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Stimulus-dependent deliberation process in left- and right-handers obtained via current source density analysis
No full textThe aim of the present study was to compare the activity patterns of young, healthy right- (RH, n = 25) and left-handed (LH, n = 20) subjects in high-density electroencephalograpic (EEG) recordings during a deliberation task. The deliberation task consisted of pressing one of two keys depending on a color-word Stroop task (Stroop, 1935) presented on a computer screen. Depending on the color shown and the meaning of the color word, participants responded with the index finger of the dominant or non-dominant hand. This leads to different activities in the hemispheres depending on the acting hand and on subject's handedness. Presenting the word "black" in black color, subjects were not to press any key (no-go-trial). Prior to this, subjects were tested for simple motor tasks, during which they were informed about the motor action to be performed. The temporal activity patterns obtained from RH and LH were very similar in shape and constituent components. The comparison of the three types of trials lead to the assumption that the deliberation process is based on a two-step decision: The first decision was characterized by the choice between move (match-trials, mismatch-trials) or not to move (no-go-trials). The second decision resulted in the final judgment of which index finger has to be used. The latter decision, in particular, can be tracked via the local spread of activity over the scalp. Our hypothesis is based on a comparison of activities and locations of RH and LH and yields some insights about processing a two-step decision in a deliberation task
Stroke induces disease-specific myeloid cells in the brain parenchyma and pia
No full textInflammation triggers secondary brain damage after stroke. The meninges and other CNS border compartments serve as invasion sites for leukocyte influx into the brain thus promoting tissue damage after stroke. However, the post-ischemic immune response of border compartments compared to brain parenchyma remains poorly characterized. Here, we deeply characterize tissue-resident leukocytes in meninges and brain parenchyma and discover that leukocytes respond differently to stroke depending on their site of residence. We thereby discover a unique phenotype of myeloid cells exclusive to the brain after stroke. These stroke-associated myeloid cells partially resemble neurodegenerative disease-associated microglia. They are mainly of resident microglial origin, partially conserved in humans and exhibit a lipid-phagocytosing phenotype. Blocking markers specific for these cells partially ameliorates stroke outcome thus providing a potential therapeutic target. The injury-response of myeloid cells in the CNS is thus compartmentalized, adjusted to the type of injury and may represent a therapeutic target
Sub-Retinal Injection of Human Lipofuscin in the Mouse - A Model of “Dry” Age-Related Macular Degeneration?
No full textLipofuscin (LF) accumulates during lifetime in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and is thought to play a crucial role in intermediate and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In an attemt to simulate aged retina and to study response of retinal microglia and RPE cells to LF, we injected a suspension of LF into the subretinal space of adult mice. LF suspension was obtained from human donor eyes. Subretinal injection of PBS or sham injection served as a control. Eyes were inspected by autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography, by electroretinography and on histological and ultrastructural levels. Levels of cytokine mRNA were determined by quantitative PCR separately in the RPE/choroid complex and in the retina. After injection of LF, microglial cells migrated quickly into the subretinal space to close proximity to RPE cells and phagocytosed LF particles. Retinal function was affected only slightly by LF within the first two weeks. After longer time, RPE cells showed clear signs of melanin loss and degradation. Levels of mRNA of inflammatory cytokines increased sharply after injection of both PBS and LF and were higher in the RPE/choroid complex than in the retina and were slightly higher after LF injection. In conclusion, subretinal injection of LF causes an activation of microglial cells and their migration into subretinal space, enhanced expression of inflammatory cytokines and a gradual degradation of RPE cells. These features are found also in an aging retina, and subretinal injection of LF could be a model for intermediate and late AM
The Northern Netherlands: Transformation of a gas-producing region into a forerunner in the biobased circular transition
No full textThe Northern Netherlands is an unique environment for sustainably-minded
(bio)chemical businesses due to the regional availability of renewable feedstock, energy and existing infrastructure as well as the proximity to excellent knowledge centers and upscaling facilities. Within the last decades, several developments unravelled in the biobased circular transition. Exploring how these developments were initiated, the article means to show the opportunities that this region has to offer today. It also makes a strong argument for the economic potential arising from the creative combination of available feedstocks in an innovative ecosystem providing necessary framework conditions and fostering close intersectoral collaboration
Transatlantic Intellectual Exchange in the Postwar Era
No full textDie von Dolf Sternberger als "Manifest der Humanität" bezeichnete Nachkriegszeitschrift "Die Wandlung" erschien zwischen November 1945 und 1949 in Heidelberg, der sogenannten Hauptstadt des Amerikanischen Sektors. Die Zeitschrift erwies sich als attraktive Publikationsplattform für viele Autoren und Autorinnen, die während des Zweiten Weltkriegs in die USA ausgewandert waren – wie Hannah Arendt, Günther Anders und Jacob Picard. Ihre Briefe und Manuskripte querten die Grenzen von Deutschland in die USA und machten den transatlantischen intellektuellen Austausch zu einer gelebten Praxis. Anna Axtner-Borsutzky (HU Berlin) untersucht diese Zeitschrift mit einem Fokus auf den Beitrag ihrer Herausgeber (ab 1947 auch die Herausgeberin Marie Luise Kaschnitz), die intellektuellen Beziehungen der Welt mit Deutschland nach dem Krieg wiederherzustellen – mit besonderem Schwerpunkt auf die USA.A »manifesto of humanity« (Dolf Sternberger), the postwar journal »Die Wandlung« was published in Heidelberg, the so-called capital of the American Sector, between November 1945 to 1949. The journal turned out to be an appealing publication platform for many authors who had emigrated to the USA during WWII — like Hannah Arendt, Günther Anders and Jacob Picard. With their letters and manuscripts crossing borders from Germany to the USA, transatlantic intellectual exchange was a lived practice. Anna Axtner-Borsutzky (HU Berlin) turns to this journal to illuminate how its editors helped to rebuild postwar Germany’s intellectual ties to and understanding of the world
Transatlanticism
No full textTransatlanticism beschäftigt sich mit der transatlantischen Literaturgeschichte und setzt einen besonderem Fokus auf das Verhältnis zwischen deutscher Literatur und Literatur aus dem USA.Transatlanticism pertains to the transatlantic history of literature and ideas, with a particular focus on the German-US relationship
Treatment Reality of Proximal Humeral Fractures in the Elderly—Trending Variants of Locking Plate Fixation in Germany
No full textBackground: The surgical treatment of proximal humeral fractures (PHFs) with locking plate fixation (LPF) in the elderly is associated with high complication rates, especially in osteoporotic bone. Variants of LPF such as additional cerclages, double plating, bone grafting and cement augmentation can be applied. The objective of the study was to describe the extent of their actual use and how this changed over time. Methods: Retrospective analysis of health claims data of the Federal Association of the Local Health Insurance Funds was performed, covering all patients aged 65 years and older, who had a coded diagnosis of PHF and were treated with LPF between 2010 and 2018. Differences between treatment variants were analyzed (explorative) via chi-squared or Kruskal–Wallis tests. Results: Of the 41,216 treated patients, 32,952 (80%) were treated with LPF only, 5572 (14%) received additional screws or plates, 1983 (5%) received additional augmentations and 709 (2%) received a combination of both. During the study period, relative changes were observed as follows: −35% for LPF only, +58% for LPF with additional fracture fixation and +25% for LPF with additional augmentation. Overall, the intra-hospital complication rate was 15% with differences between the treatment variants (LPF only 15%, LPF with additional fracture fixation 14%, LPF with additional augmentation 19%; p < 0.001), and a 30-day mortality of 2%. Conclusions: Within an overall decrease of LPF by approximately one-third, there is both an absolute and relative increase of treatment variants. Collectively, they account for 20% of all coded LPFs, which might indicate more personalized treatment pathways. The leading variant was additional fracture fixation using cerclages
Internationale Zusammenarbeit verstehen:Die Wirkung von Informationen über internationale Autorität auf die soziale Legitimität internationaler Organisationen
No full textViele Beobachter berichten von einer Welle von Ablehnung internationaler Organisationen (IOs). Möglicherweise trägt die Autorität von IOs zu dieser Gegenreaktion bei. Die soziale Legitimität von IOs nimmt mit zunehmender internationaler Autorität ab. Anderen Berichten zufolge ist dies aufgrund des mangelnden Interesses und Wissens über IOs höchst unwahrscheinlich. Um die Bedingungen besser zu erklären, unter denen internationale Autorität wichtig ist, schlage ich ein Dual-Prozess-Modell vor, das Ideen aus der Sozialpsychologie anwendet. Tatsächlich sind Auswirkungen einer erhöhten Autorität auf die soziale Legitimität stark kontextabhängig. Wenn Menschen die Möglichkeit erhalten, über eine Situation nachzudenken, werden sie sich der Vor- und Nachteile einer Zunahme internationaler Autorität bewusster. Meine Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Menschen bei der Bewertung der sozialen Legitimität von IOs über das Thema nachdenken und den Grad der internationalen Autorität berücksichtigen können.Many observers report a new and strong backlash against international organizations (IOs). One explanation is: The authority of IOs contributes to this backlash. The social legitimacy of IOs decreases as the level of international authority increases. According to other accounts, such a relationship is highly unlikely due to the lack of interest in and knowledge about IOs. To better explain the conditions under which international authority matters, I propose a dual-process model that implements ideas from social psychology. In three studies, I find that the impact of increased authority on social legitimacy is highly contextual. When people are given the opportunity to reason about a situation, they become more aware of the advantages and disadvantages of an increase in international authority. My findings show that when evaluating the social legitimacy of IOs, people can reason about the issue and consider the level of international authority
Was darf Fiktion?:Zu den Lizenzen der Fiktion aus literaturtheoretischer Perspektive
No full textDer Beitrag führt ein in ein am Münsteraner Sonderforschungsbereich 1385 Recht und Literatur entwickeltes Dissertationsprojekt, dessen Ausgangspunkt der bisweilen auftretende Kollisionsfall zwischen allgemeinem Persönlichkeitsrecht und Kunstfreiheit darstellt. Konkret wird die Frage diskutiert, inwiefern fiktionale Texte persönlichkeitsrechtsverletzend sein können