Warum ist der Euro so schwach?

Der Abwertungstrend des Euro hält nun schon seit zweieinhalb Jahren an. Wie kann der anhaltende Niedergang erklärt werden? Renate Ohr, Joachim Starbatty und Peter Bofinger nehmen Stellung --

A Dual-Species Atom Interferometer Payload for Operation on Sounding Rockets

We report on the design and the construction of a sounding rocket payload capable of performing atom interferometry with Bose-Einstein condensates of 41 K and 87 Rb. The apparatus is designed to be launched in two consecutive missions with a VSB-30 sounding rocket and is qualified to withstand the expected vibrational loads of 1.8 g root-mean-square in a frequency range between 20–2000 Hz and the expected static loads during ascent and re-entry of 25 g. We present a modular design of the scientific payload comprising a physics package, a laser system, an electronics system and a battery module. A dedicated on-board software provides a largely automated process of predefined experiments. To operate the payload safely in laboratory and flight mode, a thermal control system and ground support equipment has been implemented and will be presented. The payload presented here represents a cornerstone for future applications of matter wave interferometry with ultracold atoms on satellites

Wirtschaftsbauten in der antiken Stadt

Über die Wirtschaft der Antike sind wir gut informiert. Für den Waren- und Geldverkehr standen in den Städten eigene Gebäude zur Verfügung, die im römischen Reich von Speicherbauten in bedeutenden Wirtschaftszentren und Hafenorten bis zu Bank- und Börsengebäuden an den zentralen Plätzen der Städte reichten. Diese Bauten wurden von Archäologen und Bauhistorikern vielfach untersucht, wobei Bauweise und Gestaltung im Vordergrund standen. Wirtschaftshistoriker befassten sich intensiv mit Handels- und Geldgeschäften, ohne Zusammenhänge mit Baulichkeiten in den Blick zu nehmen. Interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit eröffnet neue Perspektiven. Mit dem Wissen über wirtschaftliche Vorgänge lassen sich Bauten besser verstehen, und Bauwerke können ökonomische Vorgänge sichtbar machen. Das wurde beim erstmaligen Gedankenaustausch zwischen den verschiedenen Forschungsdisziplinen rasch deutlich. Der vorliegende Tagungsband enthält Beiträge über Handelsformen und Handelsbeziehungen, er stellt Speichergebäude und Kaufmannshäuser vor und beleuchtet mit dem Magdalensberg bei Kärnten ein bedeutendes Zentrum der Erzgewinnung und der Metallverarbeitung. Einen besonderen Platz nimmt die römische Basilika als großartiges Bank- und Börsengebäude ein, dessen Entwicklung um 200 v. Chr. quasi schlagartig am Forum Romanum begann und die neue Vormacht Rom als Zentrum der antiken Wirtschaft und zentrale Instanz des Wirtschafts- und Steuerrechts mit neuen Maßstäben auch städtebaulich prägte. Die beiden letzten Beiträge befassen sich mit der weiteren Entwicklung des Begriffes Basilika und seinen Nachwirkungen im Kirchenbau und in der Architekturtheorie bis heute

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Die Konzeption der französischen Kartellkontrolle in der "Rechtsprechung" der technischen Kartellkommission

Frankreich -- Kartellrech

Die Konzeption der französischen Kartellkontrolle in der "Rechtsprechung" der technischen Kartellkommission

Frankreich -- Kartellrech

Openness and Development

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Realwirtschaftliche Anpassungszwänge der monetären Integration | Zu den ökonomischen Wirkungen der deutsch-deutschen Vereinigung

Real Economic Adjustment Constraints in Monetary Integration This contribution analyzes the most important real economic implications of German-German monetary integration for the GDR economy. The analysis covers both demand and supply-side problems which result in limited corporate profitability and, thus, in inadequate capital inflows on the one hand and in growing structural unemployment and allocation problems on the other. Externally, the GDR's competitiveness is deteriorating as a result of the monetary link with the Deutsch-mark not only vis-à-vis potential Western clients and competitors, but also in the trade with its former CMEA partners. This is followed by an analysis of the question whether, with the help of fiscal policy incentives or through autodynamic effects, a quick upturn of economic activity can be achieved. The conclusion is reached that the mere copying of general economic concepts and the mere introduction of the Deutsch-mark do not entail the kind of framework conditions that led to the socalled economic miracle in West Germany after the 1948 monetary reform. Monetary and economic integration of the GDR rather unleashes real effects that may – on certain conditions – hamper rather than favour a successful and rapid economic upturn