Portraits of people with dementia : three case studies of creating portraits

Peer reviewedPreprin

Mode Fluctuation Distribution for Spectra of Superconducting Microwave Billiards

High resolution eigenvalue spectra of several two- and three-dimensional superconducting microwave cavities have been measured in the frequency range below 20 GHz and analyzed using a statistical measure which is given by the distribution of the normalized mode fluctuations. For chaotic systems the limit distribution is conjectured to show a universal Gaussian, whereas integrable systems should exhibit a non-Gaussian limit distribution. For the investigated Bunimovich stadium and the 3D-Sinai billiard we find that the distribution is in good agreement with this prediction. We study members of the family of limacon billiards, having mixed dynamics. It turns out that in this case the number of approximately 1000 eigenvalues for each billiard does not allow to observe significant deviations from a Gaussian, whereas an also measured circular billiard with regular dynamics shows the expected difference from a Gaussian.Comment: 7 pages, RevTex, 5 postscript figure, to be published in Phys. Rev. E. In case of any problems contact A. Baecker ([email protected]) or H. Rehfeld ([email protected]

Paleocene Radiolaria from DSDP Leg 36-Site 329, Maurice Ewing Bank, Malvinas Plateau: biostratigraphic response

The carbonatic succession of the Maurice Ewing Bank in the Malvinas Plateau, presents records of remarkable paleoceanographic changes in the South Atlantic Ocean, and documents the interval between its opening and the stabilization of the circumpolar current. A report of the Paleocene radiolarian fauna recovered in the Cores 33 and 32 (Section 4) of the DSDP Leg 36-Site 329 is presented herein. The samples, composed mainly by micritic limestones, were chemically treated with a solution of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sodium hexametaphosphate (Na16P14O43). Afterward, they were soaked in a solution of chloridric acid (HCl). The studied microfauna shows low diversity and abundance and is composed by the genera Amphisphaera, Haliomma, Amphymenium, Spongodiscus, Lithelius, Dictyomitra, Dendrospyris, Bathropyramis and Siphocampe. The original biostratigraphic framework proposed for the DSDP Leg 36-Site 329 (based on nannofossils and foraminifers) assigns a Paleocene age to the rocks of the Cores 33 and 32 (Section 4). Radiolarian absence in the Paleocene-Oligocene interval is due to the poor preservation of the specimens. However, the co-occurrence of Amphisphaera priva (Foreman) Hollis and Dictyomitra andersoni (Campbell and Clark) Foreman allows us to sustain at least a Late Paleocene age for the Core 33. The assemblages recovered in the Cores 33 and 32 (Section 4) exhibit some similarity with Paleocene faunas reported in the New Zealand region. Forthcoming studies based on this radiolarian microfauna can provide relevant paleoceanographic data about the South Atlantic Ocean during the Late Paleocene.Simposio VI: Microfósiles del Mesozoico y Cenozoico de América del Sur y Antártida. Nuevas aplicaciones y problemáticas asociadasFacultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

The Non-linear Dynamics of Meaning-Processing in Social Systems

Social order cannot be considered as a stable phenomenon because it contains an order of reproduced expectations. When the expectations operate upon one another, they generate a non-linear dynamics that processes meaning. Specific meaning can be stabilized, for example, in social institutions, but all meaning arises from a horizon of possible meanings. Using Luhmann's (1984) social systems theory and Rosen's (1985) theory of anticipatory systems, I submit equations for modeling the processing of meaning in inter-human communication. First, a self-referential system can use a model of itself for the anticipation. Under the condition of functional differentiation, the social system can be expected to entertain a set of models; each model can also contain a model of the other models. Two anticipatory mechanisms are then possible: one transversal between the models, and a longitudinal one providing the modeled systems with meaning from the perspective of hindsight. A system containing two anticipatory mechanisms can become hyper-incursive. Without making decisions, however, a hyper-incursive system would be overloaded with uncertainty. Under this pressure, informed decisions tend to replace the "natural preferences" of agents and an order of cultural expectations can increasingly be shaped

Simple system using natural mineral water for high-throughput phenotyping of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings in liquid culture

Background: Phenotyping for plant stress tolerance is an essential component of many research projects. Because screening of high numbers of plants and multiple conditions remains technically challenging and costly, there is a need for simple methods to carry out large-scale phenotyping in the laboratory.Methods: We developed a method for phenotyping the germination and seedling growth of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) Col-0 in liquid culture. Culture was performed under rotary shaking in multiwell plates, using Evian natural mineral water as a medium. Nondestructive and accurate quantification of green pixels by digital image analysis allowed monitoring of growth. Results: The composition of the water prevented excessive root elongation growth that would otherwise lead to clumping of seedlings observed when classic nutrient-rich medium or deionized water is used. There was no need to maintain the cultures under aseptic conditions, and seedlings, which are photosynthetic, remained healthy for several weeks. Several proof-of-concept experiments demonstrated the usefulness of the approach for environmental stress phenotyping. Conclusion: The system described here is easy to set up, cost-effective, and enables a single researcher to screen large numbers of lines under various conditions. The simplicity of the method clearly makes it amenable to high-throughput phenotyping using robotics

Abundancia y preservación de radiolarios del Cretácico Superior del DSDP Leg 80 Site 550B, en la Llanura Abisal Porcupine, Océano Atlántico Norte

Los radiolarios del Cretácico Superior del sondeo DSDP Leg 80 - Site 550B, situado en la Llanura Abisal Porcupine en el norte del Océano Atlántico, fueron analizados teniendo en cuenta su abundancia y conservación. Las rocas estudiadas correspondieron a arcillitas y margas, portadoras de nanofósiles. Las muestras fueron procesadas con peróxido de hidrógeno y hexametafosfato de sodio y limpias en un tamiz de malla 45 micrómetros. De un total de 53 muestras, en 7 se encontraron radiolarios. Las muestras fueron colocadas en un portaobjeto de vidrio y montadas con bálsamo de Canadá. Las fotografías fueron obtenidas con un microscopio óptico Zeiss Axioskop 40 en el Laboratorio de Micropaleontología de la UNISINOS. Para analizar la preservación de los radiolarios se consideraron la presencia de esqueletos, a través del reconocimiento taxonómico de los ejemplares, la disolución y recristalización. Para estimar la abundancia de radiolarios, se calculó la cantidad de radiolarios presentes en 20 gramos de muestra, estimaciones definidas como raro, común o abundante. En los 133m de sondeo la abundancia y preservación varían. La fauna en dos muestras se consideró abundante y en tres, común. Solamente la muestra 80-550B, 7-1 (75-79cm) contiene una fauna cuyo grado de conservación puede considerarse buena y es posible ver la estructura interna de los esqueletos de radiolarios. En algunas muestras se observa intensa recristalización de los esqueletos. Los resultados preliminares de este análisis indican que los principales componentes de esta asociación de radiolarios son Spumellaria discoidales o lenticulares con esqueleto esponjoso. Predominan Spongodiscus sp. (Familia Spongodiscidae) y Orbiculiforma spp. (Familia Hagiastridae), formas generalmente más resistentes a la disolución.Simposio VI: Microfósiles del Mesozoico y Cenozoico de América del Sur y Antártida. Nuevas aplicaciones y problemáticas asociadasFacultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Thermal decomposition of allantoin as probed by matrix isolation FTIR spectroscopy

The optimized geometries, energies of the possible conformers of allantoin (2,5-dioxo-4-imidazolidinyl urea, the diureide of glyoxylic acid) as well as the barriers for conformational interconversion have been calculated using the density functional theory [DFT(B3LYP)/6-311++G(d,p)] method. The calculations predicted the existence of four conformers (gC, tT, g′C, and g′T; where the first and second symbols in the name of the conformers designate the conformation around the exocyclic NHC–NHCO and CNH–CO axes, respectively), with the gC form contributing to more than 98% of the population in gas phase at room temperature. This conformer is different from that corresponding to the monomeric unit found in crystalline RS-allantoin (g′C; Mootz, D. Acta Crystallogr.1965, 19, 726), stressing the importance of intermolecular H-bonding in determining the structure of the crystal. Upon sublimation under vacuum (10−6 mbar), the compound was found to undergo extensive decomposition to urea, isocyanic acid, NH3, and carbon. The identification of the decomposition products was made by using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. In consonance with the theoretical predictions, the allantoin molecules surviving thermal decomposition were found to undergo conformational isomerization and be present in the cryogenic argon matrix in both the gC and g′C conformations. The solid state room temperature infrared spectrum of allantoin was also investigated and assigned

Communications Biophysics

Contains reports on five research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant G-16526)National Institutes of Health (Grant MH-04737-02

Der diskrete Charme der Bourgeoisie - Ein Beitrag zur Soziologie des modernen Wirtschaftsbürgertums

Entgegen der These der Auflösungserscheinungen des Bürgertums stellt der Autor die Annahme auf den Prüfstand, dass wir es nach wie vor mit gesellschaftlichen Fraktionierungen bürgerlicher Lebensweisen zu tun haben. Am Beispiel autobiographischer Schriften von deutschen Topmanagern stellt der Text ein modernes Verständnis des Wirtschaftsbürgertums vor, das organisational (durch die Karrieremechanismen der Organisation) und institutionell (im Feld der Wirtschaft) verankert ist. Die moderne Sozialformation des Wirtschaftsbürgertums ist nur noch auf der Grundlage von Organisationen denkbar. Sie lässt sich, jenseits von Klasse und Stand, als Positionselite beschreiben. Anhand der Autobiographien lässt sich die Reproduktion dieser Elite auf Basis einer engen Verknüpfung zwischen familialer Herkunft, an organisationale Karrieren gebundene Leistungsbereitschaft und hoher formaler Bildung nachzeichnen. Die Abgrenzung in der Statusreproduktion zwischen Bildungs- und Wirtschaftsbürgertum weist der Autor am jeweiligen Verhältnis zur Bildung nach; zwar können beide einen hohen Bildungsgrad in Form von Bildungspatenten nachweisen, doch im Falle des Wirtschaftsbürgertums herrscht ein instrumentelles Verhältnis zur Bildung vor. Der hohe Bildungsgrad folgt hier dem Bedürfnis, den Status mittels formaler Bildung abzusichern und damit die Gefahr der eigenen Austauschbarkeit - als Personal der Organisation - zu kompensieren. Der Text macht außerdem generationale Effekte sichtbar; insbesondere indem er darlegt, inwieweit der "moderne Manager" einerseits in der Betonung seines Status seinen Vorgängern gleicht und sich doch gleichzeitig in der Art der Unternehmensführung abgrenzt - indem er bspw. die Managementkonzepte seiner Zeit aufgreift

In-Vivo Expression Profiling of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections Reveals Niche-Specific and Strain-Independent Transcriptional Programs

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a threatening, opportunistic pathogen causing disease in immunocompromised individuals. The hallmark of P. aeruginosa virulence is its multi-factorial and combinatorial nature. It renders such bacteria infectious for many organisms and it is often resistant to antibiotics. To gain insights into the physiology of P. aeruginosa during infection, we assessed the transcriptional programs of three different P. aeruginosa strains directly after isolation from burn wounds of humans. We compared the programs to those of the same strains using two infection models: a plant model, which consisted of the infection of the midrib of lettuce leaves, and a murine tumor model, which was obtained by infection of mice with an induced tumor in the abdomen. All control conditions of P. aeruginosa cells growing in suspension and as a biofilm were added to the analysis. We found that these different P. aeruginosa strains express a pool of distinct genetic traits that are activated under particular infection conditions regardless of their genetic variability. The knowledge herein generated will advance our understanding of P. aeruginosa virulence and provide valuable cues for the definition of prospective targets to develop novel intervention strategies