Feasibility of Podcasts and City by City Analysis for Upside.FM

The objective of the project is to conduct a feasibility study for Upside, with regard to their underlying business model. We then hope to make recommendations for other cities and complementary products that can fit under the Upside umbrella

SOCS2 is part of a highly prognostic 4-gene signature in AML and promotes disease aggressiveness.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease with respect to its genetic and molecular basis and to patients´ outcome. Clinical, cytogenetic, and mutational data are used to classify patients into risk groups with different survival, however, within-group heterogeneity is still an issue. Here, we used a robust likelihood-based survival modeling approach and publicly available gene expression data to identify a minimal number of genes whose combined expression values were prognostic of overall survival. The resulting gene expression signature (4-GES) consisted of 4 genes (SOCS2, IL2RA, NPDC1, PHGDH), predicted patient survival as an independent prognostic parameter in several cohorts of AML patients (total, 1272 patients), and further refined prognostication based on the European Leukemia Net classification. An oncogenic role of the top scoring gene in this signature, SOCS2, was investigated using MLL-AF9 and Flt3-ITD/NPM1c driven mouse models of AML. SOCS2 promoted leukemogenesis as well as the abundance, quiescence, and activity of AML stem cells. Overall, the 4-GES represents a highly discriminating prognostic parameter in AML, whose clinical applicability is greatly enhanced by its small number of genes. The newly established role of SOCS2 in leukemia aggressiveness and stemness raises the possibility that the signature might even be exploitable therapeutically

SOCS2 is part of a highly prognostic 4-gene signature in AML and promotes disease aggressiveness

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease with respect to its genetic and molecular basis and to patients´ outcome. Clinical, cytogenetic, and mutational data are used to classify patients into risk groups with different survival, however, within-group heterogeneity is still an issue. Here, we used a robust likelihood-based survival modeling approach and publicly available gene expression data to identify a minimal number of genes whose combined expression values were prognostic of overall survival. The resulting gene expression signature (4-GES) consisted of 4 genes (SOCS2, IL2RA, NPDC1, PHGDH), predicted patient survival as an independent prognostic parameter in several cohorts of AML patients (total, 1272 patients), and further refined prognostication based on the European Leukemia Net classification. An oncogenic role of the top scoring gene in this signature, SOCS2, was investigated using MLL-AF9 and Flt3-ITD/NPM1c driven mouse models of AML. SOCS2 promoted leukemogenesis as well as the abundance, quiescence, and activity of AML stem cells. Overall, the 4-GES represents a highly discriminating prognostic parameter in AML, whose clinical applicability is greatly enhanced by its small number of genes. The newly established role of SOCS2 in leukemia aggressiveness and stemness raises the possibility that the signature might even be exploitable therapeutically

Incidence and Determinants of Symptomatic and Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Breakthrough Infections After Booster Dose in a Large European Multicentric Cohort of Health Workers-ORCHESTRA Project

Background: SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections (BI) after vaccine booster dose are a relevant public health issue. Methods: Multicentric longitudinal cohort study within the ORCHESTRA project, involving 63,516 health workers (HW) from 14 European settings. The study investigated the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 BI after booster dose and its correlation with age, sex, job title, previous infection, and time since third dose. Results: 13,093 (20.6%) BI were observed. The cumulative incidence of BI was higher in women and in HW aged < 50 years, but nearly halved after 60 years. Nurses experienced the highest BI incidence, and administrative staff experienced the lowest. The BI incidence was higher in immunosuppressed HW (28.6%) vs others (24.9%). When controlling for gender, age, job title and infection before booster, heterologous vaccination reduced BI incidence with respect to the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine [Odds Ratio (OR) 0.69, 95% CI 0.63-0.76]. Previous infection protected against asymptomatic infection [Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) of recent infection vs no infection 0.53, 95% CI 0.23-1.20] and even more against symptomatic infections [RRR 0.11, 95% CI 0.05-0.25]. Symptomatic infections increased from 70.5% in HW receiving the booster dose since < 64 days to 86.2% when time elapsed was > 130 days. Conclusions: The risk of BI after booster is significantly reduced by previous infection, heterologous vaccination, and older ages. Immunosuppression is relevant for increased BI incidence. Time elapsed from booster affects BI severity, confirming the public health usefulness of booster. Further research should focus on BI trend after 4th dose and its relationship with time variables across the epidemics.BackgroundSARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections (BI) after vaccine booster dose are a relevant public health issue.MethodsMulticentric longitudinal cohort study within the ORCHESTRA project, involving 63,516 health workers (HW) from 14 European settings. The study investigated the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 BI after booster dose and its correlation with age, sex, job title, previous infection, and time since third dose.Results13,093 (20.6%) BI were observed. The cumulative incidence of BI was higher in women and in HW aged < 50 years, but nearly halved after 60 years. Nurses experienced the highest BI incidence, and administrative staff experienced the lowest. The BI incidence was higher in immunosuppressed HW (28.6%) vs others (24.9%). When controlling for gender, age, job title and infection before booster, heterologous vaccination reduced BI incidence with respect to the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine [Odds Ratio (OR) 0.69, 95% CI 0.63-0.76]. Previous infection protected against asymptomatic infection [Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) of recent infection vs no infection 0.53, 95% CI 0.23-1.20] and even more against symptomatic infections [RRR 0.11, 95% CI 0.05-0.25]. Symptomatic infections increased from 70.5% in HW receiving the booster dose since < 64 days to 86.2% when time elapsed was > 130 days.ConclusionsThe risk of BI after booster is significantly reduced by previous infection, heterologous vaccination, and older ages. Immunosuppression is relevant for increased BI incidence. Time elapsed from booster affects BI severity, confirming the public health usefulness of booster. Further research should focus on BI trend after 4th dose and its relationship with time variables across the epidemics

Gewerkschaftliche und betriebliche Mitbestimmung in Kroatien

Die vorliegende Dissertation analysiert betriebliche und gewerkschaftliche Mitbestimmung in Kroatien nach 1990. Ausgehend von der Erkenntnis, dass eine demokratietheoretische Untersuchung der Systemtransformation den Blick auf die Schnittstelle von Wirtschaft und Politik lenken muss, wird die Entscheidungsfindung an eben dieser Schnittstelle eruiert. So widmet sich die Abhandlung der Mitbestimmung im Arbeitsbereich, dem Einfluss von ArbeitnehmerInnen auf den postsozialistischen Reformprozess und den Funktionen von Mitbestimmung für die Demokratie. In der Analyse gewerkschaftlicher Mitbestimmungsprozesse auf gesamtstaatlichem Niveau wird deutlich, dass diese von einer Diskrepanz zwischen vorgesehenen und umgesetzten Einflussmöglichkeiten gekennzeichnet sind. Darüber hinaus haben die gewerkschaftliche Selbstpositionierung in Eigentumsfragen der ehemaligen öffentlichen Unternehmen und die Fragmentierung der kroatischen Gewerkschaften ihre demokratischen Regulierungs- und Kontrollfunktionen stark eingeschränkt. Obwohl gezeigt wird, dass verstärkte Mitbestimmungsmöglichkeiten in Betrieben humane Arbeitsbedingungen und erhöhte Arbeitszufriedenheit zur Folge haben, besteht auch auf betrieblicher Ebene in Kroatien ein Graben zwischen den rechtlich vorgesehenen Mitbestimmungsmöglichkeiten und ihrer Umsetzung. Sowohl auf gesamtstaatlicher als auch auf betrieblicher Ebene werden daher neue Formen der Mitbestimmung gesucht. Der Untersuchung neuer, unkonventioneller Einflussmöglichkeiten dient die exemplarische Analyse der Firma ITAS, die zu hundert Prozent im Eigentum ihrer MitarbeiterInnen steht. Der Fall ITAS zeigt deutlich, dass ein Mehr an betrieblicher Mitbestimmung zur Erfüllung demokratischen Funktionen wie der humanen Gestaltung der Arbeitsbedingungen, der Arbeitsplatzsicherheit, gerechter Entlohnung und Arbeitszufriedenheit beitragen kann. Auch die Spillover-Funktion von betrieblicher Mitbestimmung – ihr Potenzial, die Praxis von Mitbestimmung auf andere Lebensbereiche der MitarbeiterInnen zu übertragen – wird anhand von ITAS analysiert. Obwohl die Resultate in dieser Fallstudie ambivalent sind, wird doch das Lösungspotenzial einer solchen ausgeweiteten Mitbestimmung und Selbstorganisation ersichtlich. In Zeiten der Krise der Demokratie, in der postdemokratische Phänomene ihr Funktionieren unterlaufen, können neue Formen der betrieblichen Partizipation die Handlungsfähigkeit der Bürgergesellschaft stärken, und ist es für die Demokratietheorie von Relevanz, sich auch solchen Formen der Mitbestimmung in der Ökonomie zu widmen.The intersections between politics and economy have become an increasingly relevant topic in democratic theory. In order to examine one of such interconnections, this doctoral thesis looks at workers’ participation in a firm in Croatia after the end of Yugoslav self-management. Especially the questions of how unions were able to influence the post-socialist transformation, how workers’ participation changed at the level of enterprises and to which degree these developments had repercussions on Croatian democracy were focused on. Analysing the participation of unions in the post-socialist reform process at the state level, a discrepancy between formally designated and actually implemented forms of participation can be observed. This discrepancy was also caused by breakup of Croatian unions after 1990 as well as their passiveness during the privatisation process of formerly state-owned enterprises. But also at the level of enterprises, a lack of implementation of legally foreseen opportunities of workers’ participation was witnessed. Therefore, new and unconventional forms were sought at both levels. As an example of new forms of workers’ participation, the study takes a look at the company ITAS that is a hundred per cent owned by its workers. The case study shows that increased participation at the workplace leads to humane and fair working conditions as well as increased job satisfaction. In addition, the spillover effect is analysed, namely the potential of workers’ participation to promote participation in other spheres of life as defined by Participatory Democracy. Although the results of the case study are ambivalent, the general democratic potential of increased participatory practices and self-organisation at the level of enterprises is shown. Hence, there is a need for democratic theory to pay more attention to economic participation and its potential for civic empowerment in a postdemocratic era