107 research outputs found
WĂ€hrungsunion und Arbeitsmarkt : Auftakt zu unabdingbaren Reformen.
EuropÀische Wirtschafts- und WÀhrungsunion; Arbeitsmarktflexibilisierung; Wirtschaftliche Anpassung; Schock; Wechselkurs; Arbeitsmarkt; Standortwettbewerb; EU-Staaten;
Was die philosophische Ontologie zur biomedizinischen Informatik beitragen kann
Die biomedizinische Forschung hat ein Kommunikationsproblem. Um die Ergebnisse ihrer Arbeit darzustellen, greifen einzelne Forschergruppen auf unterschiedliche und oft inkompatible Terminologien zurĂŒck. FĂŒr den Fortschritt der modernen Biomedizin ist die Integration dieser Ergebnisse jedoch unabdingbar
Functional Anatomy: A Taxonomic Proposal
It is argued that medical science requires a classificatory system that (a) puts functions in the taxonomic center and (b) does justice ontologically to the difference between the processes which are the realizations of functions and the objects which are their bearers. We propose formulae for constructing such a system and describe some of its benefits. The arguments are general enough to be of interest to all the life sciences
Statistical Properties of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies
The number of publications considering Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies has
increased dramatically in recent years. Especially after the launch of the
X-ray missions ROSAT and ASCA, Narrow-Line Seyfert 1s have become very popular.
In these proceedings I will give an overview of how they are distributed over
the electromagnetic spectrum. I will describe what we know about them at radio,
infrared, optical, and X-ray bands, and how they differ and how they are
similar to Broad-Line Seyfert 1s. Finally I will introduce a method to find
them with high probability.Comment: Invited talk presented at the Joint MPE,AIP,ESO workshop on NLS1s,
Bad Honnef, Dec. 1999, to appear in New Astronomy Reviews; also available at
http://wave.xray.mpe.mpg.de/conferences/nls1-worksho
Prognostic significance of endogenous adhesion/growth-regulatory lectins in lung cancer
Objective: To determine the expression of endogenous adhesion/growth-regulatory lectins and their binding sites using labeled tissue lectins as well as the binding profile of hyaluronic acid as an approach to define new prognostic markers. Methods: Sections of paraffin-embedded histological material of 481 lungs from lung tumor patients following radical lung excision processed by a routine immunohistochemical method (avidin-biotin labeling, DAB chromogen). Specific antibodies against galectins-1 and - 3 and the heparin-binding lectin were tested. Staining by labeled galectins and hyaluronic acid was similarly visualized by a routine protocol. After semiquantitative assessment of staining, the results were compared with the pT and pN stages and the histological type. Survival was calculated by univariate and multivariate methods. Results: Binding of galectin-1 and its expression tended to increase, whereas the parameters for galectin-3 decreased in advanced pT and pN stages at a statistically significant level. The number of positive cases was considerably smaller among the cases with small cell lung cancer than in the group with non-small-cell lung cancer, among which adenocarcinomas figured prominently with the exception of galectin-1 expression. Kaplan-Meier computations revealed that the survival rate of patients with galectin-3-binding or galectin-1-expressing tumors was significantly poorer than that of the negative cases. In the multivariate calculations of survival lymph node metastases ( p < 0.0001), histological type ( p = 0.003), galectin-3-binding capacity ( p = 0.01), galectin-3 expression ( p = 0.03) and pT status ( p = 0.003) proved to be independent prognostic factors, not correlated with the pN stage. Conclusion: The expression and the capacity to bind the adhesion/growth regulatory galectin-3 is defined as an unfavorable prognostic factor not correlated with the pTN stage. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel
Radio-loud Narrow-Line Type 1 Quasars
We present the first systematic study of (non-radio-selected) radio-loud
narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies. Cross-correlation of the `Catalogue of
Quasars and Active Nuclei' with several radio and optical catalogues led to the
identification of 11 radio-loud NLS1 candidates including 4 previously known
ones. Most of the radio-loud NLS1s are compact, steep spectrum sources
accreting close to, or above, the Eddington limit. The radio-loud NLS1s of our
sample are remarkable in that they occupy a previously rarely populated regime
in NLS1 multi-wavelength parameter space. While their [OIII]/H_beta and
FeII/H_beta intensity ratios almost cover the whole range observed in NLS1
galaxies, their radio properties extend the range of radio-loud objects to
those with small widths of the broad Balmer lines. Among the radio-detected
NLS1 galaxies, the radio index R distributes quite smoothly up to the critical
value of R ~ 10 and covers about 4 orders of magnitude in total. Statistics
show that ~7% of the NLS1 galaxies are formally radio-loud while only 2.5%
exceed a radio index R > 100. Several mechanisms are considered as explanations
for the radio loudness of the NLS1 galaxies and for the lower frequency of
radio-louds among NLS1s than quasars. While properties of most sources (with
2-3 exceptions) generally do not favor relativistic beaming, the combination of
accretion mode and spin may explain the observations. (abbreviated)Comment: Astronomical Journal (first submitted in Dec. 2005); 45 pages incl. 1
colour figur
Professional practice changes in radiotherapy physics during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background and purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed changes in radiotherapy (RT) departments worldwide. Medical physicists (MPs) are key healthcare professionals in maintaining safe and effective RT. This study reports on MPs experience during the first pandemic peak and explores the consequences on their work.
Methods
A 39-question survey on changes in departmental and clinical practice and on the impact for the future was sent to the global MP community. A total of 433 responses were analysed by professional role and by country clustered on the daily infection numbers.
Results
The impact of COVID-19 was bigger in countries with high daily infection rate. The majority of MPs worked in alternation at home/on-site. Among practice changes, implementation and/or increased use of hypofractionation was the most common (47% of the respondents). Sixteen percent of respondents modified patient-specific quality assurance (QA), 21% reduced machine QA, and 25% moved machine QA to weekends/evenings. The perception of trust in leadership and team unity was reversed between management MPs (towards increased trust and unity) and clinical MPs (towards a decrease). Changes such as home-working and increased use of hypofractionation were welcomed. However, some MPs were concerned about pressure to keep negative changes (e.g. weekend work).
Conclusion
COVID-19 affected MPs through changes in practice and QA procedures but also in terms of trust in leadership and team unity. Some changes were welcomed but others caused worries for the future. This report forms the basis, from a medical physics perspective, to evaluate long-lasting changes within a multi-disciplinary setting
A high affinity RIM-binding protein/Aplip1 interaction prevents the formation of ectopic axonal active zones
Synaptic vesicles (SVs) fuse at active zones (AZs) covered by a protein
scaffold, at Drosophila synapses comprised of ELKS family member Bruchpilot
(BRP) and RIM-binding protein (RBP). We here demonstrate axonal co-transport
of BRP and RBP using intravital live imaging, with both proteins co-
accumulating in axonal aggregates of several transport mutants. RBP, via its
C-terminal Src-homology 3 (SH3) domains, binds Aplip1/JIP1, a transport
adaptor involved in kinesin-dependent SV transport. We show in atomic detail
that RBP C-terminal SH3 domains bind a proline-rich (PxxP) motif of
Aplip1/JIP1 with submicromolar affinity. Pointmutating this PxxP motif
provoked formation of ectopic AZ-like structures at axonal membranes. Direct
interactions between AZ proteins and transport adaptors seem to provide
complex avidity and shield synaptic interaction surfaces of pre-assembled
scaffold protein transport complexes, thus, favouring physiological synaptic
AZ assembly over premature assembly at axonal membranes. - See more at:
http://elifesciences.org/content/4/e06935#sthash.oVGZ8cdi.dpu
A Complete Sample of Soft X-ray Selected AGN: II. Statistical Analysis
Direct correlations and a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are presented
for a complete sample of 110 soft X-ray selected AGN of which about half are
Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s). The direct correlation analyses show
that narrower FWHM(H-beta) correlates with steeper X-ray spectrum, stronger
optical FeII emission, weaker [OIII] emission and stronger short-term X-ray
variability. This direct correlation analysis and the PCA confirm the Boroson &
Green (1992) Eigenvector 1 relationship for AGN: FeII strength anti-correlates
with [OIII] line strength. Eigenvector 1 is well-correlated with the Eddington
luminosity ratio L/L_Edd while Eigenvector 2 shows a very good correlation with
the mass of the central black hole and the mass accretion rate. The Eddington
ratio L/L_Edd correlates with the X-ray spectral index alpha-X and the black
home mass anti-correlates with the X-ray variability chi^2/nu. The Eddington
ration L/L_Edd may be interpreted as the age of an AGN: AGN with steep X-ray
spectra, strong FeII, and weak [OIII] are AGN in an early phase of their
evolution. In this hypothesis NLS1s are young AGN.Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ (April 2004), 21 pages, 13 figure
- âŠ