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Synapses, points of contact between axons and dendrites, are conduits for the flow of information in the circuitry of the central nervous system. The strength of synaptic transmission reflects the interconnectedness of the axons and dendrites at synapses; synaptic strength in turn is modified by the frequency with which the synapses are stimulated. This modulation of synaptic strength, or synaptic plasticity, probably forms the cellular basis for learning and memory. RNA metabolism, particularly translational control at or near the synapse, is one process that controls long-lasting synaptic plasticity and, by extension, memory formation and consolidation. In the present paper, I review some salient features of translational control of synaptic plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kurzfassung  Uferfiltration ist die natürlich bedingte oder anthropogen induzierte Infiltration von Oberflächenwasser in den Grundwasserleiter und ist insbesondere als Methode der Rohwassergewinnung für die Trinkwasserproduktion von Bedeutung. Die hydrodynamischen und hydrochemischen Prozesse bei der Uferfiltration wurden an einer Untersuchungstransekte im ländlichen Oderbruch und an zwei Transekten im urbanen Berlin umfangreich untersucht, dabei lag ein Schwerpunkt auf der Anwendung verschiedener Tracermethoden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich die Standorte sehr stark insbesondere bezüglich der Beschaffenheit der Gewässersohle (gut bzw. schlecht durchlässig), der Fließzeiten (Jahrzehnte bzw. Monate bis Jahrzehnte) und der Ausbildung von Redoxzonen (horizontale bzw. vertikale Redoxabfolge) unterscheiden. Dabei nimmt die Beschaffenheit bzw. Durchlässigkeit der Gewässersohle eine Schlüsselfunktion ein. Da das Berliner Oberflächenwasser einen variablen Anteil geklärten Abwassers enthält, konnten einige abwasserbürtige Substanzen (z. B. pharmazeutische Rückstände) im Oberflächenwasser nachgewiesen werden, die jedoch überwiegend vollständig oder zumindest teilweise bei der Uferfiltration aus dem Wasser entfernt werden. Die Redoxbedingungen nehmen bezüglich der Elimination einiger organischer Spurenstoffe (z. B. Phenazon, Sulfamethoxazol, Clindamycin) eine wichtige Funktion ein, da ihr Abbau abhängig vom vorherrschenden Redoxmilieu ist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For p > 0, the l n,p -generalized surface measure on the l n,p -unit sphere is studied and used for deriving a geometric measure representation for l n,p -symmetric distributions having a density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  For 0 p p) are defined to reflect the Euclidean area-content property A p(r) = π(p)r 2 and circumference property {ie332-01} of the l 2,p -circle discs with p-generalized radius r, where the arc-length measure {ie332-02} is based upon the nonconvex star-shaped set {ie332-03} with p** > 0 satisfying {ie332-04}. The resulting π-function extends the function p → π(p) recently defined in [2] from the case of convex discs, p ⩾ 1, to the nonconvex case 0 p The presented approach can be considered as reflecting a modified method of indivisibles in the sense that the indivisibles are the l 2,p -circles and that integrating their S(p**)-arc-lengths is equivalent to measuring the Euclidean area content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Circle numbers are defined to reflect the Euclidean area-content and, for p ≠ 2, suitably defined non-Euclidean circumference properties of the l 2,p -circles, p ∈ [1, ∞]. The resulting function is continuous, increasing, and takes all values from [2, 4]. The actually chosen dual l 2,p -geometry for measuring the arc-length is closely connected with a generalization of the method of indivisibles of Cavalieri and Torricelli in the sense that integrating such arc-lengths means measuring area content. Moreover, this approach enables one to look in a new way into the co-area formula of measure theory which says that integrating Euclidean arc-lengths does not yield area content except for p = 2. The new circle numbers play a natural role, e.g., as norming constants in geometric measure representation formulae for p-generalized uniform probability distributions on l 2,p -circles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently it was reported that a Swedish professor in environmental health has for decades worked as a consultant for Philip Morris without reporting his employment to his academic employer or declaring conflicts of interest in his research. The potential for distorting the epidemiological assessments of hazard and risk through paid consultants, pretending to be independent, is not exclusive to the tobacco industry.Documentation is drawn from peer reviewed publications, websites, documents from the Environmental Protection Agency, University reports, Wellcome Library Special Collections and the Washington Post.Some consulting firms employ university researchers for industry work thereby disguising industry links in the income of large departments. If the industry affiliation is concealed by the scientist, biases from conflicting interests in risk assessments cannot be evaluated and dealt with properly. Furthermore, there is reason to suspect that editors and journal staff may suppress publication of scientific results that are adverse to industry owing to internal conflict of interest between editorial integrity and business needs.Examples of these problems from Sweden, UK, and USA are presented. The shortfalls cited in this article illustrate the need for improved transparency, regulations that will help curb abuses as well as instruments for control and enforcement against abuses. Am. J. Ind. Med. 50: 227–233, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Trotz einer hohen Behandlungsprävalenz alkoholabhängiger Patienten in der stationären psychiatrischen Versorgung ist die Akutbehandlung der Alkoholabhängigkeit ein bisher nur selten evaluierter Therapiebaustein. Methode Im Rahmen einer Katamnesestudie wurden 479 konsekutiv aufgenommene Patienten in 5 psychiatrischen Fachkliniken untersucht. Nach 3 Monaten konnten 411 Patienten (86%) der Stichprobe nachuntersucht werden. Ergebnisse Nach 3 Monaten ergab sich bei konservativer Betrachtung eine Rückfallquote von 60,5% aller Behandelten bzw. von 54% der Nachuntersuchten. 28% der Patienten hatten eine stationäre Entwöhnungsmaßnahme angetreten, 26,5% hatten eine erneute stationäre Entzugsbehandlung in Anspruch nehmen müssen. Trinkmengen, Trinktage und Rauschtage verminderten sich bei den rückfälligen Patienten hochsignifikant. In der multivariaten Analyse ergaben sich anamnestische, behandlungsbezogene und soziale Merkmale als Prädiktoren für ein ungünstiges Behandlungsergebnis (exzessiver Alkoholkonsum und/oder erneute stationäre Behandlung). Weiterhin zeigte sich eine kurze Behandlungsdauer als prädiktiv für einen ungünstigen Gesundheitsstatus nach 3 Monaten. Schlussfolgerungen Für einen Teil der Patienten ist die stationäre Akutbehandlung eine wirksame Therapiemaßnahme, welche die Abstinenz fördert, die Trinkmengen reduziert und die Einbindung in das Hilfesystem verbessert. Für chronisch und mehrfach geschädigte Patienten hat diese Behandlung den Charakter einer (wiederholter) Krisenintervention, ohne dass es kurzfristig zu wesentlichen Ãnderungen des Krankheitsverlaufes kommt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Der Hautarzt is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Transfer learning in deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) is an important step in its application to medical imaging tasks. We propose a multi-task transfer learning DCNN with the aim of translating the ‘knowledge’ learned from non-medical images to medical diagnostic tasks through supervised training and increasing the generalization capabilities of DCNNs by simultaneously learning auxiliary tasks. We studied this approach in an important application: classification of malignant and benign breast masses. With Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, digitized screen-film mammograms (SFMs) and digital mammograms (DMs) were collected from our patient files and additional SFMs were obtained from the Digital Database for Screening Mammography. The data set consisted of 2242 views with 2454 masses (1057 malignant, 1397 benign). In single-task transfer learning, the DCNN was trained and tested on SFMs. In multi-task transfer learning, SFMs and DMs were used to train the DCNN, which was then tested on SFMs. N-fold cross-validation with the training set was used for training and parameter optimization. On the independent test set, the multi-task transfer learning DCNN was found to have significantly (p  =  0.007) higher performance compared to the single-task transfer learning DCNN. This study demonstrates that multi-task transfer learning may be an effective approach for training DCNN in medical imaging applications when training samples from a single modality are limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the design, fabrication and characterization of a 64 pixel metallic magnetic calorimeter array that is read out by an integrated, on-chip microwave SQUID multiplexer. Based on the results of our comprehensive device characterization we refined the state-of-the-art multiplexer model which assumes each associated non-hysteretic rf-SQUID to purely behave as a flux-dependent inductor. In particular, we include the capacitance and the subgap resistance of the Josephson junction as well as screening effects and parasitic mutual couplings between different coils that show up only when a superconducting flux transformer is attached to the SQUID input. Thanks to these modifications, we are able to explain the occurrence of a magnetic flux dependence of the internal quality factor of the microwave resonators as well as to accurately calculate the characteristic multiplexer parameters. When combining the refined multiplexer model with the thermodynamical description of a metallic magnetic calorimeter, we find a reasonable agreement between our measurements and predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy is, due to its high energy resolution, a well-suited method for studying slow dynamics, such as the dynamics of soft matter systems (glasses, polymers and complex liquids), or paramagnetic properties of, e.g., spin glasses. The Jülich NSE spectrometer has been in operation at the Jülich research reactor FRJ-2 since 1996. It has been transferred now to the new research reactor FRM II of the TU München, where it just started to continue operation. In the context of the transfer, parts of the spectrometer have been renewed and improved, leading to a significantly larger energy resolution and a larger dynamic range. Amongst other things, new correction coils have been designed and manufactured, allowing us to use higher currents in the main precession coils. The neutron guide system of the J-NSE allows the variation of the wavelength between about 4.5 to 16 Å. A larger neutron guide exit of 60 × 60 mm2, the higher neutron flux, the possibility of varying the wavelength over a broad range and the better correction elements push the performance of the instrument to Fourier times t = 1 ps to about 350 ns, with a q-range of q = 0.02-1.5 Å[?]1. We describe here the technical changes and improvements of the J-NSE and show the first spin echoes measured with the reinstalled spectrometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]