Mehr Strukturwandel für Wachstum und Beschäftigung : die deutsche Wirtschaft im Anpassungsstau.

Standortfaktor; Strukturpolitik; Deutschland;

Retrospective, controlled observational case study of patients with central retinal vein occlusion and initially low visual acuity treated with an intravitreal dexamethasone implant

Background Patients with initially low visual acuity were excluded from the therapy approval studies for retinal vein occlusion. But up to 28 % of patients presenting with central retinal vein occlusion have a baseline BCVA of less than 34 ETDRS letters (0.1). The purpose of our study was to assess visual acuity and central retinal thickness in patients suffering from central retinal vein occlusion and low visual acuity (<0.1) in comparison to patients with visual acuity (≥0.1) treated with Dexamethasone implant 0.7 mg for macular edema. Methods Retrospective, controlled observational case study of 30 eyes with macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion, which were treated with a dexamethasone implantation. Visual acuity, central retinal thickness and intraocular pressure were measured monthly. Analyses were performed separately for eyes with visual acuity <0.1 and ≥0.1. Results Two months post intervention, visual acuity improved only marginally from 0.05 to 0.07 (1 month; p = 0,065) and to 0.08 (2 months; p = 0,2) in patients with low visual acuity as compared to patients with visual acuity ≥0.1 with an improvement from 0.33 to 0.47 (1 month; p = 0,005) and to 0.49 (2 months; p = 0,003). The central retinal thickness, however, was reduced in both groups, falling from 694 to 344 μm (1 month; p = 0.003,) to 361 μm (2 months; p = 0,002) and to 415 μm (3 months; p = 0,004) in the low visual acuity group and from 634 to 315 μm (1 month; p < 0,001) and to 343 μm (2 months; p = 0,001) in the visual acuity group ≥0.1. Absence of visual acuity improvement was related to macular ischemia. Conclusions In patients with central retinal vein occlusion and initially low visual acuity, a dexamethasone implantation can lead to an important reduction of central retinal thickness but may be of limited use to increase visual acuity

Cosmic optical activity in the spacetime of a scalar-tensor screwed cosmic string

Measurements of radio emission from distant galaxies and quasars verify that the polarization vectors of these radiations are not randomly oriented as naturally expected. This peculiar phenomenon suggests that the spacetime intervening between the source and observer may be exhibiting some sort of optical activity, the origin of which is not known. In the present paper we provide a plausible explanation to this phenomenon by investigating the r\^ole played by a Chern-Simons-like term in the background of an ordinary or superconducting screwed cosmic string in a scalar-tensor gravity. We discuss the possibility that the excess in polarization of the light from radio-galaxies and quasars can be understood as if the electromagnetic waves emitted by these cosmic objects interact with a scalar-tensor screwed cosmic string through a Chern-Simons coupling. We use current astronomical data to constrain possible values for the coupling constant of this theory, and show that it turns out to be: $\lambda \sim 10^{-26}$ eV, which is two orders of magnitude larger than in string-inspired theories.Comment: Revised version, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Shifting the limits in wheat research and breeding using a fully annotated reference genome

Introduction: Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most widely cultivated crop on Earth, contributing about a fifth of the total calories consumed by humans. Consequently, wheat yields and production affect the global economy, and failed harvests can lead to social unrest. Breeders continuously strive to develop improved varieties by fine-tuning genetically complex yield and end-use quality parameters while maintaining stable yields and adapting the crop to regionally specific biotic and abiotic stresses. Rationale: Breeding efforts are limited by insufficient knowledge and understanding of wheat biology and the molecular basis of central agronomic traits. To meet the demands of human population growth, there is an urgent need for wheat research and breeding to accelerate genetic gain as well as to increase and protect wheat yield and quality traits. In other plant and animal species, access to a fully annotated and ordered genome sequence, including regulatory sequences and genome-diversity information, has promoted the development of systematic and more time-efficient approaches for the selection and understanding of important traits. Wheat has lagged behind, primarily owing to the challenges of assembling a genome that is more than five times as large as the human genome, polyploid, and complex, containing more than 85% repetitive DNA. To provide a foundation for improvement through molecular breeding, in 2005, the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium set out to deliver a high-quality annotated reference genome sequence of bread wheat. Results: An annotated reference sequence representing the hexaploid bread wheat genome in the form of 21 chromosome-like sequence assemblies has now been delivered, giving access to 107,891 high-confidence genes, including their genomic context of regulatory sequences. This assembly enabled the discovery of tissue- and developmental stage–related gene coexpression networks using a transcriptome atlas representing all stages of wheat development. The dynamics of change in complex gene families involved in environmental adaptation and end-use quality were revealed at subgenome resolution and contextualized to known agronomic single-gene or quantitative trait loci. Aspects of the future value of the annotated assembly for molecular breeding and research were exemplarily illustrated by resolving the genetic basis of a quantitative trait locus conferring resistance to abiotic stress and insect damage as well as by serving as the basis for genome editing of the flowering-time trait. Conclusion: This annotated reference sequence of wheat is a resource that can now drive disruptive innovation in wheat improvement, as this community resource establishes the foundation for accelerating wheat research and application through improved understanding of wheat biology and genomics-assisted breeding. Importantly, the bioinformatics capacity developed for model-organism genomes will facilitate a better understanding of the wheat genome as a result of the high-quality chromosome-based genome assembly. By necessity, breeders work with the genome at the whole chromosome level, as each new cross involves the modification of genome-wide gene networks that control the expression of complex traits such as yield. With the annotated and ordered reference genome sequence in place, researchers and breeders can now easily access sequence-level information to precisely define the necessary changes in the genomes for breeding programs. This will be realized through the implementation of new DNA marker platforms and targeted breeding technologies, including genome editing