Remote villages as heterotopias and places of utopics: analogue case studies in Sweden and Israel in preparation for future Mars settlement

While there is a growing body of research on taking people to Mars, as well as on the environmental control and life support systems required to keep humans alive both during the journey and on Mars, there is very little research to support the development of successful new settlements. This research explores the challenges faced by remote villages in harsh environments and how their residents have learned to adapt to these challenges. Accessing this existing knowledge opens opportunities for future settlement on Mars as well as on Earth. Research into remote villages as a form of settlement separate to rural settlement is a comparably new field within human geography. Recently for example the Carsons (2011; 2014) have identified a list of common features of remote villages. However past indices have used features of marginality as markers in identifying remote villages (Cloke, 1977; Cloke and Edwards, 1986) thus creating or at least strengthening an image of remote villages as chronically troubled and in decline. While there exist a number of different definitions and indices for identifying remoteness none appears to cater to the multi-facetted nature of remoteness. Besides the physical component of remoteness, the phenomenon has been shown to include cultural (Huskey, 2005, 2006; Schmallegger et al., 2011; Ardener, 2012; Gilbert, Colley and Roberts, 2016) as well as political (Harvey, 2000; Huskey, 2005; Rogers and Walker, 2005) aspects. At the other end of the spectrum remote villages have been associated with utopian ideals, as can for example be seen in the Israeli Kibbutz movement (Zilbersheid, 2007). The proposition was brought forward by this study that rather than being either utopias or dystopias remote villages might in fact be heterotopias. Heterotopias are places of otherness, places that are disconnected from the mainstream by both physical and socio-cultural barriers and where social rules different from the mainstream can exist (Foucault and Miskowiec, 1986; Hetherington, 1997). This study used an inductive research approach of extreme case studies, using open-ended interviews and qualitative coding techniques. The methodology was most heavily influenced both by Flyvbjergs' (Flyvbjerg, 2006, 2009) ideas on case study research and Birks & Mills' (2011) understanding of grounded theory. During 2015 five villages in northern Sweden and southern Israel were visited for this study. These sites were chosen using a multi-parameter matrix that catered for the multi-facetted and often relative nature of remoteness. During research in the case studies observations on three types of challenges were found: those challenges that were uncontrollable prerequisites of settlement ("environmental challenges"), those challenges that were brought about by political and social realities outside of the community's immediate control ("infrastructure challenges"), and those challenges that referred directly to the village community ("community challenges"). Overall challenges faced by villages in both regions were remarkably similar though influenced by factors such as the villages' age and settlement history. The data from this study showed four common phenomena characterising village life in remote and harsh regions. Firstly, the harshness of terrain and climate provides residents with a sense of place. Secondly, residents described a strong 'do-it-yourself'-attitude and volunteering culture. Thirdly, there was a high occurrence of different types of self-employment that signified that the lack of employment options was not as significant as expected. Finally, and most importantly, residents were attracted to what life in a remote village could offer, and in particular, the opportunities that could be provided that were different from mainstream society. Using the findings from this study the phenomena listed by the Carsons (2011; 2014) could be put in relation to each other. In doing so I was able to contribute to explaining the co-occurrence of these phenomena and at the same time I identified a missing link. In the following I proposed that the observed co-occurrence of phenomena can be explained through remote villages being heterotopias. Research findings showed that at least the villages in this study can be described as heterotopias. If indeed remote villages are heterotopias, then they can be expected to have a two-way relationship with the mainstream. The villages of this study could be shown to conform to Ravens' (2015) and Hetheringtons' (1997) notion of heterotopias as places of utopics, that is places that through their striving towards utopia create a high innovative potential that could be described as that of a 'living laboratory' (Raven, 2015). The question then follows how to support remote villages in accessing this potential for innovation. This study proposes the use of structure and agency theory for these means: From the case study data we know residents of the case study sites to have strong agency, that is a willingness and capability to self-solve problems that arise from their villages' remoteness. However as suggested by structure-and-agency theory, agents need a supporting structure in order to be able to exercise this agency. For remote villages this means that while local decision-making and resource allocation are to be encouraged this cannot be used as an excuse for removing structure, as structure is vital for agency. Due to the research design of this study, using a small number of extreme cases, the findings of this study cannot be generalised. However, as the case studies were based on an approximation of a future Martian village the findings of this study are very likely to be applicable to this particular kind of village. Next steps in research need to establish parameters and identifiers of remote villages that enable future research to conduct larger, quantitative studies. Through such generalisable research we will be able to establish whether all types, or just a particular type of remote village are or can be heterotopias

Profound effect of profiling platform and normalization strategy on detection of differentially expressed microRNAs

Adequate normalization minimizes the effects of systematic technical variations and is a prerequisite for getting meaningful biological changes. However, there is inconsistency about miRNA normalization performances and recommendations. Thus, we investigated the impact of seven different normalization methods (reference gene index, global geometric mean, quantile, invariant selection, loess, loessM, and generalized procrustes analysis) on intra- and inter-platform performance of two distinct and commonly used miRNA profiling platforms. We included data from miRNA profiling analyses derived from a hybridization-based platform (Agilent Technologies) and an RT-qPCR platform (Applied Biosystems). Furthermore, we validated a subset of miRNAs by individual RT-qPCR assays. Our analyses incorporated data from the effect of differentiation and tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment on primary human skeletal muscle cells and a murine skeletal muscle cell line. Distinct normalization methods differed in their impact on (i) standard deviations, (ii) the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, (iii) the similarity of differential expression. Loess, loessM, and quantile analysis were most effective in minimizing standard deviations on the Agilent and TLDA platform. Moreover, loess, loessM, invariant selection and generalized procrustes analysis increased the area under the ROC curve, a measure for the statistical performance of a test. The Jaccard index revealed that inter-platform concordance of differential expression tended to be increased by loess, loessM, quantile, and GPA normalization of AGL and TLDA data as well as RGI normalization of TLDA data. We recommend the application of loess, or loessM, and GPA normalization for miRNA Agilent arrays and qPCR cards as these normalization approaches showed to (i) effectively reduce standard deviations, (ii) increase sensitivity and accuracy of differential miRNA expression detection as well as (iii) increase inter-platform concordance. Results showed the successful adoption of loessM and generalized procrustes analysis to one-color miRNA profiling experiments

Authors

RNA quality control in miRNA expression analysis Application Not

Hans Peter Cornelius (1888–1950): a perfect mapping geologist and scientific explorer of the Alps

Hans Peter Cornelius was a squeamishly and accurately mapping field geologist with an eye for the finest detail as well as for the large-scale architectural structure of mountain ranges. His excellent work concerned the Rhaetian and Allgau Alps, South Tyrol, the Valais and Ticino in Switzerland and many regions in Austria. His publications on the Err-Julier Group, the Insubric Line, the Grossglockner Group, the Rax-Schneeberg Group, the alpine Grauwackenzone, and the Penninic series of the Western and Eastern Alps became particularly important

Gene Expression in Hair Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells after Treatment with Stanozolol

Doping with anabolic agents is a topic in sports where strength is crucial, e.g. sprinting, weight lifting and many more. Testosterone and its functional analogs are the drugs of choice taken as pills, creams, tape or injections to increase muscle mass and body performance, and to reduce body fat. Stanozolol (17β-hydroxy-17α-methyl-5α-androst-2-eno[3,2c]pyrazol) is a testosterone analogue with the same anabolic effect like testosterone but its ring structure makes it possible to take it orally. Therefore, stanozolol is one of the most frequently used anabolic steroids

Postprandial transfer of colostral extracellular vesicles and their protein and miRNA cargo in neonatal calves

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) such as exosomes are key regulators of intercellular communication that can be found in almost all bio fluids. Although studies in the last decade have made great headway in discerning the role of EVs in many physiological and pathophysiological processes, the bioavailability and impact of dietary EVs and their cargo still remain to be elucidated. Due to its widespread consumption and high content of EV-associated microRNAs and proteins, a major focus in this field has been set on EVs in bovine milk and colostrum. Despite promising in vitro studies in recent years that show high resiliency of milk EVs to degradation and uptake of milk EV cargo in a variety of intestinal and blood cell types, in vivo experiments continue to be inconclusive and sometimes outright contradictive. To resolve this discrepancy, we assessed the potential postprandial transfer of colostral EVs to the circulation of newborn calves by analysing colostrum-specific protein and miRNAs, including specific isoforms (isomiRs) in cells, EV isolations and unfractionated samples from blood and colostrum. Our findings reveal distinct populations of EVs in colostrum and blood from cows that can be clearly separated by density, particle concentration and protein content (BTN1A1, MFGE8). Postprandial blood samples of calves show a time-dependent increase in EVs that share morphological and protein characteristics of colostral EVs. Analysis of miRNA expression profiles by Next-Generation Sequencing gave a different picture however. Although significant postprandial expression changes could only be detected for calf EV samples, expression profiles show very limited overlap with highly expressed miRNAs in colostral EVs or colostrum in general. Taken together our results indicate a selective uptake of membrane-associated protein cargo but not luminal miRNAs from colostral EVs into the circulation of neonatal calves

Catching Satisfaction: Personal And Political Framing In The Homebirth Movement

This thesis illuminates the experiences, motives, and framing process of a cohort of homebirthing women in Tucson, Arizona who embody the collective action frames of the national homebirth movement. A model of birth frame construction, alignment and adoption is presented that expands current theory on social movement framing processes, cognitive liberation, and life politics in health and self-help related movements. The study explores the evolution of homebirth midwifery nationally and locally. It articulates the main collective action frames that argue against standard maternity care and presents the alternatives proffered by the homebirth movement. It presents micro-level experiences of movement pioneers, macro-articulations of movement leaders, respondent\u27s micro-level birth model framing processes; and how life politics have changed birth culture in America. Written materials augmented data obtained from in-depth interviews with (n=38) respondents who homebirthed in Tucson between 1970 and 2000. Content analysis was utilized and grounded theory was employed

Archaeology and politics

Archäologie und Politik scheinen heutzutage untrennbar miteinander verbunden zu sein, wodurch sich die Forschungsfrage nämlich, auf welche Art Politik archäologisches Arbeiten beeinflusst, nahezu aufdrängt. Während durch die Europäische Herkunft der Autorin Europa und die Europäische Forschungsgeschichte als Rahmen verwendet werden müssen, was vor Allem durch die Betrachtung einer Forschungsarbeit der Deutschen Archäologin Gabriele Mante geschieht, beschäftigt sich die vorliegende Arbeit vor Allem anhand von Beispielen aus dem Nahen Osten und Afrika mit der Korrelation zwischen Archäologie und Politik. Der Nahe Osten zeigt die Entstehung und Zerstörung von Mythen und das Ausmaß, in dem Archäologie ganze Nationen beeinflussen kann, am Beispiel der Herodianischen Festung Masada nahe dem Toten Meer. Die Forschungstätigkeit zweier aufeinanderfolgender Generation Israelischer Archäologen zeigt den Zusammenhang der sehr verschiedenen Interpretationen mit dem sozio-politischen Umfeld der Forscher. Schlussendlich zeigt sich dass die Festung und ihre Funde innerhalb weniger als eines halben Jahrhunderts zum Hintergrund bedeutender Mythen über sowohl Mut als auch Angst wurden. Nur einen Steinwurf entfernt von Masada bestätigt ein weiterer Fundort, das antike Jüdische Dorf Ein Gedi die engen Verbindungen zwischen Archäologie und Politik. Das während der womöglich ruhigsten Periode moderner Israelischer Geschichte von einem multikulturellen und ethnisch vielfältigem Team erforschte Dorf brachte tatsächlich ein erstaunlich facettenreiches Bild des täglichen Lebens hervor. Es zeigt sich jedoch, dass selbst hier das politische Klima der Zeit die Forschung beeinflusst und die Vorstellung eines Dorfes mit guten Beziehungen zu seinen Nachbarn begünstigt. Die zweite Gruppe von Beispielen befasst sich mit der geographischen Gegend Afrikas südlich der Sahara. Während das Beispiel von Gavin Lucas Untersuchungen des Bergwerks am Südafrikanischen Simonsberg Archäologie und Politik im kleinen Maßstab, nämlich dem einer ein- Mann-Untersuchung als Teil, die an nur wenigen Tagen erfolgte, behandelt, zeigt es dennoch den Einfluss von Lucas politischem Umfeld sehr klar. Dies ist besonders interessant bedenkt man Lucas offen ausgesprochenes Bewusstsein für die Thematik. Schlussendlich zeigen Forschungsgeschichte und aktuelle Entwicklung der Migrationsarchäologie im Afrika südlich der Sahara Archäologie und Politik im großen Maßstab. Nicht nur ist hier die Verbindung der jeweiligen Zeit und ihrem politischen und sozialen Umfeld mit zeitgleichen archäologischen Theorien sehr einleuchtend, sondern es zeigt sich auch die Vielschichtigkeit der Thematik, die jener ihrer Ursprungsgesellschaft entspricht. Durch die behandelten Beispiele kann eine Liste kritischer Phasen in der archäologischen Arbeit erstellt werden, die politischen Einfluss von der ersten Entscheidung für ein Forschungsthema, über die Beschaffung von Mitteln, der archäologischen Feldarbeit selbst und der Interpretation, bishin zur Entscheidung über das Ausmaß von Konservierung und Ausstellung dokumentiert. Kurz gesagt: Politik beeinflusst Archäologie, wann immer Entscheidungen getroffen werden und, da Entscheidungen bestimmend für die wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisfindung sind, zeigt sich hier die prinzipielle Untrennbarkeit von Politik und Archäologie. Während die Anwendung moderner wissenschaftlicher Methoden den Schaden politischer Einflussnahme minimieren kann, stellt sich auch Bewusstseinsbildung, sowohl bei Autoren als auch Recepienten, als entscheidend heraus. Die Thematik politischer Einflussnahme in der Forschung ist, schlussendlich, nicht nur für die historischen Wissenschaften, die möglicherweise besonders anfällig für politischen Einfluss sind interessant, sondern für unsere gesamte stark von wissenschaftlichen Methoden der Wahrheitsfindung geprägte Gesellschaft.Archeology and politics nowadays seem to be inseparably interconnected which led to the paper's scientific question of how politics do influence archeological work. Whilst, because of the European origin of the author, Europe and European history of science had to be used as framework, which mostly was done through reception of a major paper by German archeologist Gabriele Mante, the paper at hand deals with the archeology-politics correlation on example of sites in Middle East and Africa. The Middle East very prominently features the coming into existence and fall of myths and the extend to which archeology can, in fact, influence whole societies and nations, by example of the Herodian fortress of Masada near the Dead Sea. Two subsequent generations of Israeli archeologist's research is examined to show the connection between both scientist's, very different approaches on Flavius Josephus' „sicarii“-narrative and the researcher's socio-political environment. Ultimately it could be shown that within less then half a century the fortress and its finds featured powerful narratives of both bravery and fear. A stone's throw away from Masada another site, the ancient Jewish village of Ein Gedi, excavated during what might have been the most calm and hopeful period of modern Israeli history, confirms the tight relationship between archeology and politics. Researched by a multicultural and multi-ethical team Ein Gedi in fact produces an amazingly vivid picture of a thriving Jewish village, however even at a site as exemplary as Ein Gedi politics did sure have an influence on archeology and promoted the establishment of an Ein Gedi narrative of repeated wealth and good relations with its neighbors. The second set of examples is hosted by the geographic area of sub-Saharan Africa. Whilst the sample of Gavin Lucas' survey of the South African Simonsberg mines, deals with the archeologypolitics- correlation on a micro scale – a one-man survey conducted within a few days of time as a part of a bigger research project – it still shows very prominently the influence Lucas' political environment had on his research, which is of even more interest, given that how he paid attention on politic influence. Lastly history of science and contemporary archeological development in sub-Saharan African migration archeology show the macro scale of politics in archeology, highlighting an environment in which the correlation between that time's political and social climate and contemporary archeological theories is easy to spot. It also hints on the levels of complication mirroring the complexity of society itself within which politic happens in archeology and other historic sciences. Due to the examples dealt with a list of critical points of archeological research can be compiled that tracks political influence in archeology from the very decision on a topic of research, via the process of funding to the very field work, interpretation and, ultimately to the decision on the extent of preservation and presentation of a certain site to the public. In short: politics could be found to influence archeological research in every instance decisions are been taken and, as decisions are crucial for scientific cognition, it is, thus inextricably interconnected to the archeological research process. Whilst the proper implementation of academic research methods can limit the impact of political influence, awareness, both on the author's and recipient's side also does play a major role. The topic, after all, is of interest not only for the, maybe especially vulnerable, historic sciences but for the whole of a society gravely shaped by the scientific way of establishment of the truth