27 research outputs found

    Arbeit und Einkommen in der Solidarischen Landwirtschaft

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    Eine Solidarische Landwirtschaft (Solawi) ist ein Modell der verbindlichen Zusammenarbeit zwischen ErzeugerInnen und VerbraucherInnen, die sich als eine Gemeinschaft aus aktiven und nicht-aktiven Landwirten verstehen, Verantwortung fĂŒr die Produktion ĂŒbernehmen und das Risiko sowie die Ernte teilen. Trotz des großen Potentials fĂŒr eine bedĂŒrfnisorientierte Gestaltung von ArbeitsplĂ€tzen und Einkommen geben neuere Untersuchungen Hinweise auf niedrige Einkommen und Arbeitsbedingungen, die nicht den BedĂŒrfnissen der ErzeugerInnen entsprechen. Ein Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist es, einen Überblick ĂŒber derzeitige Situation der deutschsprachigen Solawi-Betriebe hinsichtlich Einkommensniveau, Arbeitszeiten und Arbeitszufriedenheit der ErzeugerInnen zu bekommen. Dies wurde mit standardisierten Online-Fragebogen untersucht. Parallel wurden qualitative Interviews mit ausgewĂ€hlten ErzeugerInnen gefĂŒhrt, um Einblicke in ihre Erfahrungen und Zukunftsperpektiven fĂŒr die Arbeits-Gestaltung in Solawis zu gewinnen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Einkommen der BewirtschafterInnen zwar ĂŒber dem Mindestlohn liegen, aber z.T. deutlich unter denen von BetriebsleiterInnen und ArbeitnehmerInnen in normalen landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben. Die befragten MitarbeiterInnen bewerten ihre Einkommen je nach ArbeitsverhĂ€ltnis als ausreichend bis nicht ausreichend, wĂ€hrend sie bei der Arbeitszeit zwar VerĂ€nderungsbedarf Ă€ußern, das VerhĂ€ltnis zur Freizeit jedoch als relativ ausgeglichen ansehen. Aus den Interviews wird deutlich, dass die MitarbeiterInnen die Finanzierung in Solawis als grundlegende soziale Herausforderung und Entwicklungschance begreifen, die Vertrauen, Gemeinschaft und Kommunikation voraussetzen. An einzelnen Beispielen zeigt sich, dass mangelnde Klarheit ĂŒber die soziale Dimension zu durchaus prekĂ€ren Situationen und sozialer Distanz fĂŒhren kann. Andererseits können die BewirtschafterInnen durch selbstbewusste und klare Formulierung ihres finanziellen Bedarfs bei gleichzeitiger Dialogbereitschaft zu einer fĂŒr beide Seiten durchaus zufriedenstellenden Einigung beitragen. Eine Grundvoraussetzung fĂŒr den Dialog ĂŒber Landwirtschaft und solidarische Finanzierung ist aus Sicht vieler InterviewpartnerInnen die gezielte Einbindung und Sensibilisierung der VerbraucherInnen durch jede Art von Bildungsarbeit. Bei einzelnen Solawis wird deutlich, dass eine verbindliche Vereinbarung den Umfang der Mitarbeit erhöhen, die Kosten deutlich senken und gleichzeitig die Begegnung fördern kann. Im Dialog und der Bildungsarbeit sehen die Befragten die grĂ¶ĂŸten Potentiale fĂŒr den Aufbau sozialer Beziehungen zwischen VerbraucherInnen und ErzeugerInnen, die wiederum die Basis fĂŒr das VerstĂ€ndnis und die WertschĂ€tzung der jeweiligen BedĂŒrfnisse darstellt. Die Verwirklichung sozialer Grundwerte in der Solidarischen Landwirtschaft sollte vor dem Hintergrund des derzeit rasanten Wachstums der Bewegung aufmerksam beobachtet werden, um dem Ideal einer fairen Bezahlung der LandwirtInnen gerecht zur werden

    Weak-lensing calibration of a stellar mass-based mass proxy for redMaPPer and Voronoi Tessellation clusters in SDSS Stripe 82

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    We present the first weak lensing calibration of Ό⋆\mu_{\star}, a new galaxy cluster mass proxy corresponding to the total stellar mass of red and blue members, in two cluster samples selected from the SDSS Stripe 82 data: 230 redMaPPer clusters at redshift 0.1≀z<0.330.1\leq z<0.33 and 136 Voronoi Tessellation (VT) clusters at 0.1≀z<0.60.1 \leq z < 0.6. We use the CS82 shear catalog and stack the clusters in Ό⋆\mu_{\star} bins to measure a mass-observable power law relation. For redMaPPer clusters we obtain M0=(1.77±0.36)×1014h−1M⊙M_0 = (1.77 \pm 0.36) \times 10^{14}h^{-1} M_{\odot}, α=1.74±0.62\alpha = 1.74 \pm 0.62. For VT clusters, we find M0=(4.31±0.89)×1014h−1M⊙M_0 = (4.31 \pm 0.89) \times 10^{14}h^{-1} M_{\odot}, α=0.59±0.54\alpha = 0.59 \pm 0.54 and M0=(3.67±0.56)×1014h−1M⊙M_0 = (3.67 \pm 0.56) \times 10^{14}h^{-1} M_{\odot}, α=0.68±0.49\alpha = 0.68 \pm 0.49 for a low and a high redshift bin, respectively. Our results are consistent, internally and with the literature, indicating that our method can be applied to any cluster finding algorithm. In particular, we recommend that Ό⋆\mu_{\star} be used as the mass proxy for VT clusters. Catalogs including Ό⋆\mu_{\star} measurements will enable its use in studies of galaxy evolution in clusters and cluster cosmology.Comment: Updated to be consistent with the published versio

    HERV-E-mediated modulation of PLA2G4A transcription in urothelial carcinoma.

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    Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) and related elements account for more than 8% of the human genome and significantly contribute to the human transcriptome by long terminal repeat (LTR) promoter activity. In this context, HERVs are thought to intervene in the expression of adjacent genes by providing regulatory sequences (cis-effect) or via noncoding RNA including natural antisense transcripts. To address the potential impact of HERV activity in urothelial carcinoma, we comparatively analyzed the HERV transcription profiles in paired samples of non-malignant urothelium and urothelial carcinoma derived from 13 patients with bladder cancer by means of a retrovirus-specific microarray (RetroArray). We established a characteristic HERV signature consisting of six ubiquitously active HERV subgroups (E4-1, HERV-Rb, ERV9, HERV-K-T47D, NMWV3, HERV-KC4). The transcription pattern is largely identical in human urothelial carcinoma, non-malignant urothelial tissue, four tumor-derived cell lines and in a non-malignant urothelial cell line (UROtsa). Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) of HERV-E4-1, HERV-K(HML-6) and HERV-T(S71-TK1) revealed a bias to lower HERV activity in carcinoma samples compared to non-malignant tissue. Determination of active HERV-E4-1 loci by cloning and sequencing revealed six HERV-E4-1 proviral loci that are differentially regulated in urothelial carcinoma cells and normal tissue. Two full-length HERV-E4-1 proviruses, HERV-Ec1 and HERV-Ec6, are located in antisense orientation in introns of the genes PLA2G4A and RNGTT, respectively. PLA2G4A encodes a cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) that is dysregulated in many human tumors. PLA2G4A and HERV-Ec1 displayed reciprocal transcript levels in 7 of 11 urothelial carcinoma patients. Moreover, reciprocal shifts were observed after treatment of UROtsa cells with HERV-Ec1 and PLA2G4A-directed siRNAs or 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (aza-dC) pointing to an antagonistic regulation of PLA2G4A and HERV-Ec1 transcription in human urothelial cells. We suggest that transcription of HERV-Ec1 contributes to fine tuning of cPLA2 expression, thereby facilitating tumorigenesis

    Functional characterization of methionine sulfoxide reductase A from Trypanosoma spp.

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    Methionine is an amino acid susceptible to being oxidized to methionine sulfoxide (MetSO). The reduction of MetSO to methionine is catalyzed by methionine sulfoxide reductase (MSR), an enzyme present in almost all organisms. In trypanosomatids, the study of antioxidant systems has been mainly focused on the involvement of trypanothione, a specific redox component in these organisms. However, no information is available concerning their mechanisms for repairing oxidized proteins, which would be relevant for the survival of these pathogens in the various stages of their life cycle. We report the molecular cloning of three genes encoding a putative A-type MSR in trypanosomatids. The genes were expressed in Escherichia coli, and the corresponding recombinant proteins were purified and functionally characterized. The enzymes were specific for L-Met(S)SO reduction, using Trypanosoma cruzi tryparedoxin I as the reducing substrate. Each enzyme migrated in electrophoresis with a particular profile reflecting the differences they exhibit in superficial charge. The in vivo presence of the enzymes was evidenced by immunological detection in replicative stages of T. cruzi and Trypanosoma brucei. The results support the occurrence of a metabolic pathway in Trypanosoma spp. involved in the critical function of repairing oxidized macromolecules.Fil: Arias, Diego Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Cabeza, Matías Sebastiån. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Erben, Esteban Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Carranza, Pedro Gabriel. Universidad Católica de Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santiago del Estero. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Santiago del Estero; ArgentinaFil: Lujan, Hugo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas. Universidad Católica de Córdoba. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Inmunología y Enfermedades Infecciosas; ArgentinaFil: Iñón, María T. Téllez. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Iglesias, Alberto Alvaro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Guerrero, Sergio Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; Argentin

    Chromosomal localization and relative cloning frequencies of cDNAs derived from transcribed HERV-E4-1 loci in malignant and non-malignant tissue of patient no. 2.

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    1<p>aliases according to HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee are in parentheses <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0049341#pone.0049341-Mayer1" target="_blank">[90]</a>.</p>2<p>Chromosomal localization of MOP-PCR amplicons according to the hg18/March 2006 human reference genome sequence as given by the UCSC Genome Browser.</p>3<p>HERV-Ec8 was mapped within a duplicated genome region, with both HERV-Ec8 sequences displaying only 20 nt differences along 8 kb. Assignment to one or the other locus is therefore not possible due to high sequence similarity.</p>4<p>Total number of sequenced cDNA clones.</p><p>Abbreviations: no., number; chr, chromosome.</p

    The abundance of compact quiescent galaxies since z∌0.6z\sim0.6

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    International audienceWe set out to quantify the number density of quiescent massive compact galaxies at intermediate redshifts. We determine structural parameters based on i-band imaging using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) equatorial Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Stripe 82 (CS82) survey (∌170 deg^2) taking advantage of an exquisite median seeing of ∌0.6 arcsec. We select compact massive (M_⋆ > 5 × 10^10 M_⊙) galaxies within the redshift range of 0.2 10. We systematically measure a factor of ∌5 more compacts at the same redshift than what was previously reported on smaller fields with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging, which are more affected by cosmic variance. This means that the decrease in number density from z ∌ 1.5 to z ∌ 0.2 might be only of a factor of ∌2–5, significantly smaller than what was previously reported. This supports progenitor bias as the main contributor to the size evolution. This milder decrease is roughly compatible with the predictions from recent numerical simulations. Only the most extreme compact galaxies, with R_eff  10^10.7 M_⊙, appear to drop in number by a factor of ∌20 and hence likely experience a noticeable size evolution

    HERV transcriptional profile of the human urothelium<sup>1</sup>.

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    1<p>Numbers of samples positive for the respective HERV out of 13 paired (malignant and non-malignant) patient samples. Samples were considered positive, when their corresponding signals exceeded the calculated cut-off value as described in Materials & Methods. Incidences are given by absolute numbers of samples and do not represent any quantitative assessment of HERV transcript levels.</p>2<p>UROtsa cells were used as model system of the normal human urothelium.</p>3<p>Tumor cell lines under investigation: RT112, T24/83, UMUC-3, HT1197.</p>4<p>HERV subgroups selected for quantification by qRT-PCR.</p>5<p>HERV subgroups that represent the urothelium-specific core HERV signature.</p

    Effect of aza-dC on transcription of PLA2G4A in UROtsa cells.

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    <p>UROtsa cells were incubated with 5 ”M 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine (aza-dC) for 48 h and analyzed by qRT-PCR in comparison to untreated cells. QRT-PCR assays were performed on DNA-free RNA samples derived from two independent experiments. Primer pairs derived from <i>pol</i> and <i>gag</i> regions were used. While HERV-E4-1 <i>pol</i>-targeting primers overlap the capture probes of the RetroArray and may amplify several HERV-E4-1 loci, the HERV-Ec1 <i>gag</i> primers are specific for the HERV-Ec1 provirus located within intron 7 of the PLA2G4A gene. Transcript levels of PLA2G4A were analyzed using gene-specific primers. Relative transcription levels were normalized to G6PD levels and represent the mean value of six qRT-PCR assays. Numbers on the Y-axis show the fold change of transcription. (*) An almost complete downregulation of HERV-Ec1 <i>gag</i> transcription (0.00027±0.00017%) was observed.</p
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