Search

Purpose The assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measured via patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is a key component in clinical trials and increasingly used in clinical routine worldwide. Two PRO measures (PROMs) that share the same definition of health and report outcomes on a comparable T-metric anchored to general population samples are the PROMIS-29 and the EORTC QLQ-C30. In this study, we investigate the empirical agreement of these underlying concepts. Methods We collected PROMIS-29 and EORTC QLQ-C30 data from 1,478 female patients at a breast cancer outpatient centre. We calculated descriptive statistics and correlations between the subscales of both instruments. We performed exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in randomly split subsamples in order to assess the underlying psychometric structure of both instruments. Results The cohort (mean age = 47.4, ± 14.49) reported comparable mean HRQOL scores between the corresponding subscales of both instruments similar to general population reference values. Correlation between the corresponding subscales of both instruments ranged between 0.59 (Social Role) and 0.78 (Physical Functioning). Both an exploratory and a theoretically driven confirmatory factor analysis provided further support for conceptual agreement of the scales. Conclusion EORTC QLQ-C30 and PROMIS-29 showed similar scores and satisfactory agreement in conceptional and statistical analysis. This suggests that the underlying conceptualization of health is reasonably close. Hence, the development of score transformation algorithms or calibration of both instruments on common scales could prospectively increase the comparability of clinical and research PRO data collected with either instrument.

Introduction The gathering of health and quality-of-life issues that matter most to patients over so-called patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is a key aspect of patient-centered healthcare. In obstetrics, this approach has the potential to expand the current understanding of what quality entails by including patient perspectives. The International Consortium for Health Outcome Measures (ICHOM), founded in 2012, is a global organization which aims to standardise the collection of PROs and make the results comparable worldwide. A PRO Set for obstetrics, “Pregnancy and Childbirth”, was published in 2018. The aim of our work was to translate the instruments of this set that are not yet available in German into German. Methods The instruments were translated from English into German using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) translation method. The translated instruments consisted of the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale – Short Form (BSES-SF), the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale (MIBS), and the Birth Satisfaction Scale – Revised (BSS-R) as well as a number of individual questions (items). Results The final version of the German translations were found to be easily comprehensible by the target group. During the cognitive debriefing, it became clear that pregnant women and women who had just given birth often used a number of medically incorrect terms to refer to their symptoms or complaints. In the translations great care was taken to ensure that the wording was as close as possible to the general usage of the language while at the same time the terminology was medically correct. To achieve a precise but comprehensible translation, the response structure of the BSES-SF also had to be adapted. Conclusions The instruments of the ICHOM Standard Set “Pregnancy and Childbirth”, which were not previously available in German, were successfully translated into German. This meant dealing with a few challenges such as adapting questions or response structures. The cultural and linguistic comprehensibility of the German translations were confirmed during the subsequent cognitive debriefing. The translations offer the possibility of implementing the complete ICHOM Set for Pregnancy and Childbirth. This would provide an opportunity to expand the existing understanding of quality by including the subjective experience of women during and after childbirth and, in future, to compare outcomes with those of other hospitals across the world.

Combinatorial material science crucially depends on robust, high throughput characterization methods. While X ray photoelectron spectroscopy XPS may provide detailed information about chemical and electronic properties, it is a time consuming technique and, therefore, is not viewed as a high throughput method. Here we present preliminary XPS data of 169 measurement spots on a combinatorial 72 72 cm2 CuxNi1 amp; 8722;xOy compositional library to explore how characterization and evaluation routines can be optimized to improve throughput in XPS for combinatorial studies. In particular, two quantification approaches are compared. We find that a simple integration of XPS peak regions approach is suited for fast evaluation of, in the example system, the [Cu] [Cu] [Ni] ratio. Complementary to that, the time consuming XPS peak fit approach provides additional insights into chemical speciation and oxidation state changes, without a large deviation of the [Cu] [Cu] [Ni] ratio. This insight suggests exploiting the fast integration approach for real time analysis during XPS data collection, paving the way for an on the fly selection of points of interest i.e., areas on the sample where sudden composition changes have been identified for detailed XPS characterization. Together with the envisioned improvements when going from laboratory to synchrotron based excitation sources, this will shorten the analysis time sufficiently for XPS to become a realistic characterization option for combinatorial material science

Zinn ist der Top-Favorit für den Ersatz von giftigem Blei in Perowskit-Solarzellen. Allerdings kommt es dabei verstärkt zu der unerwünschten Oxidation von SnII zu SnIV. Die herkömmlichen Verfahren verwenden SnF2 in der Perowskit-Vorläuferlösung, um die Bildung von SnIV zu verhindern. Dennoch bleibt der Wirkmechanismus des Additivs unklar. Um diesen eingehender zu erläutern, untersuchen wir die Fluoridchemie in Zinn-Halogenid-Perowskiten mit einander ergänzenden Analyseverfahren. NMR-Spektroskopie der Vorläuferlösung offenbart eine stark bevorzugte Affinität der Fluoridanionen für SnIV gegenüber SnII, wodurch dieses selektiv als SnF4 komplexiert wird. Harte Röntgenphotoelektronenspektroskopie an Dünnschichten zeigt die geringere Bereitschaft von SnF4 gegenüber SnI4, in die Perowskit-Struktur eingebaut zu werden und verhindert somit den Einschluss von SnIV in der Dünnschicht. Abschließend offenbart Röntgen-Kleinwinkelstreuung den starken Einfluss vom Fluorid auf die kolloidale Chemie der Vorläuferlösungen, der sich direkt auf die darauffolgende Kristallisation auswirkt. European Research Council (ERC)

We establish solution atomic layer deposition sALD for the controlled growth of pure Sb2Se3 thin films under mild conditions, namely, room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Upscaling this process yields Sb2Se3 thin films with high homogeneity over large area 4 amp; 8243; substrates. Annealing of the initially amorphous material leads to highly crystalline and smooth Sb2Se3 thin films. Removing the constraints of thermal stability and sufficient volatility in sALD compared to traditional gas phase ALD opens up a broad choice of precursors and allows us to examine a wide range of Se2 precursors, of which some exhibit facile synthetic routes and allow us to tune their reactivity for optimal experimental ease of use. Moreover, we demonstrate that the solvent used in sALD represents an additional, attractive tool to influence and tailor the reactivity at the liquid solid interface between the precursors and the surface

Copper indium disulfide CuInS2 grown under Cu rich conditions exhibits high optical quality but suffers predominantly from charge carrier interface recombination, resulting in poor solar cell performance. An unfavorable cliff like conduction band alignment at the buffer CuInS2 interface could be a possible cause of enhanced interface recombination in the device. In this work, we exploit direct and inverse photoelectron spectroscopy together with electrical characterization to investigate the cause of interface recombination in chemical bath deposited Zn O,S co evaporated CuInS2 based devices. Temperature dependent current voltage analyses indeed reveal an activation energy of the dominant charge carrier recombination path, considerably smaller than the absorber bulk band gap, confirming the dominant recombination channel to be present at the Zn O,S CuInS2 interface. However, photoelectron spectroscopy measurements indicate a small 0.1 eV spike like conduction band offset at the Zn O,S CuInS2 interface, excluding an unfavorable energy level alignment to be the prominent cause for strong interface recombination. The observed band bending upon interface formation also suggests Fermi level pinning not to be the main reason, leaving near interface defects as recently observed in Cu rich CuInSe2 as the likely reason for the performance limiting interface recombination

OBJECTIVE: To describe the profile of pediatric patients undergoing regular treatment with antipsychotics agents. METHODS: Descriptive study of a case series with cross-sectional data collection of patients’ files using antipsychotics agents, under 14 years of age treated at a Neuropediatric service from April to July 2020. For statistical analysis, we used the Fisher exact test and the Pearson’s Chi-square test with a 5% significance level. RESULTS: We assessed 98 patients, and 74 (75.5%) were males, the median age in the evaluation period was 8.5 (2.5 to 14 years). The main diagnosis was Autism Spectrum Disorder (53%) and Intellectual Deficit (46.9%). The most frequent prescription indications were aggressiveness (76.5%) and restlessness (43.8%). The main drugs prescribed were Risperidone (85.7%) and Periciazine (6.1%). The most evident adverse effects were weight gain (15.3%) and increased appetite (10.2%). The MOAS (Modified Overt Aggression Scale) showed changes in 71 patients (72.4%). Clinical evolution was reported as favorable by parents for 95 patients (96.94%). CONCLUSIONS: The use of antipsychotics in pediatrics is constantly expanding, but studies on the effects on this population are still lacking and with that the off-label use becomes commonplace. Further studies on the use of antipsychotics in the pediatric age group are expected to be developed.

Combinatorial material science crucially depends on robust, high-throughput characterization methods. While X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) may provide detailed information about chemical and electronic properties, it is a time-consuming technique and, therefore, is not viewed as a high-throughput method. Here we present preliminary XPS data of 169 measurement spots on a combinatorial 72 × 72 cm

Halide perovskites are a strong candidate for the next generation of photovoltaics. Chemical doping of halide perovskites is an established strategy to preparethe highest efficiency andmost stable perovskite-based solar cells. In this study, we unveil the doping mechanism of halide perovskites using a series of alkaline earth metals. We find that low doping levels enable the incorporation of the dopant within the perovskite lattice, whereas high doping concentrations induce surface segregation. The threshold from low to high doping regime correlates to the size of the doping element. We show that the low doping regime results in a more n-typematerial, while the high doping regime induces a less n-type doping character. Our work provides a comprehensive picture of the unique doping mechanism of halide perovskites, which differs fromclassical semiconductors. We proved the effectiveness of the low doping regime for the first time, demonstrating highly efficient methylammonium lead iodide based solar cells in both n-i-p and p-i-n architectures.

Purpose: Collecting patient reported outcome (PRO) data in a systematic way enables an objective evaluation of treatments and its related outcomes. By using the disease specific questionnaires developed by the International Consortium of Health Outcome Measurement (ICHOM) this allows for comparison between physicians, hospitals and even different countries. Methods In November 2016 we implemented a web-based system to collect PRO data at the breast center at Charité University hospital using the ICHOM data set. All new patients who are seen at the breast center are enrolled and are answering a predefined set of questions using a tablet computer. Once they start their treatment at Charité automated emails are sent to the patient at predefined treatment points. Those emails contain a web-based link through which they can access their questionnaires. Results Until now we have enrolled 834 patients and initiated 2470 questionnaires. 9.44% of patients were under 40 years of age, 49.7% between 40 and 60, 39.6% between 60-80 and 1.3% over the age of 80 years. The average return rate of questionnaires is 72% without any additional intervention. When asked about preference regarding paper versus online 7.9% of the patients 50 to 60 years of age would prefer paper, 18% in the 60-70 years of age group and 21.2 % in the age group over 70 years. Conclusion Measuring PRO in breast cancer patients in an automated electronic version is possible across all age ranges while simultaneously achieving a high return rate. Citation Format: Karsten MM, Speiser D, Hartmann C, Lippold K, Kirchberger V, Blohmer J-U. First implementation of the International Consortium of Health Outcomes Measurement standard for breast cancer at a major German university hospital using a web-based tool to measure patient reported outcomes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-12-05.

This work reports on developments in the field of wide band gap Cu2ZnXY4 (with X = Sn, Si or Ge, and Y = S, Se) kesterite thin film solar cells. An overview on recent developments and the current understanding of wide band gap kesterite absorber layers, alternative buffer layers, and suitable transparent back contacts is presented. Cu2ZnGe(S,Se)(4) absorbers with absorber band gaps up to 1.7 eV have been successfully developed and integrated into solar cells. Combining a CdS buffer layer prepared by an optimized chemical bath deposition process with a 1.36 eV band gap absorber resulted in a record Cu2ZnGeSe4 cell efficiency of 7.6%, while the highest open-circuit voltage of 730 mV could be obtained for a 1.54 eV band gap absorber and a Zn(O,S) buffer layer. Employing InZnOx or TiO2 protective top layers on SnO2:In transparent back contacts yields 85-90% of the solar cell performance of reference cells (with Mo back contact). These advances show the potential as well as the challenges of wide band gap kesterites for future applications in high-efficiency and low-cost tandem photovoltaic devices. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement No. 640868. The synchrotron radiation experiments were performed at the SPring-8 beamline BL15XU with the approval of the NIMS Synchrotron X-ray Station (Proposals 2016A4600, 2016B4601, and 2017A4600) and at BESSY II with the approval of HZB. B. Vermang has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant agreement no. 715027).

We report on the chemical and electronic structure of cesium tin bromide (CsSnBr3) and how it is impacted by the addition of 20 mol % tin fluoride (SnF2) to the precursor solution, using both surface-sensitive lab-based soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-surface bulk-sensitive synchrotron-based hard XPS (HAXPES). To determine the reproducibility and reliability of conclusions, several (nominally identically prepared) sample sets were investigated. The effects of deposition reproducibility, handling, and transport are found to cause significant changes in the measured properties of the films. Variations in the HAXPES-derived compositions between individual sample sets were observed, but in general, they confirm that the addition of 20 mol % SnF2 improves coverage of the titanium dioxide substrate by CsSnBr3 and decreases the oxidation of SnII to SnIV while also suppressing formation of secondary Br and Cs species. Furthermore, the (surface) composition is found to be Cs-deficient and Sn-rich compared to the nominal stoichiometry. The valence band (VB) shows a SnF2-induced redistribution of Sn 5s-derived density of states, reflecting the changing SnII/SnIV ratio. Notwithstanding some variability in the data, we conclude that SnF2 addition decreases the energy difference between the VB maximum of CsSnBr3 and the Fermi level, which we explain by defect chemistry considerations.

Halide perovskites are a strong candidate for the next generation of photovoltaics. Chemical doping of halide perovskites is an established strategy to prepare the highest efficiency and most stable perovskite-based solar cells. In this study, we unveil the doping mechanism of halide perovskites using a series of alkaline earth metals. We find that low doping levels enable the incorporation of the dopant within the perovskite lattice, whereas high doping concentrations induce surface segregation. The threshold from low to high doping regime correlates to the size of the doping element. We show that the low doping regime results in a more n-type material, while the high doping regime induces a less n-type doping character. Our work provides a comprehensive picture of the unique doping mechanism of halide perovskites, which differs from classical semiconductors. We proved the effectiveness of the low doping regime for the first time, demonstrating highly efficient methylammonium lead iodide based solar cells in both n-i-p and p-i-n architectures.

We report on the chemical and electronic structure of cesium tin bromide (CsSnBr3) and how it is impacted by the addition of 20 mol % tin fluoride (SnF2) to the precursor solution, using both surfa...

The chemical structure and topography evolution of vapor-deposited SnCl2 thin-films on Mo-coated glass substrates was studied via a combination of electron spectroscopies and scanning electron microscopy. For this purpose, a thickness series of SnCl2 thin-films was prepared using different evaporation times, revealing significant changes in the chemical environment of Sn and Cl along the layer profile and layer topography. The presence of O in the Mo-coated substrates can lead to oxidation in the SnCl2 film layers. The findings in this work show the effect that substrate conditions can exert on the chemical (and electronic) properties of the deposited material layers and that need to be taken into account for device optimization.

Cu In,Ga Se2 CIGSe is a promising absorber material for thin film photovoltaic devices. A key procedure to achieve high efficiencies is the application of alkali fluoride postdeposition treatments PDT of the CIGSe surface. While the effects of the PDT on the directly impacted CIGSe front surface have been subject to extensive studies, less is known about the impact on the deeply buried CIGSe Mo interface. Exposing the CIGSe absorber backside by stripping it off the Mo back contact allows to use surface sensitive photoelectron spectroscopy to study the chemical and electronic structure of this interface in unprecedented detail. CIGSe Mo stacks prepared using NaF only and combined NaF RbF with optimal and excess amount of RbF PDT are studied. Rb is detected accumulating at the backside of the RbF treated CIGSe absorbers in conjunction with a depletion of Na. The exposed CIGSe backsides display a Cu deficient surface region, with increased presence of Rb correlating with a decreased Cu content. Rb appears to be incorporated into the Cu deficient absorber region as previously detected on the front surface. However, in contrast to the front surface, no distinct, secondary Rb amp; 63743;In amp; 63743;Se type phase is found at the back surface

This work reports on developments in the field of wide band gap Cu2ZnXY4(with X = Sn, Si or Ge, and Y = S, Se) kesterite thin film solar cells. An overview on recent developments and the current understanding of wide band gap kesterite absorber layers, alternative buffer layers, and suitable transparent back contacts is presented. Cu2ZnGe(S,Se)4absorbers with absorber band gaps up to 1.7 eV have been successfully developed and integrated into solar cells. Combining a CdS buffer layer prepared by an optimized chemical bath deposition process with a 1.36 eV band gap absorber resulted in a record Cu2ZnGeSe4cell efficiency of 7.6%, while the highest open-circuit voltage of 730 mV could be obtained for a 1.54 eV band gap absorber and a Zn(O,S) buffer layer. Employing InZnOxor TiO2protective top layers on SnO2:In transparent back contacts yields 85–90% of the solar cell performance of reference cells (with Mo back contact). These advances show the potential as well as the challenges of wide band gap kesterites for future applications in high-efficiency and low-cost tandem photovoltaic devices.

BACKGROUND Collecting patient-reported outcome (PRO) data systematically enables objective evaluation of treatment and its related outcomes. Using disease-specific questionnaires developed by the International Consortium for Health Outcome Measurement (ICHOM) allows for comparison between physicians, hospitals, and even different countries. OBJECTIVE This pilot project aimed to establish a digital system to measure PROs for new patients with breast cancer who attended the Charité Breast Center This approach should serve as a blueprint to further expand the PRO measurement to other disease entities and departments. METHODS In November 2016, we implemented a Web-based system to collect PRO data at Charité Breast Center using the ICHOM dataset. All new patients at the Breast Center were enrolled and answered a predefined set of questions using a tablet computer. Once they started their treatment at Charité, automated emails were sent to the patients at predefined treatment points. Those emails contained a Web-based link through which they could access and answer questionnaires. RESULTS By now, 541 patients have been enrolled and 2470 questionnaires initiated. Overall, 9.4% (51/541) of the patients were under the age of 40 years, 49.7% (269/541) between 40 and 60 years, 39.6% (214/541) between 60 and 80 years, and 1.3% (7/541) over the age of 80 years. The average return rate of questionnaires was 67.0%. When asked about the preference regarding paper versus Web-based questionnaires, 6.0% (8/134) of the patients between 50 and 60 years, 6.0% (9/150) between 60 and 70 years, and 12.7% (9/71) over the age of 70 years preferred paper versions. CONCLUSIONS Measuring PRO in patients with breast cancer in an automated electronic version is possible across all age ranges while simultaneously achieving a high return rate.

In a combined theoretical and experimental work, we investigate X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure (XANES) spectroscopy of the I $L_3$ and the Pb $M_5$ edges of the methylammonium lead iodide ($\textrm{MAPbI}_3$) hybrid inorganic-organic perovskite and its binary phase $\textrm{PbI}_2$. The absorption onsets are dominated by bound excitons with sizable binding energies of a few hundred meV and pronounced anisotropy. The spectra of both materials exhibit remarkable similarities, suggesting that the fingerprints of core excitations in $\textrm{MAPbI}_3$ are essentially given by its inorganic component, with negligible influence from the organic groups. The theoretical analysis complementing experimental observations provides the conceptual insights required for a full characterization of this complex material.

The unprecedented speed at which the performance of solar cells based on solution-processed perovskite thin films has increased, in some ways, appears to violate conventional understanding of device optimization. The relatively poor coverage of the TiO2 electron transport layer by the absorber should cause shunting of the cell. This, however, is not the case. In this paper, it is attempted to explain this “discrepancy.” Insights into coverage, morphology, local elemental composition, and spatially resolved electronic structure of CH3NH3PbI(3-x)Clx perovskite absorbers wet-chemically deposited on planar compact TiO2 electron transport material (ETM) are revealed. Microscopy images indicate an incomplete coverage of the ETM. Depending on the degree of coverage, a variation in iodine oxidation and metallic lead formation is found. With the electronic structure of the absorber and the ETM established experimentally and taking literature on the commonly used hole transport material spiro-MeOTAD into account, it is revealed that excellent charge selectivity occurs at the interfaces between the absorber and both the hole and electron transport layers. It can also be surmised that, crucially, any direct interface between the TiO2 and spiro-MeOTAD would be characterized by a large recombination barrier preventing shunts; to some extent minimizing the negative effects of absorber pinholes.

Single-ion lanthanide-organic complexes can provide stable magnetic moments with well-defined orientation for spintronic applications on the atomic level. Here, we show by a combined experimental approach of scanning tunneling microscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy that dysprosium-tris(1,1,1-trifluoro-4-(2-thienyl)-2,4-butanedionate) $(\mathrm{Dy}{(\mathrm{tta})}_{3})$ complexes deposited on a Au(111) surface undergo a molecular distortion, resulting in distinct crystal field symmetry imposed on the Dy ion. This leads to an easy-axis magnetization direction in the ligand plane. Furthermore, we show that tunneling electrons hardly couple to the spin excitations, which we ascribe to the shielded nature of the $4f$ electrons.

We present a new method for the creation of hierarchical structures by two subsequent steps of laser ablation. To create certain functionalization of surfaces hierarchical structures are often required. These structures can be considered as a microstructure with a superposed nanostructure. Therefore the approach presented in this paper divides the patterning process into two parts: The microstructures are accomplished by direct laser writing with feature sizes down to a few microns whereas the nanostructure is subsequently added by Multi-beam-interference (MBI). Multi-beaminterference is a promising tool for the generation of nanostructures on 3D surfaces. Within this work the feasibility and limitations of this method are investigated.

Medical devices and engineering products need an increasing number of micro scaled-features, such as holes for filtration, separation and ventilation or small structures e.g. for hydrophobic effects. The size of these structures is often in the range of 20 mm and below while the structured areas grow at the same time. Therefore the factors influencing the drilling process are becoming more and more important and used to generate high process stability during the laser process. This paper investigates the process limits as well as the factors influencing the application of perforation with laser radiation of a 15 mm thick aluminum foil with UV ps-pulses. The pitch of the holes within the drilling pattern is varied as is the repetition rate used for the percussion drilling of each of the holes. The holes are evaluated by means of their diameter and shape. The precision of the hole shape is examined for two characteristics: circularity and ellipticity. Holes with a diameter of < 10 mm are drilled with pitches between 14 mm and 25 mm. Depending on the repetition rate three different drilling regimes are identified: 1. thermal drilling with increasing surface-oxidation, 2. thermal drilling with decreasing surface-oxidation and 3. shadowing of laser radiation.

Zum mikrometerfeinen Strukturieren funktioneller Oberflachen eigenen sich Kurzpuls- und Ultrakurzpulslaser inzwischen ebenso gut wie die klassischen Fertigungstechnologien. Das belegt auch die Vielzahl der Anwendungen, bei denen Laser derzeit die Oberflachen strukturieren. Speziell zum wirtschaftlichen Strukturieren von groseren Flachen bedarf es aber weiterer Forschungsaktivitaten. Sie offnen den (Ultra-) Kurzpulslasern zusatzliches Einsatzpotenzial.

In the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei nearly all control of gene expression is posttranscriptional; sequences in the 3′-untranslated regions of mRNAs determine the steady-state mRNA levels by regulation of RNA turnover. Here we investigate the roles of two related proteins, Tb UBP1 and Tb UBP2, containing a single RNA recognition motif, in trypanosome gene expression. Tb UBP1 and Tb UBP2 are in the cytoplasm and nucleus, comprise ca. 0.1% of the total protein, and are not associated with polysomes or RNA degradation enzymes. Overexpression of Tb UBP2 upregulated the levels of several mRNAs potentially involved in cell division, including the CFB1 mRNA, which encodes a protein with a cyclin F-box domain. CFB1 regulation was mediated by the 3′-untranslated region and involved stabilization of the mRNA. Depletion of Tb UBP2 and Tb UBP1 inhibited growth and downregulated expression of the cyclin F box protein gene CFB2 ; trans splicing was unaffected. The results of pull-down assays indicated that all tested mRNAs were bound to Tb UBP2 or Tb UBP1, with some preference for CFB1 . We suggest that Tb UBP1 and Tb UBP2 may be relatively nonspecific RNA-binding proteins and that specific effects of overexpression or depletion could depend on competition between various different proteins for RNA binding.

The production and machining of micro parts were in the past mainly made by technologies developed from the electronic industry, which is particularly based on silicon etching technologies for the production of, e.g., sensor elements. Due to the increasing demand for micro products in other production area such as medical-, automotive-, optical- and chemical-industry, suitable processes for machining parts from non-silicon materials has become increasingly more important. Laser technology has been qualified for microtechnology because of its high lateral resolution by minimized focusability down to a few microns, low heat input and high flexibility. Some examples for laser applications are micro welding, soldering, selective bonding of silicon and glass, micro structuring and laser assisted forming.

This trial assessed the efficacy and safety of meropenem versus ceftazidime as empirical monotherapy for febrile neutropenia in paediatric cancer patients. In a prospective randomized study, 172 evaluable febrile episodes in the meropenem arm and 170 episodes in the ceftazidime arm were analysed for the clinical and microbiological response dependent on the kind of infection. About half the episodes were classified as fever of unknown origin (FUO) and the remainder as microbiologically or clinically documented infections. The most frequently documented infections in both arms were bacteraemias (22.1 versus 26.5%), predominantly caused by Gram-positive organisms (57.9 versus 71.1%). The success rate of the initial monotherapy differed significantly between the two arms and was 55.8% in the meropenem and 40.0% in the ceftazidime arm (P = 0.003). In addition, a significantly longer duration of fever and of antimicrobial therapy was observed in the ceftazidime arm than in the meropenem arm (median 5 versus 4 days, P = 0.022, and 7 versus 6 days, P = 0.009, respectively). With respect to the kind of infection, differences between the two arms were significant only in episodes classified as FUO but not in documented infections. In both arms, side effects were minimal. Despite the greater response rate for meropenem in FUO, the fact that ceftazidime has been proven to be as effective as meropenem in documented infections in the present study suggests that both drugs are useful as empirical monotherapy in febrile paediatric cancer patients.

L’originalité du château de Marly réside avant tout dans l’ordonnance de l’architecture en un système de pavillons et dans la décoration de toutes les façades par des fresques polychromes. D’un seul point de vue quantitatif, l’ensemble des projets de ce décor représente le groupe de dessins le plus important de la première phase de construction de Marly. Non seulement ces documents, parmi les plus anciens conservés, nous renseignent sur la première phase de la conception, mais, dans le cas du Pavillon royal, ils sont aussi la preuve qu’un processus de concertation eut lieu entre Le Brun et Mansart en vue d’harmoniser l’architecture et le système de décor feint. La tradition des décors de fêtes éphémères a sans aucun doute constitué la source d’inspiration principale de ce décor : les correspondances frappantes entre le premier projet d’ensemble pour Marly et l’Illumination du jardin de Versailles organisée en 1674 et 1676 – dont nous aimerions attribuer le projet à Le Brun –, qui a fortement fasciné Louis XIV, pour lequel elle représentait une sorte d’extension idéale du jardin de Versailles, suggèrent que ce décor a fourni le modèle de l’idée initiale de Marly. Parallèlement, le rôle de Mansart apparaît clairement comme celui d’un architecte extrêmement inventif qui donna au site sa forme architecturale concrète ; son projet d’une chartreuse sécularisée à des fins de retraite pour le monarque ne présente pas moins de caractères fantastiques. Le projet et la réalisation d’un concept aussi « risqué » à tous points de vue ne furent possibles que parce que son commanditaire y voyait la transposition idéale de ses souhaits personnels et de ses goûts esthétiques, dans un lieu jouissant d’une relative intimité. The originality of the Château de Marly lies, above all, in its architecture’s order on a system of pavilions and on the polychrome frescoes decorating all its facades. With just one quantitative point of view, all of the decor’s projects represent the most important designs of the first phase of Marly’s construction. Not only do these documents, among the oldest preserved, tell us about the first phase of design, but, in the case of the Royal Pavilion, they are also proof of a consultative process that took place between Le Brun and Mansart with a view to harmonizing the architecture and the system of trompe l’oeil decoration. The tradition of ephemeral decorations for feasts undoubtedly constituted the main source of inspiration for this decoration: the striking correspondence between the first overall project for Marly and the Illumination of the garden of Versailles organized in 1674 and 1676 — that we would like to attribute to Le Brun — which greatly interested Louis XIV for whom it represented a kind of ideal extension of the garden of Versailles, suggest that this provided the model for the initial idea of Marly. Meanwhile, Mansart’s role clearly appears as one of an extremely inventive architect who gave the site its concrete architectural form: his project for the secularized charterhouse as a retreat for the monarch presents no fewer fantastic characteristics. The project and realization of a concept so “risky” from all viewpoints were only possible because his sponsor saw the ideal transposition of his personal wishes and his aesthetic tastes in a location that enjoyed relative privacy.

Background and Purpose Cerebrovascular CO 2 reactivity can be assessed easily and reliably by transcranial Doppler sonography. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate sex differences in cerebral CO 2 reactivity and to specify the relation between CO 2 and cerebral blood flow velocity. Methods CO 2 reactivity of the circulation of both middle cerebral arteries was measured by bilateral transcranial Doppler sonography in 60 healthy volunteers (30 men, 30 women) aged 21 to 58 years. End-tidal carbon dioxide tensions (P etco 2 ) were elevated with the use of carbogene gas (95% O 2 , 5% CO 2 ). In each subject the mean blood flow velocity (V mean ) was plotted as a function of P etco 2 . Results The best-fit curves for the relation of V mean /P etco 2 were exponential functions, with the following basic equation: V mean (cm/s)= a e bx , where a is a theoretical quantity representing V mean at a P co 2 of 0 mm Hg, b is the relative slope of the curve (slope divided by the value of the function) corresponding to the definition of reactivity, and x is the P etco 2 (mm Hg). The mean value of b was 0.037±0.008 in women and 0.030±0.010 in men. ANOVA demonstrated a significant difference between men and women ( P Conclusions This study demonstrates a highly significant sex-related difference in CO 2 -induced cerebral vasomotor reactivity. The relation between altered carbon dioxide tensions and blood flow velocities of both middle cerebral arteries in 60 healthy volunteers was found to be exponential.

The need for micro scaled features in medical devices and engineering products, like holes for filtration, separation and ventilation or small structures e.g. for hydrophobic effects, is constantly increasing. The size of these structures is often in the region of 20 µm and smaller. One important aspect of the drilling or structuring process is the process stability and its influencing factors. For the laser perforation of a 15 µm thick Aluminum foil with UV ps-pulses the process limits as well as the influencing factors are investigated. The pitch of the holes within the pattern as well as the number of pulses used for the percussion drilling of each of the holes are varied. The drilled holes are evaluated by means of hole diameter and precision of the hole shape in means of circularity and ellipticity. Holes with a diameter of < 6 µm are drilled at a minimal pitch of 12 µm. The ellipticity is mainly dependent on the heat distribution, the circularity on polarization effects. In contrast to the perforation process with ns-pulses polarization effects play a major role for the perforation process with ps-pulses.

This study presents a novel numerical model for laser ablation and laser damage in glass including beam propagation and nonlinear absorption of multiple incident ultrashort laser pulses. The laser ablation and damage in the glass cutting process with a picosecond pulsed laser was studied. The numerical results were in good agreement with our experimental observations, thereby revealing the damage mechanism induced by laser ablation. Beam propagation effects such as interference, diffraction and refraction, play a major role in the evolution of the crater structure and the damage region. There are three different damage regions, a thin layer and two different kinds of spikes. Moreover, the electronic damage mechanism was verified and distinguished from heat modification using the experimental results with different pulse spatial overlaps.

African trypanosomes are extracellular protozoan parasites that are transmitted from one mammalian host to the next by tsetse flies. Bloodstream forms express variant surface glycoprotein (VSG); the tsetse fly (procyclic) forms express instead the procyclic acidic repetitive protein (PARP). PARP mRNA is abundant in procyclic forms and almost undetectable in blood-stream forms. Post-transcriptional mechanisms are mainly responsible for PARP mRNA regulation but results of nuclear run-on experiments suggested that transcription might also be regulated. We measured the activity of genomically-integrated PARP, VSG and rRNA promoters in permanently-transformed blood-stream and procyclic form trypanosomes, using reporter gene constructs that showed no post-transcriptional regulation. When the constructs were integrated in the rRNA non-transcribed spacer, the ribosomal RNA and VSG promoters were not developmentally regulated, but integration at the PARP locus reduced rRNA promoter activity in bloodstream forms. PARP promoter activity was 5-fold down-regulated in bloodstream forms when integrated at either site. Regulation was probably at the level of transcriptional initiation, but elongation through plasmid vector sequences was also reduced.

Messenger RNAs of higher eukaryotes share a functionally essential 5' monomethyl CAP structure generated during a reaction that is linked exclusively to RNA polymerase II transcription. In unicellular parasites belonging to the Kinetoplastida, however, mRNAs acquire their 5' CAP through a trans-splicing reaction which effectively uncouples pol II transcription and capping. Consequently functional mRNAs can be produced by endogenous RNA polymerase I. Here we demonstrate the extension of this flexibility to heterologous bacteriophage polymerases. Transgenic Trypanosoma brucei cell lines stably expressing functional, nuclearly localized T3 or T7 RNA polymerase were established and assayed using reporter plasmids bearing the corresponding phage promoters. In these cell lines the levels of phage promoter-driven gene expression ranges from one half to greater than 5 times that mediated by endogenous pol I. Analysis of 5' ends of transcripts synthesized by the T7 polymerase revealed that they are trans-spliced. Thus the usual eukaryotic link between mRNA production and pol II transcription can be by-passed by the introduced phage polymerases, thereby significantly expanding the critically small panel of promoters currently available for exploitation in reverse genetic approaches in T. brucei.

Investigations on laser micro ablation of steel have been made using multipulses instead of single pulses. The aim is to improve the efficiency of laser micro ablation by increasing the ablation rate and quality at the same time. For the improvement of the multipulse laser ablation a flash-lamp pumped Nd:YAG laser with 20 to 100 ns pulse duration is used which can supply multipulses with a specially triggered pockels cell at 10 Hz. A mayor increase of ablation by distribution of energy on several pulses is observed. Further investigations have been made with a commercial ps laser system with a pulse duration of 12 ps at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. The used bursts consisted of up to four pulses with interpulse separations Delta t between 20 ns and 100 mu s. A cut-off frequency nu(cut-off) up to which the double pulse ablation equals single pulse ablation is defined by plasma enhanced absorption of the second laser pulse. For the comparison of multipulse and single pulse ablation the geometry and the roughness of the irradiated area have been detected by white light interference microscopy.

The degradation of cytoplasmic proteins is an ATP-dependent process. Substrates are targeted to a single soluble protease, the 26S proteasome, in eukaryotes and to a number of unrelated proteases in prokaryotes. A surprising link emerged with the discovery of the ATP-dependent protease HslVU (heat shock locus VU) in Escherichia coli. Its protease component HslV shares approximately 20% sequence similarity and a conserved fold with 20S proteasome beta-subunits. HslU is a member of the Hsp100 (Clp) family of ATPases. Here we report the crystal structures of free HslU and an 820,000 relative molecular mass complex of HslU and HslV-the first structure of a complete set of components of an ATP-dependent protease. HslV and HslU display sixfold symmetry, ruling out mechanisms of protease activation that require a symmetry mismatch between the two components. Instead, there is conformational flexibility and domain motion in HslU and a localized order-disorder transition in HslV. Individual subunits of HslU contain two globular domains in relative orientations that correlate with nucleotide bound and unbound states. They are surprisingly similar to their counterparts in N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein, the prototype of an AAA-ATPase. A third, mostly alpha-helical domain in HslU mediates the contact with HslV and may be the structural equivalent of the amino-terminal domains in proteasomal AAA-ATPases.

Salivarian trypanosomes are extracellular parasites of mammals that are transmitted by tsetse flies. The procyclic acidic repetitive proteins (PARPs) are the major surface glycoproteins of the form of Trypanosoma brucei that replicates in the fly. The abundance of PARP mRNA and protein is very strongly regulated, mostly at the post-transcriptional level. The 34-untranslated regions of two PARP genes are of similar lengths, but are dissimilar in sequence apart from a 16mer stem‐loop that stimulates translation and a 26mer polypyrimidine tract. Addition of either of these PARP 34-untranslated regions immediately downstream of a reporter gene resulted in developmental regulation mimicking that of PARP. We show that the PARP 3 4-UTR reduces RNA stability and translation in bloodstream forms and that the 26mer polypyrimidine tract is necessary for both effects.

The central issue raised by Ishikawa et al. is that of the configuration of the productive HslVU complex. We note that complexes of HslV and HslU in E. coli are labile and unstable under many conditions1. The original electron microscopy (EM) images of Rohrwild et al.2 appear to show free HslV, free HslU and HslV–HslU complex particles. To explain the discrepancy between the HslV–HslU arrangement in our co-crystals and their negatively stained EM data, we suggested that there might have been a collapse of the fragile I-domain structure in the EM preparations, or a reversal in the orientation of the HslU rings1. Ishikawa et al. interpret their results from cryo-EM at 30 A resolution in this latter way, using our crystal data of the components. Although these preparations preserve the native structure better than the negatively stained ones, our HslV– HslU samples are also active under crystallization conditions3.

The underlying beneficial mechanism of heavy alkali postdeposition treatment (PDT) of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cell absorbers that led to new record efficiencies in recent years is studied using photoelectron spectroscopy. Excitation energies between 40.8 eV and 6 keV were used to examine the near-surface region of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cell absorbers that underwent NaF and combined NaF/RbF PDT. The already Cu-deficient surface region after NaF PDT, which is modeled as a Cu:(In + Ga):Se = 1:5:8 phase, shows further depletion after NaF/RbF PDT and seems to incorporate some Rb. Additionally, we have found strong indications for the NaF/RbF PDT-induced formation of a Rb-In-Se-type compound with a 1:1:2 stoichiometry partially covering the absorber surface. The electronic Cu(In,Ga)Se2 structure is modified due to the RbF treatment, with a pronounced shift in the valence band maximum away from the Fermi level in the immediate vicinity of the surface.

Nearly all trypanosome mRNAs are synthesized as polycistronic precursors, from which mature mRNAs are excised by trans splicing and polyadenylation. Polyadenylation of a procyclic acidic repetitive protein (PARP, or procyclin) transcript was studied by transient transfection of constructs bearing a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene linked to the PARP intergenic region. Polyadenylation usually occurred at A residues, about 100 bases upstream of a trans-splicing acceptor signal. The wild-type polyadenylation site has a cryptic trans-splicing signal about 100 bp downstream: deletion or inversion of this signal results in polyadenylation at multiple sites, upstream of other cryptic trans-splicing signals. The PARP mRNA precursor appears to contain a hierarchy of possible processing signals, the function of cryptic ones being revealed only when the dominant ones are deleted or moved. Correct polyadenylation can be restored by addition of trans-splicing signals from other loci. The results indicate that polyadenylation is coupled to downstream trans splicing but that the products of the trans-splicing reaction are not necessarily functional mRNAs.