NEDAP-Wahlcomputer – Manipulationsmethoden an Hard- und Software

In Deutschland geh?rt der Einsatz von NEDAP-Wahlcomputern in immer mehr Gemeinden zum Alltag. Durch Untersuchungen zur Sicherheit und Manipulierbarkeit konnten Erkenntnisse gewonnen werden, mit welchen Methoden manipulierte Software in den Wahlcomputer eingebracht und Hardwarekomponenten ausgetauscht werden k?nnen. Dadurch ist erstmals eine Beurteilung der Eignung der NEDAP-Wahlcomputer hinsichtlich der Anforderungen an manipulationsfeste, nachvollziehbare und transparente Wahlen m?glich.     

Analysis of microRNAs in Exosomes of Breast Cancer Patients in Search of Molecular Prognostic Factors in Brain Metastases

Brain metastases are the most severe tumorous spread during breast cancer disease. They are associated with a limited quality of life and a very poor overall survival. A subtype of extracellular vesicles, exosomes, are sequestered by all kinds of cells, including tumor cells, and play a role in cell-cell communication. Exosomes contain, among others, microRNAs (miRs). Exosomes can be taken up by other cells in the body, and their active molecules can affect the cellular process in target cells. Tumor-secreted exosomes can affect the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and have an impact on brain metastases forming. Serum samples from healthy donors, breast cancer patients with primary tumors, or with brain, bone, or visceral metastases were used to isolate exosomes and exosomal miRs. Exosomes expressed exosomal markers CD63 and CD9, and their amount did not vary significantly between groups, as shown by Western blot and ELISA. The selected 48 miRs were detected using real-time PCR. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy. We identified two miRs with the potential to serve as prognostic markers for brain metastases. Hsa-miR-576-3p was significantly upregulated, and hsa-miR-130a-3p was significantly downregulated in exosomes from breast cancer patients with cerebral metastases with AUC: 0.705 and 0.699, respectively. Furthermore, correlation of miR levels with tumor markers revealed that hsa-miR-340-5p levels were significantly correlated with the percentage of Ki67-positive tumor cells, while hsa-miR-342-3p levels were inversely correlated with tumor staging. Analysis of the expression levels of miRs in serum exosomes from breast cancer patients has the potential to identify new, non-invasive, blood-borne prognostic molecular markers to predict the potential for brain metastasis in breast cancer. Additional functional analyzes and careful validation of the identified markers are required before their potential future diagnostic use.     

Business owners' action planning and its relationship to business success in three African countries.

A model of business success was developed with motivational resources (locus of control, self-efficacy, achievement motivation, and self-reported personal initiative) and cognitive resources (cognitive ability and human capital) as independent variables, business owners' elaborate and proactive planning as a mediator, and business size and growth as dependent variables. Three studies with a total of 408 African micro and small-scale business owners were conducted in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Structural equation analyses partially supported the hypotheses on the importance of psychological planning by the business owners. Elaborate and proactive planning was substantially related to business size and to an external evaluation of business success and was a (partial) mediator for the relationship between cognitive resources and business success. The model carries important implications for selection, training, and coaching of business owners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maximum likelihood estimation for the three-parameter Weibull cdf of strength in presence of concurrent flaw populations

For a correct strength characterization of brittle materials, not only the maximum stress at fracture, but also the geometry of the specimens has to be considered thus taking into account the variable stress state and the size effect. Additionally, fracture may occur due to different fracture modes, as for example surface or edge defects. The authors propose a maximum likelihood estimator to obtain the cumulative distribution functions of strength for surface and edge flaw populations separately, both being three-parameter Weibull cdfs referred to an elemental surface area or elemental edge length, respectively. The method has been applied to simulated 3-point bending test data. The estimated Weibull parameters have been used to compute the cdfs of strength for specimens with different size, providing also the confidence bounds calculated by means of the bootstrap method. Finally, fracture data of 4-point bending tests on silicon carbide have been evaluated with the proposed method.     

Seismic retrofitting of nonductile beam-column sub-assemblage using FRP wrapping and steel plate jacketing

The paper discusses the aspects of repair and retrofitting technique adopted for a damaged reinforced concrete beam-column joint specimen under cyclic loading. A specimen designed based on Indian Standard specifications with consideration of seismic load but without adopting ductile detailing (NonDuctile) was investigated under reverse cyclic loading. Then, the damaged nonductile specimen was repaired with epoxy mortar and grouted using low viscous polymer, and retrofitted using fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) wrapping in beam and column components and steel plate jacketing in joint region. The experimental results showed that the retrofitted specimen not only regained its original strength and stiffness but also has overcome the deficiencies of nonductile detailing. The present study shows that a proper repair and adequate retrofitting technique can be used for strengthening and improvement of damaged regions in reinforced concrete structures.     

Curcumin Attenuates Environment-Derived Osteoarthritis by Sox9/NF-kB Signaling Axis

Inflammation has a fundamental impact on the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA), a common form of degenerative arthritis. It has previously been established that curcumin, a component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), has anti-inflammatory properties. This research evaluates the potentials of curcumin on the pathophysiology of OA in vitro. To explore the anti-inflammatory efficacy of curcumin in an inflamed joint, an osteoarthritic environment (OA-EN) model consisting of fibroblasts, T-lymphocytes, 3D-chondrocytes is constructed and co-incubated with TNF-α, antisense oligonucleotides targeting NF-kB (ASO-NF-kB), or an IkB-kinase (IKK) inhibitor (BMS-345541). Our results show that OA-EN, similar to TNF-α, suppresses chondrocyte viability, which is accompanied by a significant decrease in cartilage-specific proteins (collagen II, CSPG, Sox9) and an increase in NF-kB-driven gene proteins participating in inflammation, apoptosis, and breakdown (NF-kB, MMP-9, Cox-2, Caspase-3). Conversely, similar to knockdown of NF-kB at the mRNA level or at the IKK level, curcumin suppresses NF-kB activation, NF-kB-promotes gene proteins derived from the OA-EN, and stimulates collagen II, CSPG, and Sox9 expression. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation assay shows that curcumin reduces OA-EN-mediated inflammation and chondrocyte apoptosis, with concomitant chondroprotective effects, due to modulation of Sox-9/NF-kB signaling axis. Finally, curcumin selectively hinders the interaction of p-NF-kB-p65 directly with DNA—this association is disrupted through DTT. These results suggest that curcumin suppresses inflammation in OA-EN via modulating NF-kB-Sox9 coupling and is essential for maintaining homeostasis in OA by balancing chondrocyte survival and inflammatory responses. This may contribute to the alternative treatment of OA with respect to the efficacy of curcumin.     

Occurrence of benzene as a heat-induced contaminant of carrot juice for babies in a general survey of beverages

A survey of benzene contamination of 451 beverage samples, using headspace sampling combined with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (HS-GC/MS) with a quantification limit of 0.13 microg l(-1), was conducted. Artefactual benzene formation during headspace sampling was excluded by gentle heating at 50 degrees C only and adjustment of sample pH to 10. The incidence of benzene contamination in soft drinks, beverages for babies, alcopops and beer-mixed drinks was relatively low, with average concentrations below the EU drinking-water limit of 1 microg l(-1). Significantly higher concentrations were only found in carrot juice, with the highest levels in carrot juice specifically intended for infants. About 94% of 33 carrot juice for infants had detectable benzene levels, with an average concentration of 1.86 +/- 1.05 microg l(-1). Benzene contamination of beverages was significantly correlated to iron and copper concentrations, which act as catalyst in benzene formation. The formation of benzene in carrot juice was predominantly caused by a heat-induced mechanism, which explains the higher levels in infant carrot juices that are subject to higher heat-treatment to exclude microbiological contamination.     

Utility assessment in automated driving for cooperative human–machine systems

Cognition, Technology & Work - Currently, car manufacturers, suppliers, and IT companies are surpassing each other with ambitious plans regarding their driving automation technology. However,...