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The measurement of quality indicators supports quality improvement initiatives. The German Interdisciplinary Society of Intensive Care Medicine (DIVI) has published quality indicators for intensive care medicine for the fourth time now. After a scheduled evaluation after three years, changes in several indicators were made. Other indicators were not changed or only minimally. The focus remained strongly on relevant treatment processes like management of analgesia and sedation, mechanical ventilation and weaning, and infections in the ICU. Another focus was communication inside the ICU. The number of 10 indicators remained the same. The development method was more structured and transparency was increased by adding new features like evidence levels or author contribution and potential conflicts of interest. These quality indicators should be used in the peer review in intensive care, a method endorsed by the DIVI. Other forms of measurement and evaluation are also reasonable, for example in quality management. This fourth edition of the quality indicators will be updated in the future to reflect the recently published recommendations on the structure of intensive care units by the DIVI., Die Messung relevanter Qualitätsindikatoren unterstützt Initiativen zur Qualitätsverbesserung. Die Deutsche Interdisziplinäre Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin (DIVI) hat die intensivmedizinischen Qualitätsindikatoren nun zum vierten Mal publiziert. Sie wurden nach drei Jahren überarbeitet und einige Indikatoren wurden angepasst. Andere Indikatoren erfuhren keine oder nur minimale Änderungen. Der Fokus besteht weiter auf relevanten Behandlungsprozessen wie Management von Analgesie und Sedierung, Beatmung und Weaning sowie Infektionen auf der Intensivstation. Die Gesamtzahl von zehn Indikatoren blieb bestehen. Die Entwicklung der Indikatoren erfolgte in der neuen Version nach einem anderen Prozess. Die Transparenz wurde durch Erwähnung der Einzelbeiträge der Autoren sowie auch potenzieller Interessenkonflikte erhöht. Die Anwendung der Qualitätsindikatoren im Peer-Review-Prozess der DIVI ist weiter wesentlicher Schwerpunkt. Aber auch andere Anwendungen, z.B. im Qualitätsmanagement, sind sinnvoll. Diese vierte Auflage der Qualitätsindikatoren wird noch einmal aktualisiert, um die kürzlich veröffentlichten Empfehlungen der DIVI zur Struktur der Intensivstationen zu berücksichtigen.

People remember what they deem important. In line with research suggesting that lower-class (vs. higher class) individuals spontaneously appraise other people as more relevant, we show that social class is associated with the habitual use of face memory. We find that lower-class (vs. higher class) participants exhibit better incidental memory for faces (i.e., spontaneous memory for faces they had not been instructed to memorize; Studies 1 and 2). No social-class differences emerge for faces participants are instructed to learn (Study 2), suggesting that this pattern reflects class-based relevance appraisals rather than memory ability. Study 3 extends our findings to eyewitness identification. Lower-class (vs. higher-class) participants’ eyewitness accuracy is less impacted by the explicit relevance of a target (clearly relevant thief vs. incidental bystander). Integrative data analysis shows a robust negative association between social class and spontaneous face memory. Preregistration (Studies 1 and 3) and cross-cultural replication (Study 2) further strengthen the results., Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences https://doi.org/10.13039/100000169, Peer Reviewed

This technical paper provides a tutorial to build a low-cost (10-100 USD) and easy to assemble ECG device (ArdMob-ECG) that can be easily used for a variety of different scientific studies. The advantage of this device is that it automatically stores the data and has a built-in detection algorithm for heartbeats. Compared to a clinical ECG, this device entails a serial interface that can send triggers via USB directly to a computer and software (e.g. Unity, Matlab) with minimal delay due to its architecture. Its software and hardware is open-source and publicly available. The performance of the device regarding sensitivity and specificity is comparable to a professional clinical ECG and is assessed in this paper. Due to the open-source software, a variety of different research questions and individual alterations can be adapted using this ECG. The code as well as the circuit is publicly available and accessible for everyone to promote a better health system in remote areas, Open Science, and to boost scientific progress and the development of new paradigms that ultimately foster innovation.

This chapter brings the ideational approach to populism into dialogue with cleavage-based accounts of party system change. Both approaches converge in the idea that failures of democratic representation create populist potentials. This contribution starts out by testing this hypothesis across Latin America and Western Europe by analyzing one case of populist success and one case of failure in each context. In Latin America, Venezuela is a prominent case of populist success and Uruguay one of failure. With respect to Western Europe, the analysis explains why the populist right achieved its breakthrough several decades earlier in France than it did in Germany. The remaining differences between the cleavage and the ideational populism approaches can be fleshed out by distinguishing “majoritarian” and “segmented” populism. The majoritarian type, exemplified by the case of Venezuela’s Bolivarian movement, is characterized by a large and correspondingly diverse populist electoral coalition in ideological terms. Here, the populist element prevails over more substantive ideologies. The appeal of the segmented type, on the other hand, is restricted to rather specific segments of the electorate: The Front National, a paradigmatic case of the radical populist right in Western Europe, finds support almost exclusively among ideologically like-minded voters in terms of the cultural dimension of conflict prevalent in the French party system.

There is growing awareness across the neuroscience community that the replicability of findings about the relationship between brain activity and cognitive phenomena can be improved by conducting studies with high statistical power that adhere to well-defined and standardised analysis pipelines. Inspired by recent efforts from the psychological sciences, and with the desire to examine some of the foundational findings using electroencephalography (EEG), we have launched #EEGManyLabs, a large-scale international collaborative replication effort. Since its discovery in the early 20th century, EEG has had a profound influence on our understanding of human cognition, but there is limited evidence on the replicability of some of the most highly cited discoveries. After a systematic search and selection process, we have identified 27 of the most influential and continually cited studies in the field. We plan to directly test the replicability of key findings from 20 of these studies in teams of at least three independent laboratories. The design and protocol of each replication effort will be submitted as a Registered Report and peer-reviewed prior to data collection. Prediction markets, open to all EEG researchers, will be used as a forecasting tool to examine which findings the community expects to replicate. This project will update our confidence in some of the most influential EEG findings and generate a large open access database that can be used to inform future research practices. Finally, through this international effort, we hope to create a cultural shift towards inclusive, high-powered multi-laboratory collaborations.

There is growing awareness across the neuroscience community that the replicability of findings about the relationship between brain activity and cognitive phenomena can be improved by conducting studies with high statistical power that adhere to well-defined and standardised analysis pipelines. Inspired by recent efforts from the psychological sciences, and with the desire to examine some of the foundational findings using electroencephalography (EEG), we have launched #EEGManyLabs, a large-scale international collaborative replication effort. Since its discovery in the early 20th century, EEG has had a profound influence on our understanding of human cognition, but there is limited evidence on the replicability of some of the most highly cited discoveries. After a systematic search and selection process, we have identified 27 of the most influential and continually cited studies in the field. We plan to directly test the replicability of key findings from 20 of these studies in teams of at least three independent laboratories. The design and protocol of each replication effort will be submitted as a Registered Report and peer-reviewed prior to data collection. Prediction markets, open to all EEG researchers, will be used as a forecasting tool to examine which findings the community expects to replicate. This project will update our confidence in some of the most influential EEG findings and generate a large open access database that can be used to inform future research practices. Finally, through this international effort, we hope to create a cultural shift towards inclusive, high-powered multi-laboratory collaborations. © 2021 The Authors.

Three different constituencies are becoming increasingly common across Western European electorates: mainstream voters, non-voters and populist voters. Despite their distinct behaviours in electoral politics, we have limited empirical knowledge about the characteristics that distinguish these three groups, given the typical underrepresentation of non-voters in surveys and the relative recency of large-scale research on populist voters. To address this gap, we analyse novel survey data from contemporary Germany that oversamples non-voters and includes a sizeable share of both populist radical left and populist radical right party supporters. Two main findings with broader implications stand out. First, populist voters resemble their mainstream counterparts in their expectations about democracy but correspond more closely to non-voters regarding (dis-)satisfaction with democracy. Second, non-voters and populist voters seem to reject mainstream democratic politics in distinct ways, throwing doubt on the (further) mobilization potential of abstainers for populist projects.

There is growing awareness across the neuroscience community that the replicability of findings about the relationship between brain activity and cognitive phenomena can be improved by conducting studies with high statistical power that adhere to well-defined and standardised analysis pipelines. Inspired by recent efforts from the psychological sciences, and with the desire to examine some of the foundational findings using electroencephalography (EEG), we have launched #EEGManyLabs, a large-scale international collaborative replication effort. Since its discovery in the early 20th century, EEG has had a profound influence on our understanding of human cognition, but there is limited evidence on the replicability of some of the most highly cited discoveries. After a systematic search and selection process, we have identified 27 of the most influential and continually cited studies in the field. We plan to directly test the replicability of key findings from 20 of these studies in teams of at least three independent laboratories. The design and protocol of each replication effort will be submitted as a Registered Report and peer-reviewed prior to data collection. Prediction markets, open to all EEG researchers, will be used as a forecasting tool to examine which findings the community expects to replicate. This project will update our confidence in some of the most influential EEG findings and generate a large open access database that can be used to inform future research practices. Finally, through this international effort, we hope to create a cultural shift towards inclusive, high-powered multi-laboratory collaborations.

There is growing awareness across the neuroscience community that the replicability of findings about the relationship between brain activity and cognitive phenomena can be improved by conducting studies with high statistical power that adhere to well-defined and standardised analysis pipelines. Inspired by recent efforts from the psychological sciences, and with the desire to examine some of the foundational findings using electroencephalography (EEG), we have launched #EEGManyLabs, a large-scale international collaborative replication effort. Since its discovery in the early 20th century, EEG has had a profound influence on our understanding of human cognition, but there is limited evidence on the replicability of some of the most highly cited discoveries. After a systematic search and selection process, we have identified 27 of the most influential and continually cited studies in the field. We plan to directly test the replicability of key findings from 20 of these studies in teams of at least three independent laboratories. The design and protocol of each replication effort will be submitted as a Registered Report and peer-reviewed prior to data collection. Prediction markets, open to all EEG researchers, will be used as a forecasting tool to examine which findings the community expects to replicate. This project will update our confidence in some of the most influential EEG findings and generate a large open access database that can be used to inform future research practices. Finally, through this international effort, we hope to create a cultural shift towards inclusive, high-powered multi-laboratory collaborations.

The sand cat,Felis margaritaLoche,1858,is a small desert cat with a fragmented distribution across the Sahara, Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia. It is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN; however, its status in many countries is unknown. Sand cats are generally classified into four subspecies:F. m. margarita(North Africa and Sahara), F. m. harrisoni(Arabia),F. m. thinobia(Central Asia), andF. m. scheffeli(Pakistan). The aim of this study was to determine the validity of these subspecies using genetic analysis. Sequences from the mitochondrial control region, mitochondrial NADH subunit 5, and cytochromebgenes (643 bp) were generated in a sample set of 47 animals of known geographical origin, from across the sand cat's range over the past 100 years. The results of the analysis suggest some degree of genetic differentiation between the African populations (F. m. margarita) and those of Arabian or Central Asian origin, which merits further investigation with nuclear loci and further sampling of intermediate geographical locations. There is little genetic justification for differentiation of the other proposed subspecies (F. m. harrisoni, F. m. thinobia,andF. m. scheffeli), which differ only by 1-3 bp mutations in their haplotypes. The genetic diversity of a set of 86 captive sand cat samples is also generated and compared to facilitate future conservation management of the species in captivity.

The sand cat,Felis margaritaLoche,1858,is a small desert cat with a fragmented distribution across the Sahara, Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia. It is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN; however, its status in many countries is unknown. Sand cats are generally classified into four subspecies:F. m. margarita(North Africa and Sahara), F. m. harrisoni(Arabia),F. m. thinobia(Central Asia), andF. m. scheffeli(Pakistan). The aim of this study was to determine the validity of these subspecies using genetic analysis. Sequences from the mitochondrial control region, mitochondrial NADH subunit 5, and cytochromebgenes (643 bp) were generated in a sample set of 47 animals of known geographical origin, from across the sand cat's range over the past 100 years. The results of the analysis suggest some degree of genetic differentiation between the African populations (F. m. margarita) and those of Arabian or Central Asian origin, which merits further investigation with nuclear loci and further sampling of intermediate geographical locations. There is little genetic justification for differentiation of the other proposed subspecies (F. m. harrisoni, F. m. thinobia,andF. m. scheffeli), which differ only by 1-3 bp mutations in their haplotypes. The genetic diversity of a set of 86 captive sand cat samples is also generated and compared to facilitate future conservation management of the species in captivity.

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Objective/context: This article offers an analysis of the evolution of the Chilean right from the transition to democracy to the present day. It aims to show that programmatic moderation has not only allowed the right to become more competitive in electoral terms, but has also orphaned a sector of the electorate and, therefore, made it highly probable that this political faction will split into two poles: one liberal-progressive and one populist-conservative. Methodology: The research involved a descriptive analysis of data from the World Values Survey, revealing the evolution of Chilean public opinion toward issues normally defended by the right, and of the “Manifesto Project,” in order to trace the variation over time of the positions defended by the Chilean right in their electoral campaigns. Conclusions: This article concludes that the great future challenge of the Chilean center-right will be how to handle internal tensions that, if not adequately channeled, can unleash a political fragmentation that gives rise to a period of greater electoral uncertainty. Originality: This article seeks to fill the gap that exists in the academic literature on the evolution of the post-transition Chilean right. At the same time, it posits that a space has opened for new types of government coalitions in Chile, either between radical populist forces and conventional parties or between conventional parties that historically have been reluctant to establish electoral alliances., RESUMO Objetivo/contexto: Este artigo oferece uma análise da evolução da direita chilena desde a transição à democracia até hoje. Interessa demonstrar que a moderação programática não somente tem permitido à direita tornar-se mais competitiva em termos eleitorais, mas também tem deixado órfão um setor do eleitorado e, portanto, é altamente provável que essa facção política seja fracionada em dois polos: um liberal-progressista e um populista conservador. Metodologia: Esta pesquisa foi realizada por meio de uma análise descritiva de dados provenientes do Questionário Mundial de Valores para revelar a evolução da opinião pública chilena diante de temas que normalmente a direita defende e do “Manifesto Project” para observar a variação dos posicionamentos defendidos pela direita chilena em suas campanhas eleitorais ao longo do tempo. Conclusões: Neste artigo, conclui-se que o grande desafio futuro da centro-direita chilena está em como lidar com suas tensões internas que, se não forem canalizadas de maneira adequada, podem desencadear uma fragmentação política que daria vida a um período de maior incerteza eleitoral. Originalidade: Este artigo pretende preencher a lacuna que existe na literatura acadêmica sobre a evolução da direita chilena pós-transição. Por sua vez, expõe a abertura que hoje há para novos tipos de coalizões governamentais no Chile, seja entre forças populistas radicais e partidos convencionais, seja entre partidos convencionais que, historicamente, têm sido relutantes a estabelecer parcerias eleitorais., RESUMEN Objetivo/contexto: El artículo ofrece un análisis de la evolución de la derecha chilena desde la transición a la democracia hasta hoy. Interesa demostrar que la moderación programática no solo le ha permitido a la derecha volverse más competitiva en términos electorales, sino que también ha dejado huérfano a un sector del electorado y, por lo tanto, es altamente probable que tal facción política se fraccione en dos polos: uno liberal-progresista y uno populista-conservador. Metodología: La investigación se realizó mediante un análisis descriptivo de datos provenientes de la Encuesta Mundial de Valores para revelar la evolución de la opinión pública chilena frente a temas que normalmente defiende la derecha y del “Manifesto Project” para observar la variación de las posturas defendidas por la derecha chilena en sus campañas electorales a lo largo del tiempo. Conclusiones: En este artículo se concluye que el gran desafío futuro de la centroderecha chilena radica en cómo manejar sus tensiones internas que, si no logran ser encauzadas de manera adecuada, pueden desencadenar una fragmentación política que dé vida a un periodo de mayor incertidumbre electoral. Originalidad: Este artículo busca llenar el vacío que existe en la literatura académica sobre la evolución de la derecha chilena post-transición. A su vez, plantea que hoy en día se abre un espacio para nuevos tipos de coaliciones gubernamentales en Chile, ya sea entre fuerzas populistas radicales y partidos convencionales o entre partidos convencionales que históricamente han sido reacios a establecer alianzas electorales.

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Objective/context: This article offers an analysis of the evolution of the Chilean right from the transition to democracy to the present day. It aims to show that programmatic moderation has not only allowed the right to become more competitive in electoral terms, but has also orphaned a sector of the electorate and, therefore, made it highly probable that this political faction will split into two poles: one liberal-progressive and one populist-conservative. Methodology: The research involved a descriptive analysis of data from the World Values Survey, revealing the evolution of Chilean public opinion toward issues normally defended by the right, and of the “Manifesto Project,” in order to trace the variation over time of the positions defended by the Chilean right in their electoral campaigns. Conclusions: This article concludes that the great future challenge of the Chilean center-right will be how to handle internal tensions that, if not adequately channeled, can unleash a political fragmentation that gives rise to a period of greater electoral uncertainty. Originality: This article seeks to fill the gap that exists in the academic literature on the evolution of the post-transition Chilean right. At the same time, it posits that a space has opened for new types of government coalitions in Chile, either between radical populist forces and conventional parties or between conventional parties that historically have been reluctant to establish electoral alliances., RESUMO Objetivo/contexto: Este artigo oferece uma análise da evolução da direita chilena desde a transição à democracia até hoje. Interessa demonstrar que a moderação programática não somente tem permitido à direita tornar-se mais competitiva em termos eleitorais, mas também tem deixado órfão um setor do eleitorado e, portanto, é altamente provável que essa facção política seja fracionada em dois polos: um liberal-progressista e um populista conservador. Metodologia: Esta pesquisa foi realizada por meio de uma análise descritiva de dados provenientes do Questionário Mundial de Valores para revelar a evolução da opinião pública chilena diante de temas que normalmente a direita defende e do “Manifesto Project” para observar a variação dos posicionamentos defendidos pela direita chilena em suas campanhas eleitorais ao longo do tempo. Conclusões: Neste artigo, conclui-se que o grande desafio futuro da centro-direita chilena está em como lidar com suas tensões internas que, se não forem canalizadas de maneira adequada, podem desencadear uma fragmentação política que daria vida a um período de maior incerteza eleitoral. Originalidade: Este artigo pretende preencher a lacuna que existe na literatura acadêmica sobre a evolução da direita chilena pós-transição. Por sua vez, expõe a abertura que hoje há para novos tipos de coalizões governamentais no Chile, seja entre forças populistas radicais e partidos convencionais, seja entre partidos convencionais que, historicamente, têm sido relutantes a estabelecer parcerias eleitorais., RESUMEN Objetivo/contexto: El artículo ofrece un análisis de la evolución de la derecha chilena desde la transición a la democracia hasta hoy. Interesa demostrar que la moderación programática no solo le ha permitido a la derecha volverse más competitiva en términos electorales, sino que también ha dejado huérfano a un sector del electorado y, por lo tanto, es altamente probable que tal facción política se fraccione en dos polos: uno liberal-progresista y uno populista-conservador. Metodología: La investigación se realizó mediante un análisis descriptivo de datos provenientes de la Encuesta Mundial de Valores para revelar la evolución de la opinión pública chilena frente a temas que normalmente defiende la derecha y del “Manifesto Project” para observar la variación de las posturas defendidas por la derecha chilena en sus campañas electorales a lo largo del tiempo. Conclusiones: En este artículo se concluye que el gran desafío futuro de la centroderecha chilena radica en cómo manejar sus tensiones internas que, si no logran ser encauzadas de manera adecuada, pueden desencadenar una fragmentación política que dé vida a un periodo de mayor incertidumbre electoral. Originalidad: Este artículo busca llenar el vacío que existe en la literatura académica sobre la evolución de la derecha chilena post-transición. A su vez, plantea que hoy en día se abre un espacio para nuevos tipos de coaliciones gubernamentales en Chile, ya sea entre fuerzas populistas radicales y partidos convencionales o entre partidos convencionales que históricamente han sido reacios a establecer alianzas electorales.

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Contrary to the general belief, systemic risk does not only regard the risk posed by balance sheet relationships and interdependencies among institutions. It also features a temporal dimension related to the inappropriate responses of financial market participants to changes in risk over time. This paper proposes a method to simultaneously address the cross-sectional and the time dimension in which systemic risk materializes. The method is based on the TOPHITS algorithm. It provides three scores, namely borrowing, lending and time scores: the first two represent the systemic importance of the borrowing and the lending activity associated with each financial institution,while the third represents an empirical Early Warning Signal of the financial crisis. Our findings reveal that the identification of the time score as an indicator for an incoming market distress could be relevant to design macro prudential policies.

Le populisme est un concept central dans les débats médiatiques actuels sur la politique et les élections. Cependant, comme la plupart des mots à la mode, le terme flotte souvent d'un sens à l'autre, et les spécialistes en sciences sociales et les journalistes l'utilisent pour désigner divers phénomènes. Qu'est-ce que le populisme ? Qui sont les leaders populistes ? Et quelle est la relation entre le populisme et la démocratie ? Ce livre répond à ces questions de manière simple et convaincante, offrant un guide rapide du populisme, en théorie et en pratique. Cas Mudde est professeur agrégé d'affaires internationales à l'université de Géorgie (États-Unis). Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser est professeur agrégé de science politique à l'université Diego Portales (Chili).

Le populisme est un concept central dans les débats médiatiques actuels sur la politique et les élections. Cependant, comme la plupart des mots à la mode, le terme flotte souvent d'un sens à l'autre, et les spécialistes en sciences sociales et les journalistes l'utilisent pour désigner divers phénomènes. Qu'est-ce que le populisme ? Qui sont les leaders populistes ? Et quelle est la relation entre le populisme et la démocratie ? Ce livre répond à ces questions de manière simple et convaincante, offrant un guide rapide du populisme, en théorie et en pratique. Cas Mudde est professeur agrégé d'affaires internationales à l'université de Géorgie (États-Unis). Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser est professeur agrégé de science politique à l'université Diego Portales (Chili).

Le populisme est un concept central dans les débats médiatiques actuels sur la politique et les élections. Cependant, comme la plupart des mots à la mode, le terme flotte souvent d'un sens à l'autre, et les spécialistes en sciences sociales et les journalistes l'utilisent pour désigner divers phénomènes. Qu'est-ce que le populisme ? Qui sont les leaders populistes ? Et quelle est la relation entre le populisme et la démocratie ? Ce livre répond à ces questions de manière simple et convaincante, offrant un guide rapide du populisme, en théorie et en pratique. Cas Mudde est professeur agrégé d'affaires internationales à l'université de Géorgie (États-Unis). Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser est professeur agrégé de science politique à l'université Diego Portales (Chili).

Le populisme est un concept central dans les débats médiatiques actuels sur la politique et les élections. Cependant, comme la plupart des mots à la mode, le terme flotte souvent d'un sens à l'autre, et les spécialistes en sciences sociales et les journalistes l'utilisent pour désigner divers phénomènes. Qu'est-ce que le populisme ? Qui sont les leaders populistes ? Et quelle est la relation entre le populisme et la démocratie ? Ce livre répond à ces questions de manière simple et convaincante, offrant un guide rapide du populisme, en théorie et en pratique. Cas Mudde est professeur agrégé d'affaires internationales à l'université de Géorgie (États-Unis). Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser est professeur agrégé de science politique à l'université Diego Portales (Chili).

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a disease with limited therapeutic options and dismal prognosis. Despite its etiologic heterogeneity, the underlying unifying pathophysiology is characterized by increased vascular tone and adverse remodeling of the pulmonary circulation. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme abundantly expressed in neutrophils, has potent vasoconstrictive and profibrotic properties, thus qualifying as a potential contributor to this disease. Here, we sought to investigate whether MPO is causally linked to the pathophysiology of PAH. Investigation of 2 independent clinical cohorts revealed that MPO plasma levels were elevated in subjects with PAH and predicted adverse outcome. Experimental analyses showed that, upon hypoxia, right ventricular pressure was less increased in Mpo(-/-) than in WT mice. The hypoxia-induced activation of the Rho-kinase pathway, a critical subcellular signaling pathway yielding vasoconstriction and structural vascular remodeling, was blunted in Mpo(-/-) mice. Mice subjected to i.v. infusion of MPO revealed activation of Rho-kinase and increased right ventricular pressure, which was prevented by coinfusion of the Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632. In the Sugen5416/hypoxia rat model, PAH was attenuated by the MPO inhibitor AZM198. The current data demonstrate a tight mechanistic link between MPO, the activation of Rho-kinase, and adverse pulmonary vascular function, thus pointing toward a potentially novel avenue of treatment.

Le populisme est un concept central dans les débats médiatiques actuels sur la politique et les élections. Cependant, comme la plupart des mots à la mode, le terme flotte souvent d'un sens à l'autre, et les spécialistes en sciences sociales et les journalistes l'utilisent pour désigner divers phénomènes. Qu'est-ce que le populisme ? Qui sont les leaders populistes ? Et quelle est la relation entre le populisme et la démocratie ? Ce livre répond à ces questions de manière simple et convaincante, offrant un guide rapide du populisme, en théorie et en pratique. Cas Mudde est professeur agrégé d'affaires internationales à l'université de Géorgie (États-Unis). Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser est professeur agrégé de science politique à l'université Diego Portales (Chili).

Le populisme est un concept central dans les débats médiatiques actuels sur la politique et les élections. Cependant, comme la plupart des mots à la mode, le terme flotte souvent d'un sens à l'autre, et les spécialistes en sciences sociales et les journalistes l'utilisent pour désigner divers phénomènes. Qu'est-ce que le populisme ? Qui sont les leaders populistes ? Et quelle est la relation entre le populisme et la démocratie ? Ce livre répond à ces questions de manière simple et convaincante, offrant un guide rapide du populisme, en théorie et en pratique. Cas Mudde est professeur agrégé d'affaires internationales à l'université de Géorgie (États-Unis). Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser est professeur agrégé de science politique à l'université Diego Portales (Chili).

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a disease with limited therapeutic options and dismal prognosis. Despite its etiologic heterogeneity, the underlying unifying pathophysiology is characterized by increased vascular tone and adverse remodeling of the pulmonary circulation. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme abundantly expressed in neutrophils, has potent vasoconstrictive and profibrotic properties, thus qualifying as a potential contributor to this disease. Here, we sought to investigate whether MPO is causally linked to the pathophysiology of PAH. Investigation of 2 independent clinical cohorts revealed that MPO plasma levels were elevated in subjects with PAH and predicted adverse outcome. Experimental analyses showed that, upon hypoxia, right ventricular pressure was less increased in Mpo(-/-) than in WT mice. The hypoxia-induced activation of the Rho-kinase pathway, a critical subcellular signaling pathway yielding vasoconstriction and structural vascular remodeling, was blunted in Mpo(-/-) mice. Mice subjected to i.v. infusion of MPO revealed activation of Rho-kinase and increased right ventricular pressure, which was prevented by coinfusion of the Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632. In the Sugen5416/hypoxia rat model, PAH was attenuated by the MPO inhibitor AZM198. The current data demonstrate a tight mechanistic link between MPO, the activation of Rho-kinase, and adverse pulmonary vascular function, thus pointing toward a potentially novel avenue of treatment.

We evaluated a combined physician and patient questionnaire designed for identifying early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) in a cohort of 220 patients supposed for admission to an early arthritis clinic (EAC). The documents including personal and basis demographic data, referral diagnosis, questions related to RA and SpA classification criteria, functional limitations and previous diagnostic and therapeutic attempts were fax-transmitted to referring practices and returned before first EAC appointment. 125 referrals before introduction of the questionnaire served as controls. We found that a functional impairment of the hands provided more accurate prediction of RA than reports on morning stiffness or joint swelling. No clinical data proved predictive for SpA. We observed an unintended increase in the prescription of analgesics/NSAID and corticosteroids. In conclusion, questionnaires as designed here may provide substantial information for diagnosis of RA, but also imply the risk of unmeant therapeutic attempts

Contrary to the general belief, systemic risk does not only regard the risk posed by balance sheet relationships and interdependencies among institutions. It also features a temporal dimension related to the inappropriate responses of financial market participants to changes in risk over time. This paper proposes a method to simultaneously address the cross-sectional and the time dimension in which systemic risk materializes. The method is based on the TOPHITS algorithm. It provides three scores, namely borrowing, lending and time scores: the first two represent the systemic importance of the borrowing and the lending activity associated with each financial institution,while the third represents an empirical Early Warning Signal of the financial crisis. Our findings reveal that the identification of the time score as an indicator for an incoming market distress could be relevant to design macro prudential policies.

Contains fulltext : 178308.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access), Combining insights from International Relations theory and Comparative Politics, this chapter discusses the effect of international politics on the political fortune of populist parties in the world as well as the impact of populist parties on their countries' foreign policies. It argues that at least four different types of populist parties can be distinguished, each with a distinct foreign policy agenda.

The utilization of CO2 as a carbon source for organic synthesis meets the urgent demand for more sustainability in the production of chemicals. Herein, we report on the enzyme-catalyzed para-carboxylation of catechols, employing 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid decarboxylases (AroY) that belong to the UbiD enzyme family. Crystal structures and accompanying solution data confirmed that AroY utilizes the recently discovered prenylated FMN (prFMN) cofactor, and requires oxidative maturation to form the catalytically competent prFMN(iminium) species. This study reports on the in vitro reconstitution and activation of a prFMN-dependent enzyme that is capable of directly carboxylating aromatic catechol substrates under ambient conditions. A reaction mechanism for the reversible decarboxylation involving an intermediate with a single covalent bond between a quinoid adduct and cofactor is proposed, which is distinct from the mechanism of prFMN-associated 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions in related enzymes.

Democratic representation seems to be increasingly under stress in various established democracies, such as Greece, Spain, and the USA. Chile is also following this trend, but there are a number of particularities that make the Chilean case distinctive. After all, Chile is widely regarded as one of the most consolidated democratic regimes in Latin America and as having solid economic performance. However, citizens have shown decreasing levels of satisfaction with democracy and representative institutions, and are turning to protest and social mobilization to express their discontent. The paradox that Chile is facing today lies in the mismatch between the attitudes of voters and the overall performance of the regime. In explaining this intriguing puzzle, most of the literature has emphasized the legacy of institutional arrangements inherited from military rule. We argue that institutions are necessary but insufficient for explaining the increasing challenges that democratic representation faces. Thus, we also claim that it is necessary to consider not only the expansion of critical citizens and middle income earners, but also the repoliticization of inequalities., La representación democrática parece estar bajo estrés hoy en día en varias democracias establecidas, tales como Grecia, España y los Estados Unidos. Chile también está siguiendo esta tendencia, pero hay una serie de particularidades que hacen el caso chileno distintivo. Después de todo, Chile es usualmente considerado como una de las democracias más consolidadas de América Latina y con un desempeño económico sólido. Sin embargo, los ciudadanos muestran decrecientes niveles de satisfacción con la democracia y las instituciones representativas, y hacen creciente uso de la protesta y la movilización social para expresar su descontento. La paradoja que Chile está experimentado hoy día radica en el desajuste entre las actitudes de los votantes y el desempeño del régimen político. Para explicar esta paradoja, la gran mayoría de la literatura académica enfatiza el legado institucional heredado de la dictadura. Nosotros planteamos que las instituciones son necesarias pero insuficientes para explicar los desafíos que experimenta la representación democrática. En consecuencia, argumentamos que a su vez es necesario considerar no solo la expansión de ciudadanos críticos y sectores medios, sino que también la repoliticización de las desigualdades.

Democratic representation seems to be increasingly under stress in various established democracies, such as Greece, Spain, and the USA. Chile is also following this trend, but there are a number of particularities that make the Chilean case distinctive. After all, Chile is widely regarded as one of the most consolidated democratic regimes in Latin America and as having solid economic performance. However, citizens have shown decreasing levels of satisfaction with democracy and representative institutions, and are turning to protest and social mobilization to express their discontent. The paradox that Chile is facing today lies in the mismatch between the attitudes of voters and the overall performance of the regime. In explaining this intriguing puzzle, most of the literature has emphasized the legacy of institutional arrangements inherited from military rule. We argue that institutions are necessary but insufficient for explaining the increasing challenges that democratic representation faces. Thus, we also claim that it is necessary to consider not only the expansion of critical citizens and middle income earners, but also the repoliticization of inequalities., La representación democrática parece estar bajo estrés hoy en día en varias democracias establecidas, tales como Grecia, España y los Estados Unidos. Chile también está siguiendo esta tendencia, pero hay una serie de particularidades que hacen el caso chileno distintivo. Después de todo, Chile es usualmente considerado como una de las democracias más consolidadas de América Latina y con un desempeño económico sólido. Sin embargo, los ciudadanos muestran decrecientes niveles de satisfacción con la democracia y las instituciones representativas, y hacen creciente uso de la protesta y la movilización social para expresar su descontento. La paradoja que Chile está experimentado hoy día radica en el desajuste entre las actitudes de los votantes y el desempeño del régimen político. Para explicar esta paradoja, la gran mayoría de la literatura académica enfatiza el legado institucional heredado de la dictadura. Nosotros planteamos que las instituciones son necesarias pero insuficientes para explicar los desafíos que experimenta la representación democrática. En consecuencia, argumentamos que a su vez es necesario considerar no solo la expansión de ciudadanos críticos y sectores medios, sino que también la repoliticización de las desigualdades.

Democratic representation seems to be increasingly under stress in various established democracies, such as Greece, Spain, and the USA. Chile is also following this trend, but there are a number of particularities that make the Chilean case distinctive. After all, Chile is widely regarded as one of the most consolidated democratic regimes in Latin America and as having solid economic performance. However, citizens have shown decreasing levels of satisfaction with democracy and representative institutions, and are turning to protest and social mobilization to express their discontent. The paradox that Chile is facing today lies in the mismatch between the attitudes of voters and the overall performance of the regime. In explaining this intriguing puzzle, most of the literature has emphasized the legacy of institutional arrangements inherited from military rule. We argue that institutions are necessary but insufficient for explaining the increasing challenges that democratic representation faces. Thus, we also claim that it is necessary to consider not only the expansion of critical citizens and middle income earners, but also the repoliticization of inequalities., La representación democrática parece estar bajo estrés hoy en día en varias democracias establecidas, tales como Grecia, España y los Estados Unidos. Chile también está siguiendo esta tendencia, pero hay una serie de particularidades que hacen el caso chileno distintivo. Después de todo, Chile es usualmente considerado como una de las democracias más consolidadas de América Latina y con un desempeño económico sólido. Sin embargo, los ciudadanos muestran decrecientes niveles de satisfacción con la democracia y las instituciones representativas, y hacen creciente uso de la protesta y la movilización social para expresar su descontento. La paradoja que Chile está experimentado hoy día radica en el desajuste entre las actitudes de los votantes y el desempeño del régimen político. Para explicar esta paradoja, la gran mayoría de la literatura académica enfatiza el legado institucional heredado de la dictadura. Nosotros planteamos que las instituciones son necesarias pero insuficientes para explicar los desafíos que experimenta la representación democrática. En consecuencia, argumentamos que a su vez es necesario considerar no solo la expansión de ciudadanos críticos y sectores medios, sino que también la repoliticización de las desigualdades.

Contains fulltext : 178308.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access), Combining insights from International Relations theory and Comparative Politics, this chapter discusses the effect of international politics on the political fortune of populist parties in the world as well as the impact of populist parties on their countries' foreign policies. It argues that at least four different types of populist parties can be distinguished, each with a distinct foreign policy agenda.

Contains fulltext : 178308.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access), Combining insights from International Relations theory and Comparative Politics, this chapter discusses the effect of international politics on the political fortune of populist parties in the world as well as the impact of populist parties on their countries' foreign policies. It argues that at least four different types of populist parties can be distinguished, each with a distinct foreign policy agenda.

Quality improvement in medicine is depending on measurement of relevant quality indicators. The quality indicators for intensive care medicine of the German Interdisciplinary Society of Intensive Care Medicine (DIVI) from the year 2013 underwent a scheduled evaluation after three years. There were major changes in several indicators but also some indicators were changed only minimally. The focus on treatment processes like ward rounds , management of analgesia and sedation , mechanical ventilation and weaning , as well as the number of 10 indicators were not changed. Most topics remained except for early mobilization which was introduced instead of hypothermia following resuscitation . Infection prevention was added as an outcome indicator. These quality indicators are used in the peer review in intensive care, a method endorsed by the DIVI. A validity period of three years is planned for the quality indicators., Qualitätsverbesserung in der Medizin hängt von der Messung relevanter Qualitätsindikatoren ab. Die Qualitätsindikatoren für die Intensivmedizin der Deutschen Interdisziplinären Vereinigung für Intensivmedizin (DIVI) aus dem Jahre 2013 sind nun planmäßig nach drei Jahren überarbeitet und angepasst worden. Hierbei gab es deutliche Änderungen in einigen Indikatoren während einige nur minimal verändert wurden. Der Fokus auf intensivmedizinische Behandlungsprozesse wie interprofessionelle Visiten , Management von Analgesie und Sedierung , Beatmung und Weaning blieb ebenso bestehen wie die Gesamtzahl von 10 Indikatoren. Die Themenschwerpunkte blieben weitgehend bestehen außer der Frühmobilisation , welche anstatt der Hypothermie nach Reanimation eingeführt wurde. Infektionsprävention wurde als Ergebnisindikator hinzugefügt. Diese Qualitätsindikatoren werden im Peer Review Prozess der DIVI eingesetzt. Eine Gültigkeitsdauer von drei Jahren ist für diese Qualitätsindikatoren geplant.

Das Konzept der interpersonellen Fähigkeiten bezieht sich auf Leistungsaufgaben der sozialen Kognition. Diese Aufgaben messen die Fähigkeiten Gesichter zu erkennen und sich diese zu merken sowie Emotionen zu erkennen und diese auszudrücken. Ziel dieser Dissertation war die Untersuchung des Einflusses von interpersonellen Fähigkeiten auf soziale Entscheidungen. Ein besonderer Fokus lag auf der Quantifizierung von individuellen Unterschieden in zugrundeliegenden neuronalen Mechanismen. Studie 1 erweiterte bestehende Evidenz zu Beziehungen zwischen psychometrischen Konstrukten der Gesichterkognition und Ereigniskorrelierten Potentialen, welche mit den verschiedenen Stadien der Gesichterverarbeitung (Enkodierung, Wahrnehmung, Gedächtnis) während einer Bekanntheitsentscheidung assoziiert sind. Unsere Ergebnisse bestätigen eine substantielle Beziehung zwischen der N170 Latenz und der Amplitude des frühen Wiederholungseffektes (ERE) mit drei Faktoren der Gesichterkognition. Je kürzer die N170 Latenz und je ausgeprägter die ERE Amplitude, umso genauer und schneller ist die Gesichterkognition. Studie 2 ergab, dass die Fähigkeit ängstliche Gesichter zu erkennen sowie die generelle spontane Expressivität während der sozialen Interaktion mit prosozialen Entscheidungen korreliert. Sensitivität für das Leid anderer sowie emotionale Expressivität scheinen reziproke Interaktionen mit Gleichgesinnten zu fördern. Studie 3 bestätigte das Modell der starken Reziprozität, da Prosozialität die negative Reziprozität im Ultimatum Spiel beeinflusste. Unter der Verwendung von Strukturgleichungsmodellen entdeckten wir, dass Menschen mit ausgeprägter Reziprozität eine größere Amplitude der relativen feedback-negativity auf das Gesicht von Spielpartnern zeigen. Insgesamt sprechen die Ergebnisse dafür, dass die etablierten individuellen Unterschiede in den Verhaltensmaßen der interpersonellen Fähigkeiten zum Teil auf individuelle Unterschiede in neuronalen Mechanismen zurückzuführen sind., The concept of interpersonal abilities refers to performance measures of social cognition such as the abilities to perceive and remember faces and the abilities to recognize and express emotions. The aim of this dissertation was to examine the influence of interpersonal abilities on social decisions. A particular focus lay on the quantification of individual differences in brain-behavior relationships associated with processing interpersonally relevant stimuli. Study 1 added to existing evidence on brain-behavior relationships, specifically between psychometric constructs of face cognition and event-related potentials associated with different stages of face processing (encoding, perception, and memory) in a familiarity decision. Our findings confirm a substantial relationship between the N170 latency and the early-repetition effect (ERE) amplitude with three established face cognition ability factors. The shorter the N170 latency and the more pronounced the ERE amplitude, the better is the performance in face perception and memory and the faster is the speed of face cognition. Study 2 found that the ability to recognize fearful faces as well as the general spontaneous expressiveness during social interaction are linked to prosocial choices in several socio-economic games. Sensitivity to the distress of others and spontaneous expressiveness foster reciprocal interactions with prosocial others. Study 3 confirmed the model of strong reciprocity in that prosociality drives negative reciprocity in the ultimatum game. Using multilevel structural equation modeling in order to estimate brain-behavior relationships of fairness preferences, we found strong reciprocators to show more pronounced relative feedback-negativity amplitude in response to the faces of bargaining partners. Thus, the results of this dissertation suggest that established individual differences in behavioral measures of interpersonal ability are partly due to individual differences in brain mechanisms.

Das Konzept der interpersonellen Fähigkeiten bezieht sich auf Leistungsaufgaben der sozialen Kognition. Diese Aufgaben messen die Fähigkeiten Gesichter zu erkennen und sich diese zu merken sowie Emotionen zu erkennen und diese auszudrücken. Ziel dieser Dissertation war die Untersuchung des Einflusses von interpersonellen Fähigkeiten auf soziale Entscheidungen. Ein besonderer Fokus lag auf der Quantifizierung von individuellen Unterschieden in zugrundeliegenden neuronalen Mechanismen. Studie 1 erweiterte bestehende Evidenz zu Beziehungen zwischen psychometrischen Konstrukten der Gesichterkognition und Ereigniskorrelierten Potentialen, welche mit den verschiedenen Stadien der Gesichterverarbeitung (Enkodierung, Wahrnehmung, Gedächtnis) während einer Bekanntheitsentscheidung assoziiert sind. Unsere Ergebnisse bestätigen eine substantielle Beziehung zwischen der N170 Latenz und der Amplitude des frühen Wiederholungseffektes (ERE) mit drei Faktoren der Gesichterkognition. Je kürzer die N170 Latenz und je ausgeprägter die ERE Amplitude, umso genauer und schneller ist die Gesichterkognition. Studie 2 ergab, dass die Fähigkeit ängstliche Gesichter zu erkennen sowie die generelle spontane Expressivität während der sozialen Interaktion mit prosozialen Entscheidungen korreliert. Sensitivität für das Leid anderer sowie emotionale Expressivität scheinen reziproke Interaktionen mit Gleichgesinnten zu fördern. Studie 3 bestätigte das Modell der starken Reziprozität, da Prosozialität die negative Reziprozität im Ultimatum Spiel beeinflusste. Unter der Verwendung von Strukturgleichungsmodellen entdeckten wir, dass Menschen mit ausgeprägter Reziprozität eine größere Amplitude der relativen feedback-negativity auf das Gesicht von Spielpartnern zeigen. Insgesamt sprechen die Ergebnisse dafür, dass die etablierten individuellen Unterschiede in den Verhaltensmaßen der interpersonellen Fähigkeiten zum Teil auf individuelle Unterschiede in neuronalen Mechanismen zurückzuführen sind., The concept of interpersonal abilities refers to performance measures of social cognition such as the abilities to perceive and remember faces and the abilities to recognize and express emotions. The aim of this dissertation was to examine the influence of interpersonal abilities on social decisions. A particular focus lay on the quantification of individual differences in brain-behavior relationships associated with processing interpersonally relevant stimuli. Study 1 added to existing evidence on brain-behavior relationships, specifically between psychometric constructs of face cognition and event-related potentials associated with different stages of face processing (encoding, perception, and memory) in a familiarity decision. Our findings confirm a substantial relationship between the N170 latency and the early-repetition effect (ERE) amplitude with three established face cognition ability factors. The shorter the N170 latency and the more pronounced the ERE amplitude, the better is the performance in face perception and memory and the faster is the speed of face cognition. Study 2 found that the ability to recognize fearful faces as well as the general spontaneous expressiveness during social interaction are linked to prosocial choices in several socio-economic games. Sensitivity to the distress of others and spontaneous expressiveness foster reciprocal interactions with prosocial others. Study 3 confirmed the model of strong reciprocity in that prosociality drives negative reciprocity in the ultimatum game. Using multilevel structural equation modeling in order to estimate brain-behavior relationships of fairness preferences, we found strong reciprocators to show more pronounced relative feedback-negativity amplitude in response to the faces of bargaining partners. Thus, the results of this dissertation suggest that established individual differences in behavioral measures of interpersonal ability are partly due to individual differences in brain mechanisms.

This paper proposes a new methodology based on non-negative matrix factorization to detect communities and to identify central nodes in a network as well as within communities. The method is specifically designed for directed weighted networks and, consequently, it has been applied to the interbank network derived from the e-MID interbank market. In an interbank network indeed links are directed, representing flows of funds between lenders and borrowers. Besides distinguishing between Systemically Important Borrowers and Lenders, the technique complements the detection of systemically important banks, revealing the community structure of the network, that proxies the most plausible areas of contagion of institutions’ distress.

Introduction: Quality improvement and safety in intensive care are rapidly evolving topics. However, there is no gold standard for assessing quality improvement in intensive care medicine yet. In 2007 a pilot project in German intensive care units (ICUs) started using voluntary peer reviews as an innovative tool for quality assessment and improvement. We describe the method of voluntary peer review and assessed its feasibility by evaluating anonymized peer review reports and analysed the thematic clusters highlighted in these reports.Methods: Retrospective data analysis from 22 anonymous reports of peer reviews. All ICUs - representing over 300 patient beds - had undergone voluntary peer review. Data were retrieved from reports of peers of the review teams and representatives of visited ICUs. Data were analysed with regard to number of topics addressed and results of assessment questionnaires. Reports of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT reports) of these ICUs are presented. Results: External assessment of structure, process and outcome indicators revealed high percentages of adherence to predefined quality goals. In the SWOT reports 11 main thematic clusters were identified representative for common ICUs. 58.1% of mentioned topics covered personnel issues, team and communication issues as well as organisation and treatment standards. The most mentioned weaknesses were observed in the issues documentation/reporting, hygiene and ethics. We identified several unique patterns regarding quality in the ICU of which long-term personnel problems und lack of good reporting methods were most interestingConclusion: Voluntary peer review could be established as a feasible and valuable tool for quality improvement. Peer reports addressed common areas of interest in intensive care medicine in more detail compared to other methods like measurement of quality indicators., Einleitung: Die Verbesserung von Qualität und Sicherheit in der Intensivmedizin gewinnt zunehmend an Bedeutung. Allerdings fehlt ein Goldstandard für die Beurteilung von Qualitätsverbesserung in der Intensivmedizin. Im Jahr 2007 begann ein Pilotprojekt auf deutschen Intensivstationen, das freiwilliges Peer Review als innovatives Instrument zur Qualitätsbewertung und -verbesserung nutzt. Wir beschreiben die Methode des freiwilligen Peer Review und untersuchten ihre Durchführbarkeit. Wir analysierten anonymisierte Peer-Review-Berichte auf die thematischen Schwerpunkte, die in den Berichten hervorgehoben waren. Methode: Retrospektive Datenanalyse von 22 anonymisierten Peer-Review-Berichten. Alle 22 Intensivstationen - mit zusammen mehr als 300 Patientenbetten - hatten sich freiwilligen Peer Reviews unterzogen. Die Daten wurden aus den Berichten der Peer Reviewer und aus den Rückmeldungen der besuchten Intensivstationen gewonnen. Die Daten wurden im Hinblick auf die Anzahl der behandelten Themen und die Ergebnisse der Bewertungsbögen analysiert. Berichte über Stärken, Schwächen, Chancen und Risiken (SWOT-Berichte) dieser Intensivstationen werden vorgestellt. Ergebnisse: Die Bewertung der Struktur, Prozess- und Ergebnisindikatoren zeigte einen hohen Erreichungsgrad der vorgegebenen Qualitätsziele. In den SWOT-Berichten wurden 11 Hauptthemen, die auf allen besuchten Intensivstationen als relevant eingestuft wurden, identifiziert. 58,1% der genannten Themen betrafen Personalfragen, Team- und Kommunikationsfragen sowie Organisation und Behandlungsstandards. Als Schwachstellen wurden die Themen Dokumentation/Reporting, Hygiene und Ethik eingestuft. Fazit: Das freiwillige intensivmedizinische Peer Review stellte sich als einfach anwendbares und wertvolles Instrument für die Qualitätsverbesserung heraus. Die Peer-Review-Berichte behandelten allgemeine Problemschwerpunkte in der Intensivmedizin detaillierter als andere Methoden, wie z.B. die ausschließliche Messung von Qualität

Both emotion and reward are primary modulators of cognition: emotional word content enhances word processing, and reward expectancy similarly amplifies cognitive processing from the perceptual up to the executive control level. Here, we investigate how these primary regulators of cognition interact. We studied how the anticipation of gain or loss modulates the neural time course (event-related potentials, ERPs) related to processing of emotional words. Participants performed a semantic categorization task on emotional and neutral words, which were preceded by a cue indicating that performance could lead to monetary gain or loss. Emotion-related and reward-related effects occurred in different time windows, did not interact statistically, and showed different topographies. This speaks for an independence of reward expectancy and the processing of emotional word content. Therefore, privileged processing given to emotionally valenced words seems immune to short-term modulation of reward. Models of language comprehension should be able to incorporate effects of reward and emotion on language processing, and the current study argues for an architecture in which reward and emotion do not share a common neurobiological mechanism., Peer Reviewed

Am 17. November 2013 finden in Chile zeitgleich Präsidentschafts- und Parlamentswahlen statt. Die Sozialistin Michelle Bachelet, Präsidentin des Landes in den Jahren 2006 bis 2010, führt alle Umfragen an. Der von ihr angestrebten Mitte-Links-Koalition werden gute Chancen eingeräumt, eine parlamentarische Mehrheit zu erzielen. Die Wahlen finden genau 40 Jahre nach dem Putsch des Generals Pinochet gegen Salvador Allende statt. Familien- und Lebensgeschichte der beiden Spitzenkandidatinnen Michelle Bachelet und Evelyn Matthei stehen für die Notwendigkeit, sich mit dem Erbe der Pinochet-Diktatur auseinanderzusetzen. Trotz ökonomischen Wachstums befindet sich das politische System in einer kritischen Lage, sind die etablierten politischen Parteien delegitimiert und verzeichnen soziale Bewegungen neuen Zulauf. - Die Diktatur Pinochets und die im Jahr 1990 ausgehandelte Form der politischen Transition werfen nach wie vor lange Schatten auf die chilenische Gesellschaft und das politische System. - Die Phase makroökonomischen Wachstums seit der Transition war gleichzeitig von einem Reformstau in vielen Bereichen gekennzeichnet. Vor allem das Bildungssystem, die noch während der Diktatur verabschiedete Verfassung und das Steuersystem müssen dringend reformiert werden. - Die Wiederwahl von Michelle Bachelet zur Präsidentin wäre nicht nur an sich schon ein Novum in Chile. Neu ist auch, dass die sie stützenden Parteien erstmals ein Bündnis mit der Kommunistischen Partei eingehen wollen. - Demgegenüber ist die chilenische Rechte vor allem wegen unterschiedlicher Positionen zum Erbe der Diktatur gespalten. Eine Wahlniederlage der Rechten würde diese Konflikte verschärfen. - Auch im Falle eines Wahlsiegs ist es unwahrscheinlich, dass Michelle Bachelet die für Verfassungsänderungen notwendige Mehrheit im Parlament erreicht.

"Both in public opinion and the realm of the social sciences a common definition of populism is absent. The concept of populism has been used to refer to such a variety of phenomena, that it is more than problematical for undertaking comparative analysis. In this paper I discuss different methodological approaches to define populism and I argue that a minimal concept of populism is the most fruitful approach to develop a comparative research agenda. To show this, I compare the minimal definitions developed by Kurt Weyland (populism as a political strategy) and Cas Mudde (populism as a thin-centered ideology). Moreover, I explain why Mudde's definition should be the starting point for a comparative research agenda on populism. To conclude, I show that this minimal definition is helpful for analyzing the ambivalent relationship between populism and democracy." (author's abstract)

Quality indicators are key elements of quality management. The quality indicators for intensive care medicine of the German Interdisciplinary Society of Intensive Care Medicine (DIVI) from the year 2010 were recently evaluated when their validity time expired after two years. Overall one indicator was replaced and further three were in part changed. The former indicator I "elevation of head of bed" was replaced by the indicator "Daily multi-professional ward rounds with the documentation of daily therapy goals" and added to the indicator IV "Weaning and other measures to prevent ventilator associated pneumonias (short: Weaning/VAP Bundle)" (VAP = ventilator-associated pneumonia) which aims at the reduction of VAP incidence. The indicator VIII "Documentation of structured relative-/next-of-kin communication" was refined. The indicator X "Direction of the ICU by a specially trained certified intensivist with no other clinical duties in a department" was also updated according to recent study results. These updated quality indicators are part of the Peer Review in intensive care medicine. The next update of the quality indicators is due in 2016., Qualitätsindikatoren sind elementare Bestandteile des Qualitätsmanagements. Die Qualitätsindikatoren für die Intensivmedizin der Deutschen Interndisziplinären Vereinigung für Intensivmedizin (DIVI) aus dem Jahre 2010 sind nun im Rahmen der geplanten Geltungsdauer überarbeitet und angepasst worden. Insgesamt wurde ein Indikator ersetzt und drei weitere zum Teil wesentlich überarbeitet. Der alte Indikator I "Oberkörperhochlagerung" wurde durch den Indikator "Tägliche multiprofessionelle, klinische Visite mit Dokumentation von Tageszielen" ersetzt und in den neu geschaffenen Indikator IV "Weaning und Maßnahmen zur Vermeidung von ventilatorassoziierten Pneumonien (kurz: Weaning/VAP Bundle)" (VAP = ventilator-assoziierte Pneumonie) integriert, der auf ein Verringerung der VAP-Inzidenz abzielt. Der Indikator VIII "Dokumentation von strukturierten Angehörigengesprächen" wurde weiter präzisiert. Der Indikator X "Leitung der Intensivstation durch einen Facharzt mit Zusatzbezeichnung Intensivmedizin, der keine anderen klinischen Aufgaben hat" anhand der aktuellen Studienlage ebenfalls präzisiert. Die aktualisierten Qualitätsindikatoren sind Bestandteil der intensivmedizinischen Peer Reviews. Ihre nächste Aktualisierung ist für das Jahr 2016 geplant.

Both emotion and reward are primary modulators of cognition: emotional word content enhances word processing, and reward expectancy similarly amplifies cognitive processing from the perceptual up to the executive control level. Here, we investigate how these primary regulators of cognition interact. We studied how the anticipation of gain or loss modulates the neural time course (event-related potentials, ERPs) related to processing of emotional words. Participants performed a semantic categorization task on emotional and neutral words, which were preceded by a cue indicating that performance could lead to monetary gain or loss. Emotion-related and reward-related effects occurred in different time windows, did not interact statistically, and showed different topographies. This speaks for an independence of reward expectancy and the processing of emotional word content. Therefore, privileged processing given to emotionally valenced words seems immune to short-term modulation of reward. Models of language comprehension should be able to incorporate effects of reward and emotion on language processing, and the current study argues for an architecture in which reward and emotion do not share a common neurobiological mechanism., Peer Reviewed

Contains fulltext : 87872.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)