TY - JOUR A1 - Walter, Steffen A1 - Gruss, Sascha A1 - Neidlinger, Jana A1 - Stross, Isabelle A1 - Hann, Alexander A1 - Wagner, Martin A1 - Seufferlein, Thomas A1 - Walter, Benjamin T1 - Evaluation of an Objective Measurement Tool for Stress Level Reduction by Individually Chosen Music During Colonoscopy—Results From the Study “ColoRelaxTone” JF - Frontiers in Medicine N2 - Background and Aims: Colonoscopy as standard procedure in endoscopy is often perceived as uncomfortable for patients. Patient's anxiety is therefore a significant issue, which often lead to avoidance of participation of relevant examinations as CRC-screening. Non-pharmacological anxiety management interventions such as music might contribute to relaxation in the phase prior and during endoscopy. Although music's anxiolytic effects have been reported previously, no objective measurement of stress level reduction has been reported yet. Focus of this study was to evaluate the objective measurement of the state of relaxation in patients undergoing colonoscopy. Methods: Prospective study (n = 196) performed at one endoscopic high-volume center. Standard colonoscopy was performed in control group. Interventional group received additionally self-chosen music over earphones. Facial Electromyography (fEMG) activity was obtained. Clinician Satisfaction with Sedation Instrument (CSSI) and Patients Satisfaction with Sedation Instrument (PSSI) was answered by colonoscopists and patients, respectively. Overall satisfaction with music accompanied colonoscopy was obtained if applicable. Results: Mean difference measured by fEMG via musculus zygomaticus major indicated a significantly lower stress level in the music group [7.700(±5.560) μV vs. 4.820(±3.330) μV; p = 0.001]. Clinician satisfaction was significantly higher with patients listening to music [82.69(±15.04) vs. 87.3(±15.02) pts.; p = 0.001]. Patient's satisfaction was higher but did not differ significantly. Conclusions: We conclude that self-chosen music contributes objectively to a reduced stress level for patients and therefore subjectively perceived satisfaction for endoscopists. Therefore, music should be considered as a non-pharmacological treatment method of distress reduction especially in the beginning of endoscopic procedures. KW - colonoscopy KW - anxiety KW - stress level KW - music KW - relaxation Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-212337 VL - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bousquet, Jean A1 - Anto, Josep M. A1 - Bachert, Claus A1 - Haahtela, Tari A1 - Zuberbier, Torsten A1 - Czarlewski, Wienczyslawa A1 - Bedbrook, Anna A1 - Bosnic‐Anticevich, Sinthia A1 - Walter Canonica, G. A1 - Cardona, Victoria A1 - Costa, Elisio A1 - Cruz, Alvaro A. A1 - Erhola, Marina A1 - Fokkens, Wytske J. A1 - Fonseca, Joao A. A1 - Illario, Maddalena A1 - Ivancevich, Juan‐Carlos A1 - Jutel, Marek A1 - Klimek, Ludger A1 - Kuna, Piotr A1 - Kvedariene, Violeta A1 - Le, LTT A1 - Larenas‐Linnemann, Désirée E. A1 - Laune, Daniel A1 - Lourenço, Olga M. A1 - Melén, Erik A1 - Mullol, Joaquim A1 - Niedoszytko, Marek A1 - Odemyr, Mikaëla A1 - Okamoto, Yoshitaka A1 - Papadopoulos, Nikos G. A1 - Patella, Vincenzo A1 - Pfaar, Oliver A1 - Pham‐Thi, Nhân A1 - Rolland, Christine A1 - Samolinski, Boleslaw A1 - Sheikh, Aziz A1 - Sofiev, Mikhail A1 - Suppli Ulrik, Charlotte A1 - Todo‐Bom, Ana A1 - Tomazic, Peter‐Valentin A1 - Toppila‐Salmi, Sanna A1 - Tsiligianni, Ioanna A1 - Valiulis, Arunas A1 - Valovirta, Erkka A1 - Ventura, Maria‐Teresa A1 - Walker, Samantha A1 - Williams, Sian A1 - Yorgancioglu, Arzu A1 - Agache, Ioana A1 - Akdis, Cezmi A. A1 - Almeida, Rute A1 - Ansotegui, Ignacio J. A1 - Annesi‐Maesano, Isabella A1 - Arnavielhe, Sylvie A1 - Basagaña, Xavier A1 - D. Bateman, Eric A1 - Bédard, Annabelle A1 - Bedolla‐Barajas, Martin A1 - Becker, Sven A1 - Bennoor, Kazi S. A1 - Benveniste, Samuel A1 - Bergmann, Karl C. A1 - Bewick, Michael A1 - Bialek, Slawomir A1 - E. Billo, Nils A1 - Bindslev‐Jensen, Carsten A1 - Bjermer, Leif A1 - Blain, Hubert A1 - Bonini, Matteo A1 - Bonniaud, Philippe A1 - Bosse, Isabelle A1 - Bouchard, Jacques A1 - Boulet, Louis‐Philippe A1 - Bourret, Rodolphe A1 - Boussery, Koen A1 - Braido, Fluvio A1 - Briedis, Vitalis A1 - Briggs, Andrew A1 - Brightling, Christopher E. A1 - Brozek, Jan A1 - Brusselle, Guy A1 - Brussino, Luisa A1 - Buhl, Roland A1 - Buonaiuto, Roland A1 - Calderon, Moises A. A1 - Camargos, Paulo A1 - Camuzat, Thierry A1 - Caraballo, Luis A1 - Carriazo, Ana‐Maria A1 - Carr, Warner A1 - Cartier, Christine A1 - Casale, Thomas A1 - Cecchi, Lorenzo A1 - Cepeda Sarabia, Alfonso M. A1 - H. Chavannes, Niels A1 - Chkhartishvili, Ekaterine A1 - Chu, Derek K. A1 - Cingi, Cemal A1 - Correia de Sousa, Jaime A1 - Costa, David J. A1 - Courbis, Anne‐Lise A1 - Custovic, Adnan A1 - Cvetkosvki, Biljana A1 - D'Amato, Gennaro A1 - da Silva, Jane A1 - Dantas, Carina A1 - Dokic, Dejan A1 - Dauvilliers, Yves A1 - De Feo, Giulia A1 - De Vries, Govert A1 - Devillier, Philippe A1 - Di Capua, Stefania A1 - Dray, Gerard A1 - Dubakiene, Ruta A1 - Durham, Stephen R. A1 - Dykewicz, Mark A1 - Ebisawa, Motohiro A1 - Gaga, Mina A1 - El‐Gamal, Yehia A1 - Heffler, Enrico A1 - Emuzyte, Regina A1 - Farrell, John A1 - Fauquert, Jean‐Luc A1 - Fiocchi, Alessandro A1 - Fink‐Wagner, Antje A1 - Fontaine, Jean‐François A1 - Fuentes Perez, José M. A1 - Gemicioğlu, Bilun A1 - Gamkrelidze, Amiran A1 - Garcia‐Aymerich, Judith A1 - Gevaert, Philippe A1 - Gomez, René Maximiliano A1 - González Diaz, Sandra A1 - Gotua, Maia A1 - Guldemond, Nick A. A1 - Guzmán, Maria‐Antonieta A1 - Hajjam, Jawad A1 - Huerta Villalobos, Yunuen R. A1 - Humbert, Marc A1 - Iaccarino, Guido A1 - Ierodiakonou, Despo A1 - Iinuma, Tomohisa A1 - Jassem, Ewa A1 - Joos, Guy A1 - Jung, Ki‐Suck A1 - Kaidashev, Igor A1 - Kalayci, Omer A1 - Kardas, Przemyslaw A1 - Keil, Thomas A1 - Khaitov, Musa A1 - Khaltaev, Nikolai A1 - Kleine‐Tebbe, Jorg A1 - Kouznetsov, Rostislav A1 - Kowalski, Marek L. A1 - Kritikos, Vicky A1 - Kull, Inger A1 - La Grutta, Stefania A1 - Leonardini, Lisa A1 - Ljungberg, Henrik A1 - Lieberman, Philip A1 - Lipworth, Brian A1 - Lodrup Carlsen, Karin C. A1 - Lopes‐Pereira, Catarina A1 - Loureiro, Claudia C. A1 - Louis, Renaud A1 - Mair, Alpana A1 - Mahboub, Bassam A1 - Makris, Michaël A1 - Malva, Joao A1 - Manning, Patrick A1 - Marshall, Gailen D. A1 - Masjedi, Mohamed R. A1 - Maspero, Jorge F. A1 - Carreiro‐Martins, Pedro A1 - Makela, Mika A1 - Mathieu‐Dupas, Eve A1 - Maurer, Marcus A1 - De Manuel Keenoy, Esteban A1 - Melo‐Gomes, Elisabete A1 - Meltzer, Eli O. A1 - Menditto, Enrica A1 - Mercier, Jacques A1 - Micheli, Yann A1 - Miculinic, Neven A1 - Mihaltan, Florin A1 - Milenkovic, Branislava A1 - Mitsias, Dimitirios I. A1 - Moda, Giuliana A1 - Mogica‐Martinez, Maria‐Dolores A1 - Mohammad, Yousser A1 - Montefort, Steve A1 - Monti, Ricardo A1 - Morais‐Almeida, Mario A1 - Mösges, Ralph A1 - Münter, Lars A1 - Muraro, Antonella A1 - Murray, Ruth A1 - Naclerio, Robert A1 - Napoli, Luigi A1 - Namazova‐Baranova, Leyla A1 - Neffen, Hugo A1 - Nekam, Kristoff A1 - Neou, Angelo A1 - Nordlund, Björn A1 - Novellino, Ettore A1 - Nyembue, Dieudonné A1 - O'Hehir, Robyn A1 - Ohta, Ken A1 - Okubo, Kimi A1 - Onorato, Gabrielle L. A1 - Orlando, Valentina A1 - Ouedraogo, Solange A1 - Palamarchuk, Julia A1 - Pali‐Schöll, Isabella A1 - Panzner, Peter A1 - Park, Hae‐Sim A1 - Passalacqua, Gianni A1 - Pépin, Jean‐Louis A1 - Paulino, Ema A1 - Pawankar, Ruby A1 - Phillips, Jim A1 - Picard, Robert A1 - Pinnock, Hilary A1 - Plavec, Davor A1 - Popov, Todor A. A1 - Portejoie, Fabienne A1 - Price, David A1 - Prokopakis, Emmanuel P. A1 - Psarros, Fotis A1 - Pugin, Benoit A1 - Puggioni, Francesca A1 - Quinones‐Delgado, Pablo A1 - Raciborski, Filip A1 - Rajabian‐Söderlund, Rojin A1 - Regateiro, Frederico S. A1 - Reitsma, Sietze A1 - Rivero‐Yeverino, Daniela A1 - Roberts, Graham A1 - Roche, Nicolas A1 - Rodriguez‐Zagal, Erendira A1 - Rolland, Christine A1 - Roller‐Wirnsberger, Regina E. A1 - Rosario, Nelson A1 - Romano, Antonino A1 - Rottem, Menachem A1 - Ryan, Dermot A1 - Salimäki, Johanna A1 - Sanchez‐Borges, Mario M. A1 - Sastre, Joaquin A1 - Scadding, Glenis K. A1 - Scheire, Sophie A1 - Schmid‐Grendelmeier, Peter A1 - Schünemann, Holger J. A1 - Sarquis Serpa, Faradiba A1 - Shamji, Mohamed A1 - Sisul, Juan‐Carlos A1 - Sofiev, Mikhail A1 - Solé, Dirceu A1 - Somekh, David A1 - Sooronbaev, Talant A1 - Sova, Milan A1 - Spertini, François A1 - Spranger, Otto A1 - Stellato, Cristiana A1 - Stelmach, Rafael A1 - Thibaudon, Michel A1 - To, Teresa A1 - Toumi, Mondher A1 - Usmani, Omar A1 - Valero, Antonio A. A1 - Valenta, Rudolph A1 - Valentin‐Rostan, Marylin A1 - Pereira, Marilyn Urrutia A1 - van der Kleij, Rianne A1 - Van Eerd, Michiel A1 - Vandenplas, Olivier A1 - Vasankari, Tuula A1 - Vaz Carneiro, Antonio A1 - Vezzani, Giorgio A1 - Viart, Frédéric A1 - Viegi, Giovanni A1 - Wallace, Dana A1 - Wagenmann, Martin A1 - Wang, De Yun A1 - Waserman, Susan A1 - Wickman, Magnus A1 - Williams, Dennis M. A1 - Wong, Gary A1 - Wroczynski, Piotr A1 - Yiallouros, Panayiotis K. A1 - Yusuf, Osman M. A1 - Zar, Heather J. A1 - Zeng, Stéphane A1 - Zernotti, Mario E. A1 - Zhang, Luo A1 - Shan Zhong, Nan A1 - Zidarn, Mihaela T1 - ARIA digital anamorphosis: Digital transformation of health and care in airway diseases from research to practice JF - Allergy N2 - Digital anamorphosis is used to define a distorted image of health and care that may be viewed correctly using digital tools and strategies. MASK digital anamorphosis represents the process used by MASK to develop the digital transformation of health and care in rhinitis. It strengthens the ARIA change management strategy in the prevention and management of airway disease. The MASK strategy is based on validated digital tools. Using the MASK digital tool and the CARAT online enhanced clinical framework, solutions for practical steps of digital enhancement of care are proposed. KW - ARIA KW - asthma KW - CARAT KW - digital transformation of health and care KW - MASK KW - rhinitis Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228339 VL - 76 IS - 1 SP - 168 EP - 190 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Michael A1 - Steinlein, Claus A1 - Feichtinger, Wolfgang A1 - Haaf, Thomas A1 - Mijares-Urrutia, Abraham A1 - Schargel, Walter E. A1 - Hedges, S. Blair T1 - Cytogenetic Studies on Gonatodes (Reptilia, Squamata, Sphaerodactylidae) JF - Cytogenetic and Genome Research N2 - Mitotic and meiotic chromosomes of 5 species of the reptile genus Gonatodes are described by means of conventional staining, banding analyses and in situ hybridization using a synthetic telomeric DNA probe. The amount, location and fluorochrome affinities of constitutive heterochromatin, the number and positions of nucleolus organizer regions, and the patterns of telomeric DNA sequences were determined for most of the species. The karyotypes of G. falconensis and G. taniae from northern Venezuela are distinguished by their extraordinarily reduced diploid chromosome number of 2n = 16, which is the lowest value found so far in reptiles. In contrast to most other reptiles, both species have exclusively large biarmed (meta- and submetacentric) chromosomes. Comparison of the karyotypes of G. falconensis and G. taniae with those of other Gonatodes species indicates that the exceptional 2n = 16 karyotype originated by a series of 8 centric fusions. The karyotypes of G. falconensis and G. taniae are further characterized by the presence of considerable amounts of (TTAGGG)n telomeric sequences in the centromeric regions of all chromosomes. These are probably not only relics of the centric fusion events, but a component of the highly repetitive DNA in the constitutive heterochromatin of the chromosomes. The genome sizes of 4 Gonatodes species were determined using flow cytometry. For comparative purposes, all previously published cytogenetic data on Gonatodes and other sphaerodactylids are included and discussed. KW - banding analyses KW - FISH KW - geckos KW - karyotype evolution KW - meiotic chromosomes KW - mitotic chromosomes Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196753 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 - 144 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - von Kries, Rüdiger A1 - Weiss, Susanne A1 - Falkenhorst, Gerhard A1 - Wirth, Stephan A1 - Kaiser, Petra A1 - Huppertz, Hans-Iko A1 - Tenenbaum, Tobias A1 - Schroten, Horst A1 - Streng, Andrea A1 - Liese, Johannes A1 - Shai, Sonu A1 - Niehues, Tim A1 - Girschick, Hermann A1 - Kuscher, Ellen A1 - Sauerbrey, Axel A1 - Peters, Jochen A1 - Wirsing von Koenig, Carl Heinz A1 - Rückinger, Simon A1 - Hampl, Walter A1 - Michel, Detlef A1 - Mertens, Thomas T1 - Post-Pandemic Seroprevalence of Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Infection (Swine Flu) among Children < 18 Years in Germany JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Background: We determined antibodies to the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus in children to assess: the incidence of (H1N1) 2009 infections in the 2009/2010 season in Germany, the proportion of subclinical infections and to compare titers in vaccinated and infected children. Methodology/Principal Findings: Eight pediatric hospitals distributed over Germany prospectively provided sera from in-or outpatients aged 1 to 17 years from April 1(st) to July 31(st) 2010. Vaccination history, recall of infections and sociodemographic factors were ascertained. Antibody titers were measured with a sensitive and specific in-house hemagglutination inhibition test (HIT) and compared to age-matched sera collected during 6 months before the onset of the pandemic in Germany. We analyzed 1420 post-pandemic and 300 pre-pandemic sera. Among unvaccinated children aged 1-4 and 5-17 years the prevalence of HI titers (>= 1:10) was 27.1% (95% CI: 23.5-31.3) and 53.5% (95% CI: 50.9-56.2) compared to 1.7% and 5.5%, respectively, for pre-pandemic sera, accounting for a serologically determined incidence of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 during the season 2009/2010 of 25,4% (95% CI : 19.3-30.5) in children aged 1-4 years and 48.0% (95% CI: 42.6-52.0) in 5-17 year old children. Of children with HI titers >= 1: 10, 25.5% (95% CI: 22.5-28.8) reported no history of any infectious disease since June 2009. Among vaccinated children, 92% (95%-CI: 87.0-96.6) of the 5-17 year old but only 47.8% (95%-CI: 33.5-66.5) of the 1-4 year old children exhibited HI titers against influenza A virus (H1N1) 2009. Conclusion: Serologically determined incidence of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 infections in children indicates high infection rates with older children (5-17 years) infected twice as often as younger children. In about a quarter of the children with HI titers after the season 2009/2010 subclinical infections must be assumed. Low HI titers in young children after vaccination with the AS03(B)-adjuvanted split virion vaccine need further scrutiny. KW - Hemagglutination inhibition KW - Vaccine KW - Age KW - Immunogenicity KW - Prevalence KW - Antibody KW - Viruses KW - England KW - Safety KW - Risk Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141698 VL - 6 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Binder, Andreas A1 - May, Denisa A1 - Baron, Ralf A1 - Maier, Christoph A1 - Tölle, Thomas R. A1 - Treede, Rolf-Detlef A1 - Berthele, Achim A1 - Faltraco, Frank A1 - Flor, Herta A1 - Gierthmühlen, Janne A1 - Haenisch, Sierk A1 - Huge, Volker A1 - Magerl, Walter A1 - Maihöfner, Christian A1 - Richter, Helmut A1 - Rolke, Roman A1 - Scherens, Andrea A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Ufer, Mike A1 - Wasner, Gunnar A1 - Zhu, Jihong A1 - Cascorbi, Ingolf T1 - Transient Receptor Potential Channel Polymorphisms Are Associated with the Somatosensory Function in Neuropathic Pain Patients JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Transient receptor potential channels are important mediators of thermal and mechanical stimuli and play an important role in neuropathic pain. The contribution of hereditary variants in the genes of transient receptor potential channels to neuropathic pain is unknown. We investigated the frequency of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1, transient receptor potential melastin 8 and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 single nucleotide polymorphisms and their impact on somatosensory abnormalities in neuropathic pain patients. Within the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (Deutscher Forscbungsverbund Neuropathischer Schmerz) 371 neuropathic pain patients were phenotypically characterized using standardized quantitative sensory testing. Pyrosequencing was employed to determine a total of eleven single nucleotide polymorphisms in transient receptor potential channel genes of the neuropathic pain patients and a cohort of 253 German healthy volunteers. Associations of quantitative sensory testing parameters and single nucleotide polymorphisms between and within groups and subgroups, based on sensory phenotypes, were analyzed. Single nucleotide polymorphisms frequencies did not differ between both the cohorts. However, in neuropathic pain patients transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 710G>A (rs920829, E179K) was associated with the presence of paradoxical heat sensation (p=0.03), and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 1911A>G (rs8065080, I585V) with cold hypoalgesia (p=0.0035). Two main subgroups characterized by preserved (1) and impaired (2) sensory function were identified. In subgroup 1 transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 1911A>G led to significantly less heat hyperalgesia, pinprick hyperalgesia and mechanical hypaesthesia (p=0.006, p=0.005 and p<0.001) and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 1103C>G (rs222747, M315I) to cold hypaesthesia (p=0.002), but there was absence of associations in subgroup 2. In this study we found no evidence that genetic variants of transient receptor potential channels are involved in the expression of neuropathic pain, but transient receptor potential channel polymorphisms contributed significantly to the somatosensory abnormalities of neuropathic pain patients. KW - Paradoxical heat sensation KW - Neurogenic inflammation KW - Capsaicin receptor KW - TRP Channels KW - Cold KW - Mechanisms KW - Hyperalgesia KW - Sensitivity KW - Expression KW - Stimuli Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142782 VL - 6 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seher, Axel A1 - Nickel, Joachim A1 - Mueller, Thomas D. A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Gebhardt, Susanne A1 - Meyer ter Vehn, Tobias A1 - Schlunck, Guenther A1 - Sebald, Walter T1 - Gene expression profiling of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) stimulated primary human tenon fibroblasts reveals an inflammatory and wound healing response in vitro JF - Molecular Vision N2 - Purpose: The biologic relevance of human connective tissue growth factor (hCTGF) for primary human tenon fibroblasts (HTFs) was investigated by RNA expression profiling using affymetrix (TM) oligonucleotide array technology to identify genes that are regulated by hCTGF. Methods: Recombinant hCTGF was expressed in HEK293T cells and purified by affinity and gel chromatography. Specificity and biologic activity of hCTGF was confirmed by biosensor interaction analysis and proliferation assays. For RNA expression profiling HTFs were stimulated with hCTGF for 48h and analyzed using affymetrix (TM) oligonucleotide array technology. Results were validated by real time RT-PCR. Results: hCTGF induces various groups of genes responsible for a wound healing and inflammatory response in HTFs. A new subset of CTGF inducible inflammatory genes was discovered (e.g., chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 1 [CXCL1], chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 6 [CXCL6], interleukin 6 [IL6], and interleukin 8 [IL8]). We also identified genes that can transmit the known biologic functions initiated by CTGF such as proliferation and extracellular matrix remodelling. Of special interest is a group of genes, e.g., osteoglycin (OGN) and osteomodulin (OMD), which are known to play a key role in osteoblast biology. Conclusions: This study specifies the important role of hCTGF for primary tenon fibroblast function. The RNA expression profile yields new insights into the relevance of hCTGF in influencing biologic processes like wound healing, inflammation, proliferation, and extracellular matrix remodelling in vitro via transcriptional regulation of specific genes. The results suggest that CTGF potentially acts as a modulating factor in inflammatory and wound healing response in fibroblasts of the human eye. KW - Bone morphogenetic protein-2 KW - Smooth-muscle-cells KW - Myofibroblast differentiation KW - TGF-beta KW - CYR61 KW - Proliferation KW - Mechanisms KW - Apoptosis KW - Receptor KW - Cancer Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140189 VL - 17 IS - 08. Okt ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Strohmeier, Michael A1 - Walter, Thomas A1 - Rothe, Julian A1 - Montenegro, Sergio T1 - Ultra-wideband based pose estimation for small unmanned aerial vehicles JF - IEEE Access N2 - This paper proposes a 3-D local pose estimation system for a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with a weight limit of 200 g and a very small footprint of 10 cm×10cm. The system is realized by fusing 3-D position estimations from an Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) transceiver network with Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor data and data from a barometric pressure sensor. The 3-D position from the UWB network is estimated using Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS) and range measurements between the transceivers. The range measurements are obtained using Double-Sided Two-Way Ranging (DS-TWR), thus eliminating the need for an additional clock synchronization mechanism. The sensor fusion is accomplished using a loosely coupled Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) architecture. Extensive evaluation of the proposed system shows that a position accuracy with a Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE) of 0.20cm can be obtained. The orientation angle can be estimated with an RMSE of 1.93°. KW - UAV KW - navigation KW - pose estimation KW - distance measurement KW - DecaWave KW - extended Kalman filter KW - UWB Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-177503 VL - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Harth, Stefan A1 - Kotzsch, Alexander A1 - Hu, Junli A1 - Sebald, Walter A1 - Mueller, Thomas D. T1 - A Selection Fit Mechanism in BMP Receptor IA as a Possible Source for BMP Ligand-Receptor Promiscuity N2 - Background: Members of the TGF-b superfamily are characterized by a highly promiscuous ligand-receptor interaction as is readily apparent from the numeral discrepancy of only seven type I and five type II receptors available for more than 40 ligands. Structural and functional studies have been used to address the question of how specific signals can be deduced from a limited number of receptor combinations and to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying the protein-protein recognition that allow such limited specificity. Principal Findings: In this study we have investigated how an antigen binding antibody fragment (Fab) raised against the extracellular domain of the BMP receptor type IA (BMPR-IA) recognizes the receptor’s BMP-2 binding epitope and thereby neutralizes BMP-2 receptor activation. The crystal structure of the complex of the BMPR-IA ectodomain bound to the Fab AbD1556 revealed that the contact surface of BMPR-IA overlaps extensively with the contact surface for BMP-2 interaction. Although the structural epitopes of BMPR-IA to both binding partners coincides, the structures of BMPR-IA in the two complexes differ significantly. In contrast to the structural differences, alanine-scanning mutagenesis of BMPR-IA showed that the functional determinants for binding to the antibody and BMP-2 are almost identical. Conclusions: Comparing the structures of BMPR-IA bound to BMP-2 or bound to the Fab AbD1556 with the structure of unbound BMPR-IA shows that binding of BMPR-IA to its interaction partners follows a selection fit mechanism, possibly indicating that the ligand promiscuity of BMPR-IA is inherently encoded by structural adaptability. The functional and structural analysis of the BMPR-IA binding antibody AbD1556 mimicking the BMP-2 binding epitope may thus pave the way for the design of low-molecular weight synthetic receptor binders/inhibitors. KW - Physiologische Chemie KW - antigen binding antibody fragment (Fab) Y1 - 2010 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68497 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klammert, Uwe A1 - Müller, Thomas D. A1 - Hellmann, Tina V. A1 - Wuerzler, Kristian K. A1 - Kotzsch, Alexander A1 - Schliermann, Anna A1 - Schmitz, Werner A1 - Kuebler, Alexander C. A1 - Sebald, Walter A1 - Nickel, Joachim T1 - GDF-5 can act as a context-dependent BMP-2 antagonist JF - BMC Biology N2 - Background Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and growth and differentiation factor (GDF)-5 are two related transforming growth factor (TGF)-β family members with important functions in embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. BMP-2 is best known for its osteoinductive properties whereas GDF-5—as evident from its alternative name, cartilage derived morphogenetic protein 1—plays an important role in the formation of cartilage. In spite of these differences both factors signal by binding to the same subset of BMP receptors, raising the question how these different functionalities are generated. The largest difference in receptor binding is observed in the interaction with the type I receptor BMPR-IA. GDF-5, in contrast to BMP-2, shows preferential binding to the isoform BMPR-IB, which is abrogated by a single amino acid (A57R) substitution. The resulting variant, GDF-5 R57A, represents a “BMP-2 mimic” with respect to BMP receptor binding. In this study we thus wanted to analyze whether the two growth factors can induce distinct signals via an identically composed receptor. Results Unexpectedly and dependent on the cellular context, GDF-5 R57A showed clear differences in its activity compared to BMP-2. In ATDC-5 cells, both ligands induced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression with similar potency. But in C2C12 cells, the BMP-2 mimic GDF-5 R57A (and also wild-type GDF-5) clearly antagonized BMP-2-mediated ALP expression, despite signaling in both cell lines occurring solely via BMPR-IA. The BMP-2- antagonizing properties of GDF-5 and GDF-5 R57A could also be observed in vivo when implanting BMP-2 and either one of the two GDF-5 ligands simultaneously at heterotopic sites. Conclusions Although comparison of the crystal structures of the GDF-5 R57A:BMPR-IAEC- and BMP-2:BMPR-IAEC complex revealed small ligand-specific differences, these cannot account for the different signaling characteristics because the complexes seem identical in both differently reacting cell lines. We thus predict an additional component, most likely a not yet identified GDF-5-specific co-receptor, which alters the output of the signaling complexes. Hence the presence or absence of this component then switches GDF-5′s signaling capabilities to act either similar to BMP-2 or as a BMP-2 antagonist. These findings might shed new light on the role of GDF-5, e.g., in cartilage maintenance and/or limb development in that it might act as an inhibitor of signaling events initiated by other BMPs. KW - growth and differentiation factor 5 KW - ligand-receptor complex KW - crystal structure KW - antagonist Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125550 VL - 13 IS - 77 ER - TY - THES A1 - Walter, Thomas T1 - Politische Determinanten von Auslandsinvestitionen und Länderrisiken. Eine empirische Untersuchung mit Fallstudien zu Argentinien und Venezuela T1 - Political determinants of foreign investments and country risks. An empirical investigation with case studies on Argentina and Venezuela N2 - In den vergangenen Jahren traten auf den internationalen Kapitalmärkten starke Veränderungen ein. Die Öffnung vieler Länder für den internationalen Kapitalmarkt seit den 1980er Jahren führte allgemein zu einem hohen Anstieg grenzüberschreitender Investitionen. Folgt man der wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Theorie, sollte aber wesentlich mehr Kapital von Industriestaaten in arme Länder fließen als es tatsächlich der Fall ist. Politische Faktoren bzw. politische Länderrisiken sind entscheidende Faktoren zur Erklärung dieses Phänomens. Hauptgegenstand dieser Arbeit ist die Klärung der Wirkungszusammenhänge zwischen Politik, Kapitalflüssen und Länderrisiken. In der Arbeit werden verschiedene Formen internationalen Kapitals unterschieden. Es ist von entscheidender Bedeutung, wie sich politisches Risiko auf unterschiedliche Kapitalflüsse wie Direktinvestitionen und Schuldenflüsse auswirkt. Dem Kreditmarkt und dem Phänomen des Staatsbankrotts kommt hierbei eine Schlüsselrolle zu. Die Frage, unter welchen politischen Voraussetzungen sich Staaten am internationalen Kapitalmarkt verschulden, ist in der Literatur bislang vernachlässigt worden. Dieser Zusammenhang bestimmt jedoch zu einem hohen Grad die Auslandsschulden eines Landes bei gegebener Kreditwürdigkeit. Die Arbeit konzentriert sich nicht nur auf den Faktor politisches Risiko, sondern beleuchtet die Rolle der „Politik“ als Ganzes. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit Schritt wird der theoretische Zusammenhang zwischen politischen Variablen, Wirtschaftswachstum und verschiedenen Kapitalflüssen untersucht und darauf aufbauend Hypothesen gebildet. Im zweiten Schritt wird gezeigt, wie Investoren Politik bzw. politische Risiken hinsichtlich ihrer Investitionsmöglichkeiten wahrnehmen. Dies geschieht anhand der Länderratings, die von Ratingagenturen veröffentlicht werden, um deren Einschätzung der Kreditwürdigkeit eines Landes dem Markt mitzuteilen. Diese Länderratings sind zu einem wichtigen Element im Wettbewerb staatlicher Akteure um die Gunst von Investoren geworden. Neben ökonomischen Determinanten wird das Länderrisiko auch von sozialen und politischen Faktoren beeinflusst. Es zeigt sich, dass gerade politische Risiken nur schwer voraussehbar und kaum operationalisierbar sind. Außerdem wird deutlich, dass es den Trägern der Analyse an Kompetenz gerade bei der Einschätzung politischer Risiken mangelt. Die Regressionsanalysen bilden den dritten Teil der Arbeit und werden mit einem globalen Datenpanel durchgeführt. Ein zweites Sample wird für Lateinamerika, den regionalen Schwerpunkt der Arbeit, erstellt. Es wird unterschieden nach den politischen Determinanten von Direktinvestitionen, Aktieninvestitionen und Schuldenflüssen. Die politischen Determinanten von Länderratings werden separat untersucht. Fallstudien zu Argentinien und Venezuela vervollständigen die Erkenntnisse der Untersuchung. In einem ersten Schritt wird dabei die jeweilige historische Entwicklung der Kapitalflüsse der Länder im Rahmen ihrer ökonomischen und politischen Geschichte analysiert. Daran schließt sich eine Analyse der Perzeption politischer Risiken während der Schuldenkrise der 1980er Jahre an, die beide Länder betraf. Es wird außerdem gezeigt, welche politischen Institutionen Einfluss auf die wirtschaftliche Leistungsfähigkeit beider Länder haben. Hier wird für Venezuela vor allem die auf Öl basierende Rentenökonomie behandelt und im Falle Argentiniens der Fiskalföderalismus. Am Beispiel der liberalen Reformen Anfang der 1990er Jahre wird gezeigt, warum die Länder mit ihrer Politik trotz ähnlicher Bedingungen unterschiedliche Ergebnisse erzielten. Die Fallstudien schließen mit der Analyse jüngerer Krisen und deren Folgen für die Investoren ab. N2 - In recent years there have been strong changes in international capital markets. The access of many countries to international capital markets since the 1980s led to a high increase in cross-border investment. Following economic theory there should be much more capital flowing from developed countries to poor countries than there is actually. Political factors and political risks are key factors to explain this phenomenon. The main goal of this thesis is to clarify the interdependencies between political factors, capital flows and country risks. The first chapter contains an analysis of the political determinants of economic growth and capital flows. The second chapter shows how investors perceive political risks while analyzing their investment opportunities. Therefore sovereign ratings published by credit rating agencies are examined. The analysis of rating agencies shows that they lack the skills to assess political risks adequately. The third chapter contains panel data regressions with a global data panel and second sample for Latin America. Political determinants of FDI, portfolio equity investment and debt flows are analyzed. The political determinants of sovereign ratings are examined separately. The fourth chapter contains case studies on Argentina and Venezuela. The historical development of financial flows is linked to the countries’ political history. Subsequently the perception of political risks during the debt crisis of the 1980s is demonstrated on the basis of newspapers and rating publications. It is also shown how political institutions influence the economic performance of both countries. For Venezuela this is in particular the oil-based rentier economy and for Argentina the fiscal federalism. The liberal reforms in the early 1990s and their different outcomes are compared in the next step. The case studies conclude with the analysis of recent crises in these countries and their consequences for direct and debt investors. KW - Länderrisiko KW - Länderrating KW - Venezuela KW - Argentinien KW - Auslandsinvestition KW - Internationale Kapitalbewegung KW - Vergleichende politische Wissenschaft KW - Ratingagentur KW - Direktinvestition KW - Portfolio-Investition KW - Internationale Verschuldung KW - Lucas-Paradox KW - Staatsbankrott KW - Political risk KW - international capital movements KW - country risk KW - Argentina KW - Venezuela Y1 - 2008 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48110 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baune, Bernhard T. A1 - Konrad, Carsten A1 - Grotegerd, Dominik A1 - Suslow, Thomas A1 - Birosova, Eva A1 - Ohrmann, Patricia A1 - Bauer, Jochen A1 - Arolt, Volker A1 - Heindel, Walter A1 - Domschke, Katharina A1 - Schöning, Sonja A1 - Rauch, Astrid V. A1 - Uhlmann, Christina A1 - Kugel, Harald A1 - Dannlowski, Udo T1 - Interleukin-6 gene (IL-6): a possible role in brain morphology in the healthy adult brain JF - Journal of Neuroinflammation N2 - Background: Cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) have been implicated in dual functions in neuropsychiatric disorders. Little is known about the genetic predisposition to neurodegenerative and neuroproliferative properties of cytokine genes. In this study the potential dual role of several IL-6 polymorphisms in brain morphology is investigated. Methodology: In a large sample of healthy individuals (N = 303), associations between genetic variants of IL-6 (rs1800795; rs1800796, rs2069833, rs2069840) and brain volume (gray matter volume) were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Selection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) followed a tagging SNP approach (e. g., Stampa algorigthm), yielding a capture 97.08% of the variation in the IL-6 gene using four tagging SNPs. Principal findings/results In a whole-brain analysis, the polymorphism rs1800795 (-174 C/G) showed a strong main effect of genotype (43 CC vs. 150 CG vs. 100 GG; x = 24, y = -10, z = -15; F(2,286) = 8.54, p(uncorrected) = 0.0002; p(AlphaSim-corrected) = 0.002; cluster size k = 577) within the right hippocampus head. Homozygous carriers of the G-allele had significantly larger hippocampus gray matter volumes compared to heterozygous subjects. None of the other investigated SNPs showed a significant association with grey matter volume in whole-brain analyses. Conclusions/significance: These findings suggest a possible neuroprotective role of the G-allele of the SNP rs1800795 on hippocampal volumes. Studies on the role of this SNP in psychiatric populations and especially in those with an affected hippocampus (e.g., by maltreatment, stress) are warranted. KW - aging brain KW - hippocampal neurogenesis KW - cholinergic neurons KW - neurothrophic factor KW - Alzheimers disease KW - neurite outgrowth KW - inflammatory cytokines KW - major depression KW - nervour system KW - dentate gyrus KW - genetics KW - inflammation KW - interleukin 6 KW - neuroprotection KW - voxel-based morphometry Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130804 VL - 9 IS - 125 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mueller, Thomas D. A1 - Fiebig, Juliane E. A1 - Weidauer, Stella E. A1 - Qiu, Li-Yan A1 - Bauer, Markus A1 - Schmieder, Peter A1 - Beerbaum, Monika A1 - Zhang, Jin-Li A1 - Oschkinat, Hartmut A1 - Sebald, Walter T1 - The Clip-Segment of the von Willebrand Domain 1 of the BMP Modulator Protein Crossveinless 2 Is Preformed JF - Molecules N2 - Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) are secreted protein hormones that act as morphogens and exert essential roles during embryonic development of tissues and organs. Signaling by BMPs occurs via hetero-oligomerization of two types of serine/threonine kinase transmembrane receptors. Due to the small number of available receptors for a large number of BMP ligands ligand-receptor promiscuity presents an evident problem requiring additional regulatory mechanisms for ligand-specific signaling. Such additional regulation is achieved through a plethora of extracellular antagonists, among them members of the Chordin superfamily, that modulate BMP signaling activity by binding. The key-element in Chordin-related antagonists for interacting with BMPs is the von Willebrand type C (VWC) module, which is a small domain of about 50 to 60 residues occurring in many different proteins. Although a structure of the VWC domain of the Chordin-member Crossveinless 2 (CV2) bound to BMP-2 has been determined by X-ray crystallography, the molecular mechanism by which the VWC domain binds BMPs has remained unclear. Here we present the NMR structure of the Danio rerio CV2 VWC1 domain in its unbound state showing that the key features for high affinity binding to BMP-2 is a pre-oriented peptide loop. KW - bone morphogenetic proteins KW - TGF-β superfamily KW - BMP antagonist KW - protein-protein recognition KW - NMR spectroscopy KW - von Willebrand type C domain Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-97196 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kübler, Norbert A1 - Reuther, Jürgen A1 - Kirchner, Thomas A1 - Priessnitz, Bernd A1 - Sebald, Walter T1 - Osteoinductive, morphologic, and biomechanical properties of autolyzed, antigen-extracted, allogeneic human bone N2 - Autolyzed, antigen-extracted, allogeneic (AAA) bone was prepared from human cortical bone and its morphologic, biomechanical, and osteoinductive properlies were compared with untreated (frozen) as well as lyophilized human bone. Scanning electron microscopy revealed removal of inprganic calcium phosphates and persistence of shrunken collagen fibrils on the surface of AAA bone matrix. Biomechanical testing of differently prepared bone samples showed that lyophilization increased both the modulus of elasticity (P < .00001) and the compressive strength (P < .00001 ). Depending on the depth of decalcification in the preparation of AAA bone, both measured values decreased in rehydrated AAA bone compared with untreated bone {P < .00001 ). Completely demineralized and rehydrated AAA bone was soft, flexible, and showed very little compressive strength. Differences in biomechanical behavior between samples drilled longitudinally or perpendicularly to the diaphyseal bone axis were observed. Xenogeneic human bone samples were implanted in muscle pouches of Sprague-Dawley rats for 6 weeks. AAA bone implants showed chondrogenesis and osteogenesis in 50% of the cases, while untreated or lyophilized bone implants induced no new cartilage or bone formation. As decalcification exposed xenogeneic organic matrix components, AAA bone implants provoked the highest inflammatory reaction. When AAA bone samples were implanted in immunosuppressed rats, the inflammatory reaction was suppressed and 94o/o of the implants showed endochondral bone formation. The chondroinductivity of the bone samples also was tested in vitro using neonatal rat muscle tissue to avoid interference with inflammatory cells and secreted cytokines. In this assay, 68°/o of AAA bone samples induced chondroneogenesis, while untreated as weil as lyophilized bone samples failed to induce any cartilage formation. The results clearly dernonstrafe that AAA bone has osteoinductive properties. Biomechanical stability of AAA bone implants depends on the degree of demineralization. Thus, they can be prepared in an appropriate manner for different indications in oral and maxillofacial surgery. KW - Mund-Kiefer-Gesichts-Chirurgie KW - Oralchirurgie Y1 - 1993 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-86715 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schleicher, Bernd A1 - Arbet-Engels, Axel A1 - Baack, Dominik A1 - Balbo, Matteo A1 - Biland, Adrian A1 - Blank, Michael A1 - Bretz, Thomas A1 - Bruegge, Kai A1 - Bulinski, Michael A1 - Buss, Jens A1 - Doerr, Manuel A1 - Dorner, Daniela A1 - Elsaesser, Dominik A1 - Grischagin, Sergej A1 - Hildebrand, Dorothee A1 - Linhoff, Lena A1 - Mannheim, Karl A1 - Mueller, Sebastian Achim A1 - Neise, Dominik A1 - Neronov, Andrii A1 - Noethe, Maximilian A1 - Paravac, Aleksander A1 - Rhode, Wolfgang A1 - Schulz, Florian A1 - Sedlaczek, Kevin A1 - Shukla, Amit A1 - Sliusar, Vitalii A1 - Willert, Elan A1 - Walter, Roland T1 - Fractional Variability—A Tool to Study Blazar Variability JF - Galaxies N2 - Active Galactic Nuclei emit radiation over the whole electromagnetic spectrum up to TeV energies. Blazars are one subtype with their jets pointing towards the observer. One of their typical features is extreme variability on timescales, from minutes to years. The fractional variability is an often used parameter for investigating the degree of variability of a light curve. Different detection methods and sensitivities of the instruments result in differently binned data and light curves with gaps. As they can influence the physics interpretation of the broadband variability, the effects of these differences on the fractional variability need to be studied. In this paper, we study the systematic effects of completeness in time coverage and the sampling rate. Using public data from instruments monitoring blazars in various energy ranges, we study the variability of the bright TeV blazars Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 over the electromagnetic spectrum, taking into account the systematic effects, and compare our findings with previous results. Especially in the TeV range, the fractional variability is higher than in previous studies, which can be explained by the much longer (seven years compared to few weeks) and more complete data sample. KW - blazars KW - variability KW - fractional variability KW - active galactic nuclei Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-197348 SN - 2075-4434 VL - 7 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Temme, Fabian A1 - Adam, Jan A1 - Ahnen, Max L. A1 - Baack, Dominik A1 - Balbo, Matteo A1 - Bergmann, Matthias A1 - Biland, Adrian A1 - Blank, Michael A1 - Bretz, Thomas A1 - Brügge, Kai A. A1 - Buss, Jens A1 - Dmytriiev, Anton A1 - Dorner, Daniela A1 - Einecke, Sabrina A1 - Hempfling, Christina A1 - Hildebrand, Dorothee A1 - Hughes, Gareth A1 - Linhoff, Lena A1 - Mannheim, Karl A1 - Müller, Sebastian A1 - Neise, Dominik A1 - Neronov, Andrii A1 - Nöthe, Max A1 - Paravac, Aleksander A1 - Pauss, Felicitas A1 - Rhode, Wolfgang A1 - Shukla, Amit A1 - Thaele, Julia A1 - Walter, Roland T1 - Long-Term monitoring of bright blazars in the multi-GeV to TeV range with FACT JF - Galaxies N2 - Blazars like Markarian 421 or Markarian 501 are active galactic nuclei (AGN), with their jets orientated towards the observer. They are among the brightest objects in the very high energy (VHE) gamma ray regime (>100 GeV). Their emitted gamma-ray fluxes are extremely variable, with changing activity levels on timescales between minutes, months, and even years. Several questions are part of the current research, such as the question of the emission regions or the engine of the AGN and the particle acceleration. A dedicated longterm monitoring program is necessary to investigate the properties of blazars in detail. A densely sampled and unbiased light curve allows for observation of both high and low states of the sources, and the combination with multi-wavelength observation could contribute to the answer of several questions mentioned above. FACT (First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope) is the first operational telescope using silicon photomultiplier (SiPM, also known as Geigermode—Avalanche Photo Diode, G-APD) as photon detectors. SiPM have a very homogenous and stable longterm performance, and allow operation even during full moon without any filter, leading to a maximal duty cycle for an Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope (IACT). Hence, FACT is an ideal device for such a longterm monitoring of bright blazars. A small set of sources (e.g., Markarian 421, Markarian 501, 1ES 1959+650, and 1ES 2344+51.4) is currently being monitored. In this contribution, the FACT telescope and the concept of longterm monitoring of bright blazars will be introduced. The results of the monitoring program will be shown, and the advantages of densely sampled and unbiased light curves will be discussed. KW - Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope KW - First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope KW - very high energy gamma rays KW - long-term monitoring KW - silicon photo multiplier Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-198088 SN - 2075-4434 VL - 5 IS - 1 PB - MDPI ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Aeschlimann, Martin A1 - Brixner, Tobias A1 - Cinchetti, Mirko A1 - Frisch, Benjamin A1 - Hecht, Bert A1 - Hensen, Matthias A1 - Huber, Bernhard A1 - Kramer, Christian A1 - Krauss, Enno A1 - Loeber, Thomas H. A1 - Pfeiffer, Walter A1 - Piecuch, Martin A1 - Thielen, Philip T1 - Cavity-assisted ultrafast long-range periodic energy transfer between plasmonic nanoantennas JF - Light: Science & Applications N2 - Radiationless energy transfer is at the core of diverse phenomena, such as light harvesting in photosynthesis\(^1\), energy-transfer-based microspectroscopies\(^2\), nanoscale quantum entanglement\(^3\) and photonic-mode hybridization\(^4\). Typically, the transfer is efficient only for separations that are much shorter than the diffraction limit. This hampers its application in optical communication and quantum information processing, which require spatially selective addressing. Here, we demonstrate highly efficient radiationless coherent energy transfer over a distance of twice the excitation wavelength by combining localized and delocalized\(^5\) plasmonic modes. Analogous to the Tavis-Cummings model, two whispering-gallery-mode antennas\(^6\) placed in the foci of an elliptical plasmonic cavity\(^7\) fabricated from single-crystal gold plates act as a pair of oscillators coupled to a common cavity mode. Time-resolved two-photon photoemission electron microscopy (TR 2P-PEEM) reveals an ultrafast long-range periodic energy transfer in accordance with the simulations. Our observations open perspectives for the optimization and tailoring of mesoscopic energy transfer and long-range quantum emitter coupling. KW - chemistry KW - nanocavities KW - nanophotonics and plasmonics KW - photonic devices Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-173265 VL - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seher, Axel A1 - Lagler, Charlotte A1 - Stühmer, Thorsten A1 - Müller-Richter, Urs Dietmar Achim A1 - Kübler, Alexander Christian A1 - Sebald, Walter A1 - Müller, Thomas Dieter A1 - Nickel, Joachim T1 - Utilizing BMP-2 muteins for treatment of multiple myeloma JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Multiple myeloma (MM) represents a haematological cancer characterized by the pathological hyper proliferation of antibody-producing B-lymphocytes. Patients typically suffer from kidney malfunction and skeletal disorders. In the context of MM, the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) member Activin A was recently identified as a promoter of both accompanying symptoms. Because studies have shown that bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2-mediated activities are counteracted by Activin A, we analysed whether BMP2, which also binds to the Activin A receptors ActRII and ActRIIB but activates the alternative SMAD-1/5/8 pathway, can be used to antagonize Activin A activities, such as in the context of MM. Therefore three BMP2 derivatives were generated with modified binding activities for the type II (ActRIIB) and/or type I receptor (BMPRIA) showing either increased or decreased BMP2 activity. In the context of MM these BMP2 muteins show two functionalities since they act as a) an anti-proliferative/apoptotic agent against neoplastic B-cells, b) as a bone-formation promoting growth factor. The molecular basis of both activities was shown in two different cellular models to clearly rely on the properties of the investigated BMP2 muteins to compete for the binding of Activin A to the Activin type II receptors. The experimental outcome suggests new therapeutic strategies using BMP2 variants in the treatment of MM-related pathologies. KW - multiple myeloma KW - signaling KW - cell proliferation KW - cell binding KW - membrane receptor signaling KW - BMP KW - gene expression KW - B cell receptors KW - B cells Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158144 VL - 12 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grzesik, Benjamin A1 - Baumann, Tom A1 - Walter, Thomas A1 - Flederer, Frank A1 - Sittner, Felix A1 - Dilger, Erik A1 - Gläsner, Simon A1 - Kirchler, Jan-Luca A1 - Tedsen, Marvyn A1 - Montenegro, Sergio A1 - Stoll, Enrico T1 - InnoCube — a wireless satellite platform to demonstrate innovative technologies JF - Aerospace N2 - A new innovative satellite mission, the Innovative CubeSat for Education (InnoCube), is addressed. The goal of the mission is to demonstrate “the wireless satellite”, which replaces the data harness by robust, high-speed, real-time, very short-range radio communications using the SKITH (SKIpTheHarness) technology. This will make InnoCube the first wireless satellite in history. Another technology demonstration is an experimental energy-storing satellite structure that was developed in the previous Wall#E project and might replace conventional battery technology in the future. As a further payload, the hardware for the concept of a software-based solution for receiving signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) will be developed to enable precise position determination of the CubeSat. Aside from technical goals this work aims to be of use in the teaching of engineering skills and practical sustainable education of students, important technical and scientific publications, and the increase of university skills. This article gives an overview of the overall design of the InnoCube. KW - CubeSat KW - wireless-bus KW - harness free satellite KW - satellite technology KW - CubeSat GNSS KW - laser ranging KW - structural battery KW - dependable software KW - Rodos Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-239564 SN - 2226-4310 VL - 8 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bonig, Halvard A1 - Kuçi, Zyrafete A1 - Kuçi, Selim A1 - Bakhtiar, Shahrzad A1 - Basu, Oliver A1 - Bug, Gesine A1 - Dennis, Mike A1 - Greil, Johann A1 - Barta, Aniko A1 - Kállay, Krisztián M. A1 - Lang, Peter A1 - Lucchini, Giovanna A1 - Pol, Raj A1 - Schulz, Ansgar A1 - Sykora, Karl-Walter A1 - Teichert von Luettichau, Irene A1 - Herter-Sprie, Grit A1 - Ashab Uddin, Mohammad A1 - Jenkin, Phil A1 - Alsultan, Abdulrahman A1 - Buechner, Jochen A1 - Stein, Jerry A1 - Kelemen, Agnes A1 - Jarisch, Andrea A1 - Soerensen, Jan A1 - Salzmann-Manrique, Emilia A1 - Hutter, Martin A1 - Schäfer, Richard A1 - Seifried, Erhard A1 - Paneesha, Shankara A1 - Novitzky-Basso, Igor A1 - Gefen, Aharon A1 - Nevo, Neta A1 - Beutel, Gernot A1 - Schlegel, Paul-Gerhardt A1 - Klingebiel, Thomas A1 - Bader, Peter T1 - Children and adults with Refractory acute Graft-versus-Host Disease respond to treatment with the Mesenchymal Stromal cell preparation “MSC-FFM”—Outcome report of 92 patients JF - Cells N2 - (1) Background: Refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (R-aGvHD) remains a leading cause of death after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Survival rates of 15% after four years are currently achieved; deaths are only in part due to aGvHD itself, but mostly due to adverse effects of R-aGvHD treatment with immunosuppressive agents as these predispose patients to opportunistic infections and loss of graft-versus-leukemia surveillance resulting in relapse. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) from different tissues and those generated by various protocols have been proposed as a remedy for R-aGvHD but the enthusiasm raised by initial reports has not been ubiquitously reproduced. (2) Methods: We previously reported on a unique MSC product, which was generated from pooled bone marrow mononuclear cells of multiple third-party donors. The products showed dose-to-dose equipotency and greater immunosuppressive capacity than individually expanded MSCs from the same donors. This product, MSC-FFM, has entered clinical routine in Germany where it is licensed with a national hospital exemption authorization. We previously reported satisfying initial clinical outcomes, which we are now updating. The data were collected in our post-approval pharmacovigilance program, i.e., this is not a clinical study and the data is high-level and non-monitored. (3) Results: Follow-up for 92 recipients of MSC-FFM was reported, 88 with GvHD ≥°III, one-third only steroid-refractory and two-thirds therapy resistant (refractory to steroids plus ≥2 additional lines of treatment). A median of three doses of MSC-FFM was administered without apparent toxicity. Overall response rates were 82% and 81% at the first and last evaluation, respectively. At six months, the estimated overall survival was 64%, while the cumulative incidence of death from underlying disease was 3%. (4) Conclusions: MSC-FFM promises to be a safe and efficient treatment for severe R-aGvHD. KW - graft-versus host KW - transplantation KW - mesenchymal stromal cell KW - cell therapy KW - hospital exemption KW - steroid-resistant aGvHD KW - refractory aGvHD Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-193878 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 8 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Walter, Thomas A1 - Degen, Jacqueline A1 - Pfeiffer, Keram A1 - Stöckl, Anna A1 - Montenegro, Sergio A1 - Degen, Tobias T1 - A new innovative real-time tracking method for flying insects applicable under natural conditions JF - BMC Zoology N2 - Background Sixty percent of all species are insects, yet despite global efforts to monitor animal movement patterns, insects are continuously underrepresented. This striking difference between species richness and the number of species monitored is not due to a lack of interest but rather to the lack of technical solutions. Often the accuracy and speed of established tracking methods is not high enough to record behavior and react to it experimentally in real-time, which applies in particular to small flying animals. Results Our new method of real-time tracking relates to frequencies of solar radiation which are almost completely absorbed by traveling through the atmosphere. For tracking, photoluminescent tags with a peak emission (1400 nm), which lays in such a region of strong absorption through the atmosphere, were attached to the animals. The photoluminescent properties of passivated lead sulphide quantum dots were responsible for the emission of light by the tags and provide a superb signal-to noise ratio. We developed prototype markers with a weight of 12.5 mg and a diameter of 5 mm. Furthermore, we developed a short wave infrared detection system which can record and determine the position of an animal in a heterogeneous environment with a delay smaller than 10 ms. With this method we were able to track tagged bumblebees as well as hawk moths in a flight arena that was placed outside on a natural meadow. Conclusion Our new method eliminates the necessity of a constant or predictable environment for many experimental setups. Furthermore, we postulate that the developed matrix-detector mounted to a multicopter will enable tracking of small flying insects, over medium range distances (>1000m) in the near future because: a) the matrix-detector equipped with an 70 mm interchangeable lens weighs less than 380 g, b) it evaluates the position of an animal in real-time and c) it can directly control and communicate with electronic devices. KW - natural environment KW - insect tracking KW - real-time KW - movement ecology KW - heterogeneous background Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-265716 VL - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dong, Meng A1 - Böpple, Kathrin A1 - Thiel, Julia A1 - Winkler, Bernd A1 - Liang, Chunguang A1 - Schueler, Julia A1 - Davies, Emma J. A1 - Barry, Simon T. A1 - Metsalu, Tauno A1 - Mürdter, Thomas E. A1 - Sauer, Georg A1 - Ott, German A1 - Schwab, Matthias A1 - Aulitzky, Walter E. T1 - Perfusion air culture of precision-cut tumor slices: an ex vivo system to evaluate individual drug response under controlled culture conditions JF - Cells N2 - Precision-cut tumor slices (PCTS) maintain tissue heterogeneity concerning different cell types and preserve the tumor microenvironment (TME). Typically, PCTS are cultured statically on a filter support at an air–liquid interface, which gives rise to intra-slice gradients during culture. To overcome this problem, we developed a perfusion air culture (PAC) system that can provide a continuous and controlled oxygen medium, and drug supply. This makes it an adaptable ex vivo system for evaluating drug responses in a tissue-specific microenvironment. PCTS from mouse xenografts (MCF-7, H1437) and primary human ovarian tumors (primary OV) cultured in the PAC system maintained the morphology, proliferation, and TME for more than 7 days, and no intra-slice gradients were observed. Cultured PCTS were analyzed for DNA damage, apoptosis, and transcriptional biomarkers for the cellular stress response. For the primary OV slices, cisplatin treatment induced a diverse increase in the cleavage of caspase-3 and PD-L1 expression, indicating a heterogeneous response to drug treatment between patients. Immune cells were preserved throughout the culturing period, indicating that immune therapy can be analyzed. The novel PAC system is suitable for assessing individual drug responses and can thus be used as a preclinical model to predict in vivo therapy responses. KW - precision-cut tumor slices KW - perfusion culture KW - tumor microenvironment KW - ovarian tumor KW - individual drug responses KW - mouse xenografts KW - preclinical model KW - personalized medicine Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-311030 SN - 2073-4409 VL - 12 IS - 5 ER -