Interkulturelle Kompetenz aus kommunikationswissenschaftlicher Perspektive

Interkulturalität in Begriffen wie interkultureller Dialog, interkulturelle Kommunikation und interkulturelle Kompetenz erregt in den Wissenschaften sowie in Gesellschaft und Politik wachsende Aufmerksamkeit. In dieser Arbeit wird gezeigt, dass die Kommunikationswissenschaft wichtige Beiträge für den Bereich der Interkulturalität leistet. Insbesondere gilt das für die interkulturelle Kommunikation, die von Erkenntnissen der verbalen und nonverbalen Kommunikationsforschung profitiert. Im Zusammenhang zwischen Kommunikation und Kultur sind kommunikationswissenschaftlich relevante Theorien wie die des sozialen Interaktionismus bzw. Modelle wie das Kommunikationsmodell nach Schulz von Thun von Bedeutung. Auf diese Modelle aufbauend hat die Kommunikationswissenschaft einen maßgeblichen Beitrag für die Entwicklung und das Verständnis interkultureller Kompetenz geleistet. Diese Kompetenz ist als individuelle und soziale Befähigung untrennbar mit kommunikativen Kompetenzen verknüpft. Indem die Kommunikationswissenschaft diese schwer zu definierende Begrifflichkeit fassbarer macht, leistet sie einen wesentlichen Beitrag dazu, interkulturelle Kompetenzen vermittelbar zu machen. Im empirischen Teil der Arbeit, der sich mit dem Europäischen Jahr des interkulturellen Dialogs 2008 auseinandersetzt, wird gezeigt, dass Begriffskombinationen im Bereich der Interkulturalität auf einer institutionellen Ebene sehr positiv bewertet und transportiert werden. Es fehlt jedoch an einem ausreichend differenzierten Blick darauf, der den Anspruch, große Teile der Bevölkerung mit interkulturellem Dialog vertraut zu machen, realisierbar machen könnte. Institutionen wie die EU und das österreichische BM:UKK verwenden interkulturelle Begriffe in der Regel implizit, als ob den EmpfängerInnen ihrer Botschaften klar sein müsste, was darunter zu verstehen sei. Dies ist ein entscheidendes Defizit, welches zu beheben ist. Hier kann die Wissenschaft wesentlich dazu beitragen, dass ein qualifizierter Diskurs stattfindet, der der Komplexität der Thematik gerecht wird

Dexmedetomidine is neuroprotective in an in vitro model for traumatic brain injury

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The α₂-adrenoreceptor agonist dexmedetomidine is known to provide neuroprotection under ischemic conditions. In this study we investigated whether dexmedetomidine has a protective effect in an <it>in vitro </it>model for traumatic brain injury.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Organotypic hippocampal slice cultures were subjected to a focal mechanical trauma and then exposed to varying concentrations of dexmedetomidine. After 72 h cell injury was assessed using propidium iodide. In addition, the effects of delayed dexmedetomidine application, of hypothermia and canonical signalling pathway inhibitors were examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Dexmedetomidine showed a protective effect on traumatically injured hippocampal cells with a maximum effect at a dosage of 1 μM. This effect was partially reversed by the simultaneous administration of the ERK inhibitor PD98059.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this TBI model dexmedetomidine had a significant neuroprotective effect. Our results indicate that activation of ERK might be involved in mediating this effect.</p

Factors associated with worse lung function in cystic fibrosis patients with persistent staphylococcus aureus

Background Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF). However, it is not clear which factors are associated with worse lung function in patients with persistent S. aureus airway cultures. Our main hypothesis was that patients with high S. aureus density in their respiratory specimens would more likely experience worsening of their lung disease than patients with low bacterial loads. Methods Therefore, we conducted an observational prospective longitudinal multi-center study and assessed the association between lung function and S. aureus bacterial density in respiratory samples, co-infection with other CF-pathogens, nasal S. aureus carriage, clinical status, antibiotic therapy, IL-6- and IgG-levels against S. aureus virulence factors. Results 195 patients from 17 centers were followed; each patient had an average of 7 visits. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and generalized linear mixed models. Our main hypothesis was only supported for patients providing throat specimens indicating that patients with higher density experienced a steeper lung function decline (p<0.001). Patients with exacerbations (n = 60), S. aureus small-colony variants (SCVs, n = 84) and co-infection with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (n = 44) had worse lung function (p = 0.0068; p = 0.0011; p = 0.0103). Patients with SCVs were older (p = 0.0066) and more often treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (p = 0.0078). IL-6 levels positively correlated with decreased lung function (p<0.001), S. aureus density in sputa (p = 0.0016), SCVs (p = 0.0209), exacerbations (p = 0.0041) and co-infections with S. maltophilia (p = 0.0195) or A. fumigatus (p = 0.0496). Conclusions In CF-patients with chronic S. aureus cultures, independent risk factors for worse lung function are high bacterial density in throat cultures, exacerbations, elevated IL-6 levels, presence of S. aureus SCVs and co-infection with S. maltophilia

IL-33-induced metabolic reprogramming controls the differentiation of alternatively activated macrophages and the resolution of inflammation

Alternatively activated macrophages (AAMs) contribute to the resolution of inflammation and tissue repair. However, molecular pathways that govern their differentiation have remained incompletely understood. Here, we show that uncoupling protein-2-mediated mitochondrial reprogramming and the transcription factor GATA3 specifically controlled the differentiation of pro-resolving AAMs in response to the alarmin IL-33. In macrophages, IL-33 sequentially triggered early expression of pro-inflammatory genes and subsequent differentiation into AAMs. Global analysis of underlying signaling events revealed that IL-33 induced a rapid metabolic rewiring of macrophages that involved uncoupling of the respiratory chain and increased production of the metabolite itaconate, which subsequently triggered a GATA3-mediated AAM polarization. Conditional deletion of GATA3 in mononuclear phagocytes accordingly abrogated IL-33-induced differentiation of AAMs and tissue repair upon muscle injury. Our data thus identify an IL-4-independent and GATA3-dependent pathway in mononuclear phagocytes that results from mitochondrial rewiring and controls macrophage plasticity and the resolution of inflammation

Genealogie des Hauses Wettin von der ältesten bis zur neuesten Zeit in allen seinen Haupt- und Nebenlinien

GENEALOGIE DES HAUSES WETTIN VON DER ÄLTESTEN BIS ZUR NEUESTEN ZEIT IN ALLEN SEINEN HAUPT- UND NEBENLINIEN Genealogie des Hauses Wettin von der ältesten bis zur neuesten Zeit in allen seinen Haupt- und Nebenlinien ( - ) Einband ( - ) Titelseite ([1]) Widmung ([2]) Vorwort. ([3]) Inhalt. ([4]) Taf. I: Das alte Herzogthum Sachsen. (Taf.I) Taf. II: Die alte Landgrafschaft Thüringen. (Taf.II) Taf. 1-2: Von dem Ursprunge des Hauses Wettin (Taf.1) Taf. 3-15: Churfürsten von Sachsen (Taf.3) I. Aeltere oder Sachsen-Ernestinische Linie. (Taf.4) II. Jüngere oder Sachsen-Albertinische Linie. (Taf.12) Taf. 16: Das Haus Wettin in dem Königreiche Belgien, dem Königreiche Portugal und dem Königreiche Grossbritannien. (Taf.16

CO chemisorption on Nin, Pdn and Ptn clusters

Vibrationally resolved photoelectron spectra of mass-selected negatively charged Nin− (n = 1 3), Pdn− (n = 2, 3) and Ptn− (n = 1 4) clusters are compared with the corresponding spectra of these clusters ligated with m CO molecules (m = 1 8). The spectra of the Ptn(CO)m−, species reveal part of the valence orbitals, which actually form the chemisorption bond. The data are in good agreement with the Blyholder model for CO chemisorption (σ-donation-π-backdonation scheme) and indicate that saturation corresponds to the formation of a closed electronic shell of the neutral. The strength of the π-backdonation is found to be larger for small particles compared with the corresponding single crystal surfaces, which may be related to the catalytic properties of small particles. The spectra of the unsaturated Nin(CO)m− show fundamental differences compared with the ones of Ptn(CO)m− clusters owing to the high degree of localization of the Ni 3d orbitals. The spectra of the Pdn(CO)m− species show a rather irregular behaviour