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Showing papers by "Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich published in 2001"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A scheme of quantum computation that consists entirely of one-qubit measurements on a particular class of entangled states, the cluster states, which are thus one-way quantum computers and the measurements form the program.
Abstract: We present a scheme of quantum computation that consists entirely of one-qubit measurements on a particular class of entangled states, the cluster states. The measurements are used to imprint a quantum logic circuit on the state, thereby destroying its entanglement at the same time. Cluster states are thus one-way quantum computers and the measurements form the program.

3,260 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The emerging view is that chromosomes are compartmentalized into discrete territories and the location of a gene within a chromosome territory seems to influence its access to the machinery responsible for specific nuclear functions, such as transcription and splicing.
Abstract: The expression of genes is regulated at many levels. Perhaps the area in which least is known is how nuclear organization influences gene expression. Studies of higher-order chromatin arrangements and their dynamic interactions with other nuclear components have been boosted by recent technical advances. The emerging view is that chromosomes are compartmentalized into discrete territories. The location of a gene within a chromosome territory seems to influence its access to the machinery responsible for specific nuclear functions, such as transcription and splicing. This view is consistent with a topological model for gene regulation.

2,126 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the Body Mass Index (BMI) is used as a beurteilungskriterium for Ubergewicht and Adipositas bei Kindern und Jugendlichen.
Abstract: Fragestellung. Sowohl die Childhood Group der International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) als auch die European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG) empfehlen den Body-mass-Index als Beurteilungskriterium fur Ubergewicht und Adipositas bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Im Erwachsenenalter erfolgt die Definition von Ubergewicht und Adipositas anhand fester Grenzwerte, bei der Beurteilung von Kindern und Jugendlichen mussen die alters- und geschlechtsspezifischen Veranderungen des BMI berucksichtigt werden. Methode. Unter Heranziehung von 17 bereits durchgefuhrten Untersuchungen aus verschiedenen Regionen Deutschlands wurden BMI-Perzentile fur Kinder und Jugendliche erstellt. Die Berechnung der Perzentile basiert auf den Korperhohen- und Korpergewichtsdaten von 17.147 Jungen und 17.275 Madchen im Alter von 0–18 Jahren. Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerung. Die vorgestellten Perzentile sollten als Referenz fur deutsche Kinder und Jugendliche angewendet werden. Die Arbeitsgemeinschaft “Adipositas im Kindes- und Jugendalter” (AGA) hat in ihren Leitlinien die Anwendung der hier vorgestellten 90. und 97. Perzentile zur Definition von Ubergewicht und Adipositas empfohlen.

1,812 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the basic theory of k-essence and dynamical attractors based on evolving scalar fields with nonlinear kinetic energy terms in the action is presented, and guidelines for constructing concrete examples and show that there are two classes of solutions.
Abstract: We recently introduced the concept of ``k-essence'' as a dynamical solution for explaining naturally why the universe has entered an epoch of accelerated expansion at a late stage of its evolution. The solution avoids fine-tuning of parameters and anthropic arguments. Instead, k-essence is based on the idea of a dynamical attractor solution which causes it to act as a cosmological constant only at the onset of matter domination. Consequently, k-essence overtakes the matter density and induces cosmic acceleration at about the present epoch. In this paper, we present the basic theory of k-essence and dynamical attractors based on evolving scalar fields with nonlinear kinetic energy terms in the action. We present guidelines for constructing concrete examples and show that there are two classes of solutions, one in which cosmic acceleration continues forever and one in which the acceleration has finite duration.

1,794 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: These states can be regarded as an entanglement resource since one can generate a family of other multiparticle entangled states such as the generalized Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states of
Abstract: We study the entanglement properties of a class of $N$-qubit quantum states that are generated in arrays of qubits with an Ising-type interaction. These states contain a large amount of entanglement as given by their Schmidt measure. They also have a high persistency of entanglement which means that $\ensuremath{\sim}N/2$ qubits have to be measured to disentangle the state. These states can be regarded as an entanglement resource since one can generate a family of other multiparticle entangled states such as the generalized Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states of $lN/2$ qubits by simple measurements and classical communication.

1,593 citations


Book ChapterDOI
01 Aug 2001
TL;DR: A new organization of the directory is introduced which uses a split algorithm minimizing overlap and additionally utilizes the concept of supernodes to keep the directory as hierarchical as possible, and at the same time to avoid splits in the directory that would result in high overlap.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new method for indexing large amounts of point and spatial data in high-dimensional space. An analysis shows that index structures such as the R*-tree are not adequate for indexing high-dimensional data sets. The major problem of R-tree-based index structures is the overlap of the bounding boxes in the directory, which increases with growing dimension. To avoid this problem, we introduce a new organization of the directory which uses a split algorithm minimizing overlap and additionally utilizes the concept of supernodes. The basic idea of overlap-minimizing split and supernodes is to keep the directory as hierarchical as possible, and at the same time to avoid splits in the directory that would result in high overlap. Our experiments show that for high-dimensional data, the X-tree outperforms the well-known R*-tree and the TV-tree by up to two orders of magnitude.

1,486 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Long-term and early-life exposure to stables and farm milk induces a strong protective effect against development of asthma, hay fever, and atopic sensitisation in children.

1,452 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The history, structure and function ofamins are described, which are large actin-binding proteins that stabilize delicate three-dimensional actin webs and link them to cellular membranes.
Abstract: Filamins are large actin-binding proteins that stabilize delicate three-dimensional actin webs and link them to cellular membranes. They integrate cellular architectural and signalling functions and are essential for fetal development and cell locomotion. Here, we describe the history, structure and function of this group of proteins.

991 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An overview of the current state of the art in querying multimedia databases is provided, describing the index structures and algorithms for an efficient query processing in high-dimensional spaces.
Abstract: During the last decade, multimedia databases have become increasingly important in many application areas such as medicine, CAD, geography, and molecular biology. An important research issue in the field of multimedia databases is the content-based retrieval of similar multimedia objects such as images, text, and videos. However, in contrast to searching data in a relational database, a content-based retrieval requires the search of similar objects as a basic functionality of the database system. Most of the approaches addressing similarity search use a so-called feature transformation that transforms important properties of the multimedia objects into high-dimensional points (feature vectors). Thus, the similarity search is transformed into a search of points in the feature space that are close to a given query point in the high-dimensional feature space. Query processing in high-dimensional spaces has therefore been a very active research area over the last few years. A number of new index structures and algorithms have been proposed. It has been shown that the new index structures considerably improve the performance in querying large multimedia databases. Based on recent tutorials [Berchtold and Keim 1998], in this survey we provide an overview of the current state of the art in querying multimedia databases, describing the index structures and algorithms for an efficient query processing in high-dimensional spaces. We identify the problems of processing queries in high-dimensional space, and we provide an overview of the proposed approaches to overcome these problems.

922 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that particular CpG ODN sequences exist which, due to high IFN‐α/β induction in PDC, induce a set of immune responses typical for viral infection.
Abstract: The immature plasmacytoid dendritic cell (PDC) is identical with the principal type I IFN-producing cell upon viral infection Oligodeoxynucleotides which contain unmethylated CpG motifs (CpG ODN) are recognized by the vertebrate immune system Previously, we described CpG ODN that strongly activate human B cells and human blood dendritic cells Here we describe distinct CpG-containing oligonucleotide sequences which, in contrast to previously described CpG ODN, induced high amounts of IFN-alpha and IFN-beta in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) Intracellular staining for IFN-alpha revealed that within PBMC CpG ODN-induced IFN-alpha is produced exclusively by PDC Unlike IFN-alpha, TNF-alpha is up-regulated in PDC by all CpG ODN tested Purified PDC responded to CpG ODN, demonstrating direct activation of PDC by CpG ODN The most active sequence induced the production of up to 5 pg IFN-alpha per single PDC, resulting in more than 400 ng/ml IFN-alpha in the supernatant of PBMC enriched for PDC The potency of CpG ODN to stimulate IFN-alpha correlated with their ability to stimulate NK cell lytic activity, while purified NK cells did not respond to CpG ODN IFNgamma production in PBMC was dependent on CpG ODN-induced IFN-alpha/beta as demonstrated by IFN-alpha/beta blocking antibodies IFN-alpha-inducing CpG ODN strongly supported IFN-gamma production of TCR-triggered CD4 T cells but were less active than other CpG ODN in stimulating B cells In conclusion our results demonstrate that particular CpG ODN sequences exist which, due to high IFN-alpha/beta induction in PDC, induce a set of immune responses typical for viral infection

901 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Different exploration types of ectomycorrhizae are distinguished based on the amount of emanating hyphae or the presence and differentiation of rhizomorphs, and their putative ecological importance is discussed.
Abstract: There is a need to quantify and qualify the ability of ectomycorrhizae to improve tree growth and nutrition and, in particular, to define criteria to classify ectomycorrhizae with respect to ecologically relevant features. Whereas the numbers of ectomycorrhizae and morphotypes give useful information when related to root biomass, root length or soil volume, the development and differentiation of the extramatrical mycelium may represent important predicative features relevant to the ecological classification of ectomycorrhizae. Here, different exploration types of ectomycorrhizae are distinguished based on the amount of emanating hyphae or the presence and differentiation of rhizomorphs. Their putative ecological importance is discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This is the first report of CEBPA mutations in human neoplasia, and such mutations are likely to induce the differentiation block found in AML.
Abstract: The transcription factor C/EBPalpha (for CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha; encoded by the gene CEBPA) is crucial for the differentiation of granulocytes. Conditional expression of C/EBPalpha triggers neutrophilic differentiation, and no mature granulocytes are observed in Cebpa-mutant mice. Here we identify heterozygous mutations in CEBPA in ten patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We found that five mutations in the amino terminus truncate the full-length protein, but did not affect a 30-kD protein initiated further downstream. The mutant proteins block wild-type C/EBPalpha DNA binding and transactivation of granulocyte target genes in a dominant-negative manner, and fails to induce granulocytic differentiation. Ours is the first report of CEBPA mutations in human neoplasia, and such mutations are likely to induce the differentiation block found in AML.

Journal ArticleDOI
30 Nov 2001-Science
TL;DR: A method, based on single-molecule imaging, that allows the real-time visualization of the infection pathway of single viruses in living cells, each labeled with only one fluorescent dye molecule shows a much faster infection than was generally observed so far.
Abstract: We describe a method, based on single-molecule imaging, that allows the real-time visualization of the infection pathway of single viruses in living cells, each labeled with only one fluorescent dye molecule. The tracking of single viruses removes ensemble averaging. Diffusion trajectories with high spatial and time resolution show various modes of motion of adeno-associated viruses (AAV) during their infection pathway into living HeLa cells: (i) consecutive virus touching at the cell surface and fast endocytosis; (ii) free and anomalous diffusion of the endosome and the virus in the cytoplasm and the nucleus; and (iii) directed motion by motor proteins in the cytoplasm and in nuclear tubular structures. The real-time visualization of the infection pathway of single AAVs shows a much faster infection than was generally observed so far.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is revealed that IL‐12 p70 production by PDC is under strict control of two signals, an adequate exogenous microbial stimulus such as CpG ODN, and CD40L provided endogenously by activatedT cells.
Abstract: Human plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DC) (PDC, CD123+) and myeloid DC (MDC, CD11c+) may be able to discriminate between distinct classes of microbial molecules based on a different pattern of Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression. TLR1-TLR9 were examined in purified PDC and MDC. TLR9, which is critically involved in the recognition of CpG motifs in mice, was present in PDC but not in MDC. TLR4, which is required for the response to LPS, was selectively expressed on MDC. Consistent with TLR expression, PDC were susceptible to stimulation by CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) but not by LPS, while MDC responded to LPS but not to CpG ODN. In PDC, CpG ODN supported survival, activation (CD80, CD86, CD40, MHC class II), chemokine production (IL-8, IP-10) and maturation (CD83). CD40 ligand (CD40L) and CpG ODN synergized to activate PDC and to stimulate the production of IFN-alpha and IL-12 including bioactive IL-12 p70. Previous incubation of PDC with IL-3 decreased the amount of CpG-induced IFN-alpha and shifted the cytokine response in favor of IL-12. CpG ODN-activated PDC showed an increased ability to stimulate proliferation of naive allogeneic CD4 T cells, butTh1 polarization of developing T cells required simultaneous activation of PDC by CD40 ligation and CpG ODN. CpG ODN-stimulated PDC expressed CCR7, which mediates homing to lymph nodes. In conclusion, our studies reveal that IL-12 p70 production by PDC is under strict control of two signals, an adequate exogenous microbial stimulus such as CpG ODN, and CD40L provided endogenously by activated T cells. Thus, CpG ODN acts as an enhancer of T cell help, while T cell-controlled restriction to foreign antigens is maintained.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of the Kirsten ras (Ki-ras) tumour genotype and outcome of patients with colorectal cancer was investigated using a multivariate analysis.
Abstract: Researchers worldwide with information about the Kirsten ras (Ki-ras) tumour genotype and outcome of patients with colorectal cancer were invited to provide that data in a schematized format for inclusion in a collaborative database called RASCAL (The Kirsten ras incolorectal-cancer collaborative group). Our results from 2721 such patients have been presented previously and for the first time in any common cancer, showed conclusively that different gene mutations have different impacts on outcome, even when the mutations occur at the same site on the genome. To explore the effect of Ki-ras mutations at different stages of colorectal cancer, more patients were recruited to the database, which was reanalysed when information on 4268 patients from 42 centres in 21 countries had been entered. After predetermined exclusion criteria were applied, data on 3439 patients were entered into a multivariate analysis. This found that of the 12 possible mutations on codons 12 and 13 of Kirsten ras, only one mutation on codon 12, glycine to valine, found in 8.6% of all patients, had a statistically significant impact on failure-free survival (P=0.004, HR 1.3) and overall survival (P=0.008, HR 1.29). This mutation appeared to have a greater impact on outcome in Dukes' C cancers (failure-free survival, P=0.008, HR 1.5, overall survival P=0.02, HR 1.45) than in Dukes' B tumours (failure-free survival, P=0.46, HR 1.12, overall survival P=0.36, HR 1.15). Ki-ras mutations may occur early in the development of pre-cancerous adenomas in the colon and rectum. However, this collaborative study suggests that not only is the presence of a codon 12 glycine to valine mutation important for cancer progression but also that it may predispose to more aggressive biological behaviour in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. ⌐ 2001 Cancer Research Campaign.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Ghrelin appears to be one possible candidate to provide feedback signaling between nutrient intake, gastric motor function and the central nervous system.
Abstract: Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand of the GH secretagogue-receptor, has recently been shown to stimulate GH secretion and to have orexigenic and adipogenic effects in rodents, but little is known about its regulation and biological function in humans. Gastric motor function is under control of the central nervous system; however, the afferent and efferent loops of this feedback control mechanism remain to be elucidated. In the study presented here we investigated the effect of nutrient intake on circulating human ghrelin levels, and a possible association between ghrelin levels and gastric emptying. Ten healthy volunteers received a standard meal after an overnight fast. Food intake significantly decreased plasma ghrelin levels from 248.5±15.0 to 179.5±17.9 fmol/ml (120 min after meal, p=0.047). Gastric emptying half-time (non-invasive 13C-octanoic acid breath test) was correlated with fasting plasma ghrelin levels (r=0.74, p=0.0013). Ghrelin appears to be one possible candidate to provide feedback signaling between nutrient intake, gastric motor function and the central nervous system.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Understanding how non‐viral vectors initiate gene expression could lead to the development of new future vectors with enhanced efficacy in non-viral gene therapy.
Abstract: Background Efficient gene transfer is a major challenge for non-viral gene therapy. Understanding how non-viral vectors initiate gene expression could lead to the development of new future vectors with enhanced efficacy. Methods Linear or branched polyethylenimine (PEI)/DNA complexes were generated in varying salt conditions and their transfection efficiencies were compared in vitro and in vivo using reporter genes, luciferase and green fluorescent protein, and rhodamine labeled DNA (pGeneGrip™). Results The transfection efficiency of linear PEI22/DNA in vitro was generally greater than that of branched PEI/DNA when complexes were generated in salt containing buffer. However, PEI complexes generated under salt-free conditions generally had low transfection activity in vitro. In contrast, PEI22/DNA salt-free complexes were highly active in vivo. Branched PEI/DNA and salt containing PEI22/DNA complexes were generally 10–100-fold less active than the salt-free PEI22/DNA complexes. Salt-free PEI22/DNA complexes were small, but subsequently grew into aggregates when salt was added. In contrast, PEI25/DNA complexes remained small even after salt was added under the same conditions. Furthermore, PEI22/pGeneGrip™ complexes formed large aggregates associated with the cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus, while branched PEI complexes remained as small distinct particles associated with the cell membrane or in the cytoplasm. Conclusions Branched and linear PEI/DNA complexes differ in their ability to transfect cells. The greater efficiency of linear PEI might be due to an inherent kinetic instability under salt conditions. Understanding how to employ this kinetic instability of linear PEI could help in designing future vectors with greater flexibility and transfection efficiency in vivo. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Clinical chemists should take advantage of immunosensors in clinical diagnostics as the future role of this technique in intralaboratory, as well as bedside testing, will become even more important as the clinical laboratory is faced with increasing pressure to contain costs.

Posted ContentDOI
TL;DR: In recent years, experimental economists have gathered overwhelming evidence that systematically refutes the self-interest hypothesis and suggests that many people are strongly motivated by concerns for fairness and reciprocity as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Most economic models are based on the self-interest hypothesis that assumes that all people are exclusively motivated by their material self-interest. In recent years experimental economists have gathered overwhelming evidence that systematically refutes the self-interest hypothesis and suggests that many people are strongly motivated by concerns for fairness and reciprocity. Moreover, several theoretical papers have been written showing that the observed phenomena can be explained in a rigorous and tractable manner. These theories in turn induced a new wave of experimental research offering additional exciting insights into the nature of preferences and into the relative performance of competing theories of fairness. The purpose of this paper is to review these recent developments, to point out open questions, and to suggest avenues for future research.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In rehabilitation intervention, effects larger than 12% of baseline score (6% of maximal score) can be attained and detected as MCID by the transition method in both the WOMAC and the SF-36.
Abstract: Objective To discuss the concepts of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and the smallest detectable difference (SDD) and to examine their relation to required sample sizes for future studies using concrete data of the condition-specific Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the generic Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) in patients with osteoarthritis of the lower extremities undergoing a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation intervention. Methods SDD and MCID were determined in a prospective study of 122 patients before a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation intervention and at the 3-month followup. MCID was assessed by the transition method. Required SDD and sample sizes were determined by applying normal approximation and taking into account the calculation of power. Results In the WOMAC sections the SDD and MCID ranged from 0.51 to 1.33 points (scale 0 to 10), and in the SF-36 sections the SDD and MCID ranged from 2.0 to 7.8 points (scale 0 to 100). Both questionnaires showed 2 moderately responsive sections that led to required sample sizes of 40 to 325 per treatment arm for a clinical study with unpaired data or total for paired followup data. Conclusion In rehabilitation intervention, effects larger than 12% of baseline score (6% of maximal score) can be attained and detected as MCID by the transition method in both the WOMAC and the SF-36. Effects of this size lead to reasonable sample sizes for future studies lying below n = 300. The same holds true for moderately responsive questionnaire sections with effect sizes higher than 0.25. When designing studies, assumed effects below the MCID may be detectable but are clinically meaningless.

Journal ArticleDOI
04 Oct 2001-Nature
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the formation of a condensate can be greatly simplified using a microscopic magnetic trap on a chip, and the possibility of manipulating laser-like coherent matter waves with such an integrated atom-optical system holds promise for applications in interferometry, holography, microscopy, atom lithography and quantum information processing.
Abstract: Although Bose-Einstein condensates of ultracold atoms have been experimentally realizable for several years, their formation and manipulation still impose considerable technical challenges. An all-optical technique that enables faster production of Bose-Einstein condensates was recently reported. Here we demonstrate that the formation of a condensate can be greatly simplified using a microscopic magnetic trap on a chip. We achieve Bose-Einstein condensation inside the single vapour cell of a magneto-optical trap in as little as 700 ms-more than a factor of ten faster than typical experiments, and a factor of three faster than the all-optical technique. A coherent matter wave is emitted normal to the chip surface when the trapped atoms are released into free fall; alternatively, we couple the condensate into an 'atomic conveyor belt', which is used to transport the condensed cloud non-destructively over a macroscopic distance parallel to the chip surface. The possibility of manipulating laser-like coherent matter waves with such an integrated atom-optical system holds promise for applications in interferometry, holography, microscopy, atom lithography and quantum information processing.

Journal ArticleDOI
22 Nov 2001-Nature
TL;DR: The results support the hypothesis of positive feedback between logging and fire occurrence and significantly increased the risk of recurrent fire disasters by leaving huge amounts of dead flammable wood.
Abstract: In 1997–98, fires associated with an exceptional drought caused by the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) devastated large areas of tropical rain forests worldwide. Evidence suggests that in tropical rainforest environments selective logging may lead to an increased susceptibility of forests to fire1,2,3,4. We investigated whether this was true in the Indonesian fires, the largest fire disaster ever observed5,6. We performed a multiscale analysis using coarse- and high-resolution optical and radar satellite imagery assisted by ground and aerial surveys to assess the extent of the fire-damaged area and the effect on vegetation in East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. A total of 5.2 ± 0.3 million hectares including 2.6 million hectares of forest was burned with varying degrees of damage. Forest fires primarily affected recently logged forests; primary forests or those logged long ago were less affected. These results support the hypothesis of positive feedback between logging and fire occurrence4. The fires severely damaged the remaining forests and significantly increased the risk of recurrent fire disasters by leaving huge amounts of dead flammable wood.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors show that an even stronger preference for supporting information arises if information is presented and processed sequentially instead of simultaneously, and demonstrate that this stronger confirmation bias is due to sequential presentation and not to sequential processing of information.
Abstract: Research on selective exposure to information consistently shows that, after having made a decision, people prefer supporting over conflicting information. However, in all of these experiments participants were given an overview of all available pieces of information, selected them simultaneously, and did not process the requested information during the selection phase. In the present research the authors show that an even stronger preference for supporting information arises if information is presented and processed sequentially instead of simultaneously (Experiment 1), and they demonstrate that this stronger confirmation bias is due to sequential presentation and not to sequential processing of information (Experiment 2). The authors provide evidence that the increase in confirmation bias under sequential presentation is caused by heightened commitment due to the participants' increased focusing on their decision (Experiments 3 and 4).


Posted Content
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a dynamic theory of housing market fluctuations and develop a life cycle model where households are heterogeneous with respect to income and preferences, and mortgage lending is restricted by a down-payment requirement.
Abstract: This paper presents a dynamic theory of housing market fluctuations. It develops a life-cycle model where households are heterogeneous with respect to income and preferences, and mortgage lending is restricted by a down-payment requirement. the market interaction of young credit-constrained households with order or richer unconstrained households generates the following results. (1) Current income of young credit-constrained households affects housing prices independently of aggregate income. (2) Housing prices and the number of housing transactions are positively correlated. (3) Housing prices over-react to income shocks. (4) A relaxation of the down-payment constraint triggers a boom-but cycle. These results are consistent with patterns observed in the US and the UK.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The deposition of RANTES by platelets triggers shear-resistant monocyte arrest on inflamed or atherosclerotic endothelium and may epitomize a novel principle relevant to inflammatory or atherogenic monocyte recruitment from the circulation.
Abstract: Background—Circulating platelets and chemoattractant proteins, such as the CC chemokine RANTES, contribute to the activation and interaction of monocytes and endothelium and may thereby play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and atherosclerotic disease. Methods and Results—The binding of RANTES to human endothelial cells was detected by ELISA or immunofluorescence after perfusion with platelets or exposure to their supernatants. Monocyte arrest on endothelial monolayers or surface-adherent platelets was studied with a parallel-wall flow chamber and video microscopy. We show that RANTES secreted by thrombin-stimulated platelets is immobilized on the surface of inflamed microvascular or aortic endothelium and triggers shear-resistant monocyte arrest under flow conditions, as shown by inhibition with the RANTES receptor antagonist Met-RANTES or a blocking RANTES antibody. Deposition of RANTES and its effects requires endothelial activation, eg, by interleukin-1β, and is not supported by veno...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Mayr et al. as discussed by the authors used correlation analysis to determine the electrophilicity parameters E and N and s as defined by the equation log k(20 °C) = s(N + E).
Abstract: Twenty-three diarylcarbenium ions and 38 π-systems (arenes, alkenes, allyl silanes and stannanes, silyl enol ethers, silyl ketene acetals, and enamines) have been defined as basis sets for establishing general reactivity scales for electrophiles and nucleophiles. The rate constants of 209 combinations of these benzhydrylium ions and π-nucleophiles, 85 of which are first presented in this article, have been subjected to a correlation analysis to determine the electrophilicity parameters E and the nucleophilicity parameters N and s as defined by the equation log k(20 °C) = s(N + E) (Mayr, H.; Patz, M. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 1994, 33, 938−957). Though the reactivity scales thus obtained cover more than 16 orders of magnitude, the individual rate constants are reproduced with a standard deviation of a factor of 1.19 (Table 1). It is shown that the reactivity parameters thus derived from the reactions of diarylcarbenium ions with π-nucleophiles (Figure 3) are also suitable for characterizing the nucleoph...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: By observing the interference pattern of atoms released from more than 3000 individual lattice tubes, the phase coherence of the coupled quantum gases is studied and the lifetime of the condensate in the lattice and the dependence of the interference patterns on the lattices configuration are investigated.
Abstract: Bose-Einstein condensates of rubidium atoms are stored in a two-dimensional periodic dipole force potential, formed by a pair of standing wave laser fields. The resulting potential consists of a lattice of tightly confining tubes, each filled with a 1D quantum gas. Tunnel coupling between neighboring tubes is controlled by the intensity of the laser fields. By observing the interference pattern of atoms released from more than 3000 individual lattice tubes, the phase coherence of the coupled quantum gases is studied. The lifetime of the condensate in the lattice and the dependence of the interference pattern on the lattice configuration are investigated.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: One objective of SHIP is to provide prevalence estimates on a broad range of diseases, risk and health factors for a defined region in the former GDR.
Abstract: Objectives The reason for the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) is the lack of epidemiological studies with a broad range of health indicators. Furthermore, in Germany there is a need for studies that take into account the particular situation of life after the reunification. One objective of SHIP is to provide prevalence estimates on a broad range of diseases, risk and health factors for a defined region in the former GDR.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Converging arguments from preclinical and clinical studies support the hypothesis that the loudness dependence of the auditory evoked N1/P2-response (LDAEP) is regulated by the level of central serotonergic neurotransmission.