Rational promoter selection for gene transfer into cardiac cells.

in Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology (2003), 35(7), 823-31

Cardiomyocytes (CMCs) are extremely difficult to transfect with non-viral techniques, but they are efficiently infected by adenoviruses. The most commonly used promoters to drive protein expression in ... [more ▼]

Cardiomyocytes (CMCs) are extremely difficult to transfect with non-viral techniques, but they are efficiently infected by adenoviruses. The most commonly used promoters to drive protein expression in cardiac myocytes are of viral origin, since they are believed to be constitutively active and minimally regulated by physiological or pharmacological challenge of cells. In recombinant adenoviruses, we systematically compared three different promoters: the cytomegalovirus (CMV), the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), and a synthetic promoter with three MEF2 transcription factor-binding sites upstream of the heat-shock protein 68 minimal promoter. We determined their basal activity in primary cardiac cells as well as their possible stimulation by commonly used agonists. The CMV promoter was activated up to 60-fold by the phorbol ester phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) and/or forskolin in neonatal rat CMCs and cardiac fibroblasts. Primary adult rat CMCs had higher basal expression from the CMV promoter that was not activated by PMA or forskolin. The RSV promoter was less affected by agonists and was more active in cardiac myocytes compared to cardiac fibroblasts. The MEF2-responsive promoter showed high basal expression in both myocytes and fibroblasts, and minimal induction by phorbol esters and forskolin. The relevance of reporter gene induction was confirmed with a contractile protein, troponin T (TnT). The CMV promoter driving TnT could be induced more than 15-fold with phenylephrine or forskolin to replace the endogenous protein almost to completion at a multiplicity of infection of 10. These results suggest the following use of the tested promoters: an inducible system (CMV), a myocyte-enriched system (RSV), or a stable control system (MEF2). [less ▲]

Le rôle de la Communauté Européenne du Charbon et de l’Acier dans le développement des politiques de reconversion industrielle et d’essor économique régiona

in Mitteilungsblatt des Instituts für soziale Bewegungen (2003), 30

Adaptive tests of qualitative hypotheses

in ESAIM: Probability and Statistics (2003), 7

Le mélange des genres en matière de responsabilité, note sous un jugement du tribunal d'arrondissement de Luxembourg du 6 février 2003

in bulletin Assurance et responsabilité (2003), 8

Explicit formulae for time-space Brownian chaos

in Bernoulli (2003), 9(1), 25--48

Internationalisierung und nationale Kontexte der Forschung

in Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Historiographie (2003), 9(1), 31-33

Ab initio calculations of the lattice dynamics of boron nitride nanotubes

in Physical Review. B (2003), 68(4),

We present an extensive first-principles study of the phonons in boron nitride nanotubes using density functional perturbation theory in the local density approximation. Based on the nonsymmorphic rod ... [more ▼]

We present an extensive first-principles study of the phonons in boron nitride nanotubes using density functional perturbation theory in the local density approximation. Based on the nonsymmorphic rod-group symmetry of the tubes, the Raman- and infrared-active modes at the Gamma point of the one-dimensional Brillouin zone are evaluated. For zigzag and chiral nanotubes, the set of infrared-active modes is a subset of the Raman- active modes. In particular, the radial breathing mode is not only Raman but also infrared active. However, for armchair tubes, the sets of infrared-and Raman- active modes are disjoint. This may serve to spectroscopically distinguish between macroscopic samples of zigzag-chiral and armchair nanotubes. We present the frequencies of the active modes of zigzag, chiral, and armchair tubes as a function of the tube diameter and compare the results with the frequencies obtained by the zone-folding method, i.e., the rolling of a single hexagonal BN sheet into a tube. Except for the high-frequency tangential modes, the zone-folding results are in very good agreement with the ab initio calculations. The radial breathing mode frequency can be derived by folding a sheet of finite width. Finally, we show that the effects of bundling on the phonon frequencies are small. This demonstrates that the obtained results for isolated BN tubes may serve as a basis for an accurate assignment of phonon modes in spectroscopic measurements. [less ▲]

Haploinsufficiency at the alpha-synuclein gene underlies phenotypic severity in familial Parkinson's disease.

in Brain : a journal of neurology (2003), 126(Pt 1), 32-42

To date, two point mutations, G209A and G88C, have been reported in the coding region of the alpha-synuclein gene in autosomal dominant familial Parkinson's disease. When translated, these lead to the ... [more ▼]

To date, two point mutations, G209A and G88C, have been reported in the coding region of the alpha-synuclein gene in autosomal dominant familial Parkinson's disease. When translated, these lead to the missense mutations Ala53Thr and Ala30Pro, respectively. Reduced mRNA expression of the G209A allele was reported recently in a Greek-American family. Here, we show that alpha-synuclein mRNA is normally expressed in blood cells and report the results of an analysis of alpha-synuclein mRNA and protein expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines established from kindreds with the G209A and G88C mutations. mRNA expression was characterized using a TaqMan real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. We assessed five affected and three unaffected members of a German family with the G88C mutation and two affected members in different, unrelated Greek families with the G209A mutation. The ratio of wild-type to mutant alpha-synuclein allele expression ranged from 2.2 to 9.2 in the affected individuals with a severe clinical phenotype. The ratios of the expression levels of the wild-type to mutant alleles were only slightly decreased in mild cases and were less than 1.0 in two asymptomatic heterozygotes. Sequence analysis of the RT-PCR products showed only the presence of G in position 88 and G in position 209 in severely affected heterozygotes of the German and Greek families, respectively. High performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry demonstrated that, relative to wild-type alpha-synuclein, there is a reduction of Ala30Pro alpha-synuclein in lymphoblastoid cell lines originating from severely affected, but not mildly affected G88C/+ heterozygotes. Taken together, these data indicate that there is haploinsufficiency at the alpha-synuclein gene and that the ratio of expression of the wild-type to mutant alleles correlates with the severity of the clinical phenotype. Furthermore, these findings suggest that haploinsufficiency of alpha-synuclein mutations may contribute to disease progression in these forms of familial Parkinson's disease. [less ▲]

Range of magnetic correlations in nanocrystalline soft magnets

in Physical Review Letters (2003), 91

We have obtained the magnetic field dependence of static ferromagnetic correlations in nanocrystalline electrodeposited Co and Ni by means of the correlation function of the spin misalignment, determined ... [more ▼]

We have obtained the magnetic field dependence of static ferromagnetic correlations in nanocrystalline electrodeposited Co and Ni by means of the correlation function of the spin misalignment, determined from small-angle neutron scattering data. The approach yields a correlation length lC, which is a measure for the spatial extent of inhomogeneities in the magnetization distribution. The correlation length depends strongly on the applied magnetic field with values ranging from 94 nm in nanocrystalline Co at low fields to about 15 nm at saturation. The results for lC indicate that in Co the main source of nonuniformity in the spin system is the anisotropy field of each individual crystallite, whereas in nanocrystalline Ni the main sources of spin disorder originate from twin faults or from the defect cores of grain boundaries. [less ▲]

Forschungsprojekt Frühfranzösisch an der Universität des Saarlandes: Code-switching im Sprachunterricht anhand von Beispielen aus dem Projektcorpus "Effizienz des Frühunterrichts Französisch in saarländischen Schulen". Wie funktioniert Code-switching bei Schülern und Lehrern in der Interaktion im Unterricht?

in Zeitschrift für Angewandte Linguistik (2003), 39

Even though the important role of early institutional language teaching has been proved by numerous studies, the practical applications of these findings are still very rare. In the Saarland, one of the ... [more ▼]

Even though the important role of early institutional language teaching has been proved by numerous studies, the practical applications of these findings are still very rare. In the Saarland, one of the German Laender which is situated on the border with France, a pilote project examinates the learning behaviour and mechanism with German primary school children learning French, their neighbouring language, from age 6 on. The author is the coordinator of the scientific team which follows the project from a universitarian point of view. The aim of the paper is to show the important role code-switching plays in this kind of teaching environment and it tries to evaluate its importance by giving examples from different stages of progress during the first two years of learning. [less ▲]

Quels sont les objectifs éducatifs privilégiés par les familles

in Scientia Paedagogica Experimentalis (2003), 40(1), 29-46

Beta3 integrins: major therapeutic targets of the near future.

in Bulletin de la Société des Sciences Médicales du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (2003), (1), 23-34

Integrins are major cell adhesion receptors which assume two important functions: first they act as anchoring molecules allowing firm cellular attachment to the extracellular matrix, and second they work ... [more ▼]

Integrins are major cell adhesion receptors which assume two important functions: first they act as anchoring molecules allowing firm cellular attachment to the extracellular matrix, and second they work as signalling receptors being able to transduce signals in both directions (outside-in and inside-out) through the plasma membrane. Their biological importance is determined by their involvement in many physiological phenomena. Furthermore, their implication in various diseases and their accessibility to drugs make them interesting therapeutic targets. [less ▲]

L'autolimitation implicite des normes de droit privé matériel

in Revue Critique de Droit International Privé (2003)

L'autolimitation des normes de droit matériel doit être distinguée du jeu des mécanismes du droit international privé, spécialement du jeu des règles de conflit. Elle correspond à la définition, par ... [more ▼]

L'autolimitation des normes de droit matériel doit être distinguée du jeu des mécanismes du droit international privé, spécialement du jeu des règles de conflit. Elle correspond à la définition, par certaines règles de droit matériel, de leur propre champ d'application international et n'intervient qu'à condition que le droit applicable aux termes des règles de conflit de lois soit préalablement connu. La présente contribution examine les cas dans lesquels l'autolimitation d'une norme de droit matériel n'est pas l'effet d'une disposition législative expresse, mais de l'interprétation de la norme par les tribunaux: incidence de la « présomption contre l'extraterritorialité » des normes législatives dans les pays de common law, autolimitation des lois de police, emploi par la norme de notions fermées à toute substitution... On verra ainsi apparaître le phénomène de l'autolimitation des normes comme une illustration, parmi d'autres, de la contribution des normes de droit matériel à la réglementation des situations internationales. [less ▲]

Effect of surface passivation on performance of AlGaN/GaN/Si HEMTs

in Solid-State Electronics (2003), 47((2003)), 2097-2103

Performance of intentionally undoped and doped AlGaN/GaN/Si high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) before and after passivation with SiO2 and Si3N4 is investigated. Hall effect measurements show ... [more ▼]

Performance of intentionally undoped and doped AlGaN/GaN/Si high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) before and after passivation with SiO2 and Si3N4 is investigated. Hall effect measurements show higher impact of Si3N4 than SiO2 passivation on the carrier concentration increase in the channel. Improvements in DC performance of HEMTs after passivation with SiO2 and Si3N4 correspond to the changes in sheet carrier concentration. Small signal microwave characterisation shows a decrease (from 18.6 to 9 GHz) and an increase (from 18.4 to 28.8 GHz) of the current gain cut off frequency after SiO2 and Si3N4 passivation, respectively. Similar effect of passivation is found in microwave power changes––only about a half of the power is obtained after SiO2 passivation but more than doubled power results from Si3N4 passivation, measured at 2 GHz. Higher density of interface states for SiO2 than Si3N4 passivation is supposed to be responsible for these effects. However, for an optimal design of GaN-based power devices additional studies related to the interface between a passivation layer and GaN are needed. [less ▲]

L2-gain of double integrators with saturation nonlinearity

in IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control (2002), 47(12), 2063-2068

This note uses quadratic surface Lyapunov functions (SuLFs) to efficiently check if a double integrator in feedback with a saturation nonlinearity has L -gain less than > 0. We show that for many such ... [more ▼]

This note uses quadratic surface Lyapunov functions (SuLFs) to efficiently check if a double integrator in feedback with a saturation nonlinearity has L -gain less than > 0. We show that for many such systems, the L -gain is nonconservative in the sense that this is approximately equal to the lower bound obtained by replacing the saturation with a constant gain of 1. These results allow the use of classical analysis tools like -analysis or integral quadratic constraints to analyze systems with double integrators and saturations, including servo systems like some mechanical systems, satellites, hard disks, compact disk players, etc. [less ▲]

La formación y promoción de las nuevas generaciones de científicos del deporte en Alemania

in Educación física Chile (2002), 258

Aspectos psicólogicos del entrenamiento de los deportistas juveniles

in Educación Física y Deporte (2002), 22

Abweichendes Verhalten

in Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie (2002), 54(3), 590-591

Allpass Delay Chain-Based IIR PR Filterbank and Its Application to Multiple Description Subband Coding

in IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing (2002), (4), 814-823

A class of infinite impulse response (IIR) perfect reconstruction (PR) filterbank is obtained with an allpass delay chain and finite impulse response (FIR) matrices at the analysis side. Such a ... [more ▼]

A class of infinite impulse response (IIR) perfect reconstruction (PR) filterbank is obtained with an allpass delay chain and finite impulse response (FIR) matrices at the analysis side. Such a formulation leads to a filterbank that can be optimized to any desired response. For a first-order allpass, the synthesis bank becomes FIR. Design examples showing warping of the frequency scale and filters with unequal passband widths are presented. The latter part of the work deals with designing a filterbank for a multiple description coding scenario. This is achieved in two parts: by obtaining the MMSE synthesis bank for a given analysis bank and channel state and by optimizing the analysis response to minimize the average distortion in the presence of channel erasures and quantization. The proposed IIR filterbank, as well as the well-known FIR paraunitary filterbank, are optimized for various channels, and their performances for the two-channel case have been compared with the derived optimal performance [less ▲]

Spectrum of phenotypes and genotypes in Parkinson's disease.

in Journal of neurology (2002), 249 Suppl 3

The pathogenesis of Parkinsons disease (PD) is currently unknown. Environmental and genetic factors might contribute to the neurodegenerative process. Genetic mapping approaches in rare familial cases ... [more ▼]

The pathogenesis of Parkinsons disease (PD) is currently unknown. Environmental and genetic factors might contribute to the neurodegenerative process. Genetic mapping approaches in rare familial cases with autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant inheritance of PD suggest wide genetic heterogeneity of the disease. These gene loci in turn allow now a more specific clinical investigation of affected families to study the clinical heterogeneity of PD. The recent identification of mutations in three genes involved in protein degradation and aggregation in familial PD does now facilitate the deciphering of other genes involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. [less ▲]

Beethoven, a mouse model for dominant, progressive hearing loss DFNA36.

in Nature Genetics (2002), 30(3), 257-8

Despite recent progress in identifying genes underlying deafness, there are still relatively few mouse models of specific forms of human deafness. Here we describe the phenotype of the Beethoven (Bth ... [more ▼]

Despite recent progress in identifying genes underlying deafness, there are still relatively few mouse models of specific forms of human deafness. Here we describe the phenotype of the Beethoven (Bth) mouse mutant and a missense mutation in Tmc1 (transmembrane cochlear-expressed gene 1). Progressive hearing loss (DFNA36) and profound congenital deafness (DFNB7/B11) are caused by dominant and recessive mutations of the human ortholog, TMC1 (ref. 1), for which Bth and deafness (dn) are mouse models, respectively. [less ▲]

Ist das Gedächtnis für klinisch-diagnostische Personmerkmale abhängig vom Verarbeitungsziel?

in Psychologische Beiträge (2002), 44(3), 428-446

Calcineurin in human heart hypertrophy.

in Circulation (2002), 105(19), 2265-9

BACKGROUND: In animal models, increased signaling through the calcineurin pathway has been shown to be sufficient for the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Calcineurin activity has been reported to be ... [more ▼]

BACKGROUND: In animal models, increased signaling through the calcineurin pathway has been shown to be sufficient for the development of cardiac hypertrophy. Calcineurin activity has been reported to be elevated in the myocardium of patients with congestive heart failure. In contrast, few data are available about calcineurin activity in patients with pressure overload or cardiomyopathic hypertrophy who are not in cardiac failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated calcineurin activity and protein expression in 2 different forms of cardiac hypertrophy: hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) and aortic stenosis (AS). We found that the C-terminus of calcineurin A protein containing the autoinhibitory domain was less abundant in myocardial hypertrophy than in normal heart, which suggests the possibility of proteolysis. No new splice variants could be detected by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. This resulted in a significant elevation of calcineurin enzymatic activity in HOCM and AS compared with 6 normal hearts. Increased calcineurin phosphatase activity caused increased migration of NF-AT2 (nuclear factor of activated T cells 2) in SDS-PAGE compatible with pronounced NF-AT dephosphorylation in hypertrophied myocardial tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertrophy in HOCM and AS without heart failure is characterized by a significant increase in calcineurin activity. This might occur by (partial) proteolysis of the calcineurin A C-terminus containing the autoinhibitory domain. Increased calcineurin activity has functional relevance, as shown by altered NF-AT phosphorylation state. Although hypertrophy in AS and HOCM may be initiated by different upstream triggers (internal versus external fiber overload), in both cases, there is activation of calcineurin, which suggests an involvement of this pathway in the pathogenesis of human cardiac hypertrophy. [less ▲]

Truncation mutations in ABCA1 suppress normal upregulation of full-length ABCA1 by 9-cis-retinoic acid and 22-R-hydroxycholesterol

in Journal of Lipid Research (2002), 43(11), 1939-1949

Mutations in ABCA1 uniformly decrease plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and reduce cholesterol efflux, yet different mutations in ABCA1 result in different phenotypic effects in heterozygotes. For example ... [more ▼]

Mutations in ABCA1 uniformly decrease plasma HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and reduce cholesterol efflux, yet different mutations in ABCA1 result in different phenotypic effects in heterozygotes. For example, truncation mutations result in significantly lower HDL-C and apoliprotein A-I (apoA-I) levels in heterozygotes compared with nontruncation mutations, suggesting that truncation mutations may negatively affect the wild-type allele. To specifically test this hypothesis, we examined ABCA1 protein expression in response to 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA) and 22-R-hydroxycholesterol (22-R-OH-Chol) in a collection of human fibroblasts representing eight different mutations and observed that truncation mutations blunted the response to oxysterol stimulation and dominantly suppressed induction of the remaining full-length allele to 5–10% of wild-type levels. mRNA levels between truncation and nontruncation mutations were comparable, suggesting that ABCA1 expression was suppressed at the protein level. Dominant negative activity of truncated ABCA1 was recapitulated in an in vitro model using transfected Cos-7 cells. Our results suggest that the severe reduction of HDL-C in patients with truncation mutations may be at least partly explained by dominant negative suppression of expression and activity of the remaining full-length ABCA1 allele. [less ▲]

La R\&D au niveau des entreprises belges: une approche spatiale

in Brussels Economic Review (2002), 45(4), 187-216

The main aim of this study is to analyse the spatial distribution of R\&D activity, as well as to measure whether this distribution has any impact on the location decision of innovating firms. To that ... [more ▼]

The main aim of this study is to analyse the spatial distribution of R\&D activity, as well as to measure whether this distribution has any impact on the location decision of innovating firms. To that extent, we work on firm level data. The first approach allows us to give an instantaneous representation of the spatial distribution of R\&D activity, for each sector. Clusters of R\&D activity appear to provide strong incentives for further investments in R\&D, in the same sector as well as in the same area. Moreover, our analysis allows us to measure how geographic proximity helps firms benefiting from localization/urbanization economies. Some further policy implications conclude the paper. [less ▲]

DIFFERENT PROTONATION STATES OF THE BACILLUS CEREUS BINUCLEAR ZINC METALLO-β-LACTAMASE ACTIVE SITE STUDIED BY COMBINED QUANTUM MECHANICAL AND MOLECULAR MECHANICAL SIMULATIONS

in Journal of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (2002)

When writing 0 (zero) is easier than writing O (o): a neuropsychological case study of agraphia.

in Neuropsychologia (2002), 40(12), 2167-77

Though a few case studies reported a dissociation between intact writing of Arabic and impaired writing of alphabetical script, a detailed experimental analysis of such a dissociation is still lacking. We ... [more ▼]

Though a few case studies reported a dissociation between intact writing of Arabic and impaired writing of alphabetical script, a detailed experimental analysis of such a dissociation is still lacking. We report a follow-up study of a patient with a parieto-occipital lesion who is affected by severe peripheral agraphia for letters, but not for Arabic digits. While letters in writing to dictation are frequently illegible, distorted, or consist in meaningless strokes, Arabic digits are well-formed and fluently produced. In a series of tasks, including copying of letters with tachistoscopic presentation and handwriting on a digitizing tablet, several processing levels are assessed in order to localize JS' functional writing impairment and to determine different processing routes for letters and for numbers. Overall, the results of the experimental investigation suggest a notation specific deficit in the activation of graphomotor patterns for letters, but not for digits. The study thus adds evidence to the so far reported dissociations between Arabic and alphabetical scripts. [less ▲]

Support of Virasoro unitarizing measures

in Comptes Rendus. Mathématique (2002), 335(7), 621-626

Pädagogische Qualität als erziehungswissenschaftliches Problem.

in Neue Praxis: Zeitschrift für Sozialarbeit, Sozialpädagogik und Sozialpolitik (2002), 32(3), 216-230

ABCA1 regulatory variants influence coronary artery disease independent of effects on plasma lipid levels

in Clinical Genetics (2002), 61(2), 115-125

The authors have previously shown that individuals heterozygous for ABCA1 mutations have decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased triglycerides and an increased frequency of coronary ... [more ▼]

The authors have previously shown that individuals heterozygous for ABCA1 mutations have decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased triglycerides and an increased frequency of coronary artery disease (CAD), and that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding region of the ABCA1 gene significantly impact plasma lipid levels and the severity of CAD in the general population. They have now identified several SNPs in non-coding regions of ABCA1 which may be important for the appropriate regulation of ABCA1 expression (i.e. in the promoter, intron 1 and the 5′ untranslated region), and have examined the phenotypic effects of these SNPs in the REGRESS population. Out of 12 SNPs, four were associated with a clinical outcome. A threefold increase in coronary events with an increased family history of CAD was evident for the G-191C variant. Similarly, the C69T SNP was associated with a twofold increase in events. In contrast, the C-17G was associated with a decrease in coronary events and the InsG319 was associated with less atherosclerosis. For all these SNPs, the changes in atherosclerosis and CAD occurred without detectable changes in plasma lipid levels. These data suggest that common variation in non-coding regions of ABCA1 may significantly alter the severity of atherosclerosis, without necessarily influencing plasma lipid levels. [less ▲]

The philosophy of educational leadership: Emerging themes and emerging perspectives.

in Studies in Philosophy and Education (2002), 21(2), 101-102

Prävention der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung bei Bankangestellten nach einem Überfall

in Arbeitsmedizin, Sozialmedizin, Umweltmedizin (2002), 37

Aim of the study: Years after being victims of a bank robbery, bank clerks still suffer from severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress. As a result of this problem, a preventive intervention program me to ... [more ▼]

Aim of the study: Years after being victims of a bank robbery, bank clerks still suffer from severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress. As a result of this problem, a preventive intervention program me to reduce post-traumatic stress was established and evaluated for the Luxembourgish financial sector. Methods and collective: The study describes the measures carried out after a hold-up. Using non-parametric data evaluation, the effects of the intervention program me were examined for the treatment group (n= 43) and compared with a control group (n= 29). Results: The symptoms of post-traumatic stress were significantly reduced in the group which received crisis intervention and stress debriefing. Conclusions: These results are the first evidence of the effectiveness of the multi-component programme. [less ▲]

Cryptographie et lutte contre le terrorisme : éviter les fausses solutions sécuritaires

in Droit et Défense (2002)

A probabilistic approach to the Yang-Mills heat equation

in Journal de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées (2002), 81(2), 143-166

Les devoirs d'information de l'investisseur sur les marchés spéculatifs aux Etats-Unis

in Revue de Droit Bancaire et Financier (2002), (6), 354-359

Familiale Vererbung von Dominanzideologien in verschiedenen sozio-ökonomischen Kontexten

in Zeitschrift für Politische Psychologie (2002), 10

How general can Bildung be? Reflections on the future of a modern educational ideal.

in Journal of Philosophy of Education (2002), 36(3), 377-390

Evaluation of the precision of using absolute gravimeters to calibrate superconducting gravimeters

in Metrologia (2002), 39(5), 485-488

We present an experiment in which four different FG5 absolute gravimeters (AG) were operated simultaneously alongside a superconducting relative gravimeter (SG). We demonstrate that 0.1 % precision can be ... [more ▼]

We present an experiment in which four different FG5 absolute gravimeters (AG) were operated simultaneously alongside a superconducting relative gravimeter (SG). We demonstrate that 0.1 % precision can be achieved on the calibration factor of the SG by comparison with AG measurements, independently of the FG5 instrument used for the calibration and of the offsets among the FG5 absolute values. This experiment demonstrates the robustness of using any FG5 absolute gravimeter to calibrate any SG. This result is of value to geoscientists analysing data from (a) globally distributed SGs which most probably have been calibrated using different instruments; or (b) any individual SG calibrated with different FG5 absolute gravimeters. [less ▲]

Eindrucksbildung aus Personbeschreibungen: Der Einfluss der syntaktischen Kohärenz auf die soziale Kognition

in Zeitschrift für Sozialpsychologie (2002), 33

This paper concerns the comprehension of person descriptions. In two experiments we investigated the influence of syntactical coherence and ease of categorization of the information on person memory and ... [more ▼]

This paper concerns the comprehension of person descriptions. In two experiments we investigated the influence of syntactical coherence and ease of categorization of the information on person memory and judgments. Ss listened to person descriptions which contained phrases concerning single person attributes. These phrases were either highly connected by prepositions or totally unconnected. In addition, the texts differed in their degree of categorizability, one activating a social stereotype and the other containing individual attributes. In Experiment I the Ss had to reproduce the text and in Experiment II the task was to summarize the information. In Experiment I the reproduction rates increased significantly with the connectedness in the case of non-stereotypical information. In Experiment II, we found more complex inference patterns under the same condition. The results are discussed within the associative network approach to person memory. It is argued that this approach has to be further differentiated with regard to particular logical relations between person attributes. [less ▲]

Progressive loss of PAX9 expression correlates with increasing malignancy of dysplastic and cancerous epithelium of the human oesophagus.

in Journal of Pathology (2002), 197(3), 293-7

Pax genes encode a family of transcription factors that play key roles in embryonic development. Whereas the functions of Pax genes in the adult organism are largely unknown, upregulated Pax gene ... [more ▼]

Pax genes encode a family of transcription factors that play key roles in embryonic development. Whereas the functions of Pax genes in the adult organism are largely unknown, upregulated Pax gene expression has been implicated in tumourigenesis. In this study, PAX9-specific monoclonal antibodies have been generated and it has been shown that PAX9 protein is expressed in the normal epithelium of the adult human oesophagus. PAX9 expression was either lost or significantly reduced in the majority of invasive carcinomas and epithelial dysplasias, the latter representing precancerous lesions. Notably, the percentage of PAX9-positive cells within the epithelium decreased with increasing malignancy of the epithelial lesion. These results identify PAX9 as a sensitive marker for deregulated differentiation of oesophageal keratinocytes and indicate a role for PAX9 in the normal differentiation process of internal stratified squamous epithelia. These data suggest that upregulated PAX9 expression is not required for the formation of the majority of squamous cell carcinomas of the human oesophagus. [less ▲]

Measurements and Application of a Discrete Particle Model (DPM) to Simulate Combustion of a Packed Bed of Individual Fuel Particles.

in Combustion and Flame (2002), 131

Equivariant symbol calculus for differential operators acting on forms

in Letters in Mathematical Physics (2002), 62(3), 219-232

Die Legitimation des Aktionärs

in Aktiengesellschaft (Die) (2002)

The Introduction of a Design Heuristics Extraction Method

in Advanced Engineering Informatics (2002), 16

Oestrogen action on the myocardium in vivo: specific and permissive for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition.

in Journal of hypertension (2002), 20(5), 1001-6

OBJECTIVES: In contrast to the vasculature, it remains unclear whether oestrogens also directly affect the myocardium. In this study, we addressed basic questions regarding oestrogen effects on the ... [more ▼]

OBJECTIVES: In contrast to the vasculature, it remains unclear whether oestrogens also directly affect the myocardium. In this study, we addressed basic questions regarding oestrogen effects on the myocardium, including specificity, pathophysiological relevance and potential clinical implications, with a special focus on interactions between oestrogen and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in an established in-vivo model of cardiac hypertrophy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Female spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were ovarectomized (OVX) or sham-operated and treated with 17beta-oestradiol (2 microg/kg per day subcutaneously), the oestrogen receptor antagonist ZM-182780 (250 microg/kg per day subcutaneously) and the ACE-inhibitor moexipril (10 mg/kg per day orally) alone or in combination for 3 months. Hormone replacement restored physiological oestradiol serum levels and prevented uterus atrophy. Whereas moexipril alone was ineffective in OVX rats, substitution of oestradiol restored the beneficial effect of moexipril on systolic blood pressure (-30 +/- 5 mmHg) and relative heart weight (-11 +/- 3%) in OVX rats. Oestradiol upregulated alpha-myosin heavy chain (MHC) mRNA (+37 +/- 7%) and protein expression (+43 +/- 6%) in spite of increased blood pressure in OVX rats. Simultaneous treatment with oestradiol plus moexipril most effectively shifted the ratio of alpha-/beta-MHC mRNA and protein expression towards alpha-MHC in OVX animals. Oestradiol (10 nmol/l) also upregulated alpha-MHC mRNA and protein in cultured cardiac myocytes. The oestrogen receptor antagonist ZM-182780 significantly inhibited the observed oestrogen effects. CONCLUSIONS: Oestrogen replacement is permissive for the beneficial effects of ACE-inhibition in female SHR rats. Oestrogen effects on the myocardium in vivo are specific (i.e. oestrogen receptor mediated) because they are inhibited by a pure oestrogen receptor antagonist and occur at physiological hormone levels. [less ▲]

Poésie d’amour française et musique pluriculturelle. La mise en musique du poème de Louis Aragon Gazel au fond de la nuit par le groupe Gnawa Diffusion

in Französisch Heute (2002), 33(1), 55-63

Arbeit zwischen Berufsarbeit und Demokratie

in Unimagazin : die Zeitschrift der Universität Zürich (2002), 3

Note sous C. cass. Ch. Mixte, 12 avril 2002, société d'exploitation cinématographique Rex et autres c. société Cinémas Rex

in Semaine Juridique. Édition Générale (2002), (44), 1961-1964

L’industrie électrique dans l’économie européenne, 1860-1914

in Bulletin Scientifique de l'Association des Ingénieurs Electriciens sortis de l'Institut Electrotechnique Montefiore (2002), 115

Annealing of Schottky contacts deposited on dry etched AlGaN/GaN,

in Semiconductor Science and Technology (2002), 17((2002).), 76-78

The influence of annealing on properties of Pt Schottky contacts deposited on the electron cyclotron resonance plasma etched surface of an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure has been investigated. It is found that ... [more ▼]

The influence of annealing on properties of Pt Schottky contacts deposited on the electron cyclotron resonance plasma etched surface of an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure has been investigated. It is found that rapid thermal annealing (450 ◦C and 40 s in nitrogen gas), performed after metal deposition, allows for the preparation of Schottky contacts with similar or better properties than those obtained on a non-etched surface. This procedure is suitable for the realization of recessed high-quality Schottky contacts of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. [less ▲]