The phylum Nematoda is characterised by a huge diversity of species that exploit almost all habitats on earth. Despite their prevalence in a wide range of different ecosystems, nematodes adhere to a strikingly strict Bauplan with only minor variations, even between two large groups that split more than 400 million years ago. The conservation of the final adult body form is quite special and not common in other animal taxa; this exceptional conservatism in the Bauplan, and the very similar pat...

The evolution of galaxies in terms of mass accretion and matter transport is still an open topic in research. My thesis consists of two parts that are bridged by a common theme: the properties of the interstellar medium interstellar matter (ISM) and star formation in centers of galaxies, studied in the (sub-)mm wavelength regime. The first part of my thesis deals with the results from Submillimeter Array (SMA) ob- servations of molecular gas (low CO transitions) at sub-kpc (∼3′′) resolutio...

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) represent a distinct subset of dendritic cells in humans and mice and are the major type I interferon (IFN) producers upon microbial challenge, linking innate and adaptive immune responses. Although there is growing evidence of their contribution in autoimmune disorders and cancer as well as tolerance induction, less is known about their exact function. In particular their role as antigen-presenting cells in the induction of T cell responses is controversia...

Nach der Kernsanierung des Beschleunigerbereichs des Instituts für Kernphysik Köln wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit das HORUS-Spektrometer wieder aufgebaut. Anschliessend wurden zwei Experimente für eine Gamma-Gamma-Winkelkorrelationsanalyse durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse dieser Experimente an den Kernen 194Pt und 193Pt werden in dieser Arbeit vorgestellt. Beide zu untersuchenden Kerne wurden in Beta-Zerfallsexperimenten untersucht. Der Mutterkern wurde mittels einer Fusionsverdampfungsreaktio...