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Identifying the genetic foundations of trait variation and evolution is challenging as it is often difficult to parse meaningful signals from confounding signatures such as drift and epistasis. However, identification of the genetic loci underlying morphological and physiological traits can be honed through the use of comparative and complementary genetic approaches, whereby shared sets of genes that are repeatedly implicated across large evolutionary time periods as under selection can illuminate important pathways and epistatic relationships that function as novel regulators of trait development. Here we intersect comparative genomic analyses with unbiased mutagenesis screens in distantly related species to define the control of proportional growth, as changes in the size and relative proportions of tissues underlie a large degree of the variant forms seen in nature. Through a phylogenomic analysis of genome-wide variation in 35 species of flying fishes and relatives, we identify genetic signatures in both coding and regulatory regions underlying the convergent evolution of increased paired fin size and aerial gliding behaviors, key innovations for flying fishes and flying halfbeaks. To refine our analysis, we intersected convergent phylogenomic signatures with mutants identified in distantly related zebrafish with altered fin size. Through these paired approaches, we identify a surprising role for an L-type amino acid transporter,lat4a, and the potassium channel,kcnh2a, in the regulation of fin proportion. We show that specific epistatic interaction between these genetic loci in zebrafish closely phenocopies the observed fin proportions of flying fishes. The congruence of experimental and phylogenomic findings point to a conserved, non-canonical signaling interaction that integrates bioelectric cues and amino acid transport in the establishment of relative size in development and evolution.

36th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 1403-1409, Electric power grids are increasingly penetrated by generation from photovoltaic (PV) systems. The volatility of solar irradiance can therefore cause problematic fluctuations of grid voltage and frequency. For local low voltage power grid sections highly accurate nowcasts of the short-term local PV-power generation may enable higher PV penetration by employing short-term flexibility options while saving investments in grid-infrastructure. Systems of up to four All-Sky-Imagers (ASI) have been used successfully to nowcast direct and global irradiance as well as the production of solar power plants. In Oldenburg and the surrounding area these systems are enhanced by interconnecting 34 All-Sky-Imagers in a measurement network called Eye2Sky. Intermediate results can be combined and exchanged between systems with overlapping observation areas but also between systems up to 100 km apart. To demonstrate the potential of the approach three state-of-the-art 2-ASI-systems from the network are selected. Nowcasts of the individual systems are averaged weighting each prediction by its expected accuracy in the single points of the forecast domain. In a validation period of 86 days the network outperforms a single 2-ASI-system. For all lead times greater than zero, significantly lower root mean square errors are found compared to the 2-ASI system. For highly variable time intervals the root mean square error is reduced by up to 50 %. The network´s combined nowcast is found to reduce forecast errors related to the often uncertain cloud edge positions and further systematic errors found in single 2-ASI-systems.

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Room Acoustics : 15 to 17 September 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands : ISRA 2019 Amsterdam / proceedings editor: Margriet Lautenbach, Ingo Witew, Diemer de Vries, Maarten Hornikx International Symposium on Room Acoustics, ISRA 2019, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 15 Sep 2019 - 17 Sep 2019; Heerde : Nederlands Akoestisch Genootschap (2019). doi:10.18154/RWTH-CONV-240170, Published by Nederlands Akoestisch Genootschap, Heerde

This study aims to perform a quantitative synthesis of research literature yielding empirical evidence of the efficacy of System Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS; Blum, Bartels, John and Pfohl, 2002) in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). A search in the SCOPUS and PsychInfo databases yielded 7 studies (4 longitudinal, «open label» and 3 RCT), which provided data concerning the efficacy of STEPPS in reducing BPD symptom severity, as well as in reducing self-report depressive and general psychiatric symptoms. Although heterogeneity statistics were highly significant, cumulative effect size estimates (Cohen d) evidence high efficacy of STEPPS in reducing the severity of both self-reported (dw= 0.91) and observer-rated (dw= 1.24) BPD symptoms, as well as self-reported depressive symptoms (dw= 0.89); STEPPS showed moderate cumulative efficacy in reducing self-reported general psychiatric symptoms (dw= 0.65). Although the number of available studies on STEPPS efficacy was at best moderate, the results of our meta-analysis support the clinical utility of STEPPS in treating BPD.

ObjectiveDespite the common opinion about the difficulty of treating patientswith personality disorders, significant research data support the efficacyof different techniques of treatment, both cognitive-behaviouraland dynamic. The aim of our preliminary study is to analyzethe effectiveness of the model of STEPPS group therapy (SystemsTraining for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving) in a sampleof inpatients with personality disorders comorbid with mooddisorders, using a longitudinal design with a 6-month follow-up.MethodsOur sample included 20 inpatients with BPD or prominent BPDfeatures comorbid with mood disorders, as assessed with theSCID-II. Outcome measures were the number of self-destructivebehaviours and hospitalizations during the STEPPS treatmentand 6 months after the end of therapy.All patients completed a self-report questionnaire (Filter Questionnaire)to identify distorted thoughts before starting therapy,at the end of treatment and 6 months later. During treatment,patients were asked to fill-out a daily diary (EIC) to assess theiremotional reactions. Our aims were to monitor emotional intensityover time and to identify their key triggers and how tomanage emotional crises.ResultsNine of the 20 subjects (45%) included in the sample completedSTEPPS: drop-out rate was 55%. There were no significantdifferences in number of hospitalizations and self-destructivebehaviours between subjects who completed the program andsubjects who dropped-out. The presence of more Histrionic(U = 23.5, p < .01) and Passive-Aggressive (U = 32.5, p < .05)traits was the only significant difference between the two groups.Patients who completed the program showed a significant andprogressive decrease in the number of self-destructive behaviours(χ2 = 11.47, p < 0.01) and hospitalizations (χ2 = 16.85,p < 0.001).Friedman test showed a significant decrease of “Distrust” overtime (χ2 = 7.68, p < 0.05) and a significant decrease of EICscores over time (χ2 = 58.71, p < .005).ConclusionsDespite the small sample and the lack of a control group, ourpreliminary results could suggest that STEPPS is effective inreducing the number of self-destructive behaviours and hospitalizationsand that these results may be stable also at followup.The score reduction on “Distrust” at the 6-month followupmay indicate that STEPPS decreases pessimistic expectationsabout self and others and that it mobilizes resourcesand skills that patients are able to rely on even after the endof the group treatment. The trend of EIC shows that also theperceived emotional intensity in relation to distressing eventsdecreases over time.

Existing telecommunication networks and classical roles of operators are subject to fundamental change. Many network operators are currently seeking for new sources to generate revenue by exposing network capabilities to 3rd party service providers. At the same time we can observe that services on the World Wide Web (WWW) are becoming mature in terms of the definition of APIs that are offered towards other services. The combinations of those services are commonly referred to as Web 2.0 mash-ups. Rapid service design and creation becomes therefore important to meet the requirements in a changing technology and competitive market environment. This report describes our approach to include Next Generation Networks (NGN)-based telecommunications application enabler into complex services by defining a service broker that mediates between 3rd party applications and NGN service enablers. It provides policy-driven orchestration mechanisms for service enablers, a service authorization functionality, and a service discovery interface for Service Creation Environments. The work has been implemented as part of the Open SOA Telco Playground testbed at Fraunhofer FOKUS.

SOA principles have been used in telecommunications domains for many years. Today, Web Services-based APIs including emerging Web 2.0 interfaces represent the state-of-the-art in SOA-based telecommunications, which are going to be integrated with the emerging 3GPP IP Multimedia Subsystem and ETSI TISPAN NGN architecture. In this report we describe mechanisms of a service architecture on top of telecommunications networks based on SOA principles with special emphasis on service exposure and discovery and the possibility to compose complex services from basic service enablers for a growing open service market as it is currently implemented at the Open SOA Telco Playground at Fraunhofer FOKUS.

The aim of the HYFIFLUX-SONNE 99 cruise was the geological, biological and chemical study of the 2 triple-junctions characterizing the oceanic accretion in the North Fiji Basin. Multibeam bathymetric coverage, in situ observations and sampling confirmed the existence of an active spreading ridge immediately west of the Fiji islands (WFR), and gave an evaluation of the magmatic and hydrothermal activity of the central ridge (CSR). New hydrothermal sites have been discovered and sampled., La campagne HYFIFLUX-SONNE 99 a eu pour objectif l'étude géologique, biologique et chimique des 2 triples jonctions qui caractérisent l'accrétion océanique dans le bassin nord fidjien. La couverture bathymétrique multifaisceaux, l'observation in situ et l'échantillonnage ont permis de confirmer l'existence d'un axe d'accrétion actif immédiatement à l'Ouest des îles Fidji (WFR), et d'évaluer l'activité magmatique et hydrothermale à l'extrémité nord de l'axe central (CSR). De nouveaux sites hydrothermaux ont été découverts et échantillonnés.