Außerhäusliche Kinderbetreuung in Ostdeutschland vor und nach der Wiedervereinigung. Ein Vergleich mit Westdeutschland in den Jahren 1990-1999

This paper provides first a concise overview of institutional day-care arrangements and their extent in the former GDR. Then institutional and infrastructural changes since German re-unification in 1990 are briefly discussed. In the empirical part, data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) for the period 1990 to 1999 are used to analyze the actual day-care situation for children living in eastern Germany. The paper concludes with considerations of the consequences of a changing day-care situation for the opportunities of women (particularly mothers) in the New Länder to participate in the labor force. (AUTHORS)

Personal und Arbeitsmarkt in Zeiten von Corona. Analysen zum Fachkräftebarometer Frühe Bildung

Die im Frühjahr 2020 zum Schutz vor dem neuartigen Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 erlassenen Kontaktbeschränkungen haben in Deutschland wie global zu nie dagewesenen sozialen und wirtschaftlichen Einschnitten geführt. Auch die institutionelle Kindertagesbetreuung war bundesweit massiv von den Auswirkungen der Pandemie betroffen. Einrichtungs- und Gruppenschließungen, zahlreiche Schutz- und Hygienemaßnahmen im Alltag sowie Meldungen über Infektionen von Eltern, Kindern und Beschäftigten prägten in den verschiedenen Pandemiewellen das Bildungs- und Betreuungsgeschehen in den Einrichtungen. Inwieweit hat sich die pandemische Lage auf die Entwicklung der Einrichtungs-, Personal- und Kinderzahlen ausgewirkt? Im welchem Maße war der seit Jahren angespannte Arbeitsmarkt für Kita-Fachkräfte von der Situation berührt? Die folgenden Zusatzanalysen zum Fachkräftebarometer Frühe Bildung werfen auf Basis der amtlichen Statistik Schlaglichter auf diese Fragen. (DIPF/Orig.

High-resolution monitoring of toxic dinoflagellate species and their biogeographic distribution in the North Atlantic and Polar Seas

Dinoflagellate species of the genus Dinophysis have become target organisms for surveillance and monitoring of microalgae as they may produce potent diarrhetic shellfish toxins and therefore have negative socio-economic impacts. The formation of Dinophysis blooms as well as toxin composition and cellular toxin content depends on several multifactorial climate and environmental drivers and it might be expected that the occurrence of toxic events becomes more intense, widespread, frequent and unexpected in future decades due to climate variability. Conventional methods for the identification of microalgae e.g. microscopy, still have some deficiencies as they are very time-consuming and need special knowledge and experience, especially in case of difficult morphological species distinction. Standard quantification methods also might fail to detect and determine Dinophysis species due to their typically low cell densities and their spatial heterogeneity (=patchiness). Therefore innovative technologies for environmental monitoring of toxic microalgae are needed to prevent humans and aquatic environments from toxic threats and damage. We analysed the occurrence, abundance and dispersal of toxic dinoflagellate species in Nordic seas and the Arctic Ocean. Genetic analyses included a modular composed autonomous rRNA biosensor approach that allows rapid, precise and economically efficient high-resolution quantification and identification of microalgae in aquatic environments. Next generation sequencing (Illumina) was used to get additional information on distributional patterns of the most common dinoflagellate species in the observation area

Fcγ Receptor IIB Controls Skin Inflammation in an Active Model of Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita

Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is an autoimmune skin blistering disease characterized by IgG autoantibodies (aAb) against type VII collagen (COL7). The mechanisms controlling the formation of such aAbs and their effector functions in the skin tissue are incompletely understood. Here, we assessed whether the inhibitory IgG Fc receptor, FcγRIIB, controls the development of autoimmune skin blistering disease in an active model of EBA. For this purpose, we immunized congenic EBA-susceptible B6.SJL-H2s (B6.s) and B6.s-Fcgr2b−/− mice with the immunodominant vWFA2 region of COL7. B6.s-Fcgr2b−/− mice developed a strong clinical phenotype with 15 ± 3.3% of affected body surface area at week 4. In contrast, the body surface area in B6.s mice was affected to a maximum of 5% at week 6 with almost no disease signs at week 4. Surprisingly, we already found strong but similar COL7-specific serum IgG1 and IgG2b aAb production at week 2. Further, aAb and C3b deposition in the skin of B6.s and B6.s-Fcgr2b−/− mice increased between weeks 2 and 6 after vWFA2 immunization. Importantly, neutrophil skin infiltration and activation was much stronger in B6s-Fcgr2b−/− than in B6.s mice and already present at week 2. Also, the early aAb response in B6.s-Fcgr2b−/− mice was more diverse than in wt B6.s mice. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) release from infiltrating neutrophils play a crucial role as mediator of skin inflammation in EBA. In line, sera from B6.s and B6.s-Fcgr2b−/− mice induced strong ROS release from bone marrow-neutrophils in vitro. In contrast to the antibody-transfer-induced EBA model, individual targeting of FcγRIII or FcγRIV decreased ROS release to 50%. Combined FcγR blocking abrogated ROS release from BM neutrophils. Also, ROS release induced by COL7-specific serum IgG aAbs was significantly higher using BM neutrophils from B6.s-Fcgr2b−/− than from B6.s mice. Together, our findings identified FcγRIIB as a suppressor of skin inflammation in the active EBA model through inhibition of early epitope spreading, protection from strong early neutrophil infiltration to and activation of neutrophils in the skin and suppression of FcγRIII activation by IgG1 aAbs which drive strong ROS release from neutrophils leading to tissue destruction at the dermal-epidermal junction

Plankton Multiproxy Analyses in the Northern Patagonian Shelf, Argentina: Community Structure, Phycotoxins, and Characterization of Toxic Alexandrium Strains

The extensive Argentine continental shelf supports high plankton productivity and fish catches. In particular, El Rincón coastal area and the adjacent shelf fronts (38.5-42°S, 58.5-62°W) comprise diverse habitats and hold species of economic and ecological value. So far, studies of the microbial community present at the base of the food web remain scarce. Here, we describe the late winter plankton (5-200 μm) structure in terms of abundance, biomass, species composition, functional groups, and phycotoxin profiles in surface waters of El Rincón in September 2015. Diatoms are the most abundant and the largest contributors to carbon biomass at most stations. They dominated the coastal and inner-shelf (depths 20 μm) heterotrophic protists such as various ciliates and dinoflagellates species were more abundant offshore. Scanning of phycotoxins disclosed that paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins were dominated by gonyautoxins-1/4 (GTX1/4), whereas lipophilic toxins were detected in low abundance, for example, domoic acid (DA). However, a bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. (up to 3.6 × 105 cells L-1) was detected at inner-shelf stations. Pectenotoxin-2 (PTX-2) and 13-desmethyl spirolide C (SPX-1) were the most abundant in the field. The PTX-2 co-occurred with Dinophysis spp., mainly D. tripos, while SPX-1 dominated at middle-shelf stations, where cells of Alexandrium catenella (1 strain) and A. ostenfeldii (3 strains) were isolated. The quantitative PSP profiles of the Alexandrium strains differed significantly from the in situ profiles. Moreover, the three A. ostenfeldii strains produced PSP and additionally, five novel spirolides. Phylogenetic analyses of these newly isolated strains from the South Atlantic revealed a new ribotype group, suggesting a biogeographical distinction in the population. The plankton survey presented here contributes baseline knowledge to evaluate potential ecosystem changes and track the global distribution of toxigenic species.Fil: Guinder, Valeria Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Tillmann, Urban. Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung; AlemaniaFil: Krock, Bernd. Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung; AlemaniaFil: Delgado, Ana Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Krohn, Torben. Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung; AlemaniaFil: Garzon Cardona, John Edison. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Metfies, Katja. Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung; Alemania. Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity; AlemaniaFil: López Abbate, María Celeste. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Silva, Ricardo. Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero; ArgentinaFil: Lara, Ruben Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentin

Fachkräftebarometer Frühe Bildung 2021

Die Frühe Bildung boomt nach wie vor. Nicht zuletzt hat die Corona-Pandemie der Gesellschaft die „Systemrelevanz“ der Kindertagesbetreuung noch einmal drastisch vor Augen geführt – einerseits als Ort der Bildung, Entwicklung und Chancengleichheit für die Jüngsten, andererseits als Unterstützung berufstätiger Eltern. Gleichzeitig kämpft das Arbeitsfeld bereits jetzt mit einem Fachkräftemangel, der sich insbesondere im Westen noch weiter zuspitzen wird. Wie kann es in dieser Situation gelingen, Nachwuchskräfte in hoher Zahl sofort zu gewinnen und langfristig in den Einrichtungen zu halten? Zur Einordnung dieser Fragen bietet das Fachkräftebarometer Frühe Bildung 2021 aktuelle Befunde zu Personal, Arbeitsmarkt und Qualifizierung in der Kindertagesbetreuung und gibt Hinweise auf Entwicklungspotenziale im System Frühe Bildung. Mit Blick auf die Ausweitung der Rechtsansprüche beleuchtet der Datenbericht zudem die Personalsituation in Ganztagsangeboten für Grundschulkinder. (DIPF/Orig.

Plankton Multiproxy Analyses in the Northern Patagonian Shelf, Argentina: Community Structure, Phycotoxins, and Characterization of Toxic Alexandrium Strains

The extensive Argentine continental shelf supports high plankton productivity and fish catches. In particular, El Rincón coastal area and the adjacent shelf fronts (38.5–42°S, 58.5–62°W) comprise diverse habitats and hold species of economic and ecological value. So far, studies of the microbial community present at the base of the food web remain scarce. Here, we describe the late winter plankton (5–200 μm) structure in terms of abundance, biomass, species composition, functional groups, and phycotoxin profiles in surface waters of El Rincón in September 2015. Diatoms are the most abundant and the largest contributors to carbon biomass at most stations. They dominated the coastal and inner-shelf (depths <50 m), while dinoflagellates and small flagellates (<15 μm) dominated offshore at the middle-shelf waters (depth ∼100 m). In addition, large (>20 μm) heterotrophic protists such as various ciliates and dinoflagellates species were more abundant offshore. Scanning of phycotoxins disclosed that paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins were dominated by gonyautoxins-1/4 (GTX1/4), whereas lipophilic toxins were detected in low abundance, for example, domoic acid (DA). However, a bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia spp. (up to 3.6 × 105 cells L-1) was detected at inner-shelf stations. Pectenotoxin-2 (PTX-2) and 13-desmethyl spirolide C (SPX-1) were the most abundant in the field. The PTX-2 co-occurred with Dinophysis spp., mainly D. tripos, while SPX-1 dominated at middle-shelf stations, where cells of Alexandrium catenella (1 strain) and A. ostenfeldii (3 strains) were isolated. The quantitative PSP profiles of the Alexandrium strains differed significantly from the in situ profiles. Moreover, the three A. ostenfeldii strains produced PSP and additionally, five novel spirolides. Phylogenetic analyses of these newly isolated strains from the South Atlantic revealed a new ribotype group, suggesting a biogeographical distinction in the population. The plankton survey presented here contributes baseline knowledge to evaluate potential ecosystem changes and track the global distribution of toxigenic species

C-type lectin receptor expression is a hallmark of neutrophils infiltrating the skin in epidermolysis bullosa acquisita

IntroductionInflammatory epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is characterized by a neutrophilic response to anti-type VII collagen (COL7) antibodies resulting in the development of skin inflammation and blistering. The antibody transfer model of EBA closely mirrors this EBA phenotype.MethodsTo better understand the changes induced in neutrophils upon recruitment from peripheral blood into lesional skin in EBA, we performed single-cell RNA-sequencing of whole blood and skin dissociate to capture minimally perturbed neutrophils and characterize their transcriptome.ResultsThrough this approach, we identified clear distinctions between circulating activated neutrophils and intradermal neutrophils. Most strikingly, the gene expression of multiple C-type lectin receptors, which have previously been reported to orchestrate host defense against fungi and select bacteria, were markedly dysregulated. After confirming the upregulation of Clec4n, Clec4d, and Clec4e in experimental EBA as well as in lesional skin from patients with inflammatory EBA, we performed functional studies in globally deficient Clec4e−/− and Clec4d−/− mice as well as in neutrophil-specific Clec4n−/− mice. Deficiency in these genes did not reduce disease in the EBA model.DiscussionCollectively, our results suggest that while the upregulation of Clec4n, Clec4d, and Clec4e is a hallmark of activated dermal neutrophil populations, their individual contribution to the pathogenesis of EBA is dispensable

Design of the Quality of Life in Motion (QLIM) study: a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a combined physical exercise and psychosocial training program to improve physical fitness in children with cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Childhood cancer and its treatment have considerable impact on a child's physical and mental wellbeing. Especially long-term administration of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy impairs physical fitness both during and after therapy, when children often present with muscle weakness and/or low cardiorespiratory fitness. Physical exercise can improve these two elements of physical fitness, but the positive effects of physical exercise might be further increased when a child's wellbeing is simultaneously enhanced by psychosocial training. Feeling better may increase the willingness and motivation to engage in sports activities. Therefore, this multi-centre study evaluates the short and long-term changes in physical fitness of a child with a childhood malignancy, using a combined physical exercise and psychosocial intervention program, implemented during or shortly after treatment. Also examined is whether positive effects on physical fitness reduce inactivity-related adverse health problems, improve quality of life, and are cost-effective.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This multi-centre randomized controlled trial compares a combined physical and psychosocial intervention program for children with cancer, with care as usual (controls). Children with cancer (aged 8-18 years) treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, and who are no longer than 1 year post-treatment, are eligible for participation. A total of 100 children are being recruited from the paediatric oncology/haematology departments of three Dutch university medical centres. Patients are stratified according to pubertal stage (girls: age ≤10 or >10 years; boys: ≤11 or >11 years), type of malignancy (haematological or solid tumour), and moment of inclusion into the study (during or after treatment), and are randomly assigned to the intervention or control group.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Childhood cancer patients undergoing long-term cancer therapy may benefit from a combined physical exercise and psychosocial intervention program since it may maintain or enhance their physical fitness and increase their quality of life. However, the feasibility, patient need, and effectiveness of such a program should be established before the program can be implemented as part of standard care.</p> <p>Trial registration number</p> <p>NTR1531 (The Netherlands National Trial Register)</p