Hyper-precarious lives : Migrants, work and forced labour in the Global North

This paper unpacks the contested inter-connections between neoliberal work and welfare regimes, asylum and immigration controls, and the exploitation of migrant workers. The concept of precarity is explored as a way of understanding intensifying and insecure post-Fordist work in late capitalism. Migrants are centrally implicated in highly precarious work experiences at the bottom end of labour markets in Global North countries, including becoming trapped in forced labour. Building on existing research on the working experiences of migrants in the Global North, the main part of the article considers three questions. First, what is precarity and how does the concept relate to working lives? Second, how might we understand the causes of extreme forms of migrant labour exploitation in precarious lifeworlds? Third, how can we adequately theorize these particular experiences using the conceptual tools of forced labour, slavery, unfreedom and precarity? We use the concept of ‘hyper-precarity’ alongside notions of a ‘continuum of unfreedom’ as a way of furthering human geographical inquiry into the intersections between various terrains of social action and conceptual debate concerning migrants’ precarious working experiences

Highly efficient single molecule detection in different micro and submicrometer channels with cw-excitation

In this article we describe a detailed comparison between single molecule detection in three different types of microchannels. The overall detection efficiencies and the signal-to-noise ratios are compared. A new data evaluation technique that is used is explained in detail. The average number of photons per molecule is calculated from the measurements and the detection properties of each channel with respect to the diffusional characteristics of the dye molecules are investigated. From the detection efficiencies advantages and drawbacks of the individual methods are elucidated as well as possible applications of the techniques are illustrated

Highly efficient single molecule detection in different micro and submicrometer channels with cw-excitation

In this article we describe a detailed comparison between single molecule detection in three different types of microchannels. The overall detection efficiencies and the signal-to-noise ratios are compared. A new data evaluation technique that is used is explained in detail. The average number of photons per molecule is calculated from the measurements and the detection properties of each channel with respect to the diffusional characteristics of the dye molecules are investigated. From the detection efficiencies advantages and drawbacks of the individual methods are elucidated as well as possible applications of the techniques are illustrated

A multiplex method for the detection of serum antibodies against in silico-predicted tumor antigens

Item does not contain fulltextHumoral immune responses against tumor antigens are studied as indirect markers of antigen exposure and in cancer vaccine studies. An increasing number of tumor antigens potentially translated from mutant genes is identified by advances in genomic sequencing. They represent an interesting source for yet unknown immunogenic epitopes. We here describe a multiplex method using the Luminex technology allowing for the detection of antibodies against multiple in silico-predicted linear neo-antigens in large sets of sera. The approach included 32 synthetic biotinylated peptides comprising a predicted set of frameshift mutation-induced neo-antigens. The antigens were fused to a FLAG epitope to ensure monitoring antigen binding to avidin-linked microspheres in the absence of monoclonal antibodies. Analytical specificity of measured serum antibody reactivity was proven by the detection of immune responses in immunized rabbits and a colorectal cancer patient vaccinated with peptides included in the assay. The measured antibody responses were comparable to peptide ELISA, and inter-assay reproducibility of the multiplex approach was excellent (R (2) > 0.98) for 20 sera tested against all antigens. Our methodic approach represents a valuable platform to monitor antibody responses against predicted antigens. It may be used in individualized cancer vaccine studies, thereby extending the relevance beyond the model system in the presented approach