TY - JOUR A1 - Hansmann, T. A1 - Heinzmann, J. A1 - Wrenzycki, C. A1 - Zechner, U. A1 - Niemann, H. A1 - Haaf, T. T1 - Characterization of Differentially Methylated Regions in 3 Bovine Imprinted Genes: A Model for Studying Human Germ-Cell and Embryo Development JF - Cytogenetic and Genome Research N2 - Correct imprinting is crucial for normal fetal and placental development in mammals. Experimental evidence in animal models and epidemiological studies in humans suggest that assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) can interfere with imprinted gene regulation in gametogenesis and early embryogenesis. Bos taurus is an agriculturally important species in which ARTs are commonly employed. Because this species exhibits a similar preimplantation development and gestation length as humans, it is increasingly being used as a model for human germ-cell and embryo development. However, in contrast to humans and mice, there is relatively little information on bovine imprinted genes. Here, we characterized the bovine intergenic IGF2-H19 imprinting control region (ICR) spanning approximately 3 kb. We identified a 300-bp differentially methylated region (DMR) approximately 6 kb upstream of the H19 promoter, containing a CpG island with CTCF-binding site and high sequence similarity with the human intergenic ICR. Additional differentially methylated CpG islands lie –6 kb to –3 kb upstream of the promoter, however these are less conserved. Both classical bisulfite sequencing and bisulfite pyrosequencing demonstrated complete methylation of the IGF2-H19 ICR in sperm, complete demethylation in parthenogenetic embryos having only the female genome, and differential methylation in placental and somatic tissues. In addition, we established pyrosequencing assays for the previously reported bovine SNRPN and PEG3 DMRs. The observed methylation patterns were consistent with genomic imprinting in all analyzed tissues/cell types. The identified IGF2-H19 ICR and the developed quantitative methylation assays may prove useful for further studies on the relationship between ARTs and imprinting defects in the bovine model. KW - bovine KW - differentially methylated region KW - IGF2-H19 KW - imprinting control region Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-199051 SN - 1424-8581 SN - 1424-859X 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 - 132 IS - 4 ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Brauneck, Jens T1 - Late Quaternary climate changes in the Central Sahara : new evidence from palaeoenvironmental research in NE-Niger N2 - Surveys by the Universities of Wuerzburg and Berlin, starting in the 1970´s have revealed the existence of palaeolakes in remote areas in Niger. Initial research has shown that the sediments found are suitable for reconstructing its late quaternary palaeoenvironment. Although a high number of investigations focused on the succession of climatological conditions in the Central Sahara, some uncertainties still exist as the results show discontinuities and mostly are of low temporal and spatial resolution. Two expeditions in 2005 and 2006 headed to the northeastern parts of Niger to investigate the known remains of palaeolakes and search some new and undetected ones. Samples were taken at several study sites in order to receive a complete picture of the Late Quaternary environmental settings and to produce high-resolution proxies for palaeoclimate modelling. The most valuable and best-investigated study site is the sebkha of Seggedim, where a core of 15 meters length could be extracted which revealed a composition of high-resolution sections. Stratigraphical, structural and geochemical investigations as well as the analysis of thin sections allow the characterization of different environmental conditions from Early to Mid Holocene. Driven by climate and hydrogeological influence, the water body developed from a water pond of several metres depth within a stable, grass and shrub vegetated landscape, to an alternating freshwater lake in a more dynamic environmental setting. Radiocarbon dates set the beginning of the stage at about 10.6 ka cal BP, with an exceptionally stable regime to 6.6 ka cal BP (at 12.6 metres’ depth), when a major change in the sedimentation regime of the basin is recorded in the core. Increased erosion, likely due to decreased vegetation cover within the basin, led to the siltation/filling of the lake within a few hundred years and the subsequent development of a sebkha/salt pan due to massive evaporation. Due to the lack of dateable material in the upper core section, the termination of the lake stage and the onset of the subsequent sebkha stage cannot be determined precisely but can be narrowed to a period around 6 ka BP. The results obtained from the core are compared with those from terrestrial and lacustrine sediments from outside the depression, situated a few hundred kilometres further to the north. These supplementary study sites are required to validate the information obtained from the coring. Within the plateau landscape of Djado, Mangueni and Tchigai, two depressions and a valley containing lacustrine deposits, were investigated for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Depending on modifying local factors, these sediment archives were of shorter existence than IX the lake, but reveal additional information about the landscape dynamics from Early to Mid Holocene. A damming situation within a small tributary at Enneri Achelouma led to lacustrine sedimentation conditions at Early Holocene in the upper reaches of the valley. The remnants of the lacustrine accumulations show distinct changes in the environmental conditions within the small catchment, as the archive immediately responded to local climate-induced changes of precipitation. Radiocarbon dating of the deposited sediments revealed ages from 8780 ± 260 cal a BP to 9480 ± 80 cal a BP. The sites of Yoo Ango and Fabérgé show a completely different sedimentation milieu as they consist of basins within the foothills of the Tchigai. The study sites show increased catchment sizes, probably extending towards the Tchigai massif and are most likely influenced by groundwater charge. The widespread occurrence of wind shaped relicts and the limited amount of lacustrine remnants indicate a generally high aeolian activity in both areas. Only in wind sheltered spots, parts of the lacustrine sequences were preserved, that show ages spanning from Early to Mid Holocene (9440 ± 140 cal a BP – 6810 ±140 cal a BP) and give additional evidence of fires from pre-LGM periods. Although intensively weathered, all profiles indicate distinct changes in the sedimentation conditions by alternating geochemical values and the mineralogical composition. The information obtained from the records investigated in this work confirms the heterogeneity of reconstructed environmental succession in the Central Sahara. The Mid Holocene rapid (within decades) and uniform development from more humid to extremely arid environmental conditions cannot be confirmed for the Central Sahara. In addition, a division of Early and Mid Holocene wet periods cannot be confirmed, either. Actually, the evidences obtained from the palaeoenvironmental reconstructions revealed major variations in the timing and extend of lacustrine and aeolian periods. Evidently, a transitional time has existed between 7 to 5 ka BP where alternating influences prevailed. This is indicated by the varying sedimentation conditions in the Seggedim depression as well as the evidence of soil properties on a fossil dune, with a time of deposition dated to 6200 ± 400 cal a BP and the removal of lacustrine Sediments at the Seeterrassental at Mid Holocene. In respect to provide a complete picture of landscape succession and to avoid misinterpretation, the investigation of several dissimilar spots within a designated study area is prerequisite for further investigations. N2 - Bereits seit den 1970er Jahren sind Vorkommen von Paläoseen im Nordosten Nigers bekannt und waren Gegenstand einer Vielzahl von Untersuchungen über die Paläoumweltbedingungen der Zentralen Sahara des Spätquartärs. Trotz der großen Anzahl an Analysen bestehen noch immer Unsicherheiten in Bezug auf das zeitliche Ausmaß feuchter und trockener Phasen in diesem Gebiet, da angrenzende Areale deutlich unterschiedliche Entwicklungen aufweisen können. Im Zuge zweier Expeditionen in den Jahren 2005 und 2006 in den äußersten Nordosten Nigers, wurden an bereits untersuchten und erstmalig entdeckten Standorten Proben genommen, um ein komplettes Bild über die spätquartären Umweltbedingungen in diesem Gegend zu erlangen und um die Aussagekraft verschiedener Sedimentarchive zu überprüfen. Der wertvollste und am intensivsten untersuchte Standort ist die Sebkha von Seggedim, wo ein Bohrkern von 15 Meter Länge gewonnen werden konnte, welcher hochauflösende Sedimente einer ununterbrochenen Sequenz vom Frühen bis Mittleren Holozän aufweist. Untersuchungen zur Stratigraphie, Sedimentstruktur, Geochemie und Mineralogie ermöglichen die Unterscheidung mehrerer Stadien der Seeentwicklung und der damit verbundenen Umweltbedingungen. Durch klimatische und hydrogeologische Einflüsse geprägt, entwickelte sich der Wasserkörper zunächst zu einem wenige Meter tiefem, jedoch biologisch sehr produktivem Gewässer innerhalb einer stabilen Gras- und Strauchlandschaft. Datierungen belegen den Beginn dieser außerordentlich stabilen Phase vor ca. 10.600 Jahren und einer Dauer bis 6.600 Jahre vor heute. Ab 12,6 Meter Tiefe zeigt sich ein deutlicher Wechsel im Sedimentationsverhalten des Sees. Verstärkter Sedimenteintrag, höchstwahrscheinlich ausgelöst durch reduzierte Vegetationsbedeckung und Variationen in der Saisonalität der Niederschläge innerhalb des Einzugsgebietes, führte zur Verlandung des Sees binnen weniger Jahrhunderte und der anschließenden Entwicklung einer Sebkha (Salz-Ton-Pfanne) durch verstärkte Evaporation. Durch das Fehlen datierbaren Materials in den oberen Abschnitten des Kerns kann die Endphase des Sees und der nachfolgende Beginn der Sebkhaphase nicht exakt bestimmt werden, allerdings kann dieser Bereich auf eine Zeit um 5500 bis 6000 Jahre vor heute eingegrenzt werden. Die Ergebnisse der Bohrkernuntersuchungen sind im Folgenden mit weiteren Ergebnissen von lakustrinen Sedimenten außerhalb der Depression verknüpft worden. Diese zusätzlichen Untersuchungen dienen zur Validierung der Bohrkerndaten und zur Überprüfung potentieller überregionaler klimatischer Zusammenhänge. Einige hundert Kilometer nordwärts, inmitten der Plateaus von Djado, Mangueni und Tchigai wurden Standorte auf deren Entwicklung im Spätquartär untersucht. Aufgrund der unterschiedlichen, durch die Geographie bedingten, lokalen Faktoren weisen diese lakustrinen Sedimentarchive deutlich kürzere Lebensdauer auf, jedoch ermöglichen sie teilweise einen genaueren Einblick in die vorherrschende Dynamik innerhalb dieser Landschaften. Durch die Blockade eines tributären Tals im Enneri Achelouma wurden für einen kurzen Abschnitt im Frühholozän Seesedimente in dessen Oberlauf akkumuliert, welche kurzzeitige, aber deutliche Änderungen der Umweltbedingungen dokumentieren. Datierungen zeigen die Existenz dieser Seebecken oder Seeterrassen von 9480 ± 80 cal a BP bis 8780 ± 260 cal a BP. Durch Veränderungen im Niederschlagsregime kam es anschließend zu einer Zerschneidung und teilweisen Ausräumung des abgelagerten Materials. Die Standorte Yoo Ango und Fabérgé weisen ein komplett anderes Sedimentationsmilieu auf, da sie aus Becken innerhalb der Ausläufer des Tchigai Plateaus bestehen und deutlich größere Einzugsgebiete aufweisen. Zusätzlich sind beide Standorte grundwasserbeeinflusst und stark durch die sehr hohe äolische Aktivität in diesem Gebiet geprägt, sichtbar an dem weitverbreiteten äolischen Formenschatz sowie der geringen Anzahl erhaltener Seesedimente. Nur in wenigen windgeschützten Lokalitäten wurden lakustrine Sedimentpakete erhalten, die ebenfalls früh- bis mittelholozäne Alter aufweisen. Trotz der intensiven Verwitterung die sämtliche untersuchten Sedimente betrifft, weisen nahezu alle Profile eindeutige Veränderungen auf, sowohl in Bezug auf die geochemischen Werte als auch die mineralogische Zusammensetzung. Aus den untersuchten Profilen wird eine feuchtere Phase zu Beginn des Holozäns ersichtlich, die jedoch starken Schwankungen unterlegen war, wie in den Profilen von Achelouma zu sehen ist. In einer Phase des Übergangs im Mittelholozän endete zunächst die lakustrine Sedimentation in Achelouma, dann in der Fabérgé-Senke. Die erhöhte Niederschlagsvariabilität führte in Achelouma zur teilweisen Ausräumung der Seesedimente, während in der Fabérgé- Senke Dünen aktiv waren. Die Ergebnisse von Seggedim zeigen ebenfalls starke Veränderungen der Umweltbedingungen an, jedoch zeitlich versetzt zu den Ergebnissen aus den anderen Gebieten. Insgesamt weisen die Ergebnisse der Paläoumweltrekonstruktionen große zeitliche Unterschiede bezüglich des Endes der lakustrinen Phasen auf. Die Untersuchungen zeigen deutlich, dass lokale geographische Faktoren eine klimatische Interpretation von Klimaarchiven erschweren können. Insbesondere dann, wenn wie im Falle Seggedim, ein überregionaler Aquifer die Existenz eines Wasserkörpers in einem ansonsten ariden Gebiet verlängert und klimatische Einflussfaktoren zeitweise ausgeklammert werden. Um Fehlinterpretationen zu vermeiden und ein Gesamtbild der landschaftlichen Entwicklung eines Raumes zu erhalten, sind Informationen aus mehreren grundverschiedenen Paläoumweltarchiven erforderlich. T3 - Würzburger Geographische Arbeiten - 103 KW - Paläoklimatologie KW - Sahara KW - Westafrika KW - Mittlere Sahara KW - Niger KW - Jungquartär KW - Klimaänderung Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235146 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stellzig-Eisenhauer, Angelika A1 - Meyer-Marcotty, Philipp T1 - Interaction between otorhinolaryngology and orthodontics: correlation between the nasopharyngeal airway and the craniofacial complex JF - GMS Current Topics in Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery N2 - In terms of pathophysiology, an anatomically narrow airway is a predisposing factor for obstruction of the upper respiratory tract. The correlation between the nasopharyngeal airway and the craniofacial structures is discussed in this context. Thus a mutual interaction between the pharynx and the mandibular position was demonstrated, whereby the transverse dimension of the nasopharynx was significantly larger in patients with prognathism than in patients with retrognathism. The influence of chronic obstruction of the nasal airway on craniofacial development was also discussed. The form-and-function interaction, which ought to explain the causal relationship between nasal obstruction and craniofacial growth, appears to be of a multifactorial rather than a one-dimensional, linear nature. It is not disputed, however, that expanding the maxilla improves not only nasal volume and nasal flow, but also the subjective sensation of patients, although it is not possible to make a prognostic statement about the extent of this improvement because of the differing reactions of individuals. Orthodontic appliances for advancing the mandible can also be successfully used in the treatment of mild obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. This treatment method should be considered particularly for patients who are unwilling to undergo or cannot tolerate CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) treatment. KW - craniofacial development KW - adenoids KW - rapid maxillary expansion (RME) KW - obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) KW - mandibular advancement device (MAD) KW - nasopharyngeal airway Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140850 VL - 9 IS - Dok04 ER - TY - THES A1 - Gogolin, Christian T1 - Pure State Quantum Statistical Mechanics T1 - Statistische Quantenmechanik mit reinen Zuständen N2 - The capabilities of a new approach towards the foundations of Statistical Mechanics are explored. The approach is genuine quantum in the sense that statistical behavior is a consequence of objective quantum uncertainties due to entanglement and uncertainty relations. No additional randomness is added by hand and no assumptions about a priori probabilities are made, instead measure concentration results are used to justify the methods of Statistical Physics. The approach explains the applicability of the microcanonical and canonical ensemble and the tendency to equilibrate in a natural way. This work contains a pedagogical review of the existing literature and some new results. The most important of which are: i) A measure theoretic justification for the microcanonical ensemble. ii) Bounds on the subsystem equilibration time. iii) A proof that a generic weak interaction causes decoherence in the energy eigenbasis. iv) A proof of a quantum H-Theorem. v) New estimates of the average effective dimension for initial product states and states from the mean energy ensemble. vi) A proof that time and ensemble averages of observables are typically close to each other. vii) A bound on the fluctuations of the purity of a system coupled to a bath. N2 - Es wird ein neuer Ansatz die Methoden der Statistischen Physik aus der Quan- tenmechanik heraus zu rechtfertigen untersucht. Der gewählte Zugang ist echt quantenmechanisch. Statistisches Verhalten wird allein durch objektive quanten- mechanische Zufälligkeit auf Grund von Verschränkung und Unbestimmtheitsre- lationen erklärt. Es werden keine Annahmen über subjective Unwissenheit oder a priori Wahrscheinlichkeiten gemacht. Der Ansatz ist in der Lage eine maß- theoretische Rechtfertigung für die Anwendbarkeit des mikrokanonischen und des kanonischen Ensembles zu geben und erklärt auf natürliche Weise das Streben ins Gleichgewicht. Diese Arbeit enthält einen Überblick über die vorhandene Literatur und eine Reihe von neuen Resultaten. Die wichtigsten neuen Ergebnisse sind: i) Eine maßtheoretische Begründung für die Anwendbarkeit des mikrokanonischen En- sembles. ii) Schranken für die Zeit bis ins Gleichgewicht. iii) Aufzeigen eines generischen Dekohärenz-Mechanismus in der lokalen Energie-Eigenbasis bei schwa- cher Kopplung. iv) Beweis eines quantenmechanischen H-Theorems. v) Neue Abschätzungen der mittleren effektiven Dimension für Produktzustände und im “mittlere Energie”-Ensemble. vi) Ein Beweis, dass Zeit und Ensemblemittel typ- ischerweise nahezu zusammenfallen. vii) Eine Schranke für die Fluktuationen der Reinheit eines an ein Bad gekoppelten Systems. KW - Quantum Mechanics KW - Statistical Physics KW - Quantenstatistik Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-106065 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hommers, Wilfried A1 - Lee, Wha-Yong T1 - Unifying Kohlberg with Information Integration: The Moral Algebra of Recompense and of Kohlbergian Moral Informers JF - Psicológica N2 - In order to unify two major theories of moral judgment, a novel task is employed which combines elements of Kohlberg´s stage theory and of the theory of information integration. In contrast to the format of Kohlberg´s moral judgment interview, a nonverbal and quantitative response which makes low demands on verbal facility was used . Moral informers differing in value, i.e. high and low, are presented. The differences in effect of those two pieces of information should be substantial for a person at that specific moral stage, but small for a person at a different stage. Hence, these differences may diagnose the person's moral stage in the simplest possible way as the two levels of each of the thoughts were about typical content of the four Kohlbergian preconventional and conventional stages. The novel task allowed additionally to measure the influence of another moral concept which was about the non-Kohlbergian moral concept of recompense. After a training phase, pairs of those thoughts were presented to allow for the study of integration and individual differences. German and Korean children, 8, 10, and 12 years in age, judged deserved punishment. The patterns of means, correlations and factor loadings showed that elements of both theories can be unified, but produced unexpected results also. Additive integration of each of the two pairs of moral informers appeared, either with two Kohlbergian moral informers or with another Kohlbergian moral informer in combination with information about recompense. Also cultural independence as well as dependence, developmental changes between 8 and 10 years, and an outstanding moral impact of recompense in size and distinctiveness were observed. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85875 UR - http://www.uv.es/psicologica/articulos3FM.10/16Hommers.pdf ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reiserer, Andreas A. A1 - Huang, Jer-Shing A1 - Hecht, Bert A1 - Brixner, Tobias T1 - Subwavelength broadband splitters and switches for femtosecond plasmonic signals JF - Optics Express N2 - Numerical simulations and an analytic approach based on transmission line theory are used to design splitters for nano-plasmonic signal processing that allow to arbitrarily adjust the ratio of transmission from an input into two different output arms. By adjusting the geometrical parameters of the structure, either a high bandwidth or a sharp transmission resonance is obtained. Switching between the two arms can be achieved by modulating the effective refractive index of the waveguide. Employing the instantaneous Kerr effect, switching rates in the THz regime are potentially feasible. The suggested devices are of interest for future applications in nanoplasmonic information processing. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85889 UR - http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/fulltext.cfm?uri=oe-18-11-11810&id=199640 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Huenig, Siegfried A1 - Huenig, Georg T1 - Cataract Surgery With Implantation of an Artificial Lens Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85908 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Johanssen, Sarah A1 - Hahner, Stefanie A1 - Saeger, Wolfgang A1 - Quinkler, Marcus A1 - Beuschlein, Felix A1 - Dralle, Henning A1 - Haaf, Michaela A1 - Kroiss, Matthias A1 - Jurowich, Christian A1 - Langer, Peter A1 - Oelkers, Wolfgang A1 - Spahn, Martin A1 - Willenberg, Holger S. A1 - Maeder, Uwe A1 - Allolio, Bruno A1 - Fassnacht, Martin T1 - Deficits in the Management of Patients With Adrenocortical Carcinoma in Germany N2 - Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis. Often, the physicians who first treat patients with ACC have no prior experience with the disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of medical care for patients with ACC in Germany. Methods: Data from the German ACC registry were analyzed with regard to the patients’ preoperative diagnostic evaluation, histopathological reporting, and clinical followup. The findings were compared with the recommendations of the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors (ENSAT). Results: Data were analyzed from 387 patients who had been given an initial diagnosis of ACC in the years 1998 to 2009. 21% of them underwent no hormonal evaluation before surgery, and 59% underwent an inadequate hormonal evaluation. This exposed the patients to unnecessary perioperative risks and impaired their follow-up. 48% did not undergo CT scanning of the chest, even though the lungs are the most frequent site of metastases of ACC. For 13% of the patients, the diagnosis of ACC was later revised by a reference pathologist. For 11% of the patients, the histopathology report contained no information about resection status, even though this is an important determinant of further treatment and prognosis. Optimal management requires re-staging at three-month intervals, yet some patients underwent re-staging only after a longer delay, or not at all. Conclusion: We have identified significant deficits in the care of patients with ACC in Germany. We suspect that the situation is similar for other rare diseases. The prerequisite to better care is close and early cooperation of the treating physicians with specialized centers. Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85897 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dietl, Johannes T1 - The Marketing Effect Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85868 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zollner, Ursula A1 - Rehn, Monika A1 - Dietl, Johannes T1 - Perinatal Problems in Multiple Births Inconsistent Terminology Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85850 ER -