Zinc Center as Redox Switch—New Function for an Old Motif

Oxidative stress affects a wide variety of different cellular processes. Now, an increasing number of proteins have been identified that use the presence of reactive oxygen species or alterations in the cellular thiol–disulfide state as regulators of their protein function. This review focuses on two members of this growing group of redox-regulated proteins that utilize a cysteine-containing zinc center as the redox switch: Hsp33, the first molecular chaperone, whose ability to protect cells against stress-induced protein unfolding depends on the presence of reactive oxygen species and RsrA, the first anti-sigma factor that uses a cysteine-containing zinc center to sense and respond to cellular disulfide stress.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63205/1/ars.2006.8.835.pd

A debris-flow alarm system for the Alpine Illgraben catchment: design and performance

We describe the development, implementation, and first analyses of the performance of a debris-flow warning system for the Illgraben catchment and debris fan area. The Illgraben catchment (9.5km2), located in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland, in the Rhone River valley, is characterized by frequent and voluminous sediment transport and debris-flow activity, and is one of the most active debris-flow catchments in the Alps. It is the site of an instrumented debris-flow observation station in operation since the year 2000. The residents in Susten (municipality Leuk), tourists, and other land users, are exposed to a significant hazard. The warning system consists of four modules: community organizational planning (hazard awareness and preparedness), event detection and alerting, geomorphic catchment observation, and applied research to facilitate the development of an early warning system based on weather forecasting. The system presently provides automated alert signals near the active channel prior to (5-15min) the arrival of a debris flow or flash flood at the uppermost frequently used channel crossing. It is intended to provide data to support decision-making for warning and evacuation, especially when unusually large debris flows are expected to leave the channel near populated areas. First-year results of the detection and alert module in comparison with the data from the independent debris-flow observation station are generally favorable. Twenty automated alerts (alarms) were issued, which triggered flashing lights and sirens at all major footpaths crossing the channel bed, for three debris flows and 16 flood flows. Only one false alarm was issued. The major difficulty we encountered is related to the variability and complexity of the events (e.g., events consisting of multiple surges) and can be largely solved by increasing the duration of the alarm. All of the alarms for hazardous events were produced by storms with a rainfall duration and intensity larger than the threshold for debris-flow activity that was defined in an earlier study, supporting our intention to investigate the use of rainfall forecasts to increase the time available for warning and implementation of active countermeasure

Tanz der Überflüssigen: Klassenkämpfe im Globalen Süden am Beispiel Chiles

Chile erlebt seit Oktober 2019 eine Welle sozialer Proteste. Dem Aufstand gegen das »neoliberale Modell« schlossen sich innerhalb kürzester Zeit große Teile der Bevölkerung an und beteiligten sich an monatelangen Auseinandersetzungen und Organisierungsprozessen. Unsere These ist, dass es sich dabei um Klassenkonflikte handelt, die sich allerdings in ihrer Form von typischen Kämpfen zwischen Kapital und Arbeit unterscheiden, wie wir sie in der Regel im Anschluss an Marx denken und aus den globalen Zentren der Weltwirtschaft kennen. Obwohl sich die betrachteten Auseinandersetzungen stark um die Themen der Kommodifizierung und Unsicherheit drehen, handelt es sich aber auch nicht um klassenübergreifende Konflikte gegenüber dem Markt im Sinne von Polanyi. Am chilenischen Fall zeigen wir vielmehr, dass Klassenkonflikte außerhalb des engen Feldes betrieblicher Auseinandersetzungen eigene Formen annehmen können, was entscheidende Konsequenzen in Bezug auf die damit einhergehenden Machtressourcen, Subjekte, aber auch Potenziale beinhaltet