Accommodating creative knowledge labour force in Toulouse : The views of high-skilled employees, managers and transnational migrants

ISBN : 978-94-90312-22-0 Texte intégral à l'adresse : http://acre.socsci.uva.nl/results/documents/wp8.11toulouse-FINAL.pdfThis report presents the synthesis of three empirical studies conducted in Toulouse between June 2007 and Febrary 2009 within the ACRE programme, This research aims at understanding the motivations of high-skilled employees in the creative and knowledge sectors (such as audiovisual, advertising, software, bank, consultancy, research and education) to move in this city and to settle inside. The authors try in particular to evaluate the weight of two types of location factors : the classical " hard factors " , such as business opportunities, accessibility, availability of dwellings, infrastructures and tax incentives, and several " soft factors ", related to more immaterial conditions such as atmosphere, tolerance of the population or cultural diversity of the region. This study is based on current theories on urban competitiveness, focusing on the importance of individual choices and the changing working conditions in a context of a global and increasingly dematerialised economy

Das Kompetenzteam Forschungsdaten an der JGU – Ein kooperatives Angebot

Um den Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern an der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (JGU), vielfältige Services zum Forschungsdatenmanagement (FDM) anbieten zu können, wurde im Sommer 2018 das Kompetenzteam Forschungsdaten gegründet. Hierzu wurden die Services und Kompetenzen verschiedener Einrichtungen der JGU, der Stabsstelle Forschung und Technologietransfer (FT), der Universitätsbibliothek (UB), dem Zentrum für Datenverarbeitung (ZDV), sowie dem Zentrum für Digitalität in den Geistes- und Kulturwissenschaften (mainzed) zusammengeführt. Insgesamt fünf Mitarbeiter/-innen der genannten Einrichtungen sind derzeit mit verschiedenen Schwerpunkten und in unterschiedlichem Umfang im Kompetenzteam Forschungsdaten aktiv. Beratungsservice/-workflow: Als optimale Erstanlaufstelle für die Wissenschaftler/-innen in Bezug auf das FDM an der JGU wurde die Stabsstelle FT identifiziert, da diese dort Unterstützung zu ihren Drittmittelanträgen suchen und somit bereits vor Projektbeginn FDM beraten werden können. Die Stabsstelle bietet hierbei z.B. Beratung zu den Grundlagen des FDM, organisatorischen Fragen sowie zu den Anforderungen der Drittmittelgeber zum FDM und Open Data. Ausgehend von FT erfolgt dann, je nach Bedarf und Thema, eine spezialisierte Unterstützung durch die Partner im Kompetenzteam z.B. am ZDV, an der UB und dem mainzed. Durch die enge Kooperation im Team kann so eine umfassende Expertise zum FDM angeboten werden. Schulungsangebote: Grundlagenschulungen zum FDM werden sowohl über hochschulinterne Weiterbildungsprogramme (Personalfortbildung, Allgemeines Promotionskolleg, Fortbildungsprogramm des ZDV) als auch auf Anfrage, z.B. für Graduiertenkollegs oder Sonderforschungsbereiche angeboten. Spezialisierte Schulungen, wie zu digitalen Methoden in den Geisteswissenschaften oder zu Metadaten werden ausschließlich auf Anfrage durchgeführt, da so besser auf die spezifischen Bedürfnisse einzelner Gruppen eingegangen werden kann. Technische Infrastruktur zur Publikation und Archivierung von Forschungsdaten: An der JGU befindet sich die technische Infrastruktur zum FDM derzeit im Aufbau. Das bestehende Publikationsrepositorium der UB wird basierend auf D-Space zu einem Repositorium für Forschungsdaten erweitert. Ziel ist die Veröffentlichung und dauerhafte Bereitstellung von zitierfähigen, frei nachnutzbaren Forschungsdaten sowie deren Verlinkung mit Publikationen und die Distribution der Metadaten in übergreifende Nachweissysteme. Im ZDV wird ein auf iRODs basierendes Forschungsdatenarchiv für die Wissenschaftler/-innen der JGU entwickelt, das große Datenmengen dauerhaft speichern soll und direkt in die Arbeitsworkflows innerhalb der Projekte eingebunden werden kann. Daten können aus iRODS über eine API exportiert und über das Repositorium der UB veröffentlicht werden

Suicidal Ideation Among Children and Young Adults in a 24/7 Messenger-Based Psychological Chat Counseling Service

Suicidality in children and young adults is a pervasive problem: approximately 40% of respondents in epidemiological surveys in German schools reported suicidal ideation, while up to 9% reported a suicide attempt in the past. While there is compelling evidence for the effectiveness of telephone-based hotline services, an increasing preference of adolescents for messenger-based counseling services can be observed. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the utilization behavior and user satisfaction of users contacting a German messenger-based chat counseling service (“krisenchat”) regarding suicidal ideation. Methods The present cross-sectional study analyzed retrospective anonymous data on sociodemographic variables, utilization behavior, and user satisfaction of krisenchat users who used the service between May 2020 and July 2021. Chi-square-tests were used to identify associations of sociodemographic characteristics and utilization behavior with suicidal ideation. Mann-Whitney-U-tests were used to compare the user satisfaction and the recommendation-to-others-rate between suicidal and non-suicidal krisenchat-users. Results In total, chat data of N = 11,031 users were collected. Of the n = 6,962 users included in the final analysis, n = 1,444 (20.7%) contacted krisenchat because of suicidal ideation. The average user experiencing suicidal ideation was 17 years old, female and currently not receiving other treatment. Further, suicidal ideation was significantly and positively associated with age and non-suicidal self-injury. Regarding utilization patterns, there were significant positive associations between suicidal ideation and counseling session count, mean amount of messages sent, and mean amount of words used per message by the user. User satisfaction was high, with 64.7% (n = 413) of users that answered the feedback survey and experiencing suicidal ideation rating the help they received as at least “good” and a recommendation rate of 89.6% (n = 571). Most importantly, no differences were found between users reporting suicidal ideation and those that do not regarding satisfaction and the probability of recommending the service. Conclusion Results imply satisfaction with the counseling service among users with suicidal ideation. Nevertheless, there is a need for further research into messenger-based counseling services regarding the prevention of suicidal behavior in children, youths, and young adults. Longitudinal studies are especially needed to assess the effectiveness of messenger-based interventions.Peer Reviewe

Exposure of patients to di(2-ethylhexy)phthalate (DEHP) and its metabolite MEHP during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy

The plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is often used for PVC medical devices, that are also largely used for intensive care medical treatments, like extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. Due to the toxicological potential of DEHP, the inner exposure of patients with this plasticizer is a strong matter of concern as many studies have shown a high leaching potential of DEHP into blood. In this study, the inner DEHP exposure of patients undergoing ECMO treatment was investigated. The determined DEHP blood levels of ECMO patients and the patients of the control group ranged from 31.5 to 1009 μg/L (median 156.0 μg/L) and from 19.4 to 75.3 μg/L (median 36.4 μg/L), respectively. MEHP blood levels were determined to range from < LOD to 475 μg/L (median 15.9 μg/L) in ECMO patients and from < LOD to 9.9 μg/L (median 3.7 μg/L) in the control group patients, respectively. Increased DEHP exposure was associated with the number of cannulas and membranes of the ECMO setting, whereas residual diuresis decreased the exposure. Due to the suspected toxicological potential of DEHP, its use in medical devices should be further investigated, in particular for ICU patients with long-term exposure to PVC, like in ECMO therapy

European Echinococcosis Registry: Human Alveolar Echinococcosis, Europe, 1982–2000

Surveillance for alveolar echinococcosis in central Europe was initiated in 1998. On a voluntary basis, 559 patients were reported to the registry. Most cases originated from rural communities in regions from eastern France to western Austria; single cases were reported far away from the disease-“endemic” zone throughout central Europe. Of 210 patients, 61.4% were involved in vocational or part-time farming, gardening, forestry, or hunting. Patients were diagnosed at a mean age of 52.5 years; 78% had symptoms. Alveolar echinococcosis primarily manifested as a liver disease. Of the 559 patients, 190 (34%) were already affected by spread of the parasitic larval tissue. Of 408 (73%) patients alive in 2000, 4.9% were cured. The increasing prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in foxes in rural and urban areas of central Europe and the occurrence of cases outside the alveolar echinococcosis–endemic regions suggest that this disease deserves increased attention

Development of a highly effective combination monoclonal antibody therapy against Herpes simplex virus.

BACKGROUND Infections with Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 or -2 usually present as mild chronic recurrent disease, however in rare cases can result in life-threatening conditions with a large spectrum of pathology. Monoclonal antibody therapy has great potential especially to treat infections with virus resistant to standard therapies. HDIT101, a humanized IgG targeting HSV-1/2 gB was previously investigated in phase 2 clinical trials. The aim of this study was to develop a next-generation therapy by combining different antiviral monoclonal antibodies. METHODS A lymph-node derived phage display library (LYNDAL) was screened against recombinant gB from Herpes simplex virus (HSV) -1 and HDIT102 scFv was selected for its binding characteristics using bio-layer interferometry. HDIT102 was further developed as fully human IgG and tested alone or in combination with HDIT101, a clinically tested humanized anti-HSV IgG, in vitro and in vivo. T-cell stimulating activities by antigen-presenting cells treated with IgG-HSV immune complexes were analyzed using primary human cells. To determine the epitopes, the cryo-EM structures of HDIT101 or HDIT102 Fab bound to HSV-1F as well as HSV-2G gB protein were solved at resolutions < 3.5 Å. RESULTS HDIT102 Fab showed strong binding to HSV-1F gB with Kd of 8.95 × 10-11 M and to HSV-2G gB with Kd of 3.29 × 10-11 M. Neutralization of cell-free virus and inhibition of cell-to-cell spread were comparable between HDIT101 and HDIT102. Both antibodies induced internalization of gB from the cell surface into acidic endosomes by binding distinct epitopes in domain I of gB and compete for binding. CryoEM analyses revealed the ability to form heterogenic immune complexes consisting of two HDIT102 and one HDIT101 Fab bound to one gB trimeric molecule. Both antibodies mediated antibody-dependent phagocytosis by antigen presenting cells which stimulated autologous T-cell activation. In vivo, the combination of HDIT101 and HDIT102 demonstrated synergistic effects on survival and clinical outcome in immunocompetent BALB/cOlaHsd mice. CONCLUSION This biochemical and immunological study showcases the potential of an effective combination therapy with two monoclonal anti-gB IgGs for the treatment of HSV-1/2 induced disease conditions

An integrated molecular risk score early in life for subsequent childhood asthma risk.

BACKGROUND Numerous children present with early wheeze symptoms, yet solely a subgroup develops childhood asthma. Early identification of children at risk is key for clinical monitoring, timely patient-tailored treatment, and preventing chronic, severe sequelae. For early prediction of childhood asthma, we aimed to define an integrated risk score combining established risk factors with genome-wide molecular markers at birth, complemented by subsequent clinical symptoms/diagnoses (wheezing, atopic dermatitis, food allergy). METHODS Three longitudinal birth cohorts (PAULINA/PAULCHEN, n = 190 + 93 = 283, PASTURE, n = 1133) were used to predict childhood asthma (age 5-11) including epidemiological characteristics and molecular markers: genotype, DNA methylation and mRNA expression (RNASeq/NanoString). Apparent (ap) and optimism-corrected (oc) performance (AUC/R2) was assessed leveraging evidence from independent studies (Naïve-Bayes approach) combined with high-dimensional logistic regression models (LASSO). RESULTS Asthma prediction with epidemiological characteristics at birth (maternal asthma, sex, farm environment) yielded an ocAUC = 0.65. Inclusion of molecular markers as predictors resulted in an improvement in apparent prediction performance, however, for optimism-corrected performance only a moderate increase was observed (upto ocAUC = 0.68). The greatest discriminate power was reached by adding the first symptoms/diagnosis (up to ocAUC = 0.76; increase of 0.08, p = .002). Longitudinal analysis of selected mRNA expression in PASTURE (cord blood, 1, 4.5, 6 years) showed that expression at age six had the strongest association with asthma and correlation of genes getting larger over time (r = .59, p < .001, 4.5-6 years). CONCLUSION Applying epidemiological predictors alone showed moderate predictive abilities. Molecular markers from birth modestly improved prediction. Allergic symptoms/diagnoses enhanced the power of prediction, which is important for clinical practice and for the design of future studies with molecular markers

Effect of ABCG2, OCT1, and ABCB1(MDR1) Gene Expression on Treatment-Free Remission in a EURO-SKI Subtrial

Introduction Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) can safely be discontinued in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients with sustained deep molecular response. ABCG2 (breast cancer resistance protein), OCT1 (organic cation transporter 1), and ABCB1 (multidrug resistance protein 1) gene products are known to play a crucial role in acquired pharmacogenetic TKI resistance. Their influence on treatment-free remission (TFR) has not yet been investigated. Materials and Methods RNA was isolated on the last day of TKI intake from peripheral blood leukocytes of 132 chronic phase CML patients who discontinued TKI treatment within the European Stop Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Study trial. Plasmid standards were designed including subgenic inserts of OCT1, ABCG2, and ABCB1 together with GUSB as reference gene. For expression analyses, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used. Multiple Cox regression analysis was performed. In addition, gene expression cutoffs for patient risk stratification were investigated. Results The TFR rate of 132 patients, 12 months after TKI discontinuation, was 54% (95% confidence interval [CI], 46%-62%). ABCG2 expression (‰) was retained as the only significant variable (P = .02; hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07) in multiple Cox regression analysis. Only for the ABCG2 efflux transporter, a significant cutoff was found (P = .04). Patients with an ABCG2/GUSB transcript level >4.5‰ (n = 93) showed a 12-month TFR rate of 47% (95% CI, 37%-57%), whereas patients with low ABCG2 expression (≤4.5‰; n = 39) had a 12-month TFR rate of 72% (95% CI, 55%-82%). Conclusion In this study, we investigated the effect of pharmacogenetics in the context of a CML treatment discontinuation trial. The transcript levels of the efflux transporter ABCG2 predicted TFR after TKI discontinuation