Bürgerschaftliche Initiativen für eine nachhaltige Quartiersentwicklung

In den Städten hat sich eine Vielfalt von Initiativen gebildet, die die Große Transformation als Bottom-up-Prozess begreifen. Welche Ziele verfolgen sie? Wie verstehen sie Partizipation? Wie sind sie organisiert? Auf der Grundlage von Interviews mit den Vertreter_innen von sechs bürgerschaftlichen Quartiersinitiativen in Bonn, Köln und Wuppertal werden hier die wichtigsten Gemeinsamkeiten skizziert. Die Initiativen haben das Potenzial, eine breite, föderal organisierte Bewegung für eine starke Demokratie zu bilden, dafür sollten sie sich aber zum Teil einiger Widersprüche bewusst werden und sich mit Spannungsfeldern auseinandersetzen

Große Transformation im Quartier: zur partizipationsorientierten Quartiersentwicklung

Diese Studie untersucht die Potenziale, die Grenzen und die Strategien eines quartiersbezogenen Bottom-up-Ansatzes der nachhaltigen Transformation. Zuerst werden der theoretische Orientierungsrahmen vertieft und weitere relevante Hintergründe zur urbanen Transformation, Demokratie und Partizipation sowie zu Raum und Quartier geliefert. Im zweiten Teil werden sechs lokale Initiativen in Bonn, Köln und Wuppertal vorgestellt und analytisch verglichen. Beim Vergleich geht es um den räumlichen Kontext (Stadt und Quartier), um die Persönlichkeiten hinter den Initiativen, um die Ziele und die Motivationen, die Strategien, die Partizipation und die Organisationsformen, die Ökonomie und das Verhältnis zu Institutionen und Investoren sowie um ihre transformative Wirksamkeit. Es gibt noch keinen Königsweg für eine partizipative Transformation von Quartieren zur Nachhaltigkeit, deshalb ist es von zentraler Bedeutung, diese als Lernprozess, der sich in Spannungsfeldern bewegt, zu begreifen und zu gestalten. Die drei wichtigsten Spannungsfelder werden in einem dritten Schritt der Expertise analysiert und mögliche Strategien für den Umgang mit ihnen herausgearbeitet.This expertise examines the potentials, the limits and the strategies of a neighborhood-based bottom-up approach to sustainable transformation. First, the theoretical orientation framework is deepened and other relevant backgrounds to urban transformation, democracy and participation as well as space and quarters are provided. In the second part, six local initiatives in Bonn, Cologne and Wuppertal are presented and analytically compared. The comparison deals with the spatial context (city and neighborhood), the personalities behind the initiatives, the goals and the motivations, the strategies, the participation and the forms of organization, the economy and the relationship to institutions and investors as well as the transformative effectiveness. There is still no royal road for a participative transformation of neighborhoods towards sustainability, so it is of central importance to understand this as a learning process and to move in areas of tension. The three most important ones are analyzed in a third step of the expertise and possible strategies for dealing with them are worked out

Encephalomyocarditis virus infection in an Italian zoo

A fatal Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) infection epidemic involving fifteen primates occurred between October 2006 and February 2007 at the Natura Viva Zoo. This large open-field zoo park located near Lake Garda in Northern Italy hosts one thousand animals belonging to one hundred and fifty different species, including various lemur species. This lemur collection is the most relevant and rich in Italy. A second outbreak between September and November 2008 involved three lemurs. In all cases, the clinical signs were sudden deaths generally without any evident symptoms or only with mild unspecific clinical signs. Gross pathologic changes were characterized by myocarditis (diffuse or focal pallor of the myocardium), pulmonary congestion, emphysema, oedema and thoracic fluid. The EMCV was isolated and recognized as the causative agent of both outbreaks. The first outbreak in particular was associated with a rodent plague, confirming that rats are an important risk factor for the occurrence of the EMCV infection

West Nile virus: characterization and diagnostic applications of monoclonal antibodies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diagnosis of West Nile virus (WNV) infections is often difficult due to the extensive antigenic cross-reactivity among flaviviruses, especially in geographic regions where two or more of these viruses are present causing sequential infections. The purpose of this study was to characterize a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) produced against WNV to verify their applicability in WNV diagnosis and in mapping epitope targets of neutralizing MAbs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Six MAbs were produced and characterized by isotyping, virus-neutralization, western blotting and MAb-epitope competition. The MAb reactivity against various WNVs belonging to lineage 1 and 2 and other related flaviviruses was also evaluated. The molecular basis of epitopes recognized by neutralizing MAbs was defined through the selection and sequencing of MAb escape mutants. Competitive binding assays between MAbs and experimental equine and chicken sera were designed to identify specific MAb reaction to epitopes with high immunogenicity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All MAbs showed stronger reactivity with all WNVs tested and good competition for antigen binding in ELISA tests with WNV-positive equine and chicken sera. Four MAbs (3B2, 3D6, 4D3, 1C3) resulted specific for WNV, while two MAbs (2A8, 4G9) showed cross-reaction with Usutu virus. Three MAbs (3B2, 3D6, 4D3) showed neutralizing activity. Sequence analysis of 3B2 and 3D6 escape mutants showed an amino acid change at E307 (Lys → Glu) in the E protein gene, whereas 4D3 variants identified mutations encoding amino acid changed at E276 (Ser → Ile) or E278 (Thr → Ile). 3B2 and 3D6 mapped to a region on the lateral surface of domain III of E protein, which is known to be a specific and strong neutralizing epitope for WNV, while MAb 4D3 recognized a novel specific neutralizing epitope on domain II of E protein that has not previously been described with WNV MAbs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>MAbs generated in this study can be applied to various analytical methods for virological and serological WNV diagnosis. A novel WNV-specific and neutralizing MAb (4D3) directed against the unknown epitope on domain II of E protein can be useful to better understand the role of E protein epitopes involved in the mechanism of WNV neutralization.</p

Große Transformation im Quartier

GROSSE TRANSFORMATION IM QUARTIER Große Transformation im Quartier / Brocchi, Davide (Rights reserved) ( -

Maffucci Syndrome with Hemangioma of the Liver

The presence of visceral hemangiomas in the syndrome of multiple enchondromas and subcutaneous hemangiomas, also named Maffucci syndrome, is exceedingly rare; until now noncutaneous hemangiomas have been described in 4 patients: they were found in the tongue in one patient, in the oral cavity in the second patient, in both the oral cavity and the colon in the third patient, and in the spleen in the fourth patient. We report the first case of hemangioma localized in the liver in a patient with Maffucci syndrome; furthermore, due to the impossibility of carrying out an MRI to define the hepatic lesion, an ultrasonographic real-time perfusion imaging study with a contrast agent was performed