Explore the vast range of titles available.

We consider a category of pairs of compact metric spaces and Lipschitz maps where the pairs satisfy a linearly isoperimetric condition related to the solvability of the Plateau problem with partially free boundary. It includes properly all pairs of compact Lipschitz neighborhood retracts of a large class of Banach spaces. On this category we define homology and cohomology functors with real coefficients which satisfy the Eilenberg-Steenrod axioms, but reflect the

The demographic shift is leading to a rapid rise in the number of elderly citizens. Accordingly, the number of geriatric problems is also increasing within the population of rheumatic patients. Geriatric patients are characterized through the triad of high age, multimorbidity and functional deficits. Almost all will show signs of arthritis and other degenerative musculoskeletal illnesses. Inflammatory rheumatic diseases within the geriatric population are found to be mostly in the chronic stage or with defective conditions. Problems typical of this population, such as comorbidities especially in the cardiovascular sector, must be assessed prior to the application of therapeutic concepts. The focus is on activating therapies, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, where the functional usefulness is proven. The use of thermal therapy, especially applied in the form of heat, as well as electrotherapy and high frequency therapy are also useful when indicated. Balneotherapy and hydrotherapy, as well as massage therapy and lymphatic drainage, must be adapted to the cardiovascular function of geriatric patients; this applies especially to heart failure patients. Physical therapy concepts in elderly rheumatic patients should preferably be implemented and managed by a multidisciplinary geriatric team.

Zusammenfassung Durch den demografischen Wandel ist es zu einem raschen Anstieg des Anteils von Senioren an der Bevölkerung gekommen und zu immer mehr geriatrischen Problemen im Kollektiv der Rheumapatienten. Eine Triade aus hohem Alter, Multimorbidität und Funktionsdefiziten ist typisch für geriatrische Patienten. Sie weisen fast alle Anzeichen einer Arthrose oder anderer degenerativer muskuloskelettaler Erkrankungen auf. Entzündlich rheumatische Erkrankungen bei geriatrischen Patienten sind meist schon chronifiziert bzw. haben schon zu funktionellen Defiziten geführt. Vor der Umsetzung von Behandlungskonzepten müssen für diese Patientenpopulation charakteristische Probleme abgeklärt werden, so beispielsweise Komorbiditäten, v. a. im kardiovaskulären Bereich. Der Fokus liegt auf aktivierenden Behandlungsmodalitäten wie Physiotherapie oder Ergotherapie, deren funktioneller Nutzen erwiesen ist. Bei entsprechender Indikation sind auch Thermalbehandlungen, v. a. mit Wärme, und Elektrotherapie sowie Hochfrequenztherapie sinnvoll. Balneo- und hydrotherapeutische Verfahren sowie Massagebehandlungen und Lymphdrainage müssen an die kardiovaskulären Besonderheiten geriatrischer Patienten angepasst werden. Dies gilt insbesondere bei Herzinsuffizienz. Die Implementierung und das Management physiotherapeutischer Therapiekonzepte sollten bei älteren Rheumapatienten möglichst von einem multiprofessionellen Team übernommen werden.

Pneumonien, und insbesondere Aspirationspneumonien, sind ein häufiges Krankheitsbild in der Geriatrie. Aspirationen sind dabei oft auf eine Dysphagie zurückzuführen, die häufig erst im Kontext eines geriatrischen Assessments auffällt. Die Gründe für die Schluckstörung sind vielfältig. In unserer Abteilung für Geriatrie konnten in den letzten Monaten mehrere Patienten detektiert werden, bei denen ein Zenker-Divertikel ursächlich für rezidivierende Aspirationspneumonien war. Die Schluckstörung zeigte sich bereits in der logopädischen Aufnahmeuntersuchung. Mithilfe einer ergänzenden fiberendoskopischen Schluckuntersuchung („fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing“ [FEES]) konnte die für das Zenker-Divertikel typische postdeglutitive Regurgitation nachgewiesen werden. Ein Ösophagusbreischluck bestätigte den Befund. Im vorliegenden Fall war die Therapie der Wahl eine Myotomie mit flexiblem Endoskop durch die Kollegen der Gastroenterologie. Nach erfolgreicher Behandlung war das Schlucken wieder ohne Hinweis auf eine Penetration oder Aspiration möglich. Der Fall verdeutlicht die Bedeutung einer logopädischen Diagnostik und Therapie bei älteren Patienten mit rezidivierenden Pneumonien. Mithilfe der frühen Diagnostik war es möglich den für das Zenker-Divertikel typischen Befund einer postdeglutitiven Regurgitation zu stellen. Die Bilder der FEES sowie der Kontrastösophagographie können die erhobenen Befunde in diesem Fall gut darstellen.

Postembryonic organ formation in higher plants relies on the activity of stem cell niches in shoot and root meristems where differentiation of the resident cells is repressed by signals from surrounding cells. We searched for mutations affecting stem cell maintenance and isolated the semidominant l28 mutant, which displays premature termination of the shoot meristem and differentiation of the stem cells. Allele competition experiments suggest that l28 is a dominant-negative allele of the APETALA2 (AP2) gene, which previously has been implicated in floral patterning and seed development. Expression of both WUSCHEL (WUS) and CLAVATA3 (CLV3) genes, which regulate stem cell maintenance in the wild type, were disrupted in l28 shoot apices from early stages on. Unlike in floral patterning, AP2 mRNA is active in the center of the shoot meristem and acts via a mechanism independent of AGAMOUS, which is a repressor of WUS and stem cell maintenance in the floral meristem. Genetic analysis shows that termination of the primary shoot meristem in l28 mutants requires an active CLV signaling pathway, indicating that AP2 functions in stem cell maintenance by modifying the WUS-CLV3 feedback loop.

Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Geriatrie (DGG) begeht im Jahr 2025 ihren 40. Geburtstag. Sie wurde 1985 gegründet, um Geriatrie in Wissenschaft und Politik zu positionieren, Wissen zu vermitteln, einen Facharztstatus Geriatrie zu erreichen sowie eine eigenständige Altersmedizin in Diagnostik, Therapie und Rehabilitation zu etablieren. Wie konnte sie diese Ziele erreichen? Es werden 3 Methoden eingesetzt: (1) eine halbstrukturierte und offene Befragung (n = 28), (2) ein sehr umfassendes Quellenstudium mit Identifizierung von 4 Meilensteinen auf Basis der historischen Ethnographie sowie (3) eine Inhaltsanalyse aller Protokolle (n = 36) der Mitgliederversammlungen über 40 Jahre. Die DGG erreicht fast alle Ziele – und darüber hinaus. In den Themen Ernährung, Alterstraumatologie und Assessment erarbeitet sie eigenständig Evidenz. Durch hervorragende internationale Vernetzung kann man wissenschaftliche Exzellenz bei ihr finden. Allerdings ist das Ziel eines Facharztes Geriatrie noch nicht erreicht. Nur ein Fachgebiet wie die Geriatrie mit der DGG kann den komplexen Erfordernissen älterer Menschen gerecht werden.

Woody plants and evidence of browsing were measured on eight reclaimed strip mines in Maryland and West Virginia to see whether revegetation patterns differed adjacent to concave, straight, and convex forest boundaries. Two clonal species predominated (Rubus allegheniensis and Robinia pseudoacacia), followed in abundance by three wind-dispersed species (Fraxinus americana, Acer rubrum, Betula lenta), and a variety of animal-dispersed species. Mine transects adjacent to concave forest boundaries had 2.5 times as many colonizing stems as those next to convex boundaries. Stems of colonizing species extended >61 m from concave boundaries, but rarely > 13 m from convex boundaries. Stem density of all the common animal-dispersed species was correlated with their abundance in the adjacent forest edge, whereas no relationship existed for Robinia or the wind-dispersed species. Evidence of browsing was greater adjacent to concave boundaries than opposite convex boundaries. These strikingly different colonization patterns appear to be primarily the result of the immigration process interacting directly with shape as a spatial characteristic. Through time, a @'concave-convex reversal@' in boundary form is evident. This results from a @'cove concentration effect@' where the greatest boundary expansion rate is in coves being colonized. Almost all patterns next to straight boundaries were intermediate between those opposite concave and convex boundaries. We conclude that boundary form may exert a powerful control over adjacent ecosystems in a landscape. This presents significant opportunities for planning and managing surface mines and other colonizing areas.

The aim of the study was to verify that exposure to carbon disulphide (CS(2)) up to 10 ppm results in a negative inotropic effect on cardiovascular function. In a cross-sectional study a total of 325 workers exposed to CS(2) in the rayon-producing industry and 179 controls from the same plants were examined. The exposure assessment was based on personal air sampling and biological monitoring (2-thiothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (TTCA) in urine) for all persons. The examination consisted of a standardised questionnaire, physical examination, assessment of body fat mass, ergometric test with the determination of work capacity at heart rates of 100, 130, 150 and 170 beats/min, and electrocardiography. The mean external exposure was 6.04 ppm CS(2) (range: 0.03-91.08); the mean internal exposure was 1.14 mg TTCA/g creatinine (range: 0.02-11.50). The workers exposed to CS(2) showed better physical fitness. The diameters of the left heart chamber of the exposed persons were not significantly different when compared with occupationally non-exposed workers, but there was a tendency of increasing diameters for the exposed employees. In the multiple linear regression the diameters showed physiologically plausible correlations with the body mass index, body fat mass, alcohol consumption, and physical fitness, but not, however, with the exposure, neither with the exposure group in all persons nor with the internal or external exposure within the exposed workers. In this study, differences in the heart chamber diameters between exposed persons and controls could not be confirmed. Differences in physical fitness and constitution can explain differences in heart chamber diameters.

We consider Plateau type variational problems related to the size minimization of rectifiable currents. We realize the limit of a size minimizing sequence as a stationary varifold and a minimal set. Other examples of functionals to be minimized include the integral over the underlying carrying set of a power q of the multiplicity function, with$0 < q \\leq 1$.Because minimizing sequences may have unbounded mass we make use of a more general object called a rectifiable scan for describing the limit. This concept is motivated by the possibility of recovering a flat chain from a sufficiently large collection of its slices. In case the given boundary is smooth and compact, the limiting scan has finite mass and corresponds to a rectifiable current. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Forest stand structural and compositional characteristics were studied in two stands each of Southern Appalachian old growth, maturing second growth (previously selectively logged), and young second growth (previously clearcut) to determine differences among these stands. Mature second growth and young second growth represent common stand conditions in this region. Tree species diversity was highest in maturing second-growth, intermediate in old-growth, and lowest in young secondgrowth stands. Old-growth stands had an overstory tree composition of a mix of shadeintolerant and intermediate species; maturing second-growth overstories were dominated by intermediate species; young second-growth overstories were dominated by shadeintolerant species. Densities of large live trees, trees with cavities, and snags were highest in old-growth stands and lowest in young second-growth stands. Log accumulations were highest in one young second-growth stand and lowest in another young second-growth stand that had been clearcut twice. Log accumulations in old-growth stands were higher than in maturing second-growth stands. Maturing second-growth stands were more similar in structural characteristics to the old-growth stands than to the young secondgrowth stands. Stand history appears to have highly influenced many structural and compositional characteristics. Although the sample size was small, the old-growth stands have several characteristics that developed as a result of their undisturbed history; these characteristics should be considered during planning for future old growth on Southern Appalachian national forests.