Relevanz ethisch-philosophischer Imperative für juristische Personen in der Gegenwartsdiskussion

Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Fragekomplex, wie die moderne Ethik Maxime erarbeiten kann, die effektiv ein nachhaltiges Wirtschaften ermöglichen. Sie spinnt einen kulturgeschichtlichen Faden von den scholastischen Eigentums- und Wirtschaftskonzepten des Mittelalters bis zu den Einflüssen neuzeitlicher Ethiksysteme. Auch außereuropäische Einflüsse sollen kurz betrachtet werden. Durch diesen Versuch einer Zusammenschau des wirtschaftsethischen Diskurses der Gegenwart sollen exemplarisch Positionen und Ansätze diskutiert werden, wie das handelnde Wirtschaftssubjekt im Wirtschaftsleben und in der Gesellschaft gedacht werden kann. Es soll aufgezeigt werden, wie mit philosophischen und rechts- und wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Methoden versucht wird, ethische Pflicht und subjektives Gewinnstreben zu vereinbaren. Im Mittelpunkt stehen die unterschiedlichen Anforderungen an Organe von Kapitalgesellschaften, die sich durch das gegenwärtige Wirtschaftssystem ergeben und welche Lösungsansätze im wissenschaftlichen Diskurs vorgeschlagen werden.This work is coping with the complex of questions, how modern ethics are able to constitute maxims, which make sustainable economics possible. It is drawing a line along scholastic economic concepts of the middle-ages to modern ethic systems, mentioning non-european influences. This trial of a summary of the economic-ethic discours wants to show examples of modern positions and concepts, how the acting subject in economy-life and society can be thought. It shall be shown how scientists try to explain with scientific means of Philosophy, Law, and Economy to cope with ethical debt versus personal profit. This work is focusing on different responsibilities of executive agents of corporations, imposed by ethics and economy, presenting solutions by authors of the present scientific discussion

Weather Variables Affecting the Behaviour of Insect Flower Visitors and Main Pollinators of Erythroxylum myrsinites Martius (Erythroxylaceae)

Basic research assessing environmental effects on entire pollinator communities are still uncommon, particularly for rare and commercially unattractive plant-pollinator partners. We investigated the community of flower visitors of Erythroxylum myrsinites to check for potential pollinators and to check the extent of weather influence of visitor behaviour, registered as the number of visitors attending flowers of E. myrsinites. We then calculated species’ dominance and constancy and assessed location of pollen attachment in each visitor’s body. We correlated weather variables with the composition and abundance of visits carried out by the entire community and by most constant and dominant species. The wasps Polybia sericea, P. ignobilis and P. fastidiosuscula showed the highest values of constancy, dominance and attached pollen. There was a community-level effect of atmospheric pressure, solar radiation and wind speed on the number of visits. Atmospheric pressure affected the number of visits of eudominant species P. fastidiosuscula and P. sericea, while solar radiation affected the number of visits of P. ignobilis. Our results demonstrate the influence of weather variables on flower visiting insects and suggest the importance of native wasps in pollen transport and pollination, a relationship that should be further studied under the worldwide bee pollination decline

Floristic-geographic relationships in a forest structure at the central region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

This work studied the influence of floristic contingents on the composition and structure of a forest in the central region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The study was carried out in the County of Sinimbu, in a deciduous forest, where 100 contiguous sampling units that totaled 1 ha were established. All individuals with DBH ≥ 4,8 cm were identified and measured. The richest families were Myrtaceae (18), Fabaceae (16) and Euphorbiaceae with 10 species. Most of the species surveyed are widely distributed across southern Brazilian vegetation formations. A large proportion of species belonged to the western seasonal contingent, although it has had contributed with few individuals. The eastern wet contingent presented both, low percentage of species and individuals. The community showed three height layers, all of them showing dominance of wide geographical distribution species.ResumoO presente estudo verificou a influência dos contingentes florísticos sobre a composição e estrutura de uma sinúsia florestal na região central do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. O estudo foi realizado no município de Sinimbu, em uma floresta decidual, onde foram demarcadas 100 unidades amostrais contíguas, totalizando 1 ha. Todos os indivíduos com diâmetro à altura do peito ≥ 4,8 cm foram amostrados e identificados. As famílias com maior riqueza específica foram Myrtaceae (18), Fabaceae (16) e Euphorbiaceae (10). A maior parte das espécies e dos indivíduos amostrados é de ampla distribuição geográfica. Uma elevada proporção das espécies pertenceu ao contingente das florestas estacionais, entretanto, este apresentou baixo número de indivíduos. O contingente Atlântico apresentou, além de um baixo número de indivíduos, também baixa riqueza. A comunidade apresentou três estratos de altura, todos com predominância de plantas de ampla distribuição geográfica.Palavras-chave: Fitogeografia; flora; unidade de conservação; vale do Rio Pardo. AbstractFloristic-geographic relationships in a forest structure at the central region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This work studied the influence of floristic contingents on the composition and structure of a forest in the central region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The study was carried out in the County of Sinimbu, in a deciduous forest, where 100 contiguous sampling units that totaled 1 ha were established. All individuals with DBH ≥ 4,8 cm were identified and measured. The richest families were Myrtaceae (18), Fabaceae (16) and Euphorbiaceae with 10 species. Most of the species surveyed are widely distributed across southern Brazilian vegetation formations. A large proportion of species belonged to the western seasonal contingent, although it has had contributed with few individuals. The eastern wet contingent presented both, low percentage of species and individuals. The community showed three height layers, all of them showing dominance of wide geographical distribution species.Keywords: Phytogeography; flora; conservation unit; Rio Pardo valley

Vespídeos (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) vetores de pólen de Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (Anacardiaceae), Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brasil

This work aimed to verify which wasps act as pollen vector and can make potential pollination in the community of floral visitors of Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi in Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. On the flowers of one individual, 1.619 insects were collected, where 616 belong to Vespidae. 55,7% of the total of Vespidae presented pollen grains attached to their exoesqueletum confirming the pollinator habit of some species. Polistes versicolor, P. simillimus, Polybia sericea and P. ignobilis presented large quantities of pollen on their body, beyond high values of dominance and constancy, proving its importance on the pollen transportation and potentiality to act as pollinators of the studied taxon.Objetivou-se com este estudo verificar quais vespas atuam no transporte de pólen, bem como verificar as espécies que podem exercer a polinização potencial de Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, em Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. Coletou-se nas flores de um indivíduo, 1.619 insetos, sendo 616 vespídeos. 55,7% destes apresentaram grãos de pólen aderido ao seu exoesqueleto. Polistes versicolor, P. simillimus, Polybia sericea e P. ignobilis continham grandes quantidades de pólen aglomerados em regiões de seu exoesqueleto, além de altos valores de dominância e constância, confirmando sua importância no transporte de pólen e atuando como potenciais polinizadores do indivíduo estudado

The influence of fire and cattle grazing on Araucaria population structure in forest-grasslands mosaics

Artigo mostrando a importância do manejo com fogo e gado para a expansão das áreas com araucarias na Serra de Santa Catarina. Pesquisa realizada no âmbito do projeto PELD-BISC.Disturbances caused by land management via fire and cattle grazing can alter the population structure of keystone species that change the output of vegetation dynamics. Adult araucaria trees (Araucaria angustifolia) can facilitate the establishment of other woody plants and, thus, influence the expansion of forests over grasslands in the highlands of southern Brazil. Here we aimed to check araucaria population structure under two types of management – with or without fire and grazing– and in three habitat types: forests, shrublands and grasslands. We sampled araucaria populations in 40 transects (100×4 m), half of each located in the forest, and the other half, in variable extensions of shrublands or grasslands. Of the 40 transects, 18 were under management with fire and grazing and 22 in a protected area where the two disturbances are prevented (S ̃ ao Joaquim National Park). Overall, we sampled 339 araucaria seedlings, 59 saplings, 44 juveniles and 128 adults. Population structure differed both among habitats, between types of management, and between the same habitats but under distinct types of management. Population density was 1.4 times higher in areas with fire and grazing than without such disturbances, which was caused mostly by a larger number of seedlings. Under fire and grazing, we found 1.4 times more adults in forests, 5.7 times more seedlings in shrublands and 5.3 times more seedlings in the grassland than in the same habitat but without disturbances. Our results indicate that araucarias reach and germinate under all conditions but rarely surpass the seedling stage in grasslands and shrublands where fire and grazing is used. Consequently, fire and grazing disturbances should slow down forest expansion over shrublands and grasslands. In contrast, when disturbances are barred, araucarias can grow large enough to trigger their facili- tative effect and then gear up the pace of forest expansion.CNPq/Capes/FAPs/BC-Fundo Newton/PELD no 15/2016 and FAPESC/2018TR0928

Retinal nerve fibre layer thinning is associated with worse visual outcome after optic neuritis in children with a relapsing demyelinating syndrome

AIM: Optic neuritis may be monophasic or occur as part of a relapsing demyelinating syndrome (RDS), such as multiple sclerosis, aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-Ab) neuromyelitis optical spectrum disorder (NMOSD), or myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody (MOG-Ab)-associated disease. The aims of this study were to test whether clinical, electrophysiological, and microstructural parameters differ in multiple-sclerosis-associated optic neuritis (MS-ON) and antibody-associated optic neuritis (Ab-ON); to identify the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of children suffering worse long-term visual outcome of RDS-optic neuritis; and to explore the relationship between RNFL thickness and clinical parameters in RDS-optic neuritis. METHOD: Forty-two children with optic neuritis were retrospectively studied: 22 with multiple sclerosis (MS-ON) and 20 with antibody-associated demyelination (Ab-ON: MOG-Ab=16 and AQP4-Ab=4). Clinical and paraclinical features were analysed. RESULTS: Complete recovery of visual acuity was reported in 25 out of 42 children; eight out of 38 (21%) suffered moderate or severe visual impairment (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]>0.5) in their worse eye, including four out of 38 who were blind (logMAR>1.3) in their worse eye (two with multiple sclerosis, two with AQP4-Ab NMOSD). None of the children with MOG-Ab were blind. Recurrence of optic neuritis was more common in the Ab-ON group than the MS-ON group (15 out of 20 vs seven out of 22, p=0.007). Retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness at baseline inversely correlated with visual acuity at final follow-up (r=-0.41, p=0.008). There was no significant relationship between the number of episodes of optic neuritis and mean RNFL (r=-0.08, p=0.628), nor any significant relationship between the number of episodes of optic neuritis and visual impairment (r=0.03, p=0.794). INTERPRETATION: In children with RDS, long-term visual impairment inversely correlated with RNFL thickness, but not with the number of relapses of optic neuritis. Optical coherence tomography may have a role in assessing children with optic neuritis to monitor disease activity and inform treatment decisions. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Long-term visual impairment is reported in 40% of children with a relapsing demyelinating syndrome following optic neuritis. Relapse of optic neuritis, occurring more frequently in the non-multiple-sclerosis group. Retinal nerve fibre layer thinning is associated with worse visual outcome. Optical coherence tomography can be used alongside clinical parameters as an objective measure of neuroretinal loss

Pattern of gray matter volumes related to retinal thickness and its association with cognitive function in relapsing–remitting MS

Background Neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS) may be investigated in the visual system as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows examining structural integrity in detail. The association between thickness of retinal layers and focal cortical volumes beyond the primary visual system has not been thoroughly investigated. Objective To investigate the association between focal cortical volume and thickness of retinal layers. Methods Fifty-four patients (relapsing–remitting MS, mean age 40.5 years, mean disease duration 7.6 years, median EDSS 2) underwent OCT and MRI. The association between focal cortical volume and OCT measurements was investigated with voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Patterns of association were determined with Yeo's functional network atlas and the Harvard-Oxford cortical atlas. We used GEE models with cortical volumes from the FreeSurfer parcellation to confirm VBM results. Post hoc, we analyzed the association between OCT, focal cortical volumes, and an extended neuropsychological assessment in a subgroup of 14 patients. Results Macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL) and ganglion cell /inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) showed a robust association with mainly the insular cortex and the cingulate cortex. VBM findings were confirmed with FreeSurfer volumes. The post hoc analysis detected significant correlations between both OCT outcomes and cognition. Conclusion Besides the primary visual system, OCT outcomes show a correlation pattern with cortical regions that are known to be important for cognitive performance, predominantly the insula in both hemispheres. Thus, OCT should be further investigated as a marker for neurodegeneration in MS

Impact of the McDonald Criteria 2017 on Early Diagnosis of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic immune mediated demyelinating disease leading to neurological disabilities that need to be diagnosed and treated early. Guidelines on multiple sclerosis diagnosis and monitoring experienced comprehensive changes over the last decades. The first McDonald criteria published in 2001 emphasized the importance of MR imaging but also recognized the role of cerebrospinal fluid diagnostics. The demonstration of an intrathecal immunoglobulin G synthesis is a well-established additional component and has a long tradition in the diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. However, the role of cerebrospinal fluid for diagnostic purposes was rather diminished in each revision of the McDonald criteria. In the latest revision of the McDonald criteria of 2017, the detection of an intrathecal immunoglobulin G synthesis as oligoclonal bands experienced a revival. Patients with the first clinical event suggesting multiple sclerosis who fulfill the criteria for dissemination in space can be diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis when oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid are detected. The diagnostic sensitivity of these novel criteria with a focus on dissemination in time and oligoclonal bands as a substitute for dissemination in time was published in different cohorts in the last year and is of special interest in this review. Recently published data show that by applying the 2017 McDonald criteria, multiple sclerosis can be diagnosed more frequently at the time of first clinical event as compared to the 2010 McDonald criteria. The main effect was due to the implementation of oligoclonal bands as a substitute for dissemination in time. However, careful differential diagnosis is essential in patients with atypical clinical manifestations to avoid misdiagnoses

Investigation of Oligoclonal IgG Bands in Tear Fluid of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Background: Oligoclonal IgG bands (OCB) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) represent a typical marker for inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and have a predictive and diagnostic value in patients with a first suspected demyelinating event. The detection in tears remains controversial but some reports suggested a replacement of CSF analysis by OCB detection in tears. We aimed to investigate the value of OCB detection in tears systematically in patients with MS.Methods: Tears of 59 patients with suspected or diagnosed MS were collected with Schirmer filter paper strips. Tear IgG was purified by affinity chromatography with protein G. After isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels OCB detection was performed with direct silver staining. Paired triplets of CSF, serum, and tears were analyzed. For comparison purposes we additionally used other tear collection methods (flush procedure and plastic capillary tubes) or detection techniques (Immunoblotting). Clinical and paraclinical parameters are provided.Results: IgG collection in tears was most reliable by using Schirmer strips. Thirteen patients had to be excluded due to insufficient sample material. Tear specific proteins that interfered with OCB detection were successfully eliminated by IgG purification. The concordance of OCB in tears and CSF of all investigated MS patients was 39% with a high rate of only marginal pattern in tears. Five patients demonstrated restricted bands in tears, neither detectable in CSF nor serum. Occurrence of OCB in tears was significantly associated with pathological visual evoked potentials (P = 0.0094) and a history of optic neuritis (P = 0.0258).Conclusion: Due to the limited concordance, high rate of samples with insufficient material, and the unknown origin of tear IgG we cannot recommend that tear OCB detection may replace CSF OCB detection in MS patients. The detection of unique OCB in tears might offer new insights in ophthalmological diseases