Flashlight Europe N°8 – October 2015; Deeper EU integration is in Poland’s interest

The Polish people have voted in favour of the political change: former prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczyński’s party Law and Justice (PiS) with its front-runner Beata Szydlo turned out strongest in the parliamentary elections on Sunday with almost 38 per cent of votes. The liberal Civic Platform (PO), headed by prime minister Ewa Kopacz, gained only 23.4 per cent. Why this shift to the right? And what will be the consequences for Polish politics? We asked Jacek Kucharczyk, President of the executive board of the Warsaw-based Institute of Public Affairs

Russendisko: Filmheft für den DaF-Unterricht / Sprachniveau C1

Im Sommersemester 2014 wurde an der Pädagogischen Hochschule Freiburg ein Projektseminar „Deutsch als Fremdsprache: Literatur/Film und Diversität“ (Seminarleitung: Natalia Hahn & Marianne Schöler) in Zusammenarbeit mit der Pädagogischen Universität namens A.I. Herzen, St. Petersburg / Russland – Partneruniversität der Pädagogischen Hochschule Freiburg – angeboten. Im Rahmen des Seminars wurde der Spielfilm „Russendisko“ (Regie: Oliver Ziegenbalg; Produktionsland:Deutschland; 2012) analysiert und für den DaF-Unterricht didaktisiert. Die Seminarergebnisse werden im vorliegenden Filmheft verfasst.\ud Die Erprobung der ausgewählten Aufgaben erfolgte im Rahmen eines Kino- und Themenabends „Russendisko: Russen – Juden – Deutsche“ in der Israelitischen Gemeinde Freiburg (August 2014)und an der Pädagogischen Universität namens A.I. Herzen, St. Petersburg (September 2014).\ud Das vorliegende Filmheft stellt methodisch-didaktisches Material für die Arbeit mit dem Film "Russendisko" im DaF-Unterricht (GER C1) dar. Das Filmheft richtet sich an DaF-Lehrende, die einen Unterricht vorbereiten und den Filmeinsatz planen. Die Endzielgruppe sind jedoch DaF-Lernende

Towards a New European Neighbourhood Policy: Impulses for discussion. European Neighbourhood Conference Berlin, November 26/27, 2014

The Lisbon treaty calls on the EU to “develop a special relationship with neighbouring countries, aiming to establish an area of prosperity and good neighbourliness, founded on the values of the Union” (Art. 8). Collaboration within the ENP framework is independent of the process of potential EU accession, yet it neither prejudges future development of EU relations with any respective partner. In times of geopolitical turmoil and revolutionary transformations, the existing framework neither meets the aspirations of the 16 neighbours nor the expectations of the EU. The future ENP has to develop alternative mechanisms and answer new needs

The EU neighborhood in shambles: Some recommendations for a new European neighbourhood strategy. Bertelsmann Studies

An “arc of instability” stretching from the European Union’s (EU) eastern borders down to the Mediterranean basin has undermined its flagship European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). This policy was designed to deliver prosperity, stability and democracy to countries surrounding the EU. It has manifestly failed and needs to be radically rethought

Circulating microRNAs as biomarkers - True Blood?

MicroRNAs are post-transcriptional regulators that are involved in many physiological and pathophysiological conditions. A recent study compared the expression profiles of hundreds of blood-borne microRNAs across a variety of nonmalignant and malignant diseases to identify disease-specific expression patterns. The resulting microRNA expression data could be used to discriminate disease samples with a high level of accuracy, demonstrating the potential for using microRNA signatures for the blood-based diagnosis of disease

Service Dominant Logic and Business Process Blueprinting: Enhancing the View on Performance by Integrating the Customer Perspective

Today process-oriented approaches to solve business challenges are state of the art. However most business process management methods focus on increased performance only from the firm’s perspective and neglect the increasing importance of value co-creation between the firm and the customer. Modern business process management methods not only need to concentrate on the internal performance of processes, but need to include the customer’s perspective. In this article we introduce the method of “Business Process Blueprinting” that combines both points of view. By enhancing business process modeling with the marketing concept of service blueprinting, we offer a method to visualize and analyze the firm’s and customer’s perspective within one integrated approach and reduce the gap between information management and marketing. This opens up the path towards an enhanced understanding of process performance in terms of a stronger inclusion of revenue into costing and analyzing and influencing subsequent usage processes

Systematic Analysis of Gene Expression Differences between Left and Right Atria in Different Mouse Strains and in Human Atrial Tissue

Background: Normal development of the atria requires left-right differentiation during embryonic development. Reduced expression of Pitx2c (paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2, isoform c), a key regulator of left-right asymmetry, has recently been linked to atrial fibrillation. We therefore systematically studied the molecular composition of left and right atrial tissue in adult murine and human atria. Methods: We compared left and right atrial gene expression in healthy, adult mice of different strains and ages by employing whole genome array analyses on freshly frozen atrial tissue. Selected genes with enriched expression in either atrium were validated by RT-qPCR and Western blot in further animals and in shock-frozen left and right atrial appendages of patients undergoing open heart surgery. Results: We identified 77 genes with preferential expression in one atrium that were common in all strains and age groups analysed. Independent of strain and age, Pitx2c was the gene with the highest enrichment in left atrium, while Bmp10, a member of the TGFb family, showed highest enrichment in right atrium. These differences were validated by RT-qPCR in murine and human tissue. Western blot showed a 2-fold left-right concentration gradient in PITX2 protein in adult human atria. Several of the genes and gene groups enriched in left atria have a known biological role for maintenance of healthy physiology, specifically the prevention of atrial pathologies involved in atrial fibrillation, including membrane electrophysiology, metabolic cellular function, and regulation of inflammatory processes. Comparison of the array datasets with published array analyses in heterozygous Pitx2c+/2 atria suggested that approximately half of the genes with left-sided enrichment are regulated by Pitx2c. Conclusions: Our study reveals systematic differences between left and right atrial gene expression and supports the hypothesis that Pitx2c has a functional role in maintaining ‘‘leftness’’ in the atrium in adult murine and human hearts

Close Together or Far Apart? Poles, Germans and Russians on the Russia-Ukraine Crisis. Bertelsmann Studies

Eastern policy has for many years been a complicated and emotionally charged issue in Polish-German relations. A frequent claim made in public debates on this issue is that the two countries are once more divided in their views. However, the results of a survey conducted simultaneously by the Institute of Public Affairs and the Bertelsmann Stiftung in Poland and Germany reveal that Poles and Germans hold basically similar views on issues connected with the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although differences between them are visible, the two countries are closer to each other in their opinions on Russia than many Polish and German commentators assume. Poles and Germans share the same negative assessment of the state of their countries’ relations with Russia. Also both publics support EU sanctions. Moreover, they are willing to support Ukraine economically but would not like to see further deterioration of relations with Russia. As for Russians, they also regard their country’s relations with Poland and Germany as bad. Despite the fact that they view the conflict from a completely different perspective than Poles and Germans, a clear majority of Russians do not support any military engagement of Russia on the side of the separatists in eastern Ukraine