The European metropolitan region of Zurich - a cluster of economic clusters?

Switzerland is a small country and possesses only two or three major economic regions of a metropolitan character. From a Swiss perspective the most important region is the European Metropolitan Region of Zurich (EMRZ). The EMRZ covers the whole of the Zurich economic area as well as adjacent areas like Zug, Lucerne and Basel. In empirical terms the EMRZ shows an above average percentage share of manufacturing industries and advanced service companies. Although the EMRZ is recognised as the prime Swiss economic engine there is only vague perception about the locational situation of its more important industries such as pharmaceuticals, machinery, financial services and others. A true-type cluster analysis for the EMRZ is still lacking. This deficit of fundamental knowledge about the region seems all the more important since several economic promotion agencies market the greater Zurich economic area as a region with clusters in financial service industries and medical equipment. The paper thus presents in a first step the EMRZ delimitation using some selected statistical data which are put into relation with the whole of Switzerland. The emphasis of this analysis lies on the identification of the major manufacturing and service industries that are located within the EMRZ. Followed by a short overview of the different cluster theories and a working definition for an empirical cluster analysis. The next section produces a cluster analysis based on data from the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics. This results in the identification of major clusters, locational coefficients as well as a first glimpse at the interrelations between selected clusters. The paper finishes off with a hypothesis whether the spatial proximity of economic clusters in the case of the EMRZ bears any causality with its economic development. Key words: cluster analysis, European metropolitan region of Zurich, regional innovation system, spillovers

Physiological roles of PKB isoforms in development, growth and glucose metabolism

Protein kinase B (PKB), also known as Akt, is a serine/threonine protein kinase that regulates key events in metabolism, proliferation, cell survival, and differentiation. Importantly, PKB is a major downstream effector of IGF1 and insulin signaling, implicating this kinase in growth control and insulin action. In mammals, there are three isoforms of PKB, PKBα/Akt1, PKBβ/Akt2, and PKBγ/Akt3. These are encoded by distinct genes but share similar structural organization. It has been proposed that such isoforms are uniquely adapted to transmit distinct biological signals. To identify specific physiological functions of the individual isoforms, we and others have generated animal models deficient in PKBα, PKBβ, and PKBγ: Mice lacking PKBα demonstrate increased perinatal mortality and a reduction in body weight, whereas PKBβ-deficient exhibit a diabetes-like syndrome with elevated fasting plasma glucose and peripheral insulin resistance; the present study shows a role of PKBγ in postnatal brain development. These observations indicate that the PKB isoforms have some differential, nonredundant physiological functions. The relatively subtle phenotypes of these mice as well as the viability of the animals suggest, however, that for many functions PKB isoforms are able to compensate for each other. Certain physiological functions of PKB are thus revealed only when total PKB levels are below a critical threshold in particular cell types and tissues. In the present study we analyzed mice doubly deficient for PKBα/PKBγ and PKBβ/PKBγ, respectively, to identify the combined roles of these isoforms in PKB-mediated physiological processes. We show that mice mutant in both PKBα and PKBγ die around embryonic day 12 with severe impairments in growth, cardiovascular development, and organization of the nervous system. In contrast, we found that PKBβ−/−γ−/− mice develop normally and survive with minimal dysfunctions despite a dramatic reduction of total PKB levels in all tissues. In PKBβ−/−γ−/− mice only the PKBα isoform remains to perform essential PKB functions and we show that minimal amounts of PKBα appear to be sufficient for full activation of many downstream targets. Interestingly, even the presence of only a single functional allele of PKBα is sufficient for successful embryonic development and postnatal survival in mice. However, PKBβ−/−γ−/− mice are glucose and insulin intolerant and exhibit a ~25% reduction in body weights compared to wild-type mice. In addition, we found a substantial reduction in relative size and weight of brain and testis, demonstrating an in vivo role for both PKBβ and PKBγ in the determination of whole animal size and individual organ sizes. Taken together, our results provide insights into the PKB isoform hierarchy and their relative importance during early development, growth, and glucose metabolism

The influence of qualification on women's childlessness in West Germany: age and cohort effects ; analyses with the German Microcensus

'Bislang gibt es kaum Studien, welche die Entwicklung und das Ausmaß von Kinderlosigkeit in Deutschland in umfassender Weise empirisch untersuchen. Ein wesentlicher Grund hierfür dürfte die unzureichende Datenlage sein. Der vorliegende Arbeitsbericht beschreibt auf Basis von Mikrozensusdaten die Entwicklung der bildungsspezifischen Kinderlosigkeit von deutschen Frauen in Westdeutschland für die Geburtskohorten 1951 bis 1968. Neben dem Bildungsniveau werden auch die Erwerbsbeteiligung und der Familienstand von Frauen als zentrale Erklärungsfaktoren von Kinderlosigkeit herangezogen. Der Vorteil des Mikrozensus ist zweifellos der im Vergleich zu wissenschaftsbasierten Erhebungen sehr große Stichprobenumfang, der auch die Betrachtung von eher kleinen Subpopulationen erlaubt. Allerdings stößt die Analyse von Kinderlosigkeit mit Mikrozensusdaten auch auf zentrale Beschränkungen. Diese Beschränkungen werden im vorliegenden Papier gleichfalls thematisiert und in Hinblick auf die Konsequenzen für die Analyse diskutiert.' (Autorenreferat)'Even though there is a growing concern about a socially selective pattern of childlessness among women and the implications for policy and the economy in Germany, there have been no comprehensive studies to analyse the extent of childlessness. This can be put down to the fact that the available data to study this issue are rather insufficient. Using official microdata, the aim of the present paper is to provide an initial overview of the structure of childlessness depending on qualification, age and birth cohort of women in West Germany. Since most theories explain childlessness of women in modern societies in terms of their increasing labour force participation, the changes in female labour force participation over the last 30 years are described, too. The analyses are based on the population census 1970 and the microcensus 1989 to 2001. Though the census and the microcensus have some advantages over social surveys, there are some limitations when studying family patterns based on official microdata. These methodological issues will also be addressed in the paper.' (author's abstract)

„Was ist überhaupt Gemeinschaftsarbeit?“ Über den Umgang mit Arbeit in einer intentionalen Gemeinschaft im ländlichen Sachsen, Deutschland

Die Organisation von Arbeit und die Motivation zu arbeiten sind die zwei zentralen Themen dieses Artikels. Die Frage, was bewegt Menschen dazu zu arbeiten, abhängig und unabhängig von monetärer Entlohnung, wird am Beispiel einer intentionalen Gemeinschaft im ländlichen Sachsen – der Lebenstraumgemeinschaft Jahnishausen – untersucht. Weiter wird dargestellt, wie die 44 Bewohner_innen der Gemeinschaft Arbeit organisieren und aufteilen. Die zugrunde liegenden Daten wurden während einer insgesamt dreimonatigen Feldforschung im Rahmen meiner Masterarbeit zur Lebenstraumgemeinschaft erhoben. Das Forschungsfeld, das im noch relativ jungen Bereich der Gemeinschaftsforschung anzusiedeln ist, wird anhand von klassischen Theorien aus der ökonomischen Anthropologie und Soziologie untersucht.E-MAIL: KEYWORDS:

"Was ist überhaupt Gemeinschaftsarbeit?" Über den Umgang mit Arbeit in einer intentionalen Gemeinschaft im ländlichen Sachsen, Deutschland

Die Organisation von Arbeit und die Motivation zu arbeiten sind die zwei zentralen Themen dieses Artikels. Die Frage, was bewegt Menschen dazu zu arbeiten, abhängig und unabhängig von monetärer Entlohnung, wird am Beispiel einer intentionalen Gemeinschaft im ländlichen Sachsen - der Lebenstraumgemeinschaft Jahnishausen - untersucht. Weiter wird dargestellt, wie die 44 Bewohner_innen der Gemeinschaft Arbeit organisieren und aufteilen. Die zugrunde liegenden Daten wurden während einer insgesamt dreimonatigen Feldforschung im Rahmen meiner Masterarbeit zur Lebenstraumgemeinschaft erhoben. Das Forschungsfeld, das im noch relativ jungen Bereich der Gemeinschaftsforschung anzusiedeln ist, wird anhand von klassischen Theorien aus der ökonomischen Anthropologie und Soziologie untersucht

Entwicklung effizienter gemischt paralleler Anwendungen

Die Ausnutzung von gemischter Parallelität durch parallele Tasks führt im Vergleich mit reiner Datenparallelität und reiner Taskparallelität häufig zu effizienteren und flexibleren parallelen Implementierungen. In der vorliegenden Dissertation wird mit dem CM-task Programmiermodell eine Erweiterung des Standardmodells der parallelen Tasks vorgestellt. Damit wird die Modellierung von Kommunikationsoperationen zwischen zeitgleich ausgeführten parallelen Tasks unterstützt, was zur besseren Strukturierung von parallelen Anwendungen mit einem regelmäßigen Datenaustausch zwischen verschiedenen Programmteilen beiträgt. Für das CM-task Programmiermodell wird das zugehörige Schedulingproblem definiert und ein entsprechender Schedulingalgorithmus vorgestellt. Die Anwendungsentwicklung im CM-task Programmiermodell wird durch das CM-task Compilerframework unterstützt, das eine gegebene plattformunabhängige Spezifiktion eines parallelen Algorithmus schrittweise in ein plattformspezifisches Koordinationsprogramm übersetzt. Das Koordinationsprogramm enthält Programmcode zum Anlegen und Verwalten der benötigten Prozessorgruppen, zum Ausführen der vom Anwender bereitgestellten CM-tasks auf diesen Prozessorgruppen sowie zur Realisierung der benötigten Datenumverteilungsoperationen zwischen den Prozessorgruppen. Der Aufbau und die Schnittstellen des CM-task Compilerframeworks werden in der vorliegenden Dissertation detailliert beschrieben. Anhand verschiedener Anwendungen aus dem wissenschaftlichen Rechnens wird die Einsetzbarkeit des CM-task Programmiermodells und des CM-task Compilerframeworks demonstriert.Mixed parallel programming models based on parallel tasks often lead to more efficient and more flexible implementations compared to pure data and pure task parallelism. In this thesis, the CM-task programming model is proposed which extends standard parallel tasks such that communication phases between concurrently executed parallel tasks can be modeled thus allowing a better structuring of parallel applications that require a frequent data exchange between different program parts. Based on the CM-task programming model the CM-task scheduling problem is defined and a scheduling algorithm is proposed. The development of parallel applications within the CM-task programming model is supported by the CM-task compiler framework, which transforms a given platform independent specification of a parallel algorithm into a platform specific coordination program. The coordination program is responsible for the creation and the management of the required processor groups, the execution of the user provided CM-tasks on these processor groups and for the implementation of the data re-distribution operations between these processor groups. The architecture and the interfaces of the CM-task compiler framework are explained in detail. The applicability of the CM-task programming model and the CM-task compiler framework are demonstrated for several scientific applications

Simplified screening for the detection of soluble fusion constructs expressed in E. coli using a modular set of vectors

BACKGROUND: The solubility of recombinant proteins expressed in bacteria is often disappointingly low. Several strategies have been developed to improve the yield and one of the most common strategies is the fusion of the target protein with a suitable partner. Despite several reports on the successful use of each of these carriers to increase the solubility of some recombinant proteins, none of them was always successful and a combinatorial approach seems more efficient to identify the optimal combination for a specific protein. Therefore, the efficiency of an expression system critically depends on the speed in the identification of the optimal combination for the suitable fusion candidate in a screening process. This paper describes a set of expression vectors (pETM) designed for rapid subcloning, expression and subsequent purification using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC). RESULTS: A single PCR product of two Yellow Fluorescent Proteins (EYFPs) was cloned into 18 vectors comprising identical restriction sites and varying fusion partners as well as differing protease recognition sites. After a small-scale expression, the yields of the different constructs were compared using a Coomassie stained SDS-polyacrylamide gel and the results of this preliminary screening were then confirmed by large-scale purification. The yields were calculated and the stability of the different constructs determined using three independent conditions. The results indicated a significant correlation between the length and composition of non-native amino acid tails and stability. Furthermore, the buffer specificity of TEV and 3C proteases was tested using fusion proteins differing only in their protease recognition sequence, and a His-GST-EYFP construct was employed to compare the efficiency of the two alternative affinity purification methods. CONCLUSION: The experiments showed that the set of pETM vectors could be used for the rapid production of a large array of different constructs with specific yield, stability, and cleavage features. Their comparison allowed the identification of the optimal constructs to use for the large-scale expression. We expect that the approach outlined in this paper, i.e. the possibility to obtain in parallel fusion products of the target protein with different partners for a preliminary evaluation, would be highly beneficial for all them who are interested in the rapid identification of the optimal conditions for protein expression

Ueber den oberschlesischen Typhus

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