University of Kiel

About: University of Kiel is a education organization based out in Kiel, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Crystal structure. The organization has 27816 authors who have published 57114 publications receiving 2061802 citations. The organization is also known as: Christian Albrechts University & Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

The rosat all-sky survey catalogue of the nearby stars

Abstract: We present X-ray data for all entries of the Third Catalogue of Nearby Stars (Gliese & Jahrei 1991) that have been detected as X-ray sources in the ROSAT all-sky survey. The catalogue contains 1252 entries yield- ing an average detection rate of 32.9 percent. In addi- tion to count rates, source detection parameters, hardness ratios, and X-ray fluxes we also list X-ray luminosities derived from Hipparcos parallaxes.

Determinants of FDI in developing countries: has globalization changed the rules of the game?

Abstract: There is a startling gap between, allegedly, globalization-induced changes in international competition for foreign direct investment (FDI) and recent empirical evidence on the relative importance of determinants of FDI in developing countries. We show that surprisingly little has changed since the late 1980s. Traditional market-related determinants are still dominant factors. Among non-traditional FDI determinants, only the availability of local skills has clearly gained importance. As concerns the interface between trade policy and FDI, we find that the tariff jumping motive for FDI had lost much of its relevance well before globalization became a hotly debated issue.

New horizons for managing the environment: A review of coupled social-ecological systems modeling

Abstract: Conventional approaches to natural resource management are increasingly challenged by environmental problems that are embedded in highly complex systems with profound uncertainties. These so-called social-ecological systems (SESs) are characterized by strong links between the social and the ecological system and multiple interactions across spatial and temporal scales. New approaches are needed to manage those tightly coupled systems; however, basic understanding of their nonlinear behavior is still missing. Modeling is a traditional tool in natural resource management to study complex, dynamic systems. There is a long tradition of SES modeling, but the approach is now being more widely recognized in other fields, such as ecological and economic modeling, where issues such as nonlinear ecological dynamics and complex human decision making are receiving more attention. SES modeling is maturing as a discipline in its own right, incorporating ideas from other interdisciplinary fields such as resilience or complex systems research. In this paper, we provide an overview of the emergence and state of the art of this cross-cutting field. Our analysis reveals the substantial potential of SES models to address issues that are of utmost importance for managing complex human-environment relationships, such as: (i) the implications of ecological and social structure for resource management, (ii) uncertainty in natural and social systems and ways to address it, (iii) the role of coevolutionary processes in the dynamics of SESs, and (iv) the implications of microscale human decision making for sustainable resource management and conservation. The complexity of SESs and the lack of a common analytical framework, however, also pose significant challenges for this emerging field. There are clear research needs with respect to: (i) approaches that go beyond rather simple specifications of human decision making, (ii) development of coping strategies to deal with (irreducible) uncertainties, (iii) more explicit modeling of feedbacks between the social and ecological systems, and (iv) a conceptual and methodological framework for analyzing and modeling SESs. We provide ideas for tackling some of these challenges and indicate potential key focal areas for SES modeling in the future.

A common variant on chromosome 11q13 is associated with atopic dermatitis

Abstract: We conducted a genome-wide association study in 939 individuals with atopic dermatitis and 975 controls as well as 270 complete nuclear families with two affected siblings. SNPs consistently associated with atopic dermatitis in both discovery sets were then investigated in two additional independent replication sets totalling 2,637 cases and 3,957 controls. Highly significant association was found with allele A of rs7927894 on chromosome 11q13.5, located 38 kb downstream of C11orf30 (P(combined) = 7.6 x 10(-10)). Approximately 13% of individuals of European origin are homozygous for rs7927894[A], and their risk of developing atopic dermatitis is 1.47 times that of noncarriers.

Membrane Potential Oscillations in Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons: Role in Normal Electrogenesis and Neuropathic Pain

Abstract: Abnormal afferent discharge originating at ectopic sites in injured primary sensory neurons is thought to be an important generator of paraesthesias, dysaesthesias, and chronic neuropathic pain. We report here that the ability of these neurons to sustain repetitive discharge depends on intrinsic resonant properties of the cell membrane and that the prevalence of this characteristic increases after nerve injury. Recording from primary sensory neurons in excised rat dorsal root ganglia, we found that some cells show subthreshold oscillations in their membrane potential. The amplitude, frequency, and coherence of these oscillations were voltage sensitive. Oscillations gave rise to action potentials when they reached threshold. Indeed, the presence of oscillations proved to be a necessary condition for sustained spiking both at resting membrane potential and on depolarization; neurons without them were incapable of sustained discharge even on deep depolarization. Previous nerve injury increased the proportion of neurons sampled that had subthreshold oscillations, and hence the proportion that generated ectopic spike discharge. Oscillatory behavior and ectopic spiking were eliminated by [Na(+)](o) substitution or bath application of lidocaine or tetrodotoxin (TTX), under conditions that preserved axonal spike propagation. This suggests that a TTX-sensitive Na(+) conductance contributes to the oscillations. Selective pharmacological suppression of subthreshold oscillations may offer a means of controlling neuropathic paraesthesias and pain without blocking afferent nerve conduction.