have substantial inhibitory effects on the ability of helicases to unwind nucleic acids. Any analysis of helicase mechanisms in vitro must therefore consider helicase function within the context of nucleoprotein substrates rather than just DNA or RNA. Here we discuss how to analyse the impact of bound proteins on the ability of helicases to unwind DNA substrates in vitro

2-Aminoterephthalic acid dimethyl ester

Single crystals of the title compound, C10H11NO4, an inter­mediate in the industrial synthesis of yellow azo pigments, were obtained from the industrial production. The mol­ecules crystallize as centrosymmetic dimers connected by two symmetry-related N—H⋯O=C hydrogen bonds. Each mol­ecule also contains an intra­molecular N—H⋯O=C hydrogen bond. The dimers form stacks along the a-axis direction. Neighbouring stacks are arranged into a herringbone structure

Underpinning replication of protein-bound DNA by the accessory replicative helicase Rep

Accurate DNA replication must occur prior to every cell division. However, replication forks often stall at sites of DNA damage and protein-DNA complexes. If not removed, these blocks can threaten the viability of both daughter cells by preventing the completion of genome duplication or by targeting of blocked forks by recombination enzymes that can result in gross chromosomal rearrangements and genome instability. The importance of minimising fork blockage has resulted in cells evolving repair systems to remove lesions from DNA whilst accessory replicative helicases can underpin replication fork movement through hard-to-replicate sites including protein-DNA complexes. This thesis investigates the Escherichia coli accessory replicative helicase Rep. It is shown that efficient recruitment of Rep to the replisome via an interaction with the replicative helicase DnaB is dependent on the extreme Rep C terminus. This work also indicates that the DnaB C terminus is necessary for this interaction. Secondly, this work determines the function of the 2B subdomain, a conserved feature of Superfamily 1A (SF1A) helicases. Characterisation of a Rep mutant lacking this domain (RepΔ2B) showed greatly reduced levels of protein displacement from DNA, indicating a central role of the 2B subdomain in the removal of nucleoprotein blocks. Complementation of this mutation by a 2B subdomain of the homologous helicase UvrD supports the idea that the accessory replicative helicase function of Rep is dependent on a 2B subdomain. These data also demonstrate that the function of 2B subdomains is conserved among other SF1A helicases. Previous work had also shown that the 2B subdomain of SF1A helicases is flexible. Mutations in the hinge that connect the 2B subdomain to the rest of the helicase resulted in activation of DNA helicase activity and increased levels of nucleoprotein removal from single-stranded (ss) and double-stranded (ds) DNA. These data shed new light on how translocation along DNA is coupled to protein displacement during helicase catalysis, a conserved function of many helicases. A model is proposed where ATP hydrolysis is closely linked to conformational changes of the 2B subdomain of Rep, facilitating protein displacement by Rep

Habitat and settlement preferences of adult respectively larval Flustrellidra hispida

Between 26.03.06 and 05.04.06 we examined the settlement preferences of the bryozoan Flustrellidra hispida on the brown alga Fucus serratus in the rocky intertidal of Le Cabellou in France. In field experiments we investigated whether F. hispida prefers exposed or protected habitats for settlement. We examined randomly chosen individual algae from two different habitats, one sheltered and one exposed. F. hispida was found exclusively/preferentially on F. serratus from the protected site. On a smaller scale we investigated whether F. hispida showed a preference for different parts of the alga. We determined that highest densities of the colonies were found on the lower parts of the alga. In order to test the possibility that these small-scale preferences were due to settlement preferences, laboratory experiments were carried out on larval F. hispida. These tests could determine that the observed distribution pattern of F. hispida on F. serratus observed in the field is not due to active settlement choice of larvae.Zwischen dem 26.03.06 und dem 05.04.06 untersuchten wir die Siedlungspräferenzen des Bryozoen Flustrellidra hispida an der Braunalge Fucus serratus in der felsigen Gezeitenzone von Le Cabellou in Frankreich. In Feldversuchen haben wir untersucht, ob F. hispida exponierte oder geschützte Lebensräume für die Ansiedlung bevorzugt. Wir untersuchten zufällig ausgewählte einzelne Algen aus zwei verschiedenen Habitaten, einem geschützten und einem exponierten. F. hispida wurde ausschließlich / bevorzugt auf F. serratus aus dem Schutzgebiet gefunden. In kleinerem Maßstab untersuchten wir, ob F. hispida eine Präferenz für verschiedene Teile der Alge zeigte. Wir stellten fest, dass die höchsten Koloniendichten in den unteren Teilen der Alge gefunden wurden. Um zu prüfen, ob diese kleinräumigen Präferenzen auf Siedlungspräferenzen zurückzuführen sind, wurden Laborexperimente an Larven von F. hispida durchgeführt. Diese Tests konnten feststellen, dass das beobachtete Verteilungsmuster von F. hispida auf F. serratus, das im Freiland beobachtet wurde, nicht auf eine aktive Ansiedlungswahl der Larven zurückzuführen ist.Peer Reviewe

Towards improving the accuracy of aortic transvalvular pressure gradients: rethinking Bernoulli

The transvalvular pressure gradient (TPG) is commonly estimated using the Bernoulli equation. However, the method is known to be inaccurate. Therefore, an adjusted Bernoulli model for accurate TPG assessment was developed and evaluated. Numerical simulations were used to calculate TPGCFD in patient-specific geometries of aortic stenosis as ground truth. Geometries, aortic valve areas (AVA), and flow rates were derived from computed tomography scans. Simulations were divided in a training data set (135 cases) and a test data set (36 cases). The training data was used to fit an adjusted Bernoulli model as a function of AVA and flow rate. The model-predicted TPGModel was evaluated using the test data set and also compared against the common Bernoulli equation (TPGB). TPGB and TPGModel both correlated well with TPGCFD (r > 0.94), but significantly overestimated it. The average difference between TPGModel and TPGCFD was much lower: 3.3 mmHg vs. 17.3 mmHg between TPGB and TPGCFD. Also, the standard error of estimate was lower for the adjusted model: SEEModel = 5.3 mmHg vs. SEEB = 22.3 mmHg. The adjusted model's performance was more accurate than that of the conventional Bernoulli equation. The model might help to improve non-invasive assessment of TPG. Graphical abstract Processing pipeline for the definition of an adjusted Bernoulli model for the assessment of transvalvular pressure gradient. Using CT image data, the patient specific geometry of the stenosed AVs were reconstructed. Using this segmentation, the AVA as well as the volume flow rate was calculated and used for model definition. This novel model was compared against classical approaches on a test data set, which was not used for the model definition

Generation of synthetic aortic valve stenosis geometries for in silico trials

In silico trials are a promising way to increase the efficiency of the development, and the time to market of cardiovascular implantable devices. The development of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) devices, could benefit from in silico trials to overcome frequently occurring complications such as paravalvular leakage and conduction problems. To be able to perform in silico TAVI trials virtual cohorts of TAVI patients are required. In a virtual cohort, individual patients are represented by computer models that usually require patient‐specific aortic valve geometries. This study aimed to develop a virtual cohort generator that generates anatomically plausible, synthetic aortic valve stenosis geometries for in silico TAVI trials and allows for the selection of specific anatomical features that influence the occurrence of complications. To build the generator, a combination of non‐parametrical statistical shape modeling and sampling from a copula distribution was used. The developed virtual cohort generator successfully generated synthetic aortic valve stenosis geometries that are comparable with a real cohort, and therefore, are considered as being anatomically plausible. Furthermore, we were able to select specific anatomical features with a sensitivity of around 90%. The virtual cohort generator has the potential to be used by TAVI manufacturers to test their devices. Future work will involve including calcifications to the synthetic geometries, and applying high‐fidelity fluid–structure‐interaction models to perform in silico trials