Active Citizenship and Representation in Europe: Towards Transnational Democracy?

Facts and views around the European Year of Citizens 2013

What Works? A Study of Effective Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Programs

Examines factors that lead to desirable outcomes in mental health consultation programs: solid program infrastructure, highly qualified consultants, and quality support services. Analyzes targeted outcomes, measurements, and intensity of interventions

Direkte Demokratie und europäische Integration: Die Handlungsspielräume der Schweiz

Diese Ausgabe der Basler Schriften setzt sich mit dem Verhältnis von direkter Demokratie und europäischer Integration auseinander. Im ersten Text geht Bruno Kaufmann der Frage nach, welche Bedeutung die Volksrechte für den europäischen Integrationsprozess haben – und wie die EU umgekehrt die Entwicklung der Direkten Demokratie vorantrieb. Er zeigt auf, dass der europäische Integrationsprozess die Direkte Demokratie gestärkt hat. Ebenso wie den Verfahren von Initiative und Referendum nun bei der Etablierung einer gemeinsamen Verfassung eine Schlüsselrolle zukommt.Im zweiten Aufsatz setzt sich Georg Kreis mit der grundsätzlichen Kritik an der Direkten Demokratie auseinander, wie sie rund um das französische Plebiszit vom 29. Mai 2005 geäussert worden ist. In dem Text werden die Vor- und Nachteile der Direkten Demokratie in einer modernen repräsentativen Demokratie gegeneinander gestellt und die Frage nach dem "wie weiter?" gestellt.Darauf geht – nur für diese Schrift – abschliessend Andreas Gross ein. Er beurteilt die überstürzte Entstehung und Ratifizierung des EU-Verfassungsvertrages unter dem Gesichtspunkt ihrer Demokratieverträglichkeit und kommt zum Schluss, dass es durchaus Entwicklungsperspektiven gäbe, mit denen sich europäische Integration und Direkte Demokratie miteinander versöhnen liessen. Dies hätte weitreichende, und wie er meint hilfreiche, Folgen für die Schweiz und Europa.InhaltsverzeichnisEinleitung (Seite 7)Direkte Demokratie in Europa - eine ÜbersichtBruno Kaufmann (Seite 13)Grenzen der Demokratie? Überlegungen anlässlich Frankreichs jüngster EU-AbstimmungGeorg Kreis (Seite 35)Der Verfassungsvertrag der Europäischen Union – Sackgasse der europäischen Demokratie? Wege aus dem posttraumatischen Zustand der EU und der europäischen Krise der Demokratie.Andreas Gross (Seite 55

Virgo cluster early-type dwarf galaxies with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. IV. The color-magnitude relation

We present an analysis of the optical colors of 413 Virgo cluster early-type dwarf galaxies (dEs), based on Sloan Digital Sky Survey imaging data. Our study comprises (1) a comparison of the color-magnitude relation (CMR) of the different dE subclasses that we identified in Paper III of this series, (2) a comparison of the shape of the CMR in low and high-density regions, (3) an analysis of the scatter of the CMR, and (4) an interpretation of the observed colors with ages and metallicities from population synthesis models. We find that the CMRs of nucleated (dE(N)) and non-nucleated dEs (dE(nN)) are significantly different from each other, with similar colors at fainter magnitudes (r > 17 mag), but increasingly redder colors of the dE(N)s at brighter magnitudes. We interpret this with older ages and/or higher metallicities of the brighter dE(N)s. The dEs with disk features have similar colors as the dE(N)s and seem to be only slightly younger and/or less metal-rich on average. Furthermore, we find a small but significant dependence of the CMR on local projected galaxy number density, consistently seen in all of u-r, g-r, and g-i, and weakly i-z. We deduce that a significant intrinsic color scatter of the CMR is present, even when allowing for a distance spread of our galaxies. No increase of the CMR scatter at fainter magnitudes is observed down to r = 17 mag (Mr = -14 mag). The color residuals, i.e., the offsets of the data points from the linear fit to the CMR, are clearly correlated with each other in all colors for the dE(N)s and for the full dE sample. We conclude that there must be at least two different formation channels for early-type dwarfs in order to explain the heterogeneity of this class of galaxy. (Abridged)Comment: 17 pages + 12 figures. Accepted for publication in A

Characteristics, Determinants, and Clinical Relevance of CD4 T Cell Recovery to <500 Cells/µL in HIV Type 1—Infected Individuals Receiving Potent Antiretroviral Therapy

Background. The CD4 T cell count recovery in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)—infected individuals receiving potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) shows high variability. We studied the determinants and the clinical relevance of incomplete CD4 T cell restoration. Methods. Longitudinal CD4 T cell count was analyzed in 293 participants of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study who had had a plasma HIV-1 RNA load .05). Older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.71 per 10-year increase; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-2.43), lower baseline CD4 T cell count (aOR, 0.37 per 100-cell increase; 95% CI, 0.28-0.49), and longer duration of HIV infection (aOR, 2.39 per 10-year increase; 95% CI, 1.19-4.81) were significantly associated with a CD4 T cell count <500 cells/µL at 5 years. The median increases in CD4 T cell count after 3-6 months of ART were smaller in incomplete responders (P < .001) and predicted, in conjunction with baseline CD4 T cell count and age, incomplete response with 80% sensitivity and 72% specificity. Conclusion. Individuals with incomplete CD4 T cell recovery to <500 cells/µL had more advanced HIV-1 infection at baseline. CD4 T cell changes during the first 3-6 months of ART already reflect the capacity of the immune system to replenish depleted CD4 T lymphocyte

Identification of pathways in liver repair potentially targeted by secretory proteins from human mesenchymal stem cells

Background: The beneficial impact of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) on both acute and chronic liver diseases has been confirmed, although the molecular mechanisms behind it remain elusive. We aim to identify factors secreted by undifferentiated and hepatocytic differentiated MSC in vitro in order to delineate liver repair pathways potentially targeted by MSC. Methods: Secreted factors were determined by protein arrays and related pathways identified by biomathematical analyses. Results: MSC from adipose tissue and bone marrow expressed a similar pattern of surface markers. After hepatocytic differentiation, CD54 (intercellular adhesion molecule 1, ICAM-1) increased and CD166 (activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule, ALCAM) decreased. MSC secreted different factors before and after differentiation. These comprised cytokines involved in innate immunity and growth factors regulating liver regeneration. Pathway analysis revealed cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions, chemokine signalling pathways, the complement and coagulation cascades as well as the Januskinase-signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NOD-like receptor) signalling pathways as relevant networks. Relationships to transforming growth factor beta(TGF-beta) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF1-alpha) signalling seemed also relevant. Conclusion: MSC secreted proteins, which differed depending on cell source and degree of differentiation. The factors might address inflammatory and growth factor pathways as well as chemo-attraction and innate immunity. Since these are prone to dysregulation in most liver diseases, MSC release hepatotropic factors, potentially supporting liver regeneration

Re-structuring of marine communities exposed to environmental change

Species richness is the most commonly used but controversial biodiversity metric in studies on aspects of community stability such as structural composition or productivity. The apparent ambiguity of theoretical and experimental findings may in part be due to experimental shortcomings and/or heterogeneity of scales and methods in earlier studies. This has led to an urgent call for improved and more realistic experiments. In a series of experiments replicated at a global scale we translocated several hundred marine hard bottom communities to new environments simulating a rapid but moderate environmental change. Subsequently, we measured their rate of compositional change (re-structuring) which in the great majority of cases represented a compositional convergence towards local communities. Re-structuring is driven by mortality of community components (original species) and establishment of new species in the changed environmental context. The rate of this re-structuring was then related to various system properties. We show that availability of free substratum relates negatively while taxon richness relates positively to structural persistence (i.e., no or slow re-structuring). Thus, when faced with environmental change, taxon-rich communities retain their original composition longer than taxon-poor communities. The effect of taxon richness, however, interacts with another aspect of diversity, functional richness. Indeed, taxon richness relates positively to persistence in functionally depauperate communities, but not in functionally diverse communities. The interaction between taxonomic and functional diversity with regard to the behaviour of communities exposed to environmental stress may help understand some of the seemingly contrasting findings of past research

AVALIAÇÃO DA QUALIDADE E SATISFAÇÃO DE SERVIÇOS: APLICAÇÃO DA SERVPERF NUMA AGÊNCIA DO SISTEMA NACIONAL DE EMPREGO - SINE EM UMA CIDADE DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL

O presente artigo buscou analisar a qualidade e satisfação nos serviços prestados pelo Sistema Nacional de Empregos - SINE, por meio da aplicação da escala SERVPERF. A pesquisa foi realizada na agência FGTAS/SINE na cidade de Santiago, Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, no período de 12 a 22 de junho de 2017. Foram pesquisadas e analisadas as percepções dos usuários referente aos seguintes serviços prestados pelo SINE: intermediação de mão de obra, seguro-desemprego e protocolo de carteira de trabalho. Uma amostra de 103 usuários foi utilizada para a consecução dos objetivos da pesquisa, que buscava identificar a percepção de qualidade e a satisfação dos serviços oferecidos pela agência. Utilizou-se uma adaptação da escala tipo Likert, em um instrumento de coleta de dados para analisar a sua percepção. Após a análise dos resultados verificou-se que, de uma forma geral, os usuários da agência estão satisfeitos com os serviços prestados pela agência; os serviços analisados obtiveram como média geral uma nota acima de 4, o que demonstra que a Agência está atingindo os seus objetivos de atender com qualidade e ao mesmo tempo proporcionando satisfação aos seus usuários. Ao final do artigo foram sugeridas melhorias na agência para cada vez mais buscar a excelência no atendimento aos seus usuários