TY - JOUR
A1 - Lauruschkat, Chris D.
A1 - Etter, Sonja
A1 - Schnack, Elisabeth
A1 - Ebel, Frank
A1 - Schäuble, Sascha
A1 - Page, Lukas
A1 - Rümens, Dana
A1 - Dragan, Mariola
A1 - Schlegel, Nicolas
A1 - Panagiotou, Gianni
A1 - Kniemeyer, Olaf
A1 - Brakhage, Axel A.
A1 - Einsele, Hermann
A1 - Wurster, Sebastian
A1 - Loeffler, Juergen
T1 - Chronic occupational mold exposure drives expansion of Aspergillus-reactive type 1 and type 2 T-helper cell responses
JF - Journal of Fungi
N2 - Occupational mold exposure can lead to Aspergillus-associated allergic diseases including asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Elevated IL-17 levels or disbalanced T-helper (Th) cell expansion were previously linked to Aspergillus-associated allergic diseases, whereas alterations to the Th cell repertoire in healthy occupationally exposed subjects are scarcely studied. Therefore, we employed functional immunoassays to compare Th cell responses to A. fumigatus antigens in organic farmers, a cohort frequently exposed to environmental molds, and non-occupationally exposed controls. Organic farmers harbored significantly higher A. fumigatus-specific Th-cell frequencies than controls, with comparable expansion of Th1- and Th2-cell frequencies but only slightly elevated Th17-cell frequencies. Accordingly, Aspergillus antigen-induced Th1 and Th2 cytokine levels were strongly elevated, whereas induction of IL-17A was minimal. Additionally, increased levels of some innate immune cell-derived cytokines were found in samples from organic farmers. Antigen-induced cytokine release combined with Aspergillus-specific Th-cell frequencies resulted in high classification accuracy between organic farmers and controls. Aspf22, CatB, and CipC elicited the strongest differences in Th1 and Th2 responses between the two cohorts, suggesting these antigens as potential candidates for future bio-effect monitoring approaches. Overall, we found that occupationally exposed agricultural workers display a largely balanced co-expansion of Th1 and Th2 immunity with only minor changes in Th17 responses.
KW - mold exposure
KW - immunoassay
KW - biomarker
KW - Aspergillus
KW - cytokines
KW - inflammation
KW - adaptive immunity
KW - hypersensitivity
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-245202
SN - 2309-608X
VL - 7
IS - 9
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Teichmann, Christoph
A1 - Wicke, Hartmut
T1 - Zukunftsmodell „Hybride Hauptversammlung“
JF - Zeitschrift für Unternehmens- und Gesellschaftsrecht
N2 - Die Corona-Pandemie hat dem Aktienrecht einen unerwarteten Modernisierungsschub verliehen. Der Gesetzgeber schuf in Windeseile eine zeitlich begrenzte rechtliche Grundlage für die rein virtuelle Hauptversammlung. Die Gesellschaften haben diese neue rechtliche und technische Herausforderung gut gemeistert. Das legt die Frage nahe, ob der Gesetzgeber nicht auch für die Zukunft eine rein virtuelle Hauptversammlung in rechtlich abgesicherter Form ermöglichen sollte. Dabei müssen die Rechte der Aktionäre umfassend gewahrt bleiben. Zugleich sollten die Defizite der Hauptversammlungskultur behoben werden, die heute nur noch in Grenzen als Forum der freien Diskussion zwischen Aktionären und Unternehmensleitung angesehen werden kann. Das Beste aus zwei Welten liegt nach der hier entfalteten Konzeption in einer hybriden Versammlung, die eine Präsenzversammlung mit qualifizierten Teilnahmevoraussetzungen und eine elektronische Teilnahme aller übrigen Aktionäre ermöglicht.
N2 - The Corona epidemic has given company law an unexpected modernisation impetus. The legislator swiftly created a temporary legal basis for the real virtual general meeting. Companies have mastered these new legal and technical challenges, raising the obvious question of whether the legislator should not extend this opportunity by facilitating a real virtual general meeting in legally secured form for the future. The rights of shareholders must, however, be comprehensively protected. At the same time, the inadequacies of existing general meeting culture, which does not really provide a forum for free discussion between shareholders and management, should be addressed. The best of both worlds, according to the concept developed here, lies in a hybrid general meeting, allowing attendance, subject to qualifying criteria, and electronic participation of all other shareholders.
KW - Aktienrecht
KW - Hybride Hauptversammlung
KW - Covid-19-Pandemie
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-244820
SN - 1612-7048
SN - 0340-2479
N1 - Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.
VL - 50
IS - 2
SP - 173
EP - 200
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Opitz, Timm
A1 - Schuwerk, Tobias
A1 - Paulus, Markus
A1 - Kloo, Daniela
A1 - Osterhaus, Christopher
A1 - Lesch, Klaus‐Peter
A1 - Sodian, Beate
T1 - No links between genetic variation and developing theory of mind: A preregistered replication attempt of candidate gene studies
JF - Developmental Science
N2 - Genetic variability is being discussed as a source of inter‐individual differences in Theory of Mind development. Previous studies documented an association between variations in DRD4 VNTR 48 bp, OXTR rs53576, COMT rs4680, and Theory of Mind task performance. As empirical evidence on these associations is sparse, we conducted a preregistered replication attempt of a study reporting a link between DRD4 VNTR 48 bp and false belief understanding in 50‐month‐old children [Lackner, C., Sabbagh, M. A., Hallinan, E., Liu, X., & Holden, J. J. (2012). Developmental Science, 15(2), 272–280.]. Additionally, we attempted a replication of studies on the role of OXTR rs53576 and COMT rs4680 in Theory of Mind. In both replication attempts, we did not find any evidence for associations between the sampled genetic markers and Theory of Mind ability in a series of analyses. Extending the replication attempt of Lackner et al., we employed longitudinal data from several tasks and measurement points, which allowed us to run follow‐up robustness checks with more reliable scores. These extensive analyses corroborated our null finding. This comprehensive non‐replication is important to balance current research on genetic markers of Theory of Mind. In a combined evaluation of our own and previous studies, we point to substantial methodological issues that research on the genetic basis of Theory of Mind development faces. We conclude that these limitations currently prevent firm conclusions on genetic influences on Theory of Mind development.
KW - COMT
KW - DRD4
KW - false belief
KW - OXTR
KW - theory of mind
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-238812
VL - 24
IS - 5
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Lauerer, Elias
A1 - Tiedemann, Elena
A1 - Polak, Thomas
A1 - Simmenroth, Anne
T1 - Can smoking cessation be taught online? A prospective study comparing e-learning and role-playing in medical education
JF - International Journal of Medical Education
N2 - Objectives: We compared the effect of different didactic formats - e - learning and role-playing - on medical students' knowledge and counselling skills in smoking cessation training.
Methods: At a German medical school, 145 third-year students were randomly allocated to attend an online course with video examples or an attendance course with role-playing. Students were trained in smoking cessation counselling according to the 5A's (ask, advise, assess, assist, arrange) for approximately 90 minutes. Practical skills were measured in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and represent the primary endpoint of this prospective comparative study. Additionally, changes in theoretic knowledge were assessed by pre - and post - interventional questionnaires and a final written exam.
Results: In the OSCE, overall scores were higher in the attendance group (Mdn=70.8 % vs. 62.8 %; U=119; p=.087, n=36), but a statistical advantage was only found in one single counselling sequence (“Assist”: Mdn=66.7 % vs. 51.4 %; p = .049) and the rating of the standardised patients (M=4.7 vs. 4.2 out of 5 points, t(27.836)=2.0, p=.028). Students’ results (n=130) from self-assessment and written exams suggest that both approaches are equally well suited to increase theoretical knowledge. The online course was more time efficient (90 vs. 73 minutes).
Conclusions: Seminar and web-based training seem equally well suited for transferring knowledge and skills on tobacco cessation counselling. Considering their particular strengths, these two teaching approaches could be combined.
KW - medical education
KW - e-learning
KW - smoking cessation
KW - objective structured clinical examination
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-230056
VL - 12
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Anton, Sylvia
A1 - Rössler, Wolfgang
T1 - Plasticity and modulation of olfactory circuits in insects
JF - Cell and Tissue Research
N2 - Olfactory circuits change structurally and physiologically during development and adult life. This allows insects to respond to olfactory cues in an appropriate and adaptive way according to their physiological and behavioral state, and to adapt to their specific abiotic and biotic natural environment. We highlight here findings on olfactory plasticity and modulation in various model and non-model insects with an emphasis on moths and social Hymenoptera. Different categories of plasticity occur in the olfactory systems of insects. One type relates to the reproductive or feeding state, as well as to adult age. Another type of plasticity is context-dependent and includes influences of the immediate sensory and abiotic environment, but also environmental conditions during postembryonic development, periods of adult behavioral maturation, and short- and long-term sensory experience. Finally, plasticity in olfactory circuits is linked to associative learning and memory formation. The vast majority of the available literature summarized here deals with plasticity in primary and secondary olfactory brain centers, but also peripheral modulation is treated. The described molecular, physiological, and structural neuronal changes occur under the influence of neuromodulators such as biogenic amines, neuropeptides, and hormones, but the mechanisms through which they act are only beginning to be analyzed.
KW - antenna
KW - antennal lobe
KW - mushroom body
KW - neuromodulation
KW - structural synaptic plasticity
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235820
SN - 0302-766X
VL - 383
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Freimann, A.
A1 - Dierkes, M.
A1 - Petermann, T.
A1 - Liman, C.
A1 - Kempf, F.
A1 - Schilling, K.
T1 - ESTNeT: a discrete event simulator for space-terrestrial networks
JF - CEAS Space Journal
N2 - The capabilities of small satellites have improved significantly in recent years. Specifically multi-satellite systems become increasingly popular, since they allow the support of new applications. The development and testing of these multi-satellite systems is a new challenge for engineers and requires the implementation of appropriate development and testing environments. In this paper, a modular network simulation framework for space–terrestrial systems is presented. It enables discrete event simulations for the development and testing of communication protocols, as well as mission-based analysis of other satellite system aspects, such as power supply and attitude control. ESTNeT is based on the discrete event simulator OMNeT++ and will be released under an open source license.
KW - space–terrestrial networks
KW - wireless communication
KW - system simulation
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235835
SN - 1868-2502
VL - 13
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Strzalkowska, A.
A1 - Strzalkowski, P.
A1 - Al Yousef, Y.
A1 - Grehn, F.
A1 - Hillenkamp, J.
A1 - Loewen, Nils A.
T1 - Exact matching of trabectome-mediated ab interno trabeculectomy to conventional trabeculectomy with mitomycin C followed for 2 years
JF - Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
N2 - Purpose
We used exact matching for a highly balanced comparison of ab interno trabeculectomy (AIT) with the trabectome to trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (TRAB).
Methods
A total of 5485 patients who underwent AIT were exact-matched to 196 TRAB patients by baseline intraocular pressure (IOP), number of glaucoma medications, and glaucoma type. Nearest-neighbor–matching was applied to age. Success was defined as a final IOP of less than 21 mmHg, IOP reduction of at least 20% reduction from baseline, and no secondary surgical interventions. Outcomes were measured at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.
Results
A total of 165 AIT could be matched to 165 TRAB. The mean baseline IOP was 22.3 ± 5.6 mmHg, and the baseline number of glaucoma medications was 2.7 ± 1.1 in both groups. At 24 months, IOP was reduced to 15.8 ± 5.2 mmHg in AIT and 12.4 ± 4.7 mmHg in TRAB. IOP was lower than baseline at all visits (p < 0.01) and lower in TRAB than AIT (p < 0.01). Glaucoma medications were reduced to 2.1 ± 1.3 in AIT and 0.2 ± 0.8 in TRAB. Compared to baseline, patients used fewer drops postoperatively (p < 0.01) and more infrequently in TRAB than in AIT (p > 0.01). Secondary surgical interventions had the highest impact on success and became necessary in 15 AIT and 59 TRAB patients. Thirty-two challenging events occurred in TRAB and none in AIT.
Conclusion
Both AIT and TRAB reduced IOP and medications. This reduction was more significant in TRAB but at the expense of four times as many secondary interventions.
KW - trabeculectomy
KW - Ab interno trabeculectomy
KW - trabectome
KW - exact matching
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235224
SN - 0721-832X
VL - 259
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Weich, Alexander
A1 - Werner, Rudolf A.
A1 - Buck, Andreas K.
A1 - Hartrampf, Philipp E.
A1 - Serfling, Sebastian E.
A1 - Scheurlen, Michael
A1 - Wester, Hans-Jürgen
A1 - Meining, Alexander
A1 - Kircher, Stefan
A1 - Higuchi, Takahiro
A1 - Pomper, Martin G.
A1 - Rowe, Steven P.
A1 - Lapa, Constantin
A1 - Kircher, Malte
T1 - CXCR4-Directed PET/CT in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Neuroendocrine Carcinomas
JF - Diagnostics
N2 - We aimed to elucidate the diagnostic potential of the C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)-directed positron emission tomography (PET) tracer \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor in patients with poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC), relative to the established reference standard \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/computed tomography (CT). In our database, we retrospectively identified 11 treatment-naïve patients with histologically proven NEC, who underwent \(^{18}\)F-FDG and CXCR4-directed PET/CT for staging and therapy planning. The images were analyzed on a per-patient and per-lesion basis and compared to immunohistochemical staining (IHC) of CXCR4 from PET-guided biopsies. \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor visualized tumor lesions in 10/11 subjects, while \(^{18}\)F-FDG revealed sites of disease in all 11 patients. Although weak to moderate CXCR4 expression could be corroborated by IHC in 10/11 cases, \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT detected significantly more tumor lesions (102 vs. 42; total lesions, n = 107; p < 0.001). Semi-quantitative analysis revealed markedly higher 18F-FDG uptake as compared to \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor (maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUV) and tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) of cancerous lesions, SUVmax: 12.8 ± 9.8 vs. 5.2 ± 3.7; SUVmean: 7.4 ± 5.4 vs. 3.1 ± 3.2, p < 0.001; and, TBR 7.2 ± 7.9 vs. 3.4 ± 3.0, p < 0.001). Non-invasive imaging of CXCR4 expression in NEC is inferior to the reference standard \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT.
KW - CXCR4
KW - NET
KW - NEC
KW - 68Ga-Pentixafor
KW - 18F-FDG
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234231
SN - 2075-4418
VL - 11
IS - 4
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Bachmann, Friederike
A1 - Schreder, Martin
A1 - Engelhardt, Monika
A1 - Langer, Christian
A1 - Wolleschak, Denise
A1 - Mügge, Lars Olof
A1 - Dürk, Heinz
A1 - Schäfer-Eckart, Kerstin
A1 - Blau, Igor Wolfgang
A1 - Gramatzki, Martin
A1 - Liebisch, Peter
A1 - Grube, Matthias
A1 - Metzler, Ivana v.
A1 - Bassermann, Florian
A1 - Metzner, Bernd
A1 - Röllig, Christoph
A1 - Hertenstein, Bernd
A1 - Khandanpour, Cyrus
A1 - Dechow, Tobias
A1 - Hebart, Holger
A1 - Jung, Wolfram
A1 - Theurich, Sebastian
A1 - Maschmeyer, Georg
A1 - Salwender, Hans
A1 - Hess, Georg
A1 - Bittrich, Max
A1 - Rasche, Leo
A1 - Brioli, Annamaria
A1 - Eckardt, Kai-Uwe
A1 - Straka, Christian
A1 - Held, Swantje
A1 - Einsele, Hermann
A1 - Knop, Stefan
T1 - Kinetics of renal function during induction in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: results of two prospective studies by the German Myeloma Study Group DSMM
JF - Cancers
N2 - Background: Preservation of kidney function in newly diagnosed (ND) multiple myeloma (MM) helps to prevent excess toxicity. Patients (pts) from two prospective trials were analyzed, provided postinduction (PInd) restaging was performed. Pts received three cycles with bortezomib (btz), cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone (dex; VCD) or btz, lenalidomide (len), and dex (VRd) or len, adriamycin, and dex (RAD). The minimum required estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was >30 mL/min. We analyzed the percent change of the renal function using the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) criteria and Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)-defined categories. Results: Seven hundred and seventy-two patients were eligible. Three hundred and fifty-six received VCD, 214 VRd, and 202 RAD. VCD patients had the best baseline eGFR. The proportion of pts with eGFR <45 mL/min decreased from 7.3% at baseline to 1.9% PInd (p < 0.0001). Thirty-seven point one percent of VCD versus 49% of VRd patients had a decrease of GFR (p = 0.0872). IMWG-defined “renal complete response (CRrenal)” was achieved in 17/25 (68%) pts after VCD, 12/19 (63%) after RAD, and 14/27 (52%) after VRd (p = 0.4747). Conclusions: Analyzing a large and representative newly diagnosed myeloma (NDMM) group, we found no difference in CRrenal that occurred independently from the myeloma response across the three regimens. A trend towards deterioration of the renal function with VRd versus VCD may be explained by a better pretreatment “renal fitness” in the latter group.
KW - multiple myeloma
KW - renal failure
KW - kidney
KW - bortezomib
KW - lenalidomide
KW - induction regimen
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234139
SN - 2072-6694
VL - 13
IS - 6
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Egenolf, Nadine
A1 - Altenschildesche, Caren Meyer zu
A1 - Kreß, Luisa
A1 - Eggermann, Katja
A1 - Namer, Barbara
A1 - Gross, Franziska
A1 - Klitsch, Alexander
A1 - Malzacher, Tobias
A1 - Kampik, Daniel
A1 - Malik, Rayaz A.
A1 - Kurth, Ingo
A1 - Sommer, Claudia
A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan
T1 - Diagnosing small fiber neuropathy in clinical practice: a deep phenotyping study
JF - Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders
N2 - Background and aims:
Small fiber neuropathy (SFN) is increasingly suspected in patients with pain of uncertain origin, and making the diagnosis remains a challenge lacking a diagnostic gold standard.
Methods:
In this case–control study, we prospectively recruited 86 patients with a medical history and clinical phenotype suggestive of SFN. Patients underwent neurological examination, quantitative sensory testing (QST), and distal and proximal skin punch biopsy, and were tested for pain-associated gene loci. Fifty-five of these patients additionally underwent pain-related evoked potentials (PREP), corneal confocal microscopy (CCM), and a quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (QSART).
Results:
Abnormal distal intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) (60/86, 70%) and neurological examination (53/86, 62%) most frequently reflected small fiber disease. Adding CCM and/or PREP further increased the number of patients with small fiber impairment to 47/55 (85%). Genetic testing revealed potentially pathogenic gene variants in 14/86 (16%) index patients. QST, QSART, and proximal IENFD were of lower impact.
Conclusion:
We propose to diagnose SFN primarily based on the results of neurological examination and distal IENFD, with more detailed phenotyping in specialized centers.
KW - algorithm
KW - diagnosis
KW - neurological examination
KW - skin punch biopsy
KW - small fiber neuropathy
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232019
SN - 1756-2864
VL - 14
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kunz, Felix
A1 - Hirth, Matthias
A1 - Schweitzer, Tilmann
A1 - Linz, Christian
A1 - Goetz, Bernhard
A1 - Stellzig-Eisenhauer, Angelika
A1 - Borchert, Kathrin
A1 - Böhm, Hartmut
T1 - Subjective perception of craniofacial growth asymmetries in patients with deformational plagiocephaly
JF - Clinical Oral Investigations
N2 - Objectives
The present investigation aimed to evaluate the subjective perception of deformational cranial asymmetries by different observer groups and to compare these subjective perceptions with objective parameters.
Materials and methods
The 3D datasets of ten infants with different severities of deformational plagiocephaly (DP) were presented to 203 observers, who had been subdivided into five different groups (specialists, pediatricians, medical doctors (not pediatricians), parents of infants with DP, and laypersons). The observers rated their subjective perception of the infants’ cranial asymmetries using a 4-point Likert-type scale. The ratings from the observer groups were compared with one another using a multilevel modelling linear regression analysis and were correlated with four commonly used parameters to objectively quantify the cranial asymmetries.
Results
No significant differences were found between the ratings of the specialists and those of the parents of infants with DP, but both groups provided significantly more asymmetric ratings than did pediatricians, medical doctors, or laypersons. Moreover, the subjective perception of cranial asymmetries correlated significantly with commonly used parameters for objectively quantifying cranial asymmetries.
Conclusions
Our results demonstrate that different observer groups perceive the severity of cranial asymmetries differently. Pediatricians’ more moderate perception of cranial asymmetries may reduce the likelihood of parents to seek therapeutic interventions for their infants. Moreover, we identified some objective symmetry-related parameters that correlated strongly with the observers’ subjective perceptions.
Clinical relevance
Knowledge about these findings is important for clinicians when educating parents of infants with DP about the deformity.
KW - infants with deformational plagiocephaly (DP)
KW - deformational cranial asymmetry
KW - subjective perception
KW - positionalskull deformities
KW - three-dimensional
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232803
SN - 1432-6981
VL - 25
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Merz, Viktor
A1 - Merz, Julia
A1 - Kirchner, Maximilian
A1 - Lenhart, Julian
A1 - Marder, Todd B.
A1 - Krueger, Anke
T1 - Pyrene-Based "Turn-Off" Probe with Broad Detection Range for Cu\(^{2+}\), Pb\(^{2+}\) and Hg\(^{2+}\) Ions
JF - Chemistry—A European Journal
N2 - Detection of metals in different environments with high selectivity and specificity is one of the prerequisites of the fight against environmental pollution with these elements. Pyrenes are well suited for the fluorescence sensing in different media. The applied sensing principle typically relies on the formation of intra- and intermolecular excimers, which is however limiting the sensitivity range due to masking of e. g. quenching effects by the excimer emission. Herein we report a highly selective, structurally rigid chemical sensor based on the monomer fluorescence of pyrene moieties bearing triazole groups. This sensor can quantitatively detect Cu\(^{2+}\), Pb\(^{2+}\) and Hg\(^{2+}\) in organic solvents over a broad concentrations range, even in the presence of ubiquitous ions such as Na\(^{+}\), K\(^{+}\), Ca\(^{2+}\) and Mg\(^{2+}\). The strongly emissive sensor's fluorescence with a long lifetime of 165 ns is quenched by a 1 : 1 complex formation upon addition of metal ions in acetonitrile. Upon addition of a tenfold excess of the metal ion to the sensor, agglomerates with a diameter of about 3 nm are formed. Due to complex interactions in the system, conventional linear correlations are not observed for all concentrations. Therefore, a critical comparison between the conventional Job plot interpretation, the method of Benesi-Hildebrand, and a non-linear fit is presented. The reported system enables the specific and robust sensing of medically and environmentally relevant ions in the health-relevant nM range and could be used e. g. for the monitoring of the respective ions in waste streams.
KW - probes
KW - fluorescence spectroscopy
KW - pyrene
KW - heavy metals
KW - luminescence
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256803
VL - 27
IS - 31
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Ankenbrand, Markus Johannes
A1 - Lohr, David
A1 - Schlötelburg, Wiebke
A1 - Reiter, Theresa
A1 - Wech, Tobias
A1 - Schreiber, Laura Maria
T1 - Deep learning-based cardiac cine segmentation: Transfer learning application to 7T ultrahigh-field MRI
JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
N2 - Purpose
Artificial neural networks show promising performance in automatic segmentation of cardiac MRI. However, training requires large amounts of annotated data and generalization to different vendors, field strengths, sequence parameters, and pathologies is limited. Transfer learning addresses this challenge, but specific recommendations regarding type and amount of data required is lacking. In this study, we assess data requirements for transfer learning to experimental cardiac MRI at 7T where the segmentation task can be challenging. In addition, we provide guidelines, tools, and annotated data to enable transfer learning approaches by other researchers and clinicians.
Methods
A publicly available segmentation model was used to annotate a publicly available data set. This labeled data set was subsequently used to train a neural network for segmentation of left ventricle and myocardium in cardiac cine MRI. The network is used as starting point for transfer learning to 7T cine data of healthy volunteers (n = 22; 7873 images) by updating the pre-trained weights. Structured and random data subsets of different sizes were used to systematically assess data requirements for successful transfer learning.
Results
Inconsistencies in the publically available data set were corrected, labels created, and a neural network trained. On 7T cardiac cine images the model pre-trained on public imaging data, acquired at 1.5T and 3T, achieved DICE\(_{LV}\) = 0.835 and DICE\(_{MY}\) = 0.670. Transfer learning using 7T cine data and ImageNet weight initialization improved model performance to DICE\(_{LV}\) = 0.900 and DICE\(_{MY}\) = 0.791. Using only end-systolic and end-diastolic images reduced training data by 90%, with no negative impact on segmentation performance (DICE\(_{LV}\) = 0.908, DICE\(_{MY}\) = 0.805).
Conclusions
This work demonstrates and quantifies the benefits of transfer learning for cardiac cine image segmentation. We provide practical guidelines for researchers planning transfer learning projects in cardiac MRI and make data, models, and code publicly available.
KW - 7T
KW - ultrahigh-field
KW - transfer learning
KW - segmentation
KW - neural networks
KW - deep learning
KW - cardiac magnetic resonance
KW - cardiac function
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-257604
VL - 86
IS - 4
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Morais, António P.
A1 - Pasechnik, Roman
A1 - Porod, Werner
T1 - Grand Unified origin of gauge interactions and families replication in the Standard Model
JF - Universe
N2 - The tremendous phenomenological success of the Standard Model (SM) suggests that its flavor structure and gauge interactions may not be arbitrary but should have a fundamental first-principle explanation. In this work, we explore how the basic distinctive properties of the SM dynamically emerge from a unified New Physics framework tying together both flavor physics and Grand Unified Theory (GUT) concepts. This framework is suggested by a novel anomaly-free supersymmetric chiral E\(_6\)×SU(2)\(_F\)×U(1)\(_F\) GUT containing the SM. Among the most appealing emergent properties of this theory is the Higgs-matter unification with a highly-constrained massless chiral sector featuring two universal Yukawa couplings close to the GUT scale. At the electroweak scale, the minimal SM-like effective field theory limit of this GUT represents a specific flavored three-Higgs doublet model consistent with the observed large hierarchies in the quark mass spectra and mixing already at tree level.
KW - grand unified theories
KW - supersymmetry
KW - phenomenology of New Physics
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-250237
SN - 2218-1997
VL - 7
IS - 12
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Wagenbrenner, Mike
A1 - Mayer-Wagner, Susanne
A1 - Rudert, Maximilian
A1 - Holzapfel, Boris Michael
A1 - Weissenberger, Manuel
T1 - Combinations of hydrogels and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) for cartilage tissue engineering — a review of the literature
JF - Gels
N2 - Cartilage offers limited regenerative capacity. Cell-based approaches have emerged as a promising alternative in the treatment of cartilage defects and osteoarthritis. Due to their easy accessibility, abundancy, and chondrogenic potential mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) offer an attractive cell source. MSCs are often combined with natural or synthetic hydrogels providing tunable biocompatibility, biodegradability, and enhanced cell functionality. In this review, we focused on the different advantages and disadvantages of various natural, synthetic, and modified hydrogels. We examined the different combinations of MSC-subpopulations and hydrogels used for cartilage engineering in preclinical and clinical studies and reviewed the effects of added growth factors or gene transfer on chondrogenesis in MSC-laden hydrogels. The aim of this review is to add to the understanding of the disadvantages and advantages of various combinations of MSC-subpopulations, growth factors, gene transfers, and hydrogels in cartilage engineering.
KW - hydrogels
KW - osteoarthritis
KW - cartilage defects
KW - MSCs
KW - cartilage regeneration
KW - tissue engineering
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-250177
SN - 2310-2861
VL - 7
IS - 4
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Hoche, Joscha
A1 - Flock, Marco
A1 - Miao, Xincheng
A1 - Philipp, Luca Nils
A1 - Wenzel, Michael
A1 - Fischer, Ingo
A1 - Mitric, Roland
T1 - Excimer formation dynamics in the isolated tetracene dimer
JF - Chemical Science
N2 - The understanding of excimer formation and its interplay with the singlet-correlated triplet pair state \(^{1}\)(TT) is of high significance for the development of efficient organic electronics. Here, we study the photoinduced dynamics of the tetracene dimer in the gas phase by time-resolved photoionisation and photoion imaging experiments as well as nonadiabatic dynamics simulations in order to obtain mechanistic insight into the excimer formation dynamics. The experiments are performed using a picosecond laser system for excitation into the S\(_{2}\) state and reveal a biexponential time dependence. The time constants, obtained as a function of excess energy, lie in the range between ≈10 ps and 100 ps and are assigned to the relaxation of the excimer on the S\(_{1}\) surface and to its deactivation to the ground state. Simulations of the quantum-classical photodynamics are carried out in the frame of the semi-empirical CISD and TD-lc-DFTB methods. Both theoretical approaches reveal a dominating relaxation pathway that is characterised by the formation of a perfectly stacked excimer. TD-lc-DFTB simulations have also uncovered a second relaxation channel into a less stable dimer conformation in the S\(_{1}\) state. Both methods have consistently shown that the electronic and geometric relaxation to the excimer state is completed in less than 10 ps. The inclusion of doubly excited states in the CISD dynamics and their diabatisation further allowed to observe a transient population of the \(^{1}\)(TT) state, which, however, gets depopulated on a timescale of 8 ps, leading finally to the trapping in the excimer minimum.
KW - excimer formation
KW - tetracene dimer
KW - organic electronics
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-251559
VL - 12
IS - 36
SP - 11965
EP - 11975
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Klein, Wolf Peter
T1 - Vorlesung und Hörsaal als Symptomwörter für Geschichte und Gegenwart der deutschen Sprache
BT - Eine wortbasierte Skizze mit sozialgeschichtlichen
Interpretationen
JF - Zeitschrift für germanistische Linguistik
N2 - The article starts with the etymology of the words Vorlesung („lecture“) and Hörsaal (“lecture hall”). On the one hand, it turns out that the two expressions are deeply anchored in the history of the old Latin scientific language. They transmit Latin structures and perspectives in German neologisms. On the other hand, the two words arose exactly at the time when the sciences were moving from Latin to German, thus distancing themselves from the traditional forms of Latin scholarship. In this light, they exemplify an epochal change in the history of the German language, but at the same time they represent a great European continuity. Against this background, the two words can be interpreted as symptomatic words associated with the Enlightenment’s confident outlook on the future relationship between science and society. Further corpus linguistic surveys also show how productively the two words appear in word formation processes. In particular, these surveys show by way of example that and how German standard language has benefited from the emergence of German academic language.
T2 - Vorlesung (“Lecture”) and Hörsaal (“lecture hall”) as symptomatic words for the history and present of the German language : a word-based sketch including social-historical interpretations
KW - Vorlesung
KW - Hörsaal
KW - Etymologie
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-250810
SN - 1613-0626
SN - 0301-3294
N1 - Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.
VL - 49
IS - 3
SP - 556
EP - 595
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Strekalova, Tatyana
A1 - Veniaminova, Ekaterina
A1 - Svirin, Evgeniy
A1 - Kopeikina, Ekaterina
A1 - Veremeyko, Tatyana
A1 - Yung, Amanda W. Y.
A1 - Proshin, Andrey
A1 - Tan, Shawn Zheng Kai
A1 - Khairuddin, Sharafuddin
A1 - Lim, Lee Wei
A1 - Lesch, Klaus-Peter
A1 - Walitza, Susanne
A1 - Anthony, Daniel C.
A1 - Ponomarev, Eugene D.
T1 - Sex-specific ADHD-like behaviour, altered metabolic functions, and altered EEG activity in sialyltransferase ST3GAL5-deficient mice
JF - Biomolecules
N2 - A deficiency in GM3-derived gangliosides, resulting from a lack of lactosylceramide-alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase (ST3GAL5), leads to severe neuropathology, including epilepsy and metabolic abnormalities. Disruption of ganglioside production by this enzyme may also have a role in the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. ST3Gal5 knock-out (St3gal5\(^{−/−}\)) mice lack a-, b-, and c-series gangliosides, but exhibit no overt neuropathology, possibly owing to the production of compensatory 0-series glycosphingolipids. Here, we sought to investigate the possibility that St3gal5\(^{−/−}\) mice might exhibit attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-like behaviours. In addition, we evaluated potential metabolic and electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities. St3gal5\(^{−/−}\) mice were subjected to behavioural testing, glucose tolerance tests, and the levels of expression of brain and peripheral A and B isoforms of the insulin receptor (IR) were measured. We found that St3gal5\(^{−/−}\) mice exhibit locomotor hyperactivity, impulsivity, neophobia, and anxiety-like behavior. The genotype also altered blood glucose levels and glucose tolerance. A sex bias was consistently found in relation to body mass and peripheral IR expression. Analysis of the EEG revealed an increase in amplitude in St3gal5\(^{−/−}\) mice. Together, St3gal5\(^{−/−}\) mice exhibit ADHD-like behaviours, altered metabolic and EEG measures providing a useful platform for better understanding of the contribution of brain gangliosides to ADHD and associated comorbidities.
KW - lactosylceramide alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase (ST3GAL5)
KW - attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
KW - insulin receptor (IR)
KW - sex differences
KW - electroencephalogram (EEG)
KW - mice
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-250071
SN - 2218-273X
VL - 11
IS - 12
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Fuss, Carmina Teresa
A1 - Other, Katharina
A1 - Heinze, Britta
A1 - Landwehr, Laura-Sophie
A1 - Wiegering, Armin
A1 - Kalogirou, Charis
A1 - Hahner, Stefanie
A1 - Fassnacht, Martin
T1 - Expression of the chemokine receptor CCR7 in the normal adrenal gland and adrenal tumors and its correlation with clinical outcome in adrenocortical carcinoma
JF - Cancers
N2 - Background: The chemokine receptor CCR7 is crucial for an intact immune function, but its expression is also associated with clinical outcome in several malignancies. No data exist on the expression of CCR7 in adrenocortical tumors. Methods: CCR7 expression was investigated by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry in 4 normal adrenal glands, 59 adrenocortical adenomas, and 181 adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) samples. Results: CCR7 is highly expressed in the outer adrenocortical zones and medulla. Aldosterone-producing adenomas showed lower CCR7 protein levels (H-score 1.3 ± 1.0) compared to non-functioning (2.4 ± 0.5) and cortisol-producing adenomas (2.3 ± 0.6), whereas protein expression was variable in ACC (1.8 ± 0.8). In ACC, CCR7 protein expression was significantly higher in lymph node metastases (2.5 ± 0.5) compared to primary tumors (1.8±0.8) or distant metastases (2.0 ± 0.4; p < 0.01). mRNA levels of CCR7 were not significantly different between ACCs, normal adrenals, and adrenocortical adenomas. In contrast to other tumor entities, neither CCR7 protein nor mRNA expression significantly impacted patients' survival. Conclusion: We show that CCR7 is expressed on mRNA and protein level across normal adrenals, benign adrenocortical tumors, as well as ACCs. Given that CCR7 did not influence survival in ACC, it is probably not involved in tumor progression, but it could play a role in adrenocortical homeostasis.
KW - CCR7
KW - chemokine receptor
KW - adrenocortical carcinoma
KW - adrenal tumors
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-250112
SN - 2072-6694
VL - 13
IS - 22
ER -
TY - JOUR
A1 - Kölligan, Daniel
T1 - Murmur, heat and bonds – on some words of magic and healing
JF - Indogermanische Forschungen
N2 - The paper argues that a) Germanic *tauf/ƀra- (Germ. Zauber, etc.) is related to a root PIE *deu̯p- ‘beat; make a hollow sound, resound’ found in Greek δοῦπος ‘thud’, etc., b) Greek φάρμακον goes back to the root PIE *gʷʰer- ‘heat’ (Gk. θερμός, etc.) implying healing by fomentation, and c) Armenian hiwand ‘sick’, borrowed from Iranian, to PIE *sh₂ei̯- ‘bind’ relying on the notion of disease as a supernatural bond.
KW - magic
KW - spell
KW - healing
KW - disease
KW - lexicon
KW - etymology
Y1 - 2021
U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-250976
SN - 1613-0405
SN - 0019-7262
N1 - This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.
VL - 126
IS - 1
SP - 107
EP - 134
ER -