Atypische Beschäftigung aus arbeits- und sozialrechtlicher Sicht am Beispiel der Berufsgruppe KünstlerInnen

Ziel meiner Dissertation ist es im Allgemeinen ein Problembewusstsein von atypischer Beschäftigung zu schaffen und insbesondere ein Bewusstsein für die berufliche Situation von KünstlerInnen zu schaffen. KünstlerInnen sind typischer Weise atypisch beschäftigt, die Berufsgruppe eignet sich daher für eine umfassende Darstellung der atypischen Beschäftigungsverhältnisse und ihrer Arbeitsrechtlichen Auswirkungen. Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation wird die Berufsgruppe der KünstlerInnen herangezogen um typische Probleme aus Arbeits- und Sozialrechtlicher Sicht von atypischer Beschäftigung aufzuzeigen und zu analysieren. Diese Dissertation soll darüber hinaus ein Beitrag zur Meinungsbildung über die Situation der Künstler in Österreich sein und Lösungsmodelle anbieten. Einleitend wird der Beruf der KünstlerIn dargestellt. Die Entscheidungskriterien der KünstlerIn für ihren Beruf, Vor- und Nachteile des Berufes, die verschiedenen Tätigkeitsarten und die Einkommenssituation sollen dabei ein möglichst umfassendes Bild vom Beruf der KünstlerIn vermitteln. Anschließen werden die verschiedenen Beschäftigungsarten im Allgemeinen aus Arbeitsrechtlicher Sicht dargestellt. Wobei zur Veranschaulichung die Berufsgruppe der KünstlerInnen dargestellt wird und so im Speziellen die Beschäftigungsarten von KünstlerInnen dargestellt werden. Weiters wird auf die individuellen Vertragsgestaltungsmöglichkeiten für die Beschäftigung im Allgemeinen und für die Berufsgruppe der KünstlerInnen im Besonderen eingegangen. Im zweiten Teil der Dissertation wird dargestellt, welche Formen der Sozialversicherung allgemein in Österreich zur Verfügung stehen und welches Beschäftigungsverhältnis welche Sozialversicherungs- Ansprüche zur Folge hat. Weiters wird dargestellt wie es zu diesen Unterschieden gekommen ist und wie diese heute bewertet werden. Nachdem auf den Versicherungsschutz für typische Beschäftigte eingegangen wurde, wird der Versicherungsschutz für atypische Beschäftigte dargestellt. Weiters wird auf die sozialrechtliche Situation der Künstler eingegangen. Oft, gerade zu Beginn ihrer Karriere, sind Künstler Teilzeit als freie Dienstnehmer oder Dienstnehmer in anderen Branchen tätig und führen ihre künstlerische Tätigkeit als neue Selbständige durch. Der Künstler verfolgt als neuer Selbständiger seine künstlerische Karriere, wobei er um finanziell aber auch sozial abgesichert zu sein oft zusätzlich weiters als freier Dienstnehmer oder Dienstnehmer tätig ist. Meistens ist zudem ein typisches Beschäftigungsverhältnis einer KünstlerIn oft auf ein einzelnes Projekt bezogen. Aus sozialrechtlicher Sicht entstehen bei der für KünstlerInnen typischen aber am allgemeinen Arbeitsmarkt atypischen Beschäftigung unterschiedliche Problemstellungen. Nicht selten werden Künstler in verschiedenen atypischen Beschäftigungsverhältnissen tätig und sind daher auch von unterschiedlichen sozialrechtlichen Problemen betroffen. Im zweiten Teil dieser Dissertation wird daher auf die atypische Beschäftigung am Beispiel der Berufsgruppe der KünstlerInnen aus sozialrechtlicher Sicht näher eingegangen

Combinatorial RNA interference in Caenorhabditis elegans reveals that redundancy between gene duplicates can be maintained for more than 80 million years of evolution

BACKGROUND: Systematic analyses of loss-of-function phenotypes have been carried out for most genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster. Although such studies vastly expand our knowledge of single gene function, they do not address redundancy in genetic networks. Developing tools for the systematic mapping of genetic interactions is thus a key step in exploring the relationship between genotype and phenotype. RESULTS: We established conditions for RNA interference (RNAi) in C. elegans to target multiple genes simultaneously in a high-throughput setting. Using this approach, we can detect the great majority of previously known synthetic genetic interactions. We used this assay to examine the redundancy of duplicated genes in the genome of C. elegans that correspond to single orthologs in S. cerevisiae or D. melanogaster and identified 16 pairs of duplicated genes that have redundant functions. Remarkably, 14 of these redundant gene pairs were duplicated before the divergence of C. elegans and C. briggsae 80-110 million years ago, suggesting that there has been selective pressure to maintain the overlap in function between some gene duplicates. CONCLUSION: We established a high throughput method for examining genetic interactions using combinatorial RNAi in C. elegans. Using this technique, we demonstrated that many duplicated genes can retain redundant functions for more than 80 million years of evolution. This provides strong support for evolutionary models that predict that genetic redundancy between duplicated genes can be actively maintained by natural selection and is not just a transient side effect of recent gene duplication events

Loss of LIN-35, the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of the tumor suppressor p105Rb, results in enhanced RNA interference

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screening is a very powerful tool for analyzing gene function in vivo in Caenorhabditis elegans. The effectiveness of RNAi varies from gene to gene, however, and neuronally expressed genes are largely refractive to RNAi in wild-type worms. RESULTS: We found that C. elegans strains carrying mutations in lin-35, the worm ortholog of the tumor suppressor gene p105Rb, or a subset of the genetically related synMuv B family of chromatin-modifying genes, show increased strength and penetrance for many germline, embryonic, and post-embryonic RNAi phenotypes, including neuronal RNAi phenotypes. Mutations in these same genes also enhance somatic transgene silencing via an RNAi-dependent mechanism. Two genes, mes-4 and zfp-1, are required both for the vulval lineage defects resulting from mutations in synMuv B genes and for RNAi, suggesting a common mechanism for the function of synMuv B genes in vulval development and in regulating RNAi. Enhanced RNAi in the germline of lin-35 worms suggests that misexpression of germline genes in somatic cells cannot alone account for the enhanced RNAi observed in this strain. CONCLUSION: A worm strain with a null mutation in lin-35 is more sensitive to RNAi than any other previously described single mutant strain, and so will prove very useful for future genome-wide RNAi screens, particularly for identifying genes with neuronal functions. As lin-35 is the worm ortholog of the mammalian tumor suppressor gene p105Rb, misregulation of RNAi may be important during human oncogenesis

Quantitative myocardial perfusion SPECT/CT for the assessment of myocardial tracer uptake in patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease: Initial experiences and results

BACKGROUND To evaluate quantitative myocardial perfusion SPECT/CT datasets for routine clinical reporting and the assessment of myocardial tracer uptake in patients with severe TVCAD. METHODS MPS scans were reconstructed as quantitative SPECT datasets using CTs from internal (SPECT/CT, Q_INT) and external (PET/CT, Q_EXT) sources for attenuation correction. TPD was calculated and compared to the TPD from non-quantitative SPECT datasets of the same patients. SUVmax, SUVpeak, and SUVmean were compared between Q_INT and Q_EXT SPECT datasets. Global SUVmax and SUVpeak were compared between patients with and without TVCAD. RESULTS Quantitative reconstruction was feasible. TPD showed an excellent correlation between quantitative and non-quantitative SPECT datasets. SUVmax, SUVpeak, and SUVmean showed an excellent correlation between Q_INT and Q_EXT SPECT datasets, though mean SUVmean differed significantly between the two groups. Global SUVmax and SUVpeak were significantly reduced in patients with TVCAD. CONCLUSIONS Absolute quantification of myocardial tracer uptake is feasible. The method seems to be robust and principally suitable for routine clinical reporting. Quantitative SPECT might become a valuable tool for the assessment of severe coronary artery disease in a setting of balanced ischemia, where potentially life-threatening conditions might otherwise go undetected

Differences in the annotation between facial images and videos for training an artificial intelligence for skin type determination

Background The Grand-AID research project, consisting of GRANDEL-The Beautyness Company, the dermatology department of Augsburg University Hospital and the Chair of IT Infrastructure for Translational Medical Research at Augsburg University, is currently researching the development of a digital skin consultation tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the user's skin and ultimately perform a personalized skin analysis and a customized skin care routine. Training the AI requires annotation of various skin features on facial images. The central question is whether videos are better suited than static images for assessing dynamic parameters such as wrinkles and elasticity. For this purpose, a pilot study was carried out in which the annotations on images and videos were compared. Materials and Methods Standardized image sequences as well as a video with facial expressions were taken from 25 healthy volunteers. Four raters with dermatological expertise annotated eight features (wrinkles, redness, shine, pores, pigmentation spots, dark circles, skin sagging, and blemished skin) with a semi-quantitative and a linear scale in a cross-over design to evaluate differences between the image modalities and between the raters. Results In the videos, most parameters tended to be assessed with higher scores than in the images, and in some cases significantly. Furthermore, there were significant differences between the raters. Conclusion The present study shows significant differences between the two evaluation methods using image or video analysis. In addition, the evaluation of the skin analysis depends on subjective criteria. Therefore, when training the AI, we recommend regular training of the annotating individuals and cross-validation of the annotation

In vitro and in vivo effects of Pelargonium sidoides DC. root extract EPs® 7630 and selected constituents against SARS-CoV-2 B.1, Delta AY.4/AY.117 and Omicron BA.2

The occurrence of immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 strains emphasizes the importance to search for broad-acting antiviral compounds. Our previous in vitro study showed that Pelargonium sidoides DC. root extract EPs® 7630 has combined antiviral and immunomodulatory properties in SARS-CoV-2-infected human lung cells. Here we assessed in vivo effects of EPs® 7630 in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters, and investigated properties of EPs® 7630 and its functionally relevant constituents in context of phenotypically distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants. We show that EPs® 7630 reduced viral load early in the course of infection and displayed significant immunomodulatory properties positively modulating disease progression in hamsters. In addition, we find that EPs® 7630 differentially inhibits SARS-CoV-2 variants in nasal and bronchial human airway epithelial cells. Antiviral effects were more pronounced against Omicron BA.2 compared to B.1 and Delta, the latter two preferring TMPRSS2-mediated fusion with the plasma membrane for cell entry instead of receptor-mediated low pH-dependent endocytosis. By using SARS-CoV-2 Spike VSV-based pseudo particles (VSVpp), we confirm higher EPs® 7630 activity against Omicron Spike-VSVpp, which seems independent of the serine protease TMPRSS2, suggesting that EPs® 7630 targets endosomal entry. We identify at least two molecular constituents of EPs® 7630, i.e., (-)-epigallocatechin and taxifolin with antiviral effects on SARS-CoV-2 replication and cell entry. In summary, our study shows that EPs® 7630 ameliorates disease outcome in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters and has enhanced activity against Omicron, apparently by limiting late endosomal SARS-CoV-2 entry

In vitro and in vivo effects of Pelargonium sidoides DC. root extract EPs® 7630 and selected constituents against SARS-CoV-2 B.1, Delta AY.4/AY.117 and Omicron BA.2

The occurrence of immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 strains emphasizes the importance to search for broad-acting antiviral compounds. Our previous in vitro study showed that Pelargonium sidoides DC. root extract EPs® 7630 has combined antiviral and immunomodulatory properties in SARS-CoV-2-infected human lung cells. Here we assessed in vivo effects of EPs® 7630 in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters, and investigated properties of EPs® 7630 and its functionally relevant constituents in context of phenotypically distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants. We show that EPs® 7630 reduced viral load early in the course of infection and displayed significant immunomodulatory properties positively modulating disease progression in hamsters. In addition, we find that EPs® 7630 differentially inhibits SARS-CoV-2 variants in nasal and bronchial human airway epithelial cells. Antiviral effects were more pronounced against Omicron BA.2 compared to B.1 and Delta, the latter two preferring TMPRSS2-mediated fusion with the plasma membrane for cell entry instead of receptor-mediated low pH-dependent endocytosis. By using SARS-CoV-2 Spike VSV-based pseudo particles (VSVpp), we confirm higher EPs® 7630 activity against Omicron Spike-VSVpp, which seems independent of the serine protease TMPRSS2, suggesting that EPs® 7630 targets endosomal entry. We identify at least two molecular constituents of EPs® 7630, i.e., (−)-epigallocatechin and taxifolin with antiviral effects on SARS-CoV-2 replication and cell entry. In summary, our study shows that EPs® 7630 ameliorates disease outcome in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters and has enhanced activity against Omicron, apparently by limiting late endosomal SARS-CoV-2 entry