Vier Jahre Öko-Modellregionen in Bayern - eine Zwischenbilanz

Die Öko-Modellregionen (ÖMR) sind Bestandteil des 2012 vom Bayerischen Staatsministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Forsten initiierten Landesprogramms "BioRegio Bayern 2020", um die Bioproduktion in Bayern zu verdoppeln und den Absatz regionaler Biolebensmittel bis 2020 zu steigern. Durch die Einführung von ÖMR will das Ministerium die lokale Bioproduktion erhöhen, um der wachsenden Nachfrage nach Biolebensmitteln gerecht zu werden. Innerhalb der ÖMR wurde eine Vielzahl von Projekten etabliert, die von der Produktion und Verarbeitung über die Vermarktung und die Verwendung in der Gemeinschaftsverpflegung bis hin zur Bewusstseinsbildung reichen. Die Aktivitäten in den Regionen konzentrieren sich dabei nicht nur auf die Ausweitung der biologisch bewirtschafteten Fläche, sondern auch auf die Verbindung von regionaler Herkunft und ökologischer Produktion. Der bayerische ÖMRAnsatz zielt darauf ab, lokale Potenziale zu erweitern, bestehende Netzwerke und aktive Akteure zu motivieren und neue Netzwerke und Strukturen zu entwickeln

Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Hydrogen Bonding of Mono(salicylidene)carbohydrazide

The condensation reaction between carbohydrazide and salicylaldehyde in different solvents gave mono(salicylidene)carbohydrazide (1). The structure of 1 in solution has been determined by using experimental (NMR and UV spectroscopies and Mass spectrometry) and quantum chemical (DFT) me-thods. It has been demonstrated that 1 adopts the hydroxy-one tautomeric form which is in accordance with previously published results for the related systems. Changes in NMR chemical shifts and calculations have pointed towards a formation of intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds, the later being weaker and easily broken at higher temperatures. These results can further be exploited for better understanding of the role hydrogen bonds can play in bioactivity of related derivatives. (doi: 10.5562/cca2123

Who says what to whom? Alignments and arguments in EU policy-making

In the EU multilevel polity, domestic interest groups seek to shape EU legislation by accessing both national and EU institutions. Previous studies indicated that institutional and issue contexts, as well as organizational characteristics shape their strategies of interest representation. However, we know much less about how alignments and arguments impact on their participation in EU and national policy consultations. Addressing this gap, we investigate the lobbying strategies of almost 2,900 national interest organizations from five member states (Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) on 20 EU directive proposals bringing also a new empirical scope to the study of multilevel interest representation. The findings indicate that alignments and arguments shape the participation of domestic interest groups in consultations on EU policies. We infer from our study that some general predictions of interest group behaviour are overstretched and outline four variations of interest representation routines

Coordination by Cdc42 of actin, contractility, and adhesion for melanoblast movement in mouse skin

YesThe individual molecular pathways downstream of Cdc42, Rac, and Rho GTPases are well documented, but we know surprisingly little about how these pathways are coordinated when cells move in a complex environment in vivo. In the developing embryo, melanoblasts originating from the neural crest must traverse the dermis to reach the epidermis of the skin and hair follicles. We previously established that Rac1 signals via Scar/WAVE and Arp2/3 to effect pseudopod extension and migration of melanoblasts in skin. Here we show that RhoA is redundant in the melanocyte lineage but that Cdc42 coordinates multiple motility systems independent of Rac1. Similar to Rac1 knockouts, Cdc42 null mice displayed a severe loss of pigmentation, and melanoblasts showed cell-cycle progression, migration, and cytokinesis defects. However, unlike Rac1 knockouts, Cdc42 null melanoblasts were elongated and displayed large, bulky pseudopods with dynamic actin bursts. Despite assuming an elongated shape usually associated with fast mesenchymal motility, Cdc42 knockout melanoblasts migrated slowly and inefficiently in the epidermis, with nearly static pseudopods. Although much of the basic actin machinery was intact, Cdc42 null cells lacked the ability to polarize their Golgi and coordinate motility systems for efficient movement. Loss of Cdc42 de-coupled three main systems: actin assembly via the formin FMNL2 and Arp2/3, active myosin-II localization, and integrin-based adhesion dynamics.Cancer Research UK (to L.M.M. [A17196], R.H.I. [A19257], and S.W.G.T.) and NIH grants P01-GM103723 and P41-EB002025 (to K.M.H.). N.R.P. is supported by a Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund grant (to L.M.M.). Funding to Prof. Rottner by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant RO2414/3-2)

Measuring the deliverable and impressible dimensions of service experience

Service innovation has become a priority within the field of innovation management and is increasingly focused on creating memorable experiences that can result in customer loyalty. Studies of experience design suggest individual service elements to be managed when staging an experience, whereas conceptual models in the literature emphasize the holistic way in which an experience is perceived. In short, service experience is greater than the sum of its parts. Therefore, successful innovation management requires the ability to understand and measure the mechanisms by which service innovations impact customers' experiences. Our research addresses this need by identifying dimensions of service experience and developing a tool for their measurement. Using a three stage process of systematic literature review, rigorous scale development and reduction, and validation, we identify six dimensions of the service experience and develop scales to measure each one. This results in a model of service innovation that highlights the levers through which a company's service innovation efforts can result in memorable experiences and ultimately new service success

IL-21 induces in vivo immune activation of NK cells and CD8+ T cells in patients with metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma

PURPOSE: Human interleukin-21 (IL-21) is a class I cytokine previously reported in clinical studies on immune responsive cancers. Here we report the effects of systemic IL-21 therapy on the immune system in two phase 1 trials with this novel cytokine. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Recombinant IL-21 was administered by intravenous bolus injection at dose levels from 1 to 100 microg/kg using two planned treatment regimens: thrice weekly for 6 weeks (3/week); or once daily for five consecutive days followed by nine dose-free days (5 + 9). The following biomarkers were studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) during treatment: phosphorylation of STAT3, alterations in the composition of leukocyte subsets, ex vivo cytotoxicity, expression of effector molecules in enriched CD8(+) T cells and CD56(+) NK cells by quantitative RT-PCR, and gene array profiling of CD8(+) T cells. RESULTS: Effects of IL-21 were observed at all dose levels. In the 5 + 9 regimen IL-21 induced a dose dependent decrease in circulating NK cells and T cells followed by a return to baseline in resting periods. In both CD8(+) T cells and CD56(+) NK cells we found up-regulation of perforin and granzyme B mRNA. In addition, full transcriptome analysis of CD8(+) T cells displayed changes in several transcripts associated with increased cell cycle progression, cellular motility, and immune activation. Finally, cytotoxicity assays showed that IL-21 enhanced the ability of NK cells to kill sensitive targets ex vivo. CONCLUSIONS: IL-21 was biologically active at all dose levels administered with evidence of in vivo NK cell and CD8(+) T cell activation

European fitness landscape for children and adolescents: updated reference values, fitness maps and country rankings based on nearly 8 million test results from 34 countries gathered by the FitBack network

Objectives (1) To develop reference values for health-related fitness in European children and adolescents aged 6–18 years that are the foundation for the web-based, open-access and multilanguage fitness platform (FitBack); (2) to provide comparisons across European countries. Methods This study builds on a previous large fitness reference study in European youth by (1) widening the age demographic, (2) identifying the most recent and representative country-level data and (3) including national data from existing fitness surveillance and monitoring systems. We used the Assessing Levels of PHysical Activity and fitness at population level (ALPHA) test battery as it comprises tests with the highest test–retest reliability, criterion/construct validity and health-related predictive validity: the 20 m shuttle run (cardiorespiratory fitness); handgrip strength and standing long jump (muscular strength); and body height, body mass, body mass index and waist circumference (anthropometry). Percentile values were obtained using the generalised additive models for location, scale and shape method. Results A total of 7 966 693 test results from 34 countries (106 datasets) were used to develop sex-specific and age-specific percentile values. In addition, country-level rankings based on mean percentiles are provided for each fitness test, as well as an overall fitness ranking. Finally, an interactive fitness platform, including individual and group reporting and European fitness maps, is provided and freely available online (www.fitbackeurope.eu). Conclusion This study discusses the major implications of fitness assessment in youth from health, educational and sport perspectives, and how the FitBack reference values and interactive web-based platform contribute to it. Fitness testing can be conducted in school and/or sport settings, and the interpreted results be integrated in the healthcare systems across Europe