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In the field of online algorithms paging is a well studied problem. LRU is a simple paging algorithm which incurs few cache misses and supports efficient implementations. Algorithms outperforming LRU in terms of cache misses exist, but are in general more complex and thus not automatically better, since their increased runtime might annihilate the gains in cache misses. In this paper we focus on efficient implementations for the OnOPT class described in [13], particularly on an algorithm in this class, denoted RDM, that was shown to typically incur fewer misses than LRU. We provide experimental evidence on a wide range of cache traces showing that our implementation of RDM is competitive to LRU with respect to runtime. In a scenario incurring realistic time penalties for cache misses, we show that our implementation consistently outperforms LRU, even if the runtime of LRU is set to zero.

A compact-sized shear cell for in-situ interdiffusion measurements in liquid alloys at high-temperature is presented. It is designed for being used with X-ray radiography in microgravity environment and also in ground-based experiments. Within outer dimensions of 40×40×20 mm, the shear cell contains six samples in long capillaries which remain spatially separated during melting, homogenisation and optional μg-injection. The diffusion is then initiated by shearing both material samples together. Operating temperature is as high as 1500 °C. Stable temperature distribution is found and no sample leakage occurs. The thin layout of the shear cell results in a good X-ray contrast supported by making use of graphite heating foils. First results of ground experiments are presented.

Due to the recent worldwide recession companies again tend to focus on cost-efficiency by increasing the ratio of value adding activities within their intra- and inter-organizational processes. In order to achieve efficient processes and eliminate non-value adding activities out of customers’ perspective, the principles and methods of Lean Production (LP) are gaining interest especially in Austrian companies. According to this development the need of further lean-activities within the Austrian industry can be deduced but not validated. Due to this fact the purpose of this paper is to survey and discuss the status quo of Lean Production in Austrian companies. Therefore three different perspectives are used to describe the actual situation of lean-paradigm within the industry. These are the currently applied principles and methods as well as their degree of implementation, the acceptance of implementation and the structural/organizational integration. Furthermore a trend of the prevalence and application is predicted due to the degree of implementation and the prospective requirements. In summary it can be stated that LP is already known and applied in Austrian industry. However, the need of further activities to intensify the application of lean methods can be deduced. In this context it seems important that there is still resistance to implementation offered from the foreman and the operators in general. Therefore, the involvement of the employees before and during the implementation process can be defined as one important critical success factor of LP.

With the increased focus on optimizing procurement processes, different procurement concepts have been developed. However, for these concepts no widely accepted best practice solutions exist. Furthermore, customers often impose specific conditions on suppliers. Thus implementations of these concepts are always different. Consequently suppliers cannot provide standardized services (e.g. Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), Just-in-time or Just-in-sequence) to their customers, but have to be able to flexibly adapt these services to additional requirements. To address this, we developed an adaptable framework that includes all basic processes of these different procurement concepts, but furthermore being usable for individual distinctions. Therefore the supplier can provide services in a very flexible way by constructing them from the basic process steps. If these steps are supported by information and communications technology (ICT), further implementation decisions have to be made. To enable suppliers and customers to create an integrated model that reflects the process as well as the ICT level, we developed a business process modeling approach.

There has been considerable discussion on the possible impacts of open source software development practices, especially in regard to the quality of the resulting software product. Recent studies have shown that analyzing data from source code repositories is an efficient way to gather information about project characteristics and programmers, showing that OSS projects are very heterogeneous in their team structures and software processes. However, one problem is that the resulting process metrics measuring attributes of the development process and of the development environment do not give any hints about the quality, complexity, or structure of the resulting software. Therefore, we expanded the analysis by calculating several product metrics, most of them specifically tailored to object-oriented software. We then analyzed the relationship between these product metrics and process metrics derived from a CVS repository. The aim was to establish whether different variants of open source development processes have a significant impact on the resulting software products. In particular we analyzed the impact on quality and design associated with the numbers of contributors and the amount of their work, using the GINI coefficient as a measure of inequality within the developer group.

Background: Adequate termination of an immune response is as important as the induction of an appropriate response. CD46, a regulator of complement activity, promotes T cell activation and differentiation towards a regulatory Tr1 phenotype. This Tr1 differentiation pathway is defective in patients with MS, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, underlying its importance in controlling T cell function and the need to understand its regulatory mechanisms. CD46 has two cytoplasmic tails, Cyt1 and Cyt2, derived from alternative splicing, which are co-expressed in all nucleated human cells. The regulation of their expression and precise functions in regulating human T cell activation has not been fully elucidated.Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we first report the novel role of CD46 in terminating T cell activation. Second, we demonstrate that its functions as an activator and inhibitor of T cell responses are mediated through the temporal processing of its cytoplasmic tails. Cyt1 processing is required to turn T cell activation on, while processing of Cyt2 switches T cell activation off, as demonstrated by proliferation, CD25 expression and cytokine secretion. Both tails require processing by Presenilin/gamma Secretase (P/gamma S) to exert these functions. This was confirmed by expressing wild-type Cyt1 and Cyt2 tails and uncleavable mutant tails in primary T cells. The role of CD46 tails was also demonstrated with T cells expressing CD19 ectodomain-CD46 C-Terminal Fragment (CTF) fusions, which allowed specific triggering of each tail individually.Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that CD46 acts as a molecular rheostat to control human T cell activation through the regulation of processing of its cytoplasmic tails.

Two modules ATLAS-M and Batt-M were especially developed for application in the MAPHEUS (MAterialPHysikalische Experimente Unter Schwerelosigkeit) sounding rocket campaign. They were manufactured and built at the Institute of Material Physics in Space at the German Aeropsace Center (DLR). ATLAS-M is a furnace for short time diffusion measurements achieving heating rates of 7K/s and cooling rates of 6K/s. Atlas-M is well suited for investigation of interdiffusion coefficients on a time scale of

Das Phantasma der Kindsbraut, als dessen literarisches Urbild Goethes Mignon gelten kann, kommt in der nachromantischen Literatur nicht erst mit Lulu und Lolita wieder zum Vorschein. Bereits vor ihrem Eintritt in die literarische Moderne durchstreifen Mignons Schwestern auch die Epochen des Biedermeier und des Poetischen Realismus. Wie die im vorliegenden Band versammelten Beiträge zeigen, tauchen sie in Werken Heines, Stifters, Kellers und Fontanes auf. Auffallend häufig erscheinen sie im Oeuvre Theodor Storms. Während in den Briefen dieses Dichters weithin die Vorstellung einer ‚natürlichen’ Geschlechter- und Familienordnung vorherrscht, richtet sich das Begehren seiner fiktiven Protagonisten signifikant häufig auf noch junge, am Rande der Pubertät befindliche Mädchen, deren oft stereotype Beschreibung die Geschlechter- und Generationendifferenz systematisch verwischt. Im Falle Storms lässt sich rekonstruieren, dass die Entwicklung einer künstlerisch eigenständigen Schreibweise mit der zeitweiligen Obsession für die kindliche Bertha von Buchan einherging. Doch ist die heikle Faszination durch kindlich-weibliche Mischwesen literarisch und außerliterarisch so weit verbreitet, dass sie nach Erklärungen verlangt, die über die individuelle Biographie des jeweiligen Autors hinausweisen. Auf einem 2008 in Husum veranstalteten Symposion haben Literaturwissenschaftlerinnen und -wissenschaftler den Versuch unternommen, sich dem Rätsel der Kindsbraut aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven zu nähern. Die dabei entstandenen Studien und Diskussionen befassen sich mit einer bis in die Gegenwart virulenten Männerphantasie, über deren (un-)heimliche Quellen die Literatur zwischen Goethezeit und Moderne mancherlei Aufschluss bietet.

Durch den steigenden Wettbewerbsdruck globalisierter Markte und die Reduktion der Fertigungsstufen mussen Industrieunternehmen noch intensivere Anstrengungen in Richtung Rationalisierung unternehmensintern und im Netzwerk aufbringen. Parallel dazu erfordern Faktoren wie kurzere Produktlebenszyklen und sich standig andernde Markte flexible Prozesse. Unter diesen Rahmenbedingungen gewinnt das Thema der gesamtheitlichen Prozessbeherrschung und -transparenz an Bedeutung, zumal diese die Basis zur Konzeption und Implementierung von schlanken und modularisierten Prozessen bilden.

The quality of software architecture is one of the crucial success factors for the development of large and/or complex systems. Therefore, a good software architect plays a key role in every demanding project: She or he has the overview of the overall system and sets the framework for the implementation. In order to be successful in this task, software architects need well-founded and encompassing knowledge about design, which exceeds pure programming and specific spe- cialization areas. The master seminar ''Software Architecture in Depth'' builds on the lecture ''Software Architecture''. The master seminar aims at further deepening of impor- tant areas of the domain of software architecture. On one hand, we elaborate areas that were not explicitly considered in the lecture, as for example architecture evaluation and architecture refactoring. On the other hand, we acquire topics of current interest, as for example the REST architectural style.

In September 2008, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) learned of an outbreak of diarrheal illness that included a 71-year-old patient hospitalized for gastroenteritis with a blood culture positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Three stool specimens provided by seven of 19 persons attending a day trip to a foreign city, including a final break at an Austrian tavern, yielded L. monocytogenes. All isolates were of serovar 4b and had fingerprints indistinguishable from each other. A cohort study revealed that the outbreak of gastroenteritis occurred among 16 persons who had eaten dinner at the wine tavern on September 6. Of the 15 persons who ate from platters of mixed cold-cuts, 12 (80%) developed symptoms of febrile gastroenteritis within 24-48 h. The median age of those who became ill was 62 years. A 72-year-old patient recovered from gastroenteritis but was hospitalized with bacterial meningitis on day 19 after the dinner. The epidemiological investigation identified the consumption of mixed cold-cuts (including jellied pork) at the wine tavern as the most likely vehicle of the foodborne outbreak (P = 0.0015). This hypothesis was confirmed by microbiological investigation of jellied pork produced by the tavern owner on September 3. L. monocytogenes was isolated from leftover food in numbers of 3 x 10(3)-3 x 10(4) colony forming units/g and was indistinguishable from the clinical outbreak isolates. Symptoms reported by the 12 patients included unspecified fever (12x), diarrhea (9x), headache (5x), vomiting (4x), body aches (2x) and sore throat (1x). Active case finding identified one case of rhombencephalitis (female, age 48) among another group of four guests, among whom only the patient and her asymptomatic husband had eaten jellied pork on September 6. This is the first outbreak of L. monocytogenes-associated gastroenteritis reported in Austria. The occurrence of a secondary case of meningitis (diagnosed on day 19 after consumption of jellied pork) indicates a significant risk of systemic listeriosis among elderly patients with febrile gastroenteritis caused by L. monocytogenes; antibiotic therapy should therefore be considered in such cases of documented listerial gastroenteritis.

International audience; Excavations at Acheulean sites in northern Europe at the end of the 19th century have yielded fossil sponges belonging to the Late Cretaceous species Porosphaera globularis. The spherical morphology of these fossils, their small size, and the presence of a natural complete perforation in their center have led some archaeologists to interpret them as the oldest known beads. Others argue that the presence of these fossils at archaeological sites is due to natural processes. Re-examination of material collected during the 19th century has recently revived the bead interpretation. We tested the bead hypothesis by analyzing 13 samples of Porosphaera from nine sites in Britain and France. We conducted morphometric and microscopic analyses on specimens recovered from archaeological sites (n ¼ 349), a natural geological sample, which was collected directly from Cretaceous strata (n ¼ 352), and a sample from a Bronze Age burial (n ¼ 43). Reappraisal of contextual data shows that the association of these finds with Acheulean artifacts is uncertain. Our results show that archaeological specimens are significantly different in size and perforation pattern from those of the natural geological sample. This may be due to size-sorting caused by sedimentary processes, size-selection by Palaeolithic people or by 19th century collectors. Modifications of the fossils' natural shape were detected on a few specimens in the form of localized abrasions and microchipping along the hole margins. A single specimen displays a facet close to the hole produced by grinding. The surfaces of these features exhibit a hue lighter than that observed on the remainder of the specimens indicating that they may be recent in origin and due to post-excavation and preservation treatment. However, this seems contradicted, for some specimens from Bedford, by the fact that according to Smith, W.G. [1884. On a Palaeolithic floor at North-East London. Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 13, 357–384] the specimens bearing microchipping and abrasions were found by him and ‘‘not touched or manipulated by the workmen''. We conclude that new excavations of these sites, involving systematic screening of sediments, are needed in order to attempt to solve the Porosphaera ‘‘mystery''.

Conspicuous borings, belonging to the new ichnotaxon Trypanites mobilisisp. n., recorded in the bulbous spines of the echinoid Tylocidarisand in the spherical calcareous sponge Porosphaera globularis, are common in Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) to Early Paleocene (Danian) strata of Central and NW Europe. It is suggested that the borings were produced post mortem by sipunculan worms to create a lightweight and mobile domicile, offering effective shelter and protection. This strategy, which is hitherto not known from any other animal group, represents an alternative to the conchicolous life habit. Both habits evolved almost simultaneously in sipunculans at the end of the Early Cretaceous, suggesting escalation as a response to increased predation. Moreover, it bears a number of advantages such as superior substrate availability, the avoidance of replacing the substrate during ontogeny, as well as comparatively lightweight domiciles. On the other hand, the high degree of dependence on only very few suitable specific host taxa is a major drawback of this strategy. It ultimately led to the disappearance of this mode of life in favour of the still widespread conchicolous habit at the end of the Danian when the hosts vanished together with the chalk-sea ecosystem.

Two dimensional homoepitaxial growth of high quality ZnO epilayers was achieved by chemical vapor deposition techniques without a buffer layer. We report on the optical and structural properties of these epilayers with particular focus on the polarity of th e surface of the substrate. Photoluminescence sp ectra exhibit strong dependence of the bound exciton recombinations on the termination of the substrate. This is particularly pronounced in the large variety of transition lines in the O-face terminated sample with values for the full width at half maximum as low as 80µeV. Cross-sectional micro Raman spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy reveal the presence of strain in the epilayer grown on O-face Zn O by a shift of the non-polar E 2 (high) mode and a variation in the lattice constant ratio. Still, the crystal quality of the films is further increased compared to the substrate, which is shown be a half-width of 17” of the XRD rocking curve in both epilayers on Zn-face and O-face terminated ZnO substrate. Keywords : ZnO, homoepitaxy, Raman scatteri ng, high resolution TEM, surface pol arity, strain, lattice constants

The frequency of life forms in the fossil record is largely determined by the extent to which they were mineralised at the time of their death. In addition to mineral structures, many fossils nonetheless contain detectable amounts of residual water or organic molecules, the analysis of which has become an integral part of current palaeontological research. The methods available for this sort of investigations, though, typically require dissolution or ionisation of the fossil sample or parts thereof, which is an issue with rare taxa and outstanding materials like pathological or type specimens. In such cases, non-destructive techniques could provide a valuable methodological alternative. While Computed Tomography has long been used to study palaeontological specimens, a number of complementary approaches have recently gained ground. These include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) which had previously been employed to obtain three-dimensional images of pathological belemnites non-invasively on the basis of intrinsic contrast. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether 1H MRI can likewise provide anatomical information about non-pathological belemnites and specimens of other fossil taxa. To this end, three-dimensional MR image series were acquired from intact non-pathological invertebrate, vertebrate and plant fossils. At routine voxel resolutions in the range of several dozens to some hundreds of micrometers, these images reveal a host of anatomical details and thus highlight the potential of MR techniques to effectively complement existing methodological approaches for palaeontological investigations in a wide range of taxa. As for the origin of the MR signal, relaxation and diffusion measurements as well as 1H and 13C MR spectra acquired from a belemnite suggest intracrystalline water or hydroxyl groups, rather than organic residues.

Objectives Inhibition of (pro) renin receptor activation was demonstrated to inhibit or even abolish the development of end-organ damage in animal models. The new renin inhibitor, aliskiren, markedly increases the plasma concentration of the (pro) renin receptor ligands prorenin and renin in patients. The effects of prorenin and of renin inhibitors on the signal transduction cascade of the (pro) renin receptor are currently unknown. Results Our results indicate that renin and prorenin were equally potent in (pro) renin receptor activation by decreasing (pro) renin receptor mRNA, increasing phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase p85 alpha mRNA and augmenting viable cell number, respectively. These effects of renin and prorenin are both abolished using small-interfering RNA against the (pro) renin receptor or its adaptor promyelocytic zinc finger protein. The renin inhibitor aliskiren did not inhibit the renin-induced or prorenin-induced activation of the (pro) renin receptor. Conclusion This is the first report demonstrating equal ligand activities of both, renin and prorenin, on the (pro) renin receptor - promyelocytic zinc finger protein phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase - p85 alpha pathway. The failure of aliskiren to inhibit the noncatalytic effects of renin and prorenin may be of clinical relevance considering the increase in plasma concentrations of (pro) renin under aliskiren treatment.

Rhyacophila quadrata n. sp., a new fossil caddisfly, is described from Eocene Baltic amber. The new species belongs to the family Rhyacophilidae whose extant larvae prefer cool running-water habitats. In Baltic amber, the genus Rhyacophila is now represented by only seven species, whereas more than 500 extant species are described from the Holarctic region. Differences in the biodiversity patterns of the rare fossil faunas and extant species are discussed. doi:10.1002/mmng.200700009

We report on the hetero- and homoepitaxial growth of ZnO thin films by the chemical vapor deposition technique. We compare the results obtained on sapphire substrates, on GaN-templates on sapphire substrates and on silicon (111) substrates. Even under optimized growth conditions with the insertion of buffer layers the films tend to grow 3-dimensionally. However, also ZnO substrates, expected to be the best choice, need to be prepared before being used in the epitaxial growth. After mechanical polishing of the ZnO substrates we employed a high temperature annealing step which produced atomically flat surfaces and removed all of the surface and subsurface damage. Thereafter, the two dimensional epitaxial growth was achieved without an additional buffer layer. The substrate had a rocking curve full width at half maximum of 27" which can be compared with that of the film of 22". The films had superior band edge luminescence as compared to the substrate for which the green luminescence band was dominating.

The characterization by various experimental techniques of homoepitaxial growth and photonic properties of ZnO epilayers was exhaustively analyzed. The photonic properties of ZnO as promising material for the realization of polariton lasers were investigated by angular dependent reflection spectroscopy. The fitting of the polariton dispersion curve with the experimental results provided us informatio n about the longitudinal-transv erse exciton-polariton splitting and damping constants. In addition, the valence band symmetry was examined by angular resolved magneto-optical photoluminescence. From our theoretical and experimental results we extracted evidence that the topmost A valence band possesses * 7 symmetry. Micro-Raman spectroscopy revealed even in homoepitaxially grown samples the existence of compressive or tensile strain which varied not only in the ZnO layers but also in the templates. In contrast, the untreated substrates were uniformly strained. Sporadically crystal perturbations culminating in the formation of separated growth domains were observed. Additionally, resonant Raman scattering was performed, showing a strong enhancement of the 2E

ZnO and ZnO/EosinY hybrid materials were electrodeposited from aqueous zinc salt solutions on (0001) GaN and on (0001) ZnO. Crystalline ZnO was deposited as proven by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The intensity pattern for ZnO/EosinY showed a preferential orientation with the c- plane of ZnO parallel to GaN (0001) or ZnO (0001). XRD rocking curves with FWHM=0.25° indicated a high level of in-plane orientation of the deposited ZnO crystalline domains. The peak position of (0002) ZnO was shifted by 2Θ=1.3°. This difference and the corresponding simultaneous shift of (0004) ZnO were explained by a lattice expansion by 3.6 % in the c- direction. This clearly indicated the strong influence of the Eosin Y molecules adsorbed during the electrodeposition of ZnO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the formation of domains with different crystal sizes pointing at a varying density of nucleation sites on the substrate.

For the homoepitaxial growth of ZnO it is inevitable to obtain a regular crystalline single crystal surface prior to growth. Commercially available, hydrothermally grown ZnO single crystals show amorphous surfaces due to mechanical cutting and polishing. Here we present the results of a thermal treatment on these ZnO single crystals. After annealing, a regular crystalline oxygen terminated surface can be obtained. Changes in surface roughness, residual defect concentration and electrical properties can be shown. The bulk crystallinity though was not affected.

EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) is one of the selected proposals for the national German Space Program. The EnMap project includes the technological design of the Hyperspectral Spaceborne Instrument and the algorithms development of the classification. EnMap will be developed to meet the requirements of the observation and investigation of ecosystem parameters for forestry, soil/geological environments and coastal zones/inland waters. It provides high-quality calibrated data and data products to be used as inputs for improved modelling and understanding of biospheric/geospheric processes, high-spectral resolution observations of biophysical, biochemical, and geochemical variables. This contribution describes some technological and theoretical aspects of the technical solution of the Hyperspectral Pushbroom Sensor working in the VNIR and SWIR spectral range. The Hyperspectral Pushbroom Imaging Spectrometer requires at least two different 2−dimensional detector array types, with one dimension for the spatial and the second dimension for the image information. The VNIR quantum detector will be sensitive from 420 nm up to 1030 nm and the SWIR detector from 950 nm up to 2450 nm. The VNIR modelling shows the difficulties of the SNR of the blue channels. Some measures will be discussed to improve this situation. The discussion will be lead to the requirements of the CCD, focal plane and to the data acquisition scenarios. The SWIR stability modelling gives an overview of the requirements to the detector and of some problems of the detector related system design.

The shallow donor impurities in ZnO with binding energies between 46 and 56 meV have been studied in great detail in the recent years. They give rise to neutral donor bound exciton recombinations with the A- and B-valence bands, show rotator states and two-electron-satellite transitions. These properties allowed to establish the excited state splittings of the donors as well as confirming Hayne's rule in ZnO. So far they all seem to be of extrinsic origin, hydrogen, aluminum, gallium and indium in order of increasing binding energy. For many years it was common sense that intrinsic defects would dominate the n-type conductivity of ZnO. Interstitial zinc as well as oxygen vacancies should be double donors, and in order to contribute to the n-type-conduction they should have shallow levels, and low formation energies to be abundant. In PL-measurements at T∼100 K on various ZnO samples, single crystals as well as thin films, a luminescence around 3.31 eV was detected. Due to its line shape and temperature behaviour it is identified as bound-to-free recombination. If we assume that the 3.31 eV band with its level at EC ∼ 130 meV is the ++/+ level of the zinc interstitial we calculate for the binding energy of the +/0 level ∼ 130 meV, i.e. around 33 meV. Undoped Zn-rich epitaxial films grown by CVD show a dominant I3 recombination at 3.367 eV which according to Haynes rule is consistent with a shallow donor level at 33 meV. Moreover, they have free n-type carrier densities of 2×1019 cm−3 and as revealed by SIMS the common donor impurities (Al, Ga, In) cannot account for the high carrier densities.

Delafossite-type CuAlO2 thin films have been deposited by radio frequency (RF) reactive sputtering on sapphire using a CuAlO2 ceramic target. A study of structural and optical properties was performed on films of varying deposition parameters such as substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure and also post annealing. The crystalline phase in the films was identified to be the delafossite structure by x-ray diffraction. The optical properties, such as the wavelength dependence of the transmittance and the band gap, were determined. The average transmittance is 80% in the wavelength range of 400-1500 nm and the band gap is 3.81 eV.

Increases in the intracellular levels of glutathione (GSH) in cancer cells have been implicated in the development of acquired resistance to platinum antitumor agents. On the other hand, little information is available on the relationships between the intracellular GSH levels in non-treated cancer cells and their response to platinum complexes. The present work investigated for possible correlations between concentrations of intracellular GSH/GSSG in 14 human cancer cell lines growing in vitro and the cell growth inhibitory activities of cis platin, carboplatin, oxaliplatin, and d, l-trans-1, 2-diaminocyclohexane-dichloroplatinum(II) (DACH-Pt). No statistically significant correlations between GSH levels and the activities of any of the four Pt-complexes could be found.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of invalidism and death in the industrialized world. Among others, the renin- angiotensin system (RAS) has been implicated in the pathogenesis and outcome of ischemic events, including stroke. Angiotensin II (Ang II), the major effector peptide of the RAS, exerts most of its well-defined physiologic and pathophysiologic actions, including those on the central and peripheral nervous system, through its Ang II type 1 (AT1) receptor subtype. This receptor not only contributes to stroke-related pathologic mechanisms (eg, hypertension, atherothrombosis, and cardiac hypertrophy) but also may be involved in postischemic damage to the brain. However, it has also been demonstrated that Ang II, via its AT2 receptor subtype, accelerates neuronal tissue regeneration after injury. In this article, we review the experimental evidence supporting the notion that blockade of brain AT1 receptors can be beneficial with respect to stroke incidence and outcome. We further delineate how AT2 receptors could be involved in neuronal regeneration following brain injury, such as stroke. In doing so, we also attempt to shed some light on the mechanisms by which AT1 receptor blockers, which leave the AT2 receptor unopposed, might exert protective actions in brain ischemia.

Amongst the rich and fairly diverse echinoid faunas from the Campanian marl/marly limestone facies as exposed at the large quarries of the cement industry near Höver and Misburg (east of Hannover, northern Germany), there are a few rare taxa, most of which have not been recorded previously from the Lower Saxony Basin. These include Echinogalerus peltiformis (Wahlenberg, 1821), Conulus (C.) matesovi Poslavskaia & Moskvin in Moskvin 1959, Hagenowia blackmorei Wright & Wright, 1949, Diplodetus sp., and Peroniaster cotteaui Gauthier in Peron 1887. New material of another rare species, Hemiaster gr. aquisgranensis Schlüter, 1899, is here described. The palaeoecological significance of the rarity of these is briefly discussed. Of particular note, in a palaeobiogeographic context, are E. peltiformis and C. matesovi. The former is well known from Lower and Upper Campanian arenitic facies in southern Sweden, while the latter was held to be confined to the Lower Campanian of the Caucasus and Kazakhstan. These two species may have immigrated into the Lower Saxony Basin following transgressive pulses or within transgressive systems tracts. Die reiche und vergleichsweise diverse Echinidenfauna der Mergel/Mergelkalk-Rhythmite des Campans von Misburg und Höver bei Hannover enthält einige seltene Taxa, die bisher aus dem Niedersächsischen Becken nicht bekannt waren. Dazu gehören Echinogalerus peltiformis (Wahlenberg, 1821), Conulus (C.) matesovi Poslavskaia & Moskvin in Moskvin 1959, Hagenowia blackmorei Wright & Wright, 1949, Diplodetus sp. und Peroniaster cotteaui Gauthier in Peron 1887. Für eine weitere Art, Hemiaster gr. aquisgranensis Schlüter, 1899, werden neue Funde beschrieben. Die paläoökologische Bedeutung der Seltenheit der vorliegenden Taxa wird diskutiert. Als besonders bedeutsam erweisen sich dabei die Vorkommen von E. peltiformis und C. matesovi. Ersterer war bisher ausschließlich aus den küstennahen Kalkareniten Südschwedens bekannt, letzterer wurde bisher nur im Untercampan des Kaukasus und von Asserbaidschan und Kasachstan nachgewiesen. Beide Arten sind wahrscheinlich im Rahmen transgressiver Schübe dritter Ordnung in das Niedersächsische Becken eingewandert. doi:10.1002/mmng.20020050109

We underline the criticism expressed in Wisshak et al., 2009 (“The ‘living-fossil’ community of the cyrtocrinid Cyathidium foresti and the deep-sea oyster Neopycnodonte zibrowii (Azores Archipelago)” Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 271, 77–83: p. 81) on the speculation by Donovan and Jakobsen, 2004 (An unusual crinoid barnacle association in the type area of the Danian (Paleocene, Denmark). Lethaia 37: 407–415: p. 413) that cyrtocrinids and barnacles may have thrived together as pseudoplankton on driftwood. Even though this hypothesis is conceivable, it remains unlikely. The data basis is neither sufficient to conclude with confidence that suitable habitat was unavailable close at hand, nor to exclude that the sediment accumulation in question had undergone considerable transport, nor is there any direct or indirect evidence for a wooden substrate. Although it cannot be ruled out altogether that some Cyathidium holopus individuals may have attached themselves to floating logs, thereby benefiting from the absence of benthic predators, the overwhelming majority of the Danian cyrtocrinids settled on the seafloor and reflect the overall habitat shift of these crinoids towards deeper waters by the Early Cenozoic.

In order to stay competitive in the global market, a common strategy of industrial enterprises is focusing on the company’s core competences and reducing the depth of (own) added value. As a consequence, suppliers have a chance to differentiate themselves from competitors and gain competitive advantages by providing additional services that reduce the management effort on the customer side. In this contribution a holistic framework for suppliers is presented that supports them to carry out services to establish and continuously improve buyer-supplier relationships. This includes finding the appropriate collaboration concept (e.g., VMI, JiT, and JiS) for different material requirements and designing the implementation using a standardised process framework that includes information and communication technologies.

An inductive method is used to determine the critical current density and the E-J characteristic for ring-, disk-, or plate-shaped YBaCuO films down to a sensitivity of 10–14 V/cm in magnetic fields up to 0.2 T and at varying temperature. A miniature Hall sensor monitors the field produced by screening currents, which flow as a response to an external field sweep. — Results are compared to existing theories describing the resistive state of high-Tc superconductors due to flux movement. Except for small intervalls of the measured E(J) relation, no satisfying agreement was found. This led us to extend the flux creep theory by introducing flux flow dissipation also in the creep regime, which results in a qualitative understanding of the observed E(J) behavior.

not Available.

The three-level optical Stark effect is due to a dynamical coupling of two excited states by an intense laser field. This effect has been observed on the heavy and light hole excitons in multiple quantum wells (MQW) and the dipole allowed 2 P exciton in Cu20. In this contribution new results on the dipole forbidden but quadrupole allowed 1 S exciton in Cu20 are reported. The experimental results are analyzed in terms of a nonlinear susceptibility which takes into account the dynamical coupling between the excited states to all orders.

We report on the homoepitaxial growth of ZnO thin films by chemical vapor deposition techniques. The preparation of the ZnO substrates after mechanical polishing employed a high temperature annealing step which produced atomically flat surfaces and removed all of the surface and subsurface damage. Two dimensional epitaxial growth was achieved without an additional buffer layer. The substrate had a rocking curve with a full width at half maximum of 27" which can be compared with that of the film of 17". The films had superior band edge luminescence as compared with the substrate for which the green luminescence band is dominating. The impurity content in the substrates especially Li is reduced by the high temperature annealing step and drops further close to the detection limit in the films. The low substrate temperatures around 660 °C allow for the incorporation of nitrogen on oxygen site as a shallow acceptor.

The authors investigate the influence of a high temperature annealing in O2 atmosphere on the structural properties of ZnO substrates. Only at temperatures above 1100°C are atomic step heights and terraces seen by atomic force microscopy. The structural properties of the substrates were determined from the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the rocking curve of the (0002) reflection. The FWHM is between 28 and 33arcsec for different substrates cut from one ingot but does not change with the annealing. The electrical properties, however, change from highly resistive to n-type conductive, which makes the substrates suitable for top-to-bottom contacting.

By using a focused Ga-ion-beam we have damaged micro-areas of MgO-substrates through a protective gold-layer. Two different types of damage are produced: the flat type is to damage the surface by the implantation of Ga-ions whereas the groove type is simply geometrical damage to the substrates by sputtering the MgO. A YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBaCuO)-film was deposited on the as prepared substrates and the final junction was then defined by photolithography and Ar-milling over the damaged region. Under microwave irradiation Shapiro-steps were observed on these junctions, and a R n×I c of up to 3 mV at 4.2 K was achieved for the flat type junctions.

An apallic patient with intensive extraosseous calcification as shown by whole body bone scanning and plane radiography is presented. The role of increased osteoblastogenic alkaline phosphatase in the pathogenesis of ectopic bone formation is discussed.

ZnO as a direct wide-band-semiconductor with its band gap of 3.3 eV at room temperature is a promising optoelectronic material. The main obstacle in the ZnO system is its lack of achieving reproducible p-type conductivity. The main reasons for this are the high residual intrinsic and extrinsic defect concentrations which are still not completely understood.Homoepitaxial growth of ZnO and thus minimization of intrinsic defects due to lattice mismatch and incorporation of residual substrate species could be a solution to overcome these problems. Despite the availability of ZnO bulk single crystals reports regarding ZnO homoepitaxy are still quite rare. In this paper we report on a successful homoepitaxial growth of ZnO thin films by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).Atomic force microscopy shows that two-dimensional epitaxial growth was achieved without any additional buffer layer. With a rocking curve full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 17 arcsec the deposited films show a superior crystalline quality compared to its substrate. The optical quality of the epitaxial films has been characterized laterally by cathodoluminescence and spectrally by photoluminescence. Excitonic emissions at 4K are as narrow as 110 μeV. A dependence of the appearance of excitonic emissions from the growth polarity can be shown which is attributed to different incorporation rates of extrinsic defects.

By establishing the bioerosion ichnogenus Oichnus , Richard Bromley (1981) addressed ‘small round holes in shells’ and catalysed a series of still ongoing discussions on ichnotaxonomical principles. In a recent revision by Zonneveld and Gingras (2014), Oichnus was rejected, together with Tremichnus Brett, 1985 and Fossichnus Nielsen, Nielsen and Bromley, 2003, by means of subjective synonymisation with the presumed senior synonym Sedilichnus Muller, 1977. However, Sedilichnus is nomenclaturally unavailable, because it is an atelonym (conditionally proposed). In addition, reinvestigation of the type material of ‘Sedilichnus’ shows that it probably describes variably shaped oscula and thus is a genuine morphological character of the host sponge Prokaliapsisjanus , rather than a bioerosion trace fossil. The ichnogenera Oichnus and Tremichnus are re vised, leading to the synonymisation of Balticapunctum Rozhnov, 1989 with Tremichnus, and of Fossichnus with Oichnus . The refined ichnogeneric diagnoses return Oichnus to complete or incomplete bioerosive penetrations in calcareous skeletal substrates, commonly interpreted as praedichnia with or without signs of attachment, while Tremichnus (now including O. excavatus ) exclusively refers to shallow pits passing into echinoderm skeletons that are interpreted as domichnia or fixichnia.

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