Wir überwachen uns. Wie die Sicherheit durch die Digitalisierung immer tiefer in den Alltag eingreift und warum uns das nicht interessiert

Der Bereich der Überwachung und Sicherheit unterliegt einer neoliberalen Neuausrichtung. Mit der Entstehung unheiliger Allianzen zwischen Staat und Wirtschaft, gezielter Privatisierung und einer neuen Warenförmigkeit von Sicherheit entgrenzen sich zunehmend auch deren Produktionsprozesse. Das Subjekt wird durch eine Digitalisierung der Alltagswelten zunehmend in die Sicherheitsarbeit mit eingebunden und übernimmt zentrale Aufgaben. Der Mensch, ohne dessen Zutun das digitale Überwachungssystem nicht so gut funktionieren würde, erscheint außerstande und unwillig, sich dieser Entwicklung zu entziehen

Digitale Stadtplanung: Alltag und Räume technisierten Planens

Was bedeutet Digitalisierung in der Planung, wie verändern sich dadurch das Planen und der Blick auf Städte? In einer vergleichenden ethnografischen Studie untersucht der Autor aus einer raumsoziologischen Perspektive die Arbeitswelten von Stadtplaner*innen im Umgang mit digitalen Technologien. Dabei zeigt er, wie die Nutzung dieser Werkzeuge mit dem Tun der Planer*innen, der Organisation von Planungsprozessen und der Weise, wie Raumwissen konstruiert wird, zusammenhängen. Digitalisierung versteht sich so als technisiertes räumliches Anordnen sozialer Beziehungen. Sie materialisiert sich in den Orten des Planens und darin, wie Planer*innen Städte und Räume sehen, verstehen und gestalten

Hybrid Mapping Methodologie – ein Manifest

For the empirical research of the refiguration of spaces innovative methods are needed to investigate the relationality and materiality of spaces and thus explore societal processes of change from multiple perspectives. We founded the working group “Hybrid Mapping Methods”, with the objective to develop a new hybrid mapping methodology at this interface of social science and spatial design, drawing together the analytical and projective modes within the respective disciplines and combining both visual and textual means of inquiry. The central characteristic of our reflexive methodology is its hybridity which unfolds across four interconnected yet analytically discrete dimensions. The first dimension, Inter- and Transdisciplinarity, explicitly refers to the combination of epistemic and ontological approaches from social sciences with spatial design disciplines; the second dimension, Space, empirically addresses the different co-existing conceptualisations of space (container space and relational space); the third dimension, Data, considers the integration of diverse data into a multi-layered visual-analytical protocol; the fourth dimension, Modus Operandi of mapping production brings together both designerly and sociological ways of thinking and making.Für die empirische Erforschung der Re-Figuration von Räumen werden innovative Methoden benötigt, um die Relationalität und Materialität von Räumen zu untersuchen und so gesellschaftliche Veränderungsprozesse aus mehreren Perspektiven zu erforschen. Wir haben die Arbeitsgruppe "Hybride Mapping Methoden" gegründet, mit dem Ziel, an dieser Schnittstelle von Sozialwissenschaften und Design eine neue hybride Mapping-Methodologie zu entwickeln, die die analytischen und projektiven Modi innerhalb der jeweiligen Disziplinen zusammenführt und sowohl visuelle als auch textuelle Untersuchungsmethoden kombiniert. Das zentrale Merkmal unserer reflexiven Methodologie ist ihre Hybridität, die sich über vier miteinander verbundene, aber analytisch diskrete Dimensionen entfaltet. Die erste Dimension, Inter- und Transdisziplinarität, bezieht sich explizit auf die Kombination von epistemischen und ontologischen Ansätzen aus den Sozialwissenschaften mit raumbezogenen Designdisziplinen; die zweite Dimension, Raum, befasst sich empirisch mit den unterschiedlichen, nebeneinander existierenden Konzeptualisierungen von Raum (Containerraum und relationaler Raum); die dritte Dimension, Daten, betrachtet die Integration verschiedener Daten in ein vielschichtiges visuell-analytisches Protokoll; die vierte Dimension, Modus Operandi der Mapping-Produktion, bringt sowohl gestalterisches als auch soziologisches Denken und Machen zusammen.DFG, 290045248, SFB 1265: Re-Figuration von Räume

Cartilage regeneration using zonal chondrocyte subpopulations: a promising approach or an overcomplicated strategy?

Cartilage defects heal imperfectly and osteoarthritic changes develop frequently as a result. Although the existence of specific behaviours of chondrocytes derived from various depth-related zones in vitro has been known for over 20 years, only a relatively small body of in vitro studies has been performed with zonal chondrocytes and current clinical treatment strategies do not reflect these native depth-dependent (zonal) differences. This is surprising since mimicking the zonal organization of articular cartilage in neo-tissue by the use of zonal chondrocyte subpopulations could enhance the functionality of the graft. Although some research groups including our own have made considerable progress in tailoring culture conditions using specific growth factors and biomechanical loading protocols, we conclude that an optimal regime has not yet been determined. Other unmet challenges include the lack of specific zonal cell sorting protocols and limited amounts of cells harvested per zone. As a result, the engineering of functional tissue has not yet been realized and no long-term in vivo studies using zonal chondrocytes have been described. This paper critically reviews the research performed to date and outlines our view of the potential future significance of zonal chondrocyte populations in regenerative approaches for the treatment of cartilage defects. Secondly, we briefly discuss the capabilities of additive manufacturing technologies that can not only create patient-specific grafts directly from medical imaging data sets but could also more accurately reproduce the complex 3D zonal extracellular matrix architecture using techniques such as hydrogel-based cell printing

High Anti-CoV2S Antibody Levels at Hospitalization Are Associated with Improved Survival in Patients with COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infection

Background: Although vaccination against COVID-19 is highly effective, breakthrough infections occur, often leading to severe courses and death. The extent of protection provided by individual antibody levels in breakthrough infections is still unknown and cut-off levels have yet to be determined. Methods: In 80 consecutive fully vaccinated patients hospitalized between August and December 2021 with COVID-19 breakthrough infection (Delta variant), anti-CoV2S antibody levels were analyzed for the endpoint of death. Results: Ten out of the 12 patients who died (83.3%) had antibody levels 600 U/mL died from vaccine breakthrough infection. Correction for the number of comorbidities and age revealed that anti-CoV2S antibody levels at the time of hospitalization were a significant predictor for reduced risk of death (OR = 0.402 for every 1000 U/mL, p = 0.018). Conclusions: In this retrospective data analysis, we show that almost all patients who died from COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infection had antibody levels < 600 U/mL, most of them below 200 U/mL. In logistic regression corrected for the number of comorbidities and age, anti-CoV2S antibody levels at the time of hospitalization proved to be a significantly protective predictor against death

Effect of preculture and loading on expression of matrix molecules, matrix metalloproteinases, and cytokines by expanded osteoarthritic chondrocytes

Free to read\ud \ud Objective\ud \ud One of the pathologic changes that occurs during osteoarthritis (OA) is the degeneration of the pericellular matrix (PCM). Since the PCM is likely to be involved in mechanotransduction, this study was undertaken to investigate the effects of PCM-like matrix accumulation in zonal OA chondrocytes and their influence on chondrocyte response to compression.\ud Methods\ud \ud Superficial and middle/deep zone chondrocytes from macroscopically normal cartilage of OA knees were expanded and encapsulated in alginate gels. The effects of compression (short-term or long-term) and preculture on chondrocyte expression of various matrix molecules, cytokines, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were assessed. Additionally, nonexpanded chondrocytes were encapsulated in alginate and cultured in the presence or absence of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) and dexamethasone and analyzed following short-term compression experiments.\ud Results\ud \ud Expanded OA chondrocytes (superficial and middle/deep zone) that were precultured for 2 weeks under free-swelling conditions prior to dynamic compression responded more sensitively to loading and had increased matrix accumulation, increased interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-4 levels, and decreased levels of MMP-2 (in the middle/deep zone) compared to the nonloaded controls. Compression also decreased MMP-3 and MMP-13 levels even without preculture. Nonexpanded chondrocytes did not respond to compression, but differences in gene expression were found depending on the zone of harvest, time in culture, and medium composition.\ud Conclusion\ud \ud Our findings demonstrate that with predeposited PCM-like matrix, compressive stimulation can enhance matrix protein accumulation in expanded OA chondrocytes. Investigations into how PCM or other matrix components differentially affect this balance under mechanical loading may provide invaluable insight into OA pathogenesis and the use of expanded cells in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine–based applications