Veränderungen des QEEG bei Kindern mit einer ADHS nach Neurofeedback-Training der langsamen kortikalen Potentiale

Diese Arbeit stellt eine Vorauswertung dar, die im Rahmen einer multizentrischen Studie entstand. Somit diente die Abhandlung neben dem wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisgewinn auch der Entwicklung effektiver Analyseverfahren für zukünftige Auswertungen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde untersucht, ob es im QEEG von Kindern mit einer ADHS durch Neurofeedback- Training der Langsamen Kortikalen Potentiale zu einer signifikanten Veränderung der Frequenzband-Verteilung kommt. Dafür wurden 25 Kinder ca. 3 Monate lang in 25 Sitzungen einem NF-Training unterzogen. Vor und nach diesem wurde ein Ruhe-EEG aufgezeichnet. Das EEG wurde in ein QEEG transformiert und absolute sowie relative Power für die Frequenzbänder Delta, Theta, Alpha und Beta bestimmt. Anschließend erfolgte eine statistische Analyse sowohl topographisch generalisierter als auch lokal begrenzter potentieller Veränderungen. Da diese Arbeit den Charakter einer Pilotstudie mit geringem Stichprobenumfang besitzt, wurden auch Trends, die nur ein 85%-Signifikanzniveau zeigten, berichtet. Eine generalisierte signifikante Änderung konnte für kein Frequenzband nachgewiesen werden. Jedoch wurden Trends mit schwachem Signifikanzniveau für eine Abnahme der absoluten Alphapower bei geschlossenen Augen sowie der absoluten Deltapower bei geöffneten Augen gefunden. Weiterhin fielen eine Reihe von lokal begrenzten, teils signifikanten Poweränderungen auf. Somit wurden tendenziell vorbekannte Ergebnisse bestätigt, wonach es zu keinen signifikanten generalisierten Veränderungen kam (Doehnert et al. 2008, Gevensleben et al. 2009). Dennoch wurden Trends und lokale signifikante Änderungen gesehen, die weiterer Abklärung bedürfen, da hier möglicherweise ursächliche Mechanismen der Wirksamkeit von NF liegen könnten. Die präsentierten Ergebnisse erlauben noch keine abschließende Beantwortung der Frage, ob die mehrfach erwiesene Symptomregredienz bei ADHS durch NF-Training ein elektrophysiologisches Korrelat im Ruhe-EEG besitzt

DEP-RL: Embodied Exploration for Reinforcement Learning in Overactuated and Musculoskeletal Systems

Muscle-actuated organisms are capable of learning an unparalleled diversity of dexterous movements despite their vast amount of muscles. Reinforcement learning (RL) on large musculoskeletal models, however, has not been able to show similar performance. We conjecture that ineffective exploration in large overactuated action spaces is a key problem. This is supported by the finding that common exploration noise strategies are inadequate in synthetic examples of overactuated systems. We identify differential extrinsic plasticity (DEP), a method from the domain of self-organization, as being able to induce state-space covering exploration within seconds of interaction. By integrating DEP into RL, we achieve fast learning of reaching and locomotion in musculoskeletal systems, outperforming current approaches in all considered tasks in sample efficiency and robustness

The Intrinsic Connectome of the Rat Amygdala

The connectomes of nervous systems or parts there of are becoming important subjects of study as the amount of connectivity data increases. Because most tract-tracing studies are performed on the rat, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the amygdala connectome of this species resulting in a meta-study. The data were imported into the neuroVIISAS system, where regions of the connectome are organized in a controlled ontology and network analysis can be performed. A weighted digraph represents the bilateral intrinsic (connections of regions of the amygdala) and extrinsic (connections of regions of the amygdala to non-amygdaloid regions) connectome of the amygdala. Its structure as well as its local and global network parameters depend on the arrangement of neuronal entities in the ontology. The intrinsic amygdala connectome is a small-world and scale-free network. The anterior cortical nucleus (72 in- and out-going edges), the posterior nucleus (45), and the anterior basomedial nucleus (44) are the nuclear regions that posses most in- and outdegrees. The posterior nucleus turns out to be the most important nucleus of the intrinsic amygdala network since its Shapley rate is minimal. Within the intrinsic amygdala, regions were determined that are essential for network integrity. These regions are important for behavioral (processing of emotions and motivation) and functional (memory) performances of the amygdala as reported in other studies

Isoprene emission and photosynthesis during heat waves and drought in black locust

Extreme weather conditions, like heat waves and drought, can substantially affect tree physiology and the emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC), including isoprene. To date, however, there is only limited understanding of BVOC emission patterns during prolonged heat and coupled heat–drought stress as well as post-stress recovery. To assess the impacts of heat and heat–drought stress on BVOC emissions, we studied gas exchange and isoprene emissions of black locust trees under controlled environmental conditions. Leaf gas exchange of isoprene, CO2 and H2O was quantified using branch chambers connected to a protontransfer-reaction mass spectrometer and an infrared gas analyzer. Heat and heat–drought stress resulted in a sharp decline of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. Simultaneously, isoprene emissions increased six- to eight-fold in the heat and heat–drought treatment and resulted in a carbon loss that was equivalent to 12 % and 20 % of assimilated carbon at the time of measurement. Once temperature stress was released at the end of two 15 days long heat waves, stomatal conductance remained reduced, while isoprene emissions and photosynthesis recovered quickly to values of the control trees. Further, we found isoprene emissions to co-vary with net photosynthesis during non-stressful conditions, while during the heat waves, isoprene emissions could be solely described by non-linear functions of light and temperature. However, when isoprene emissions betweentreatments were compared under the same temperature and light conditions (e.g., T = 30° C, PAR = 500 µmol m−2 s−1), heat and heat–drought stressed trees would emit less isoprene than control trees. Ourfindings suggest that different parameterizations of light and temperature functions are needed in order to predict tree isoprene emissions under heat and combined heat–drought stress

Combined arene ruthenium porphyrins as chemotherapeutics and photosensitizers for cancer therapy

Mononuclear5-(4-pyridyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin and 5-(3-pyridyl)-10,15,20-triphenylporphyrin as well as tetranuclear 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin (tetra-4-pp) and 5,10,15,20-tetra(3-pyridyl)porphyrin) (tetra-3-pp) arene ruthenium(II) derivatives (areneisC6H5Me or p-Pr i C6H4Me) were prepared and evaluated as potential dual photosensitizers and chemotherapeutics in human Me300 melanoma cells. In the absence of light, all tetranuclear complexes were cytotoxic (IC50≤20μM), while the mononuclear derivatives were not (IC50≥100μM). Kinetic studies of tritiated thymidine and tritiated leucine incorporations in cells exposed to a low concentration (5μM) of tetranuclear p-cymene derivatives demonstrated a rapid inhibition of DNA synthesis, while protein synthesis was inhibited only later, suggesting arene ruthenium-DNA interactions as the initial cytotoxic process. All complexes exhibited phototoxicities toward melanoma cells when exposed to laser light of 652nm. At low concentration (5μM), LD50 of the mononuclear derivatives was between 5 and 10J/cm2, while for the tetranuclear derivatives LD50 was approximately 2.5J/cm2 for the [Ru4(η6-arene)4(tetra-4-pp)Cl8] complexes and less than 0.5J/cm2 for the [Ru4(η6-arene)4(tetra-3-pp)Cl8] complexes. Examination of cells under a fluorescence microscope revealed the [Ru4(η6-arene)4(tetra-4-pp)Cl8] complexes as cytoplasmic aggregates, whereas the [Ru4(η6-arene)4(tetra-3-pp)Cl8] complexes were homogenously dispersed in the cytoplasm. Thus, these complexes present a dual synergistic effect with good properties of both the arene ruthenium chemotherapeutics and the porphyrin photosensitize

Organometallic Cages as Vehicles for Intracellular Release of Photosensitizers

Water-soluble metalla-cages were used to deliver hydrophobic porphin molecules to cancer cells. After internalization, the photosensitizer was photoactivated, significantly increasing the cytotoxicity in cells. During the transport, the photosensitizer remains nonreactive to light, offering a new strategy to tackle overall photosensitization, a limitation often encountered in photodynamic therapy

Full length interleukin 33 aggravates radiation-induced skin reaction

The interleukin (IL)-1 family member IL-33 has been described as intracellular alarmin with broad roles in wound healing, skin inflammation but also autoimmunity. Its dichotomy between full length (fl) IL-33 and the mature (m) form of IL-33 and its release by necrosis is still not fully understood. Here, we compare functional consequences of both forms in the skin in vivo, and therefore generated two lines of transgenic mice which selectively overexpress mmIL-33 and flmIL-33 in basal keratinocytes. Transgene mRNA was expressed at high level in skin of both lines but not in organs due to the specific K14 promoter. We could demonstrate that transgenic overexpression of mmIL-33 in murine keratinocytes leads to a spontaneous skin inflammation as opposed to flmIL-33. K14-mmIL-33 mice synthesize and secrete high amounts of mmIL-33 along with massive cutaneous manifestations, like increased epidermis and dermis thickness, infiltration of mast cells in the epidermis and dermis layers and marked hyperkeratosis. Using skin inflammation models such as IL-23 administration, imiquimod treatment, or mechanical irritation did not lead to exacerbated inflammation in the K14-flmIL-33 strain. As radiation induces a strong dermatitis due to apoptosis and necrosis, we determined the effect of fractionated radiation (12 Gy, 4 times). In comparison to wild-type mice, an increase in ear thickness in flmIL-33 transgenic mice was observed 25 days after irradiation. Macroscopic examination showed more severe skin symptoms in irradiated ears compared to controls. In summary, secreted mmIL-33 itself has a potent capacity in skin inflammation whereas fl IL-33 is limited due to its intracellular retention. During tissue damage, fl IL-33 exacerbated radiation-induced skin reaction

Sustainable Development at Higher Education Institutions in Germany: Advances, Challenges, Examples

[EN] In this paper, Sustainable Development at Higher Education Institutions is introduced as a field of research and application. An interdisciplinary German collaboration on Sustainable Development at Higher Education Institutions – HOCHN – serves as an example of how this topic is addressed on a national level. Results and advances of the HOCHN collaboration are summarized. Moreover, challenges of implementing sustainability-related organizational development at universities are discussed. Focusing on Education for Sustainable Development at universities, three different methodologies are outlined that exceed conventional approaches in tertiary education: Lego® Serious Play® methodology, constellation techniques, and a coaching program on the “Five Minds for the Future”. They illustrate different ways of addressing issues of Education for Sustainable Development and skills and habits respectively that are crucial for achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.Schmitt, C.; Bassen, A.; Müller-Christ, G. (2019). Sustainable Development at Higher Education Institutions in Germany: Advances, Challenges, Examples. En HEAD'19. 5th International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1009-1017. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD19.2019.9216OCS1009101