Vergleichende ökonomisch-ökologische Analyse von biologisch und konventionell wirtschaftenden Betrieben in Luxemburg („öko-öko“)

International gibt es zahlreiche vergleichende Untersuchungen von ökonomischen oder ökologischen Leistungen von biologisch und konventionell wirtschaftenden Betrieben (Baumgartner et al., 2010; Offermann and Nieberg, 2000; Olesen et al., 2006). Dabei werden meist aber entweder ökonomische oder ökologische Wirkungen untersucht. Studien, die beide Aspekte zu einer übergreifenden Sichtweise vereinen, sind rar (Schader, 2009). Dabei sind gerade solche integrierte Studien aus agrarpolitscher Sicht höchst relevant. Denn bei der Gestaltung der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik (GAP) auf Mitgliedsstaatenebene spielt die Frage der Ausrichtung der Maßnahmen eine zentrale Rolle. Die Pläne zur ländlichen Entwicklung und die darin beinhalteten Agrarumweltprogramme bilden die 2. Säule der GAP, die während der letzten Jahre im Vergleich zur ersten Säule finanziell an Bedeutung gewann. Eine dieser Maßnahmen ist die Flächen- und Umstellungsförderung des biologischen Landbaus, welche in allen Mitgliedsstaaten implementiert wird. Während die Effektivität der Maßnahme in der Erbringung von Umweltleistungen wenig umstritten ist, streiten sich Ökonomen, ob der biologische Landbau diese Umweltleistungen auch kostengünstig erbringen kann (Dabbert, 2002). Kürzlich zeigte Schader (2009), dass hier keine grundsätzlichen Vorbehalte vorgebracht werden müssen, die Effizienz aber regions- und länderspezifisch evaluiert werden sollte. In der Politikevaluation spricht man hier von sogenannten „targeting and tailoring“ (OECD, 2007) der Maßnahmen. Auch in Luxemburg, einem Land in dem die Entwicklung des biologischen Landbaus bisher vergleichsweise schleppend voranging, ist diese Frage von agrarpolitischer Relevanz. Gerade im Zusammenhang des 2009 ins Leben gerufenen „Aktionsplan für biologische Landwirtschaft Luxemburg“ stellt sich die Frage, zu welchen Kosten die biologisch wirtschaftenden Betriebe Umweltleistungen erfüllen und ob diese Zahlungen angemessen sind. Eine derartige Evaluationsstudie ist bisher in Luxemburg nicht durchgeführt worden. Die vorliegende Studie versucht diese Wissenslücke zu schließen. Dabei wird das Ziel verfolgt, die ökologischen Leistungen und monetären Kosten der biologisch wirtschaftenden Betriebe in Luxemburg vergleichbaren konventionellen Betrieben gegenüberzustellen. Daraus sollen Aussagen über die ökologische Effektivität und die ökonomische Effizienz der biologischen Wirtschaftsweise in Luxemburg abgeleitet werden. In dem Projekt „öko-öko“ werden ökologische Wirkungen von Biobetrieben und konventionellen Betrieben in Luxemburg verglichen. Zusätzlich wird die betriebswirtschaftliche Situation und die Förderung der verschiedenen Betriebe beleuchtet. Daraufhin werden die ökonomischen und ökologischen Größen miteinander in Beziehung gesetzt, um Erkenntnisse für eine Optimierung der Effektivität und Effizienz der Förderung der Biobetriebe in Luxemburg zu gewinnen. Dazu wird zunächst eine Übersicht über die vorhandene Literatur gegeben (Kapitel 2). In Kapitel 3 wird der methodische Zugang erläutert, der für diese Studie gewählt wurde und die Datengrundlage wird kurz beschrieben. Dies beinhaltet auch eine kurze Analyse der Betriebsstruktur der Stichprobe der analysierten Betriebe. Danach werden die ökologischen (Kapitel 4) und ökonomischen (Kapitel 5) Parameter analysiert und diskutiert. Kapitel 6 analysiert die Kosteneffizienz der Zahlungen an biologisch wirtschaftende Betriebe. In Kapitel 7 werden Schlussfolgerungen aus den Ergebnissen der Studie für die Wissenschaft und Agrarpolitik abgeleitet

KDOQI US Commentary on the 2017 ACC/AHA Hypertension Guideline

Hypertension is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and reduction of elevated blood pressure (BP) remains an important intervention for slowing kidney disease progression. Over the past decade, the most appropriate BP target for initiation and titration of BP-lowering medications has been an area of intense research and debate within the clinical community. In 2017, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) in conjunction with several other professional societies released new hypertension guidelines based on data from a systematic review of clinical trials and observational data. While many of the recommendations in the ACC/AHA hypertension guideline are relevant to nephrology practice, BP targets and management strategies for patients receiving dialysis are not discussed. This Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) commentary focuses largely on recommendations from the ACC/AHA hypertension guidelines that are pertinent to individuals at risk of chronic kidney disease or with non–dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease. This KDOQI commentary also includes a brief discussion of the consensus statement regarding hypertension diagnosis and management for adults receiving maintenance dialysis published by the European Renal and Cardiovascular Medicine Working Group of the European Renal Association–European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) and the Hypertension and the Kidney working group of the European Society of Hypertension. Overall, we support the vast majority of the ACC/AHA recommendations and highlight select areas in which best diagnosis and treatment options remain controversial

Genetic events in the progression of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast to high-grade triple-negative breast cancer

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast is a rare histologic type of triple-negative breast cancer with an indolent clinical behavior, often driven by the MYB-NFIB fusion gene. Here we sought to define the repertoire of somatic genetic alterations in two adenoid cystic carcinomas associated with high-grade triple-negative breast cancer. The different components of each case were subjected to copy number profiling and massively parallel sequencing targeting all exons and selected regulatory and intronic regions of 488 genes. Reverse transcription PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization were employed to investigate the presence of the MYB-NFIB translocation. The MYB-NFIB fusion gene was detected in both adenoid cystic carcinomas and their associated high-grade triple-negative breast cancer components. Whilst the distinct components of both cases displayed similar patterns of gene copy number alterations, massively parallel sequencing analysis revealed intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity. In case 1, progression from the trabecular adenoid cystic carcinoma to the high-grade triple-negative breast cancer was found to involve clonal shifts with enrichment of mutations affecting EP300, NOTCH1, ERBB2 and FGFR1 in the high-grade triple-negative breast cancer. In case 2, a clonal KMT2C mutation was present in the cribriform adenoid cystic carcinoma, solid adenoid cystic carcinoma and high-grade triple-negative breast cancer components, whereas a mutation affecting MYB was present only in the solid and high-grade triple-negative breast cancer areas and additional three mutations targeting STAG2, KDM6A and CDK12 were restricted to the high-grade triple-negative breast cancer. In conclusion, adenoid cystic carcinomas of the breast with high-grade transformation are underpinned by MYB-NFIB fusion gene, and, akin to other forms of cancer, may be constituted by a mosaic of cancer cell clones at diagnosis. The progression from adenoid cystic carcinoma to high-grade triple-negative breast cancer of no special type may involve the selection of neoplastic clones and/ or the acquisition of additional genetic alterations

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Search for direct stau production in events with two hadronic tau-leptons in root s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of the supersymmetric partners ofτ-leptons (staus) in final stateswith two hadronically decayingτ-leptons is presented. The analysis uses a dataset of pp collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of139fb−1, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LargeHadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No significant deviation from the expected StandardModel background is observed. Limits are derived in scenarios of direct production of stau pairs with eachstau decaying into the stable lightest neutralino and oneτ-lepton in simplified models where the two staumass eigenstates are degenerate. Stau masses from 120 GeV to 390 GeV are excluded at 95% confidencelevel for a massless lightest neutralino

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

Rancière and the re-distribution of the sensible: The artist Rosanna Raymond, dissensus and postcolonial sensibilities within the spaces of the museum

Through aesthetics we can articulate affective politics and demonstrate new ways of ‘doing’ progressive politics (Rancière, 2004).The paper explores the politics and practice of dissensus, within the museum with artist Rosanna Raymond. The paper argues that the museum space when critiqued through a postcolonial perspective and artistic practice, can be a vehicle for political change. Using Ranciere's account of 'politics' the paper outlines how a 'redistribution of the sensible' might be possible, that is inclusive of Maori space-time, self-determined cultural values and geoaesthetics

Expression, mutation and copy number analysis of platelet-derived growth factor receptor A (PDGFRA) and its ligand PDGFA in gliomas

BACKGROUND: Malignant gliomas are the most prevalent type of primary brain tumours but the therapeutic armamentarium for these tumours is limited. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signalling has been shown to be a key regulator of glioma development. Clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of anti-PDGFRA therapies on gliomas are ongoing. In this study, we intended to analyse the expression of PDGFA and its receptor PDGFRA, as well as the underlying genetic (mutations and amplification) mechanisms driving their expression in a large series of human gliomas. METHODS: PDGFA and PDGFRA expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in a series of 160 gliomas of distinct World Health Organization (WHO) malignancy grade. PDGFRA-activating gene mutations (exons 12, 18 and 23) were assessed in a subset of 86 cases by PCR-single-strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP), followed by direct sequencing. PDGFRA gene amplification analysis was performed in 57 cases by quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR) and further validated in a subset of cases by chromogenic in situ hybridisation (CISH) and microarray-based comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH). RESULTS: PDGFA and PDGFRA expression was found in 81.2% (130 out of 160) and 29.6% (48 out of 160) of gliomas, respectively. Its expression was significantly correlated with histological type of the tumours; however, no significant association between the expression of the ligand and its receptor was observed. The absence of PDGFA expression was significantly associated with the age of patients and with poor prognosis. Although PDGFRA gene-activating mutations were not found, PDGFRA gene amplification was observed in 21.1% (12 out of 57) of gliomas. No association was found between the presence of PDGFRA gene amplification and expression, excepting for grade II diffuse astrocytomas. CONCLUSION: The concurrent expression of PDGFA and PDGFRA in different subtypes of gliomas, reinforce the recognised significance of this signalling pathway in gliomas. PDGFRA gene amplification rather than gene mutation may be the underlying genetic mechanism driving PDGFRA overexpression in a portion of gliomas. Taken together, our results could provide in the future a molecular basis for PDGFRA-targeted therapies in gliomas