Care Farming - eine Systemanalyse : Schlussbericht

Farming families provide care for children, young people and adults. The terms ‘care farming’ (CF) and social agriculture are used to describe this service in the expert discourse. The development of these social care services varies in different European countries. It may be assumed that at least one percent of all agricultural family operations provide care services in Switzerland, including for children and young people. Accordingly, CF is a component of Swiss foster care. Against the background of the recent revision of the Child and Adult Protection Act (Kindes- und Erwachsenenschutzgesetz) and of the legal provisions in relation to foster care, a qualitative system analysis was carried out in three cantons in 2013. The aim of the system analysis was to describe the context and importance of CF and to identify the attitudes and working methods of central actors (i.e. the child and adult protection authorities and family placement organizations) in relation to placements in agriculture. As part of the study, documents were analyzed and expert interviews held with representatives of child and adult protection authorities and family placement organizations. It emerges from the study that the interviewed members of the placement authorities consider that placements in agriculture can be a viable option, in particular for young people, if the match between the client and foster family is suitable. According to the surveyed family placement organizations, the interest among farming families in offering foster places is considerable. The study presents CF as one care service within a complex support system for children and young people, and raises new questions for investigation by more detailed research projects.Bauernfamilien betreuen Kinder, Jugendliche oder erwachsene Personen. Im Fachdiskurs werden hierfür die Begriffe Care Farming oder soziale Landwirtschaft verwendet. In Europa haben sich diese sozialen Betreuungsleistungen in den verschiedenen Ländern unterschiedlich entwickelt. In der Schweiz geht man derzeit davon aus, dass mindestens ein Prozent aller landwirtschaftlichen Familienbetriebe Betreuungsleistungen anbieten, auch für Kinder und Jugendliche. Care Farming ist somit Bestandteil der schweizerischen Pflegekinderhilfe. Vor dem Hintergrund der kürzlich erfolgten Revisionen des Kindes- und Erwachsenenschutzgesetzes bzw. der rechtlichen Grundlagen der Pflegekinderhilfe wurde 2013 eine qualitative Systemanalyse in drei Kantonen durchgeführt mit dem Ziel, den Kontext und die Bedeutung von Care Farming zu beschreiben und Haltungen und Arbeitsweise zentraler Akteure (Kindes- und Erwachsenschutzbehörden und Familienplatzierungsorganisationen) hinsichtlich Platzierungen in der Landwirtschaft zu ermitteln. Im Rahmen der Studie wurden Dokumente analysiert sowie Expertengespräche Vertreterinnen und Vertretern von Kindes- und Erwachsenenschutzbehörden und Familienplatzierungsorganisationen geführt. Aus der Studie geht hervor, dass für die befragten Behördenmitglieder Platzierungen in die Landwirtschaft vor allem für Jugendliche eine Option darstellen können, sofern die Passung zwischen KlientIn und Pflegefamilie stimmt. Weiter geht aus der Studie hervor, dass gemäss den befragten Familienplatzierungsorganisationen das Interesse von Seiten der Bauernfamilien Betreuungsplätze anzubieten gross ist. Die Studie präsentiert Care Farming als eine Betreuungsleistung innerhalb eines komplexen Kinder- und Jugendhilfesystem und generiert neue Fragestellungen für weiterführende Forschungsprojekte

An arrhythmogenic metabolite in atrial fibrillation

Abstract Background Long-chain acyl-carnitines (ACs) are potential arrhythmogenic metabolites. Their role in atrial fibrillation (AF) remains incompletely understood. Using a systems medicine approach, we assessed the contribution of C18:1AC to AF by analysing its in vitro effects on cardiac electrophysiology and metabolism, and translated our findings into the human setting. Methods and results Human iPSC-derived engineered heart tissue was exposed to C18:1AC. A biphasic effect on contractile force was observed: short exposure enhanced contractile force, but elicited spontaneous contractions and impaired Ca2+ handling. Continuous exposure provoked an impairment of contractile force. In human atrial mitochondria from AF individuals, C18:1AC inhibited respiration. In a population-based cohort as well as a cohort of patients, high C18:1AC serum concentrations were associated with the incidence and prevalence of AF. Conclusion Our data provide evidence for an arrhythmogenic potential of the metabolite C18:1AC. The metabolite interferes with mitochondrial metabolism, thereby contributing to contractile dysfunction and shows predictive potential as novel circulating biomarker for risk of AF

Host Cell Factors in HIV Replication: Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Studies

We have analyzed host cell genes linked to HIV replication that were identified in nine genome-wide studies, including three independent siRNA screens. Overlaps among the siRNA screens were very modest (<7% for any pairwise combination), and similarly, only modest overlaps were seen in pairwise comparisons with other types of genome-wide studies. Combining all genes from the genome-wide studies together with genes reported in the literature to affect HIV yields 2,410 protein-coding genes, or fully 9.5% of all human genes (though of course some of these are false positive calls). Here we report an “encyclopedia” of all overlaps between studies (available at http://www.hostpathogen.org), which yielded a more extensively corroborated set of host factors assisting HIV replication. We used these genes to calculate refined networks that specify cellular subsystems recruited by HIV to assist in replication, and present additional analysis specifying host cell genes that are attractive as potential therapeutic targets

HIV Integration Targeting: A Pathway Involving Transportin-3 and the Nuclear Pore Protein RanBP2

Genome-wide siRNA screens have identified host cell factors important for efficient HIV infection, among which are nuclear pore proteins such as RanBP2/Nup358 and the karyopherin Transportin-3/TNPO3. Analysis of the roles of these proteins in the HIV replication cycle suggested that correct trafficking through the pore may facilitate the subsequent integration step. Here we present data for coupling between these steps by demonstrating that depletion of Transportin-3 or RanBP2 altered the terminal step in early HIV replication, the selection of chromosomal sites for integration. We found that depletion of Transportin-3 and RanBP2 altered integration targeting for HIV. These knockdowns reduced HIV integration frequency in gene-dense regions and near gene-associated features, a pattern that differed from that reported for depletion of the HIV integrase binding cofactor Psip1/Ledgf/p75. MLV integration was not affected by the Transportin-3 knockdown. Using siRNA knockdowns and integration targeting analysis, we also implicated several additional nuclear proteins in proper target site selection. To map viral determinants of integration targeting, we analyzed a chimeric HIV derivative containing MLV gag, and found that the gag replacement phenocopied the Transportin-3 and RanBP2 knockdowns. Thus, our data support a model in which Gag-dependent engagement of the proper transport and nuclear pore machinery mediate trafficking of HIV complexes to sites of integration

iSign - eLearning-System für die Mikrowellentechnik

iSign - internet based simulation of guided wave propagation - ist eine Lernumgebung für Online-Laborversuche. Die Client-Serverarchitektur nutzt server-seitig das Tool F3D, das elektromagnetische Felder in 3D-Strukturen berechnet. Ein Apache-Webserver (unter Linux) bedient den Theorie-/Aufgaben-Teil und die Lernsystemadministration. Ein HPUX Simulationsserver steuert und kontrolliert den mehrstufigen Simulationsvorgang. Eine MySQL-Datenbank erlaubt dynmaische Webseiten-Generierung und Simulations-, Projekt- und Userdatenhaltung. Java-Applets, JavaServer Pages und JavaBeans erzeugen die interaktive Client-Oberfläche zur Eingabe, Ergebnisdarstellung und für Online-Virtual Reality. Die einheitlich gestaltete Benutzeroberfläche verbirgt die Systemkomplexität