53 research outputs found
Work-based Welfare as a Ritual: Understanding Marginalization in Post-Independence Lithuania
The paper analyzes the functioning of the newly created labor exchange in post-Soviet Lithuania. It is argued that the labor exchange in post-Soviet Lithuania operates under the conditions of a structural contradiction: welfare services are designed to reintegrate unemployed into the labor force under the conditions of (a) increasing competitiveness of the labor markets and (b) a rapid decline of employment within the Lithuanian economy. As a result, labor redundancy is produced which consists predominantly of low skill/education individuals. Because the economy is unable to generate employment, job searches for this segment of the population are transformed into a highly bureaucratized and ritualized activities directed and supervised by the labor exchange. The purpose of the activities is to impose social order and control over those marginalized from the labor force via the creation of the divisions between deserving and undeserving poor. Foucault\u27s theory of governmentality is used to examine two types of rituals employed by the labor exchange: individual and group based. The effectiveness of the labor exchange as a mechanism of social control and the impact the labor exchange has on the marginalization of some categories of the unemployed are discussed
Types of Knowledge, Forms of Practice
This study was designed to explore the way that us e of theory influenced a social worker’s conceptualization of a simulated case. The participant in this case study was a woman employed in child welfare, who holds an MSW. She was chosen because her response in a larger study represented a deviant case. Data analysis included both thematic analysis and an analysis of a written report based on ideas taken from institutional ethnography. The authors use this case example to illustrate the ways that one’s understanding of theory may impact social work practice
Exclusion from work and impoverishment in post-communist societies: the case of „unattached males“ in Lithuania
This article investigates the emergence of a phenomenon new to post-communist societies – the sociodemographic group of „unattached males.“ This group constitutes a growing number of young males with poor skills and little education who 1) detach themselves from the labor force even in the presence of jobs, 2) are not marrying, and 3) are increasingly plagued by a variety of social pathologies and health problems. These pathologies include crime, alcoholism, drug abuse and depression that, in turn, contribute to this group’s silent withdrawal from society. A conceptualization of the „unattached male“ as an adaptive strategy is presented along with a typology. Reintegration of these ‘unattached males’ represents a significant issue for social policy and potential focus for considerable social work practice.Straipsnyje analizuojamas naujas reiškinys postkomunistinėse šalyse – sparčiai besiformuojanti „nereikalingų žmonių“ socialinė–demografinė grupė. Šio sluoksnio daugumą Lietuvoje sudaro palyginti jauni (25–35 metų), menko išsilavinimo vyrai. Jie ilgą laiką neturi darbo, netgi esant galimybei įsidarbinti dažnai vengia dirbti, nesituokia ir nekuria šeimų ir pasižymi socialiai destruktyviu elgesiu (nusikalstamumu, girtavimu, valkatavimu, depresija, ir savižudybėmis). Straipsnyje pateikiama šio reiškinio koncepcinė analizė ir pabrėžiama, kad „nereikalingų žmonių“ integracija į „normalią visuomenę“ turėtų tapti svarbia socialinės politikos ir socialinio darbo praktikos dalimi
Lombalgia no trabalhador braçal: Relato de 3 casos observados em uma vinícola / Lower back pain in manual laborers: Report of 3 cases observed in a winery
Introdução: Um dos riscos mais comuns para a saúde do trabalhador é o risco postural, principalmente em relação à lombalgias e doenças da coluna vertebral. A lombalgia ocupacional é uma alteração musculoesquelética gerada pela atividade laboral que afeta não apenas o trabalhador ao gerar sofrimento e dor, mas também as empresas e os sistemas previdenciários. Objetivo: Descrever o atendimento médico e as orientações para a melhoria da qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde ocupacional de três trabalhadores de uma vinícola, com enfoque em lombalgia ocupacional. Métodos: Realização de atendimentos médicos seguidos de ações para a melhoria dos problemas musculoesqueléticos. Capacitação dos trabalhadores com relação à realização de exercícios e alongamentos específicos, visando reduzir as dores. Conclusão: O trabalho braçal pode gerar danos permanentes para os indivíduos, por isso é imprescindível que exista uma conscientização dos profissionais da saúde bem como a realização de ações para diminuir os danos promovidos pelas atividades laborais
Dynamics of Torque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1) and 2 (TTSuV2) DNA loads in serum of healthy and postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) affected pigs
Analysis of the receptor-mediated B19V mechanism of internalization in the endothelial B19V infection and adenovirus-mediated reactivation of B19V in endothelial cells
Das Humane Parvovirus B19 (B19V) ist der Erreger der Ringelröteln (Erythema
infectiosum) und kann die Krankheitsbilder des Hydrops fetalis und der
aplastischen Anämie sowie Polyarthritiden verursachen. B19V besitzt einen
stark ausgeprägten Zell- und Gewebetropismus, so dass der produktive
Infektionszyklus ausschließlich auf erythroide Vorläuferzellen im Knochenmark
und in der fetalen Leber beschränkt ist. In den letzten Jahren konnte die
B19V-DNA jedoch in einer Reihe von Untersuchungen auch in anderen Organen und
Zelltypen wie Synovialfibroblasten, Tonsillen und der Haut, sowie den
Endothelzellen der intramyokardialen Arteriolen und postkapillären Venolen im
Herzen nachgewiesen werden. Neben der B19V-induzierten akuten Myokarditis ließ
sich eine Assoziation der kardialen B19V-Infektion mit dem Krankheitsbild der
inflammatorischen dilatativen Kardiomyopathie (DCMi) mit endothelialer
Dysfunktion feststellen. In den B19V positiven Proben konnten häufig
zusätzlich Nukleinsäuren doppelsträngiger DNA-Viren aus den Familien der
Herpes- und Adenoviren detektiert werden. Allerdings konnte in Endothelzellen
bisher keine Replikation des B19V-Genoms nachgewiesen werden, so dass von
einer latenten B19V Infektion ausgegangen werden muss. Bisher ist noch
ungeklärt über welche Aufnahmemechanismen das Virus in diese nicht-permissiven
Zellen gelangt, und ob es möglicherweise zu einer Reaktivierung der latenten
Infektion, beispielsweise durch virale Ko- bzw. Super-Infektionen kommen kann.
Schwerpunkt der vorliegenden Arbeit waren daher die detaillierte Analyse
Rezeptor-vermittelter B19V-Aufnahmemechanismen in endothelialen Zellen und
eine mögliche Reaktivierung von B19V in Endothelzellen durch Adenoviren oder
isolierte frühe adenovirale Faktoren. Zur Analyse der Rezeptor-vermittelten
Aufnahme von B19V in Endothelzellen wurde erstmalig das Expressionsprofil der
B19V-spezifischen Rezeptorproteine P-Antigen, α5β1-Integrine und
KU80-Autoantigen auf Endothelzellen charakterisiert. Hierbei zeigte sich, dass
P-Antigen und β1-Integrine auf der Oberfläche aller untersuchten
Endothelzellen in ähnlichen Mengen wie auf B19V semi-permissiven UT7/Epo-S1
Zellen nachweisbar waren. KU80 war ähnlich wie in den UT7/EpoS1 jedoch
hauptsächlich nukleär und nur in marginalen Mengen auf der Zelloberfläche
nachzuweisen. In den nachfolgenden Untersuchungen zur B19V-Aufnahme zeigte
sich jedoch, dass die verschiedenen endothelialen Zellen im Vergleich zu den
UT7/Epo-S1 Zellen trotz vergleichbarem Besatz der beschriebenen B19V Ko-
Rezeptoren eine stark verminderte B19V-Internalisierungsrate aufweisen. Da für
die B19V Internalisierung möglicherweise der Aktivierungszustand der
β1-Integrine eine entscheidende Rolle spielt, wurden diese mit Hilfe von
bivalenten Ionen und stabilisierenden Antikörpern aktiviert. Dies führte zu
keiner gesteigerten endothelialen B19V-Internalisierung. In weiteren
Untersuchungen wurden in den polaren Endothelzellen eventuelle Unterschiede im
Internalisierungsprozess nach apikaler oder basaler Applikation der viralen
Partikel untersucht. Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchungen lieferten allerdings
keine Hinweise, dass die verminderte B19V-Internalisierung in Endothelzellen
auf eine differentielle Expression der Rezeptoren auf den unterschiedlichen
Oberflächen der Zellen zurückzuführen war. Zur Untersuchung einer möglichen
Reaktivierung von B19V durch Adenovirus wurde zunächst die B19V-
Proteinexpression bei einer adenoviralen Ko-Infektion analysiert. Diese führte
in einer kleinen Subpopulation der Endothelzellen zu einer starken
Stimulierung der Expression der Kapsidproteine VP1/2 und des
Nichtstrukturproteins NS1 von B19V. Zur Analyse der beteiligten Mechanismen
wurden rekombinante monomerische und dimerische adeno-assoziierte
Virusvektoren (AAV-Vektoren) generiert, welche unter Kontrolle des isolierten
B19V p6-Promotors ein Luciferase-Reportergen enthielten. Der Vergleich dieser
AAV-Vektoren nach Ko-Infektion von Adenovirus zeigte, dass die
Transaktivierung des B19V-Genoms hauptsächlich auf Transkriptionsebene und
nicht durch eine Adenovirus-induzierte Zweitstrangsynthese des
einzelsträngigen B19V-Genoms erfolgte. Durch die Generierung einer Reihe von
p6-Promotor-Luciferase-Reportergen-Konstrukte mit unterschiedlichen Anteilen
der cis-aktiven p6 Sequenzen im Plasmidkontext konnte gezeigt zeigen, welche
Bereiche des p6 Promotors für seine transkriptionelle Stimulation erforderlich
sind. Überraschenderweise spielte das Nicht-Strukturprotein NS1 von B19V bei
der Transaktivierung in Endothelzellen nur eine untergeordnete Rolle. E1A und
E4orf6 wurden mit starken synergistischen Effekten auf den p6-Promotor als die
entscheidenden adenoviralen Funktionen für die B19V Transaktivierung
identifiziert. Für die Effekte von E1A war dabei die konservierte Region 3 des
Proteins essentiell. Die Bildung von monomerischen B19V-
Replikationsintermediaten konnte in den Endothelzellen bereits in Abwesenheit
adenoviraler Helferfunktionen nachgewiesen werden. Durch eine Ko-Infektion mit
Adenovirus kam es jedoch zur verstärkten Bildung dimerischer B19V
Replikationsintermediate. Die in der vorliegenden Arbeit gewonnenen Ergebnisse
zur endothelialen Rezeptor-vermittelten B19V-Aufnahme deuten auf einen
alternativen, von den B19V-Rezeptoren unabhängigen Aufnahmemechanismus wie
z.B. die B19V-Internalisierung über B19V-spezifische Antikörper (ADE) oder die
Infektion von endothelialen Vorläuferzellen in vivo hin. Zudem konnte erstmals
gezeigt werden, dass Adenovirus sowohl die B19V Genexpression als auch die
Bildung höhermolekularer B19V Replikationsintermediate in endothelialen Zellen
induzieren kann.Human Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is the causative agent of erythema infectiosum,
hydrops fetalis, aplastic crises and polyarthritis. B19V displays a very
narrow cell and tissue tropism with productive infection thought to be
restricted exclusively to erythroid progenitor cells in the bone marrow and
fetal liver. However, over the last years increasing evidence for the presence
of B19V DNA in other cell types and tissues such as synovial fibroblasts,
tonsilles and skin as well as endothelial cells of the intramyocardial
arterioles and postcapillar venules in the heart has been gathered. An
association of cardiac B19V infection with inflammatory dilatative
cardiomyopathy (DCMi) and coexisting endothelial dysfunction was found.
Frequently, the genome of other DNA viruses such as herpes- or adenovirus was
also detected in the B19V-DNA positive specimens. So far however, no evidence
for replication of the B19V-DNA in non-erythroid cells exists, strongly
suggesting a rather latent state of B19V in these cells. Also unknown are the
entry mechanisms of B19V in these non-permissive cells and whether possible
mechanisms of B19V reactivation, for example by co-infection with other
viruses as in the case of the helper-dependent adeno-associated viruses, which
belongs also to the Parvoviridae family, exist. The aim of the present study
was the elucidation of both the receptor-mediated B19V mechanism of
internalization in endothelial cells and putative mechanisms of B19V
reactivation by adenovirus. In the analysis of the receptor-mediated
internalization of B19V in endothelial cells, the expression profile of the
B19V specific receptor proteins P-Antigen, α5β1-Integrin and KU80-autoantigen
was characterized for the first time in these cells. It could be demonstrated
that P-Antigen and β1-Integrin were expressed on the surface of all
endothelial cells investigated. In contrast, both in semi-permissive
UT7/Epo-S1 and in endothelial cells KU80 was not detected on the cell surface
or only in marginal amounts, strongly arguing against a possible role of KU80
as a B19V co-receptor. Analysis of B19V adsorption and internalization
inendothelial cells showed a strong limitation caused by the internalization
step, despite comparable B19V binding rates of the endothelial cells compared
to the B19V semi-permissive UT7/Epo-S1 cells. In order to increase the B19V
internalization in endothelial cells it was attempted to activate the
potentially inactivated β1-integrins via divalent ions and stabilizing
antibodies. However, the activation of β1-integrins did not lead to an
increased B19V internalization. By comparing the uptake rate between an apical
or a basal application of the virus particles to polarized endothelial cells ,
it could also be excluded that the limited internalization was due to the
polarity of the cells. In summary, B19V uptake is strongly limited at the
level of virus internalization, which however cannot be assigned to a reduced
surface expression of the known B19V (co-) receptors. The second major focus
of the study was the analysis of a possible reactivation of latent B19V by
adenovirus infection or expression of individual adenoviral functions. It
could be shown that co-infection of adenovirus with B19V leads to a strong
stimulation of the expression of the B19V structural proteins VP1/2 and the
non-structural protein NS1 in a small subpopulation of endothelial cells. To
investigate the mechanisms involved, recombinant monomeric or dimeric adeno-
associated virus vectors (AAV vectors) were generated, which contained a
luciferase reportergene under control of the isolated B19V p6 promoter .
Comparison of the adenovirus-mediated up-regulation of luciferase-expression
in the two vector systems demonstrated that the transactivation of the B19V
genome is mainly effected at the level of transcription and not by an
adenovirus-mediated second-strand synthesis of the single-stranded B19V
genome. Through various p6 promoter luciferase reportergene plasmid constructs
differing in the included promoter elements, upregulation at the level of
transcription was further confirmed and the cis-regulatory regions involved
were identified. Unexpectedly, the B19V NS1 protein played only a minor role
in the transactivation of the p6 promoter. The analysis of solitary adenovirus
proteins showed E1A and E4orf6 to be the central transactivating proteins,
which have a synergistic effect on the transactivation of the p6 promoter. The
conserved region 3 of the E1A protein turned out to be essential for the
transactivating function of E1A. Finally, monomeric B19V replication-
intermediates could be detected in endothelial cells already in the absence of
additional viruses, whereas the appearance of dimeric replication
intermediates was dependent on adenovirus co-infection. The results of the
present work regarding the receptor-mediated internalization of B19V in
endothelial cells suggest an alternative, B19V receptor-independent mechanism
of internalization in vivo such as internalization by B19V specific antibodies
(ADE) or the B19V infection of endothelial progenitor cells. Furthermore it
could be shown for the first time that the low rate of B19V genome expression
observed in endothelial cells can be increased markedly by adenovirus co-
infection and that specific B19V genome replication intermediates can be
induced by adenovirus
Notes on a Possible Critical Social Work
Critical social work is an intriguing idea. From my perspective it is at once filled with possibility and, at the same time, ambiguous. It is dynamic, moving in and out of focus. The foreground and background blend and merge, flowing into one another, exchanging positions and then beginning again. What is the modifier? Is it 'critical' and 'social' or just 'critical'? If 'critical' is modifying 'social work,' and we are considering social work a profession, the title implies a particular form of the profession
El rol de la comunicación en los programas de voluntariado
Las empresas son organizaciones que interactúan con la sociedad en la cual se encuentran. A la vez que muchas de ellas toman recursos naturales del medio ambiente tienen la responsabilidad y la obligación moral de devolver algo. Dicho compromiso se lleva adelante a través de los programas de voluntariado. Uno de los principales problemas para que los empleados participen de los mismos es la manera en que se les comunica. La manera en que la empresa comunica es fundamental para que esos proyectos sean realizados. En el presente trabajo se revisan una serie de conceptos ligados a la Responsabilidad Social Empresaria y su correspondiente evolución resultado de la bibliografía consultada. Se implementa una metodología de corte cualitativa y descriptiva por medio de entrevistas a líderes de las áreas pertinentes y encuestas a un grupo de empleados para el estudio de casos lo cual permite determinar el rol que tiene la comunicación dentro de un programa de voluntariado como acción de responsabilidad social y empresaria
- …