The 10 most recently published documents
Am 1. Januar 2018 ist in Belgien ein Gesetz in Kraft getreten, das das belgische Mobiliarkreditsicherungsrechts grundlegend ändert und modernisiert. Dieses Buch setzt sich zum einen mit den verschiedenen Etappen des Gesetzgebungsprozesses und dem Wandel des gesetzlichen Systems auseinander. Zum anderen werden die neuen Regelungen aus rechtsvergleichender Perspektive betrachtet. Dabei wird insbesondere das Registrierungssystem in den Fokus gerückt und ein Vergleich mit internationalen Vorbildern und Modellgesetzen angestellt. Letztendlich wird die Frage beantwortet, ob das belgische Reformgesetz seiner hauptsächlichen Inspirationsquelle, Art. 9 UCC, gerecht wird und ob es selbst als Vorbild für Reformen – wie der belgische Gesetzgeber hofft – tauglich ist.
Fluorescence Dequenching Makes Haem-Free Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Detectable in Living Cells
(2011)
In cardiovascular disease, the protective NO/sGC/cGMP signalling-pathway is impaired due to a decreased pool of NO-sensitive haem-containing sGC accompanied by a reciprocal increase in NO-insensitive haem-free sGC. However, no direct method to detect cellular haem-free sGC other than its activation by the new therapeutic class of haem mimetics, such as BAY 58-2667, is available. Here we show that fluorescence dequenching, based on the interaction of the optical active prosthetic haem group and the attached biarsenical fluorophor FlAsH can be used to detect changes in cellular sGC haem status. The partly overlap of the emission spectrum of haem and FlAsH allows energy transfer from the fluorophore to the haem which reduces the intensity of FlAsH fluorescence. Loss of the prosthetic group, e. g. by oxidative stress or by replacement with the haem mimetic BAY 58-2667, prevented the energy transfer resulting in increased fluorescence. Haem loss was corroborated by an observed decrease in NO-induced sGC activity, reduced sGC protein levels, and an increased effect of BAY 58-2667. The use of a haem-free sGC mutant and a biarsenical dye that was not quenched by haem as controls further validated that the increase in fluorescence was due to the loss of the prosthetic haem group. The present approach is based on the cellular expression of an engineered sGC variant limiting is applicability to recombinant expression systems. Nevertheless, it allows to monitor sGC's redox regulation in living cells and future enhancements might be able to extend this approach to in vivo conditions.
Das Mantelzelllymphom (MCL) gehört zu den aggressiven, mit bislang zur Verfügung
stehenden Therapien nicht heilbaren, Non-Hodgkin-Lymphomen (NHL). Das MCL
weist eine schlechte Prognose auf. Charakteristisch für das MCL ist die t(11,14)-
Translokation, die das Cyclin D1- Gen betrifft. Darüber hinaus finden sich zahlreiche
weitere genetische Alterationen mit Häufung bestimmter Zugewinne und Verluste von
genetischem Material. Einer der am häufigsten chromosomal zugewonnene Abschnitte
in MCL ist der kurze Arm von Chromosom 7 (7p). In Fällen mit dieser genetischen
Veränderung fand sich das IMP3/IGF2BP3-Gen (Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNAbinding
protein 3) unter den am stärksten differentiell exprimierten Genen.
In dieser Arbeit konnte in einer immunhistochemischen Analyse eine stark variable
IMP3-Protein-Expression in einer Serie von insgesamt 172 primären MCL gezeigt
werden. Darüber hinaus fand sich in diesem Kollektiv eine signifikante Korrelation der
IMP3-Expression mit der Proliferationsfraktion (Ki67-Immunhistochemie) sowie auch
eine Assoziation mit einer blastoiden Morphologie. Es konnte jedoch letztlich keine
statistisch signifikante Assoziation der IMP-3-Protein-Expression mit einem
chromosomalen Zugewinn von 7p, dem Genort von IMP3, nachgewiesen werden, so
dass hier offenbar auch noch andere Mechanismen für die Regulation eine wichtige
Rolle spielen. In einer darüber hinaus untersuchten Vergleichsgruppe von 20 Fällen von
Lymphknoten mit Infiltraten durch ein small lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL) zeigte sich
insgesamt nur eine geringe IMP3-Expression.
Der Befund einer vermehrten IMP3-Protein-Expression in einer Teilgruppe von MCL
mit erhöhter Tumorzellproliferation unterstützt die Idee, dass eine Aktivierung des IGFSignalweges
in MCL möglicherweise die Proliferation und biologische Aggressivität
begünstigt. Daher könnte eine therapeutische Manipulation dieses Signalweges
vermutlich eine zukünftige therapeutische Option für das MCL darstellen.
In this thesis various aspects of Quality of Experience (QoE) research are examined. The work is divided into three major blocks: QoE Assessment, QoE Monitoring, and VNF Performance Evaluation. First, prominent cloud applications such as Google Docs and a cloud-based photo album are explored. The QoE is characterized and the influence of packet loss and delay is studied. Afterwards, objective QoE monitoring for HTTP Adaptive Video Streaming (HAS) in the cloud is investigated. Additionally, by using a Virtual Network Function (VNF) for QoE monitoring in the cloud, the feasibility of an interworking of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and cloud paradigm is evaluated. To this end, a VNF that exploits deep packet inspection technique was used to parse the video traffic. An algorithm is then designed accordingly to estimate video quality and QoE based on network and application layer parameters. To assess the accuracy of the estimation, the VNF is measured in different scenarios under different network QoS and the virtual environment of the cloud architecture. The insights show that the different geographical deployments of the VNF influence the accuracy of the video quality and QoE estimation. Various Service Function Chain (SFC) placement algorithms have been proposed and compared in the context of edge cloud networks. On the one hand, this research is aimed at cloud service providers by providing methods for evaluating QoE for cloud applications. On the other hand, network operators can learn the pitfalls and disadvantages of using the NFV paradigm for such a QoE monitoring mechanism.
Estimating flood risks and managing disasters combines knowledge in climatology, meteorology, hydrology, hydraulic engineering, statistics, planning and geography - thus a complex multi-faceted problem. This study focuses on the capabilities of multi-source remote sensing data to support decision-making before, during and after a flood event. With our focus on urbanized areas, sample methods and applications show multi-scale products from the hazard and vulnerability perspective of the risk framework. From the hazard side, we present capabilities with which to assess flood-prone areas before an expected disaster. Then we map the spatial impact during or after a flood and finally, we analyze damage grades after a flood disaster. From the vulnerability side, we monitor urbanization over time on an urban footprint level, classify urban structures on an individual building level, assess building stability and quantify probably affected people. The results show a large database for sustainable development and for developing mitigation strategies, ad-hoc coordination of relief measures and organizing rehabilitation.
Introduction
CD4+ T cells express K2P5.1 (TWIK-related acid-sensitive potassium channel 2 (TASK2); KCNK5), a member of the two-pore domain potassium channel family, which has been shown to influence T cell effector functions. Recently, it was shown that K2P5.1 is upregulated upon (autoimmune) T cell stimulation. The aim of this study was to correlate expression levels of K2P5.1 on T cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to disease activity in these patients.
Methods
Expression levels of K2P5.1 were measured by RT-PCR in the peripheral blood of 58 patients with RA and correlated with disease activity parameters (C-reactive protein levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, disease activity score (DAS28) scores). Twenty patients undergoing therapy change were followed-up for six months. Additionally, synovial fluid and synovial biopsies were investigated for T lymphocytes expressing K2P5.1.
Results
K2P5.1 expression levels in CD4+ T cells show a strong correlation to DAS28 scores in RA patients. Similar correlations were found for serological inflammatory parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein). In addition, K2P5.1 expression levels of synovial fluid-derived T cells are higher compared to peripheral blood T cells. Prospective data in individual patients show a parallel behaviour of K2P5.1 expression to disease activity parameters during a longitudinal follow-up for six months.
Conclusions
Disease activity in RA patients correlates strongly with K2P5.1 expression levels in CD4+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood in cross-sectional as well as in longitudinal observations. Further studies are needed to investigate the exact pathophysiological mechanisms and to evaluate the possible use of K2P5.1 as a potential biomarker for disease activity and differential diagnosis.
Growth factor induced signaling cascades are key regulatory elements in tissue development, maintenance and regeneration. Perturbations of these cascades have severe consequences, leading to developmental disorders and neoplastic diseases. As a major function in signal transduction, activating mutations in RAF family kinases are the cause of human tumorigenesis, where B-RAF V600E has been identified as the prevalent mutant. In order to address the oncogenic function of B-RAF V600E, we have generated transgenic mice expressing the activated oncogene specifically in lung alveolar epithelial type II cells. Constitutive expression of B-RAF V600E caused abnormalities in alveolar epithelium formation that led to airspace enlargements. These lung lesions showed signs of tissue remodeling and were often associated with chronic inflammation and low incidence of lung tumors. The inflammatory cell infiltration did not precede the formation of the lung lesions but was rather accompanied with late tumor development. These data support a model where the continuous regenerative process initiated by oncogenic B-RAF-driven alveolar disruption provides a tumor-promoting environment associated with chronic inflammation.
Ill-posed optimization problems appear in a wide range of mathematical applications, and their numerical solution requires the use of appropriate regularization techniques. In order to understand these techniques, a thorough analysis is inevitable.
The main subject of this book are quadratic optimal control problems subject to elliptic linear or semi-linear partial differential equations. Depending on the structure of the differential equation, different regularization techniques are employed, and their analysis leads to novel results such as rate of convergence estimates.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit " Inzidenz und Outcome von Teratomen des Ovars - eine retrospektive Datenanalyse " werden die Ergebnisse einer retrospektiven Datenanalyse für ein Zeitfenster von 10 Jahren diskutiert.
Gegenstand war die Auswertung der Patientenakten aller ovariellen Neubildungen, welche in den Jahren 2005-2015 in der Abteilung für Kinderchirurgie der chirurgischen Universitätsklinik Würzburg (Chirurgische Klinik I) behandelt wurden. Die Filterung der Datenbanken nach den erforderlichen Kriterien ergab einen Patientenstamm von 28 Fällen.
Zentrale Untersuchungsparameter stellten das Patientenalter zum Erkrankungszeitpunkt, die diagnoseweisenden Symptome, die präoperative Diagnostik, die Wahl der Operationsmethode, der postoperative Verlauf der Krankengeschichte, das Nachsorgeprogramm sowie die Untersuchung auf rezidivierende Prozesse dar.
Die gewonnenen Ergebnisse des betrachteten Patientenstamms wurden objektiv zusammengefasst, auf mögliche Gesetzmäßigkeiten untersucht, präsentiert und durch Grafiken bildlich veranschaulicht.
In der Diskussion erfolgte die Einordnung in die aktuelle wissenschaftliche Studienlage und der Vergleich mit themenspezifischen bekannten Erkenntnissen und Literatur.
