Physical activity is positively related to cognitive functioning and brain volume in older adults. Interestingly, different types of physical activity vary in their effects on cognition and on the brain. For example, dancing has become an interesting topic in aging research, as it is a popular leisure activity among older adults, involving cardiovascular and motor fitness dimensions that can be positively related to cognition. However, studies on brain structure are missing. In this study, we tested the association of long-term senior dance experience with cognitive performance and gray matter brain volume in older women aged 65 to 82 years. We compared nonprofessional senior dancers (n=28) with nonsedentary control group participants without any dancing experience (n=29), who were similar in age, education, IQ score, lifestyle and health factors, and fitness level. Differences neither in the four tested cognitive domains (executive control, perceptual speed, episodic memory, and long-term memory) nor in brain volume (VBM whole-brain analysis, region-of-interest analysis of the hippocampus) were observed. Results indicate that moderate dancing activity (1-2 times per week, on average) has no additional effects on gray matter volume and cognitive functioning when a certain lifestyle or physical activity and fitness level are reached.

Monitoring skin sensitivity is studied to clarify its relationship on balance. Measuring skin sensitivity is performed when subjects are sitting or lying, whereas balance tests are measured during standing. However, afferent signal processing and subsequent efferent responses can be altered by different body positions. Therefore, this study investigated whether vibration perception thresholds (VPTs) are influenced by body positions. Sixty-six healthy subjects (41♀; 25♂) participated in this study. Five measurements of VPTs were performed at each of the three analyzed anatomical locations (heel, first metatarsal head, hallux) of the right plantar foot under two randomized conditions: during sitting and standing. The contact force applied to the probe was measured and controlled within the five trials. Contact forces between the probe and the foot were higher during standing. However, no differences in VPTs were found between conditions. This indicates that VPTs are not different during standing compared to sitting, contrary to our expectations. We conclude that higher forces did not induce increased receptor activity. Since no differences were found between thresholds, future clinical studies can implement plantar VPT tests during sitting in association with balance tests during standing.

Physical activity, especially cardiovascular fitness training, has been shown to enhance cognitive performance and to counteract age-related cognitive decline1-5. Furthermore, regular physical activity has been demonstrated to diminish age-related volume-shrinkage in several brain regions particularly in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus6-10. In the same vein, physical activity and high levels of cardiovascular fitness seem to enhance neurocognition during childhood11-13. In this context, the basal ganglia and its components, the caudate nucleus, the putamen and the globus pallidus, are of special interest as animal research indicates that exercise also seems to influence the molecular architecture and the metabolic capacity of the basal ganglia14,15. Besides their fundamental role in motor execution16, the basal ganglia are also involved in many cognitive functions like mental flexibility17, task-switching ability18 and cognitive control19. Furthermore, age-related disorders like Parkinson’s disease are related to a decline in the dopamine circuits of the basal ganglia20,21. The striatum is the input nucleus of the basal ganglia and is composed of caudate nucleus and putamen. The pars interna of the globus pallidus is (together with the substantia nigra pars reticulata) the output region of the basal ganglia and conveys information from the striatum to the thalamus and back to the frontal areas22. The striatum, which is essential for cognitive flexibility and attentional control, shows an increase during childhood and adolescence23,24 and a particularly rapid and early age-related change9,25 in older adults. Furthermore, the described cognitive functions are essential for academic success of children and young adults. Thus, it is of particular interest to find appropriate interventions that could mitigate both the volume-shrinkage and the (presumably) related cognitive decline in older adults and/or that could support academic success in children. In this review, we will summarize research that investigated whether physical activity has the potential to be such an intervention. First, we will show that neuroplasticity in the basal ganglia is possible in principle. Second, we will report studies where the relationship between physical fitness level and volume of the basal ganglia and its relation to cognitive performance were investigated. Besides cross-sectional studies, we will report studies that investigated exercise-induced changes in the volume of the basal ganglia and related changes in cognitive performance after long-term fitness interventions.

das Jahrbuch der Technischen Universität Chemnitz 2014/2015 / the yearbook of Technische Universität Chemnitz 2014/2015

Unter den 23 deutschen Patentinformationszentren befinden sich mit den Zentren in Chemnitz, Dresden und Leipzig drei im Freistaat Sachsen. Während das Leipziger Zentrum als GmbH der örtlichen Industrie- und Handelskammer und das Dresdner als Verwaltungsfachgruppe der TU Dresden arbeitet, ist das Zentrum in Chemnitz eine Abteilung der Universitätsbibliothek. Im Folgenden stellt die Leiterin der UB Chemnitz das Chemnitzer Modell vor. Sieben weitere Standorte, darunter die Technischen Universitäten Aachen und Darmstadt und Hannover folgen dem gleichen Modell.

Unter den 23 deutschen Patentinformationszentren befinden sich mit den Zentren in Chemnitz, Dresden und Leipzig drei im Freistaat Sachsen. Während das Leipziger Zentrum als GmbH der örtlichen Industrie- und Handelskammer und das Dresdner als Verwaltungsfachgruppe der TU Dresden arbeitet, ist das Zentrum in Chemnitz eine Abteilung der Universitätsbibliothek. Im Folgenden stellt die Leiterin der UB Chemnitz das Chemnitzer Modell vor. Sieben weitere Standorte, darunter die Technischen Universitäten Aachen und Darmstadt und Hannover folgen dem gleichen Modell.

Listening to music usually elicits emotions that can vary considerably in their intensity over the course of listening. Yet, after listening to a piece of music, people are easily able to evaluate the music's overall emotional intensity. There are two different hypotheses about how affective experiences are temporally processed and integrated: (1) all moments' intensities are integrated, resulting in an averaged value; (2) the overall evaluation is built from specific single moments, such as the moments of highest emotional intensity (peaks), the end, or a combination of these. Here we investigated what listeners do when building an overall evaluation of a musical experience. Participants listened to unknown songs and provided moment-to-moment ratings of experienced intensity of emotions. Subsequently, they evaluated the overall emotional intensity of each song. Results indicate that participants' evaluations were predominantly influenced by their average impression but that, in addition, the peaks and end emotional intensities contributed substantially. These results indicate that both types of processes play a role: All moments are integrated into an averaged value but single moments might be assigned a higher value in the calculation of this average.

In the course of revitalizing the Poseidon Building in Frankfurt, an energetically optimized façade, made of an architectural concrete was developed. The development of a fiber-reinforced architectural concrete had to consider the necessary mechanical strength, design technology and surface quality. The fiber-reinforced architectural concrete has a compressive strength of 104.1 MPa and a 3-point bending tensile strength of 19.5 MPa. Beyond that, it was ensured that the fiber-reinforced high-performance concrete had a high durability, which has been shown by the capillary suction of de-icing solution and freeze thaw test with a weathering of abrasion of 113 g/m² after 28 freeze-thaw cycles and a mean water penetration depth of 11 mm.

Reliable line production processes and simulation tools play a central role for the structural integration of thermoplastic composites in advanced lightweight constructions. Provided that material- adapted joining technologies are available, they can be applied in heavy-duty multi-material designs (MMD). A load-adapted approach was implemented into the new fully automatic and faulttolerant thermo mechanical flow drill joining (FDJ) concept. With this method it is possible to manufacture reproducible high strength FRP/metal-joints within short cycle times and without use of extra joining elements for the first time. The analysis of FDJ joints requires a simplified model of the joint to enable efficient numerical simulations. The present work introduces a strategy in modeling a finite-element based analogous-approach for FDJ-joints with glass fiber reinforced polypropylene and high-strength steel. Combined with a newly developed section-force related failure criterion, it is possible to predict the fundamental failure behavior in multi-axial stress states. The functionality of the holistic approach is illustrated by a demonstrator that represents a part of a car body-in-white structure. The comparison of simulated and experimentally determined failure loads proves the applicability for several combined load cases.

The mol­ecular structure of ruthenocenecarbo­nitrile, [Ru([eta]5-C5H4C[triple bond]N)([eta]5-C5H5)], exhibits point group symmetry m, with the mirror plane bis­ecting the mol­ecule through the C[triple bond]N substituent. The RuII atom is slightly shifted from the [eta]5-C5H4 centroid towards the C[triple bond]N substituent. In the crystal, mol­ecules are arranged in columns parallel to [100]. One-dimensional inter­molecular [pi]-[pi] inter­actions [3.363 (3) Å] between the C[triple bond]N carbon atom and one carbon of the cyclo­penta­dienyl ring of the overlaying mol­ecule are present.