209 research outputs found
EinflussgröĂen regionaler Wissensproduktion
Diese Arbeit untersucht den Einfluss von regionalen Forschungs- und Entwicklungsausgaben der drei Sektoren Staat, Hochschulen und Wirtschaft auf die regionale Wissensproduktion bzw. den regionalen Innovati-onsoutput in den 16 BundeslÀndern Deutschlands. Anhand einer Wissensproduktionsfunktion wird im Rah-men einer Paneldatenanalyse der Einfluss der FuE-AktivitÀten auf die Patententwicklung in restringierten SUR-Modellen dargestellt und analysiert. -- This paper examines the effect of regional expenditures for research and development of the three sectors gouvernment, higher education and business enterprise on regional knowledge production and regional innovation output in the 16 german federal states, respectively. On the basis of a knowledge production function the effect of research and development activities on the development of patents will be presented and analyzed by restricted SUR-Models within the scope of a panel data analysis.
Pulmonary hemodynamics before and after pediatric heart transplantation
BACKGROUND
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) may limit the outcome of pediatric heart transplantation (pHTx). We evaluated pulmonary hemodynamics in children undergoing pHTx.
METHODS
Cross-sectional, single-center, observational study analyzing pulmonary hemodynamics in children undergoing pHTx.
RESULTS
Twenty-three children (female 15) underwent pHTx at median (IQR) age of 3.9 (.9-8.2) years with a time interval between first clinical signs and pHTx of 1.1 (.4-3.2) years. Indications for pHTx included cardiomyopathy (CMP) (n = 17, 74%), congenital heart disease (CHD) (n = 5, 22%), and intracardiac tumor (n = 1, 4%). Before pHTx, pulmonary hemodynamics included elevated pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) 26 (18.5-30) mmHg, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) 19 (14-21) mmHg, left ventricular enddiastolic pressure (LVEDP) 17 (13-22) mmHg. Transpulmonary pressure gradient (TPG) was 6.5 (3.5-10) mmHg and pulmonary vascular resistance (Rp) 2.65 WU*m (1.87-3.19). After pHTx, at immediate evaluation 2 weeks after pHTx PAP decreased to 20.5 (17-24) mmHg, PCWP 14.5 (10.5-18) mmHg (p < .05), LVEDP 16 (12.5-18) mmHg, TPG 6.5 (4-12) mmHg, Rp 1.49 (1.08-2.74) WU*m resp.at last invasive follow up 4.0 (1.4-6) years after pHTx, to PAP 19.5 (17-21) mmHg (p < .05), PCWP 13 (10.5-14.5) mmHg (p < .05), LVEDP 13 (10.5-14) mmHg, TPG 7 (5-9.5) mmHg, Rp 1.58 (1.38-2.19) WU*m (p < .05). In CHD patients PAP increased (p < .05) after pHTx at immediate evaluation and decreased until last follow-up (p < .05), while in CMP patients there was a continuous decline of mean PAP values immediately after HTx (p < .05).
CONCLUSIONS
While PH before pHTx is frequent, after pHTx the normalization of PH starts immediately in CMP patients but is delayed in CHD patients
Imaging the tympanic membrane oscillation ex vivo with Doppler optical coherence tomography during simulated Eustachian catarrh
Recently, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was utilized in multiple studies for structural and functional imaging of the middle ear and the tympanic membrane. Since Doppler OCT allows both, the spatially resolved measurement of the tympanic membrane oscillation and high-resolution imaging, it is regarded as a promising tool for future in vivo applications. In this study, Doppler OCT is utilized for the visualization of the tympanic membrane oscillation in temporal bones with simulated Eustachian catarrh, which was realized by generating a depression in the tympanic cavity. The transfer function, meaning the oscillation amplitude normalized to the applied sound pressure, is measured frequency resolved in the range from 0.5 kHz to 6 kHz and with a lateral spatial resolution of 0.4 mm. Typical oscillation patterns could be observed in case of ambient pressure in the tympanic cavity. Under depression the characteristic oscillation patterns were observed with widely congruent appearance but at higher frequencies
Giant depressions on the Chatham Rise offshore New Zealand â Morphology, structure and possible relation to fluid expulsion and bottom currents
Highlights
âą Large seafloor depressions with diameters of up 10âŻkm across have been mapped on the southern Chatham Rise, New Zealand.
âą Seismic reflection data show scarce indications for vertical fluid flow but no clear link between fluid flow and depressions.
âą Methane gas or methane hydrates appear to be absent on the southern Chatham Rise.
âą Seismic evidence suggests that vertical fluid flow was likely fuelled by polygonal faulting and silica diagenesis
âą The depressions are the results of erosion and sediment drift deposition of bottom currents associated with the Subtropical Front.
Abstract
Several giant seafloor depressions were investigated on the Chatham Rise offshore New Zealand using mainly bathymetric and seismic data, supplemented by sediment cores and reported porewater geochemistry data. The depressions have diameters of up to 11âŻkm and occur on the southern flank of the Chatham Rise in water depths between 600 and 900âŻm, i.e. roughly underneath the location of the strongest thermal gradients of the Subtropical Front (STF) and characterized by eastward flowing currents. With up to 150âŻm of relief the depressions cut into post-Miocene deposits. Some of the depressions are partially filled with drift deposits that have similar seismic characteristics as the surrounding sediments and consist of alternations of silty muds and silts. Seismic profiles also show completely filled depressions that no longer have a bathymetric expression. Despite several pipe structures indicating vertical fluid flow, neither active fluid seepage nor indications for past fluid seepage are present at the seafloor of the Chatham Rise. Also, both pore water geochemistry and geophysical data do not show indications for an existing or past gas hydrate system in the area. Instead, seismic data suggest widespread polygonal faulting and the presence of silica diagenetic fronts. The release of mineral-bound water during silica diagenesis or fluid expulsion during sediment compaction can explain the presence of vertical fluid flow features but not the giant depressions themselves. Instead, the depressions are interpreted as the result of scouring by strong bottom currents for which fluid venting may have created the nucleation points
Womenâs experiences of wearing therapeutic footwear in three European countries
Background: Therapeutic footwear is recommended for those people with severe foot problems associated with
rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, it is known that many do not wear them. Although previous European studies
have recommended service and footwear design improvements, it is not known if services have improved or if this
footwear meets the personal needs of people with RA. As an earlier study found that this footwear has more
impact on women than males, this study explores womenâs experiences of the process of being provided with it
and wearing it. No previous work has compared womenâs experiences of this footwear in different countries,
therefore this study aimed to explore the potential differences between the UK, the Netherlands and Spain.
Method: Women with RA and experience of wearing therapeutic footwear were purposively recruited. Ten women
with RA were interviewed in each of the three countries. An interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA) was
adopted during data collection and analysis. Conversational style interviews were used to collect the data.
Results: Six themes were identified: feet being visibly different because of RA; the referring practitionersâ approach
to the patient; the dispensing practitionersâ approach to the patient; the footwear being visible as different to
others; footwear influencing social participation; and the womenâs wishes for improved footwear services. Despite
their nationality, these women revealed that therapeutic footwear invokes emotions of sadness, shame and anger
and that it is often the final and symbolic marker of the effects of RA on self perception and their changed lives.
This results in severe restriction of important activities, particularly those involving social participation. However,
where a patient focussed approach was used, particularly by the practitioners in Spain and the Netherlands, the
acceptance of this footwear was much more evident and there was less wastage as a result of the footwear being
prescribed and then not worn. In the UK, the women were more likely to passively accept the footwear with the
only choice being to reject it once it had been provided. All the women were vocal about what would improve
their experiences and this centred on the consultation with both the referring practitioner and the practitioner that
provides the footwear.
Conclusion: This unique study, carried out in three countries has revealed emotive and personal accounts of what
it is like to have an item of clothing replaced with an âinterventionâ. The participantâs experience of their
consultations with practitioners has revealed the tension between the practitionersâ requirements and the womenâs
âsocialâ needs. Practitioners need greater understanding of the social and emotional consequences of using
therapeutic footwear as an intervention
Rationale and design of the RIACTâstudy: a multi-center placebo controlled double blind study to test the efficacy of RItuximab in Acute Cellular tubulointerstitial rejection with B-cell infiltrates in renal Transplant patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
BACKGROUND: Acute kidney allograft rejection is a major cause for declining graft function and has a negative impact on the long-term graft survival. The majority (90%) of acute rejections are T-cell mediated and, therefore, the anti-rejection therapy targets T-cell-mediated mechanisms of the rejection process. However, there is increasing evidence that intragraft B-cells are also important in the T-cell-mediated rejections. First, a significant proportion of patients with acute T-cell-mediated rejection have B-cells present in the infiltrates. Second, the outcome of these patients is inferior, which has been related to an inferior response to the conventional anti-rejection therapy. Third, treatment of these patients with an anti-CD20 antibody (rituximab) improves the allograft outcome as reported in single case observations and in one small study. Despite the promise of these observations, solid evidence is required before incorporating this treatment option into a general treatment recommendation. METHODS/DESIGN: The RIACT study is designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group multicenter Phase III study. The study examines whether rituximab, in addition to the standard treatment with steroid-boli, leads to an improved one-year kidney allograft function, compared to the standard treatment alone in patients with acute T-cell mediated tubulointerstitial rejection and significant B-cell infiltrates in their biopsies. A total of 180 patients will be recruited. DISCUSSION: It is important to clarify the relevance of anti-B cell targeting in T-cell mediated rejection and answer the question whether this novel concept should be incorporated in the conventional anti-rejection therapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trials gov. number: NCT0111766
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In the Realm of the Geometric Transitions
We complete the duality cycle by constructing the geometric transition duals
in the type IIB, type I and heterotic theories. We show that in the type IIB
theory the background on the closed string side is a Kahler deformed conifold,
as expected, even though the mirror type IIA backgrounds are non-Kahler (both
before and after the transition). On the other hand, the Type I and heterotic
backgrounds are non-Kahler. Therefore, on the heterotic side these backgrounds
give rise to new torsional manifolds that have not been studied before. We show
the consistency of these backgrounds by verifying the torsional equation.Comment: 60 pages, 2 .eps figures, Harvmac; v2: Minor typos corrected and
references added; v3: Some more typos corrected. Final version to appear in
Nucl. Phys.
Submarine creeping landslide deformation controlled by the presence of gas hydrates: The Tuaheni Landslide Complex, New Zealand
Hyperon production in Ar+KCl collisions at 1.76A GeV
We present transverse momentum spectra, rapidity distribution and
multiplicity of Lambda-hyperons measured with the HADES spectrometer in the
reaction Ar(1.76A GeV)+KCl. The yield of Xi- is calculated from our previously
reported Xi-/(Lambda+Sigma0) ratio and compared to other strange particle
multiplicities. Employing a strangeness balance equation the multiplicities of
the yet unmeasured charged Sigma hyperons can be estimated. Finally a
statistical hadronization model is used to fit the yields of pi-, K+, K0s, K-,
phi, Lambda and Xi-. The resulting chemical freeze-out temperature of T=(76+-2)
MeV is compared to the measured slope parameters obtained from fits to the
transverse mass distributions of the particles
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