Experimentierfeld Kunstvermittlung!? Zwischen ästhetischer Erfahrung und Raum zur kritischen Selbstreflexion

Kunst ist mehr als eine ästhetische Erfahrung, sie schafft Räume zur Reflexion, zur Auseinandersetzung mit sich und der Welt. Dieser Beitrag stellt die verschiedenen Ansätze dar und skizziert, was Kunst und deren Vermittlung für den Menschen bedeuten kann

Internet of Things : the fear of intelligent media - Reasons for the rejection of intelligent media in Germany using the example of smart homes, an analysis

Die vorliegende Bachelorarbeit gibt einen Überblick über die Ursachen für die Ablehnung intelligenter Medien in Deutschland am Beispiel von Smart Home. Dabei wurden verschiedene Motive untersucht, die dem potentiellen Nutzer Anlass zur Verweigerung der Anschaffung und Nutzung intelligenter Anwendungen geben. Im Rahmen der theoretischen Auswertung von Literatur und dem Rückgriff auf externe empirische Befunde belegt die Arbeit, dass ethische, soziale, ökonomische, technische sowie rechtliche Aspekte die Potenziale der Digitalisierung hemmen und aus Sicht der deutschen Konsumenten eine wesentliche Rolle für die Akzeptanz der Angebote spielen

Conservation and divergence between cytoplasmic and muscle-specific actin capping proteins: insights from the crystal structure of cytoplasmic Cap32/34 from Dictyostelium discoideum.

Background: Capping protein (CP), also known as CapZ in muscle cells and Cap32/34 in Dictyostelium discoideum , plays a major role in regulating actin filament dynamics. CP is a ubiquitously expressed heterodimer comprising an α - and β -subunit. It tightly binds to the fast growing end of actin filaments, thereby functioning as a “ cap ” by blocking the addition and loss of actin subunits. Vertebrates contain two somatic variants of CP, one being primarily found at the cell periphery of non-muscle tissues while the other is mainly localized at the Z-discs of skeletal muscles. Results: To elucidate structural and functional differences between cytoplasmic and sarcomercic CP variants, we have solved the atomic structure of Cap32/34 (32 = β - and 34 = α -subunit) from the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium at 2.2 Å resolution and compared it to that of chicken muscle CapZ. The two homologs display a similar overall arrangement including the attached α -subunit C-terminus ( α -tentacle) and the flexible β -tentacle. Nevertheless, the structures exhibit marked differences suggesting considerable structural flexibility within the α -subunit. In the α -subunit we observed a bending motion of the β -sheet region located opposite to the position of the C-terminal β -tentacle towards the antiparallel helices that interconnect the heterodimer. Recently, a two domain twisting attributed mainly to the β -subunit has been reported. At the hinge of these two domains Cap32/ 34 contains an elongated and highly flexible loop, which has been reported to be important for the interaction of cytoplasmic CP with actin and might contribute to the more dynamic actin-binding of cytoplasmic compared to sarcomeric CP (CapZ). Conclusions: The structure of Cap32/34 from Dictyostelium discoideum allowed a detailed analysis and comparison between the cytoplasmic and sarcomeric variants of CP. Significant structural flexibility could particularly be found within the α -subunit, a loop region in the β -subunit, and the surface of the α -globule where the amino acid differences between the cytoplasmic and sarcomeric mammalian CP are located. Hence, the crystal structure of Cap32/34 raises the possibility of different binding behaviours of the CP variants toward the barbed end of actin filaments, a feature, which might have arisen from adaptation to different environments

The Importance of Screening for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma in Families of Patients with MEN 2

Family .screening for medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is important for detecting members of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2) families who may be gene carriers but show no clinical evidence of the disease. Most members of our MEN 2 families are screened yearly by measuring basal and pentagastrin-stimulated calcitonin (CT) levels. A 15-year-old first-degree relative of an affected member of the D-kindred showed a normal basal and an elevated stimulated CT level. Clinical examination, ultrasonography, and scintigraphy were normal. Thyroidectomy and bilateral neck dissection revealed a multicentric MTC with no lymph node involvement. In the O-kindred we detected elevated basal and/or stimulated CT levels in three asymptomatic first-degree relatives. At surgery we found a small multicentric MTC in one family member, C-cell hyperplasia in another member, and bilateral lymph node metastases in one member who had been previously thyroidectomized. Basal and stimulated CT estimations in MEN 2 family members provide an effective method for detecting MTC in early, treatable stages

The productive accountant as (un-)wanted self: Realizing the ambivalent role of productivity measures in accountants' identity work

How do accountants experience and respond to increasing productivity pressure and a corresponding measurement regime monitoring their work? Drawing on case research in an international technology company, our study problematizes that productivity measurement tends to build on the assumption that accountants perform primarily routinized and standardized tasks that are amenable to quantification. However, this assumption can contradict their business partner identity, which they perceive as entailing complex, varying, and strategically oriented tasks that are difficult to measure and evaluate in standardized units. We find that accountants’ realization of this ambiguity in productivity measurement can make them recognize the (potential) unwanted self that an unreflective subordination to those measures might give rise to. We further illustrate how, to protect their aspired identity against the entrenchment of such an unwanted self, accountants (subtly) resist productivity measures. We thus show how accountants resist the very technologies that otherwise form their tools of the trade and shape a crucial part of their occupational identity and status. Overall, by focusing on the ambivalent role of productivity measurement, this study contributes to our understanding of the organizational dynamics that make accountants’ business partner identity fragile. We demonstrate how productivity measures can produce a false sense of clarity and direction and an incomplete representation of an occupational identity, which also renders problematic the transparency and comparability that those measures produce.</p

Controllers’ use of informational tactics

Controllers typically have a ‘dual accountability’ towards the finance function and operational management, respectively. This dual accountability at times confronts them with conflicting expectations. In this paper, we suggest that ‘informational tactics’ constitute an important resource which controllers rely on so as to handle these expectations and to successfully present themselves vis-à-vis their different internal stakeholders. Drawing upon interview data, we demonstrate that informational tactics relate to different dimensions of information control (i.e. ‘when’, ‘how’ and ‘what’ information is to be exchanged) and that they depend on the respective room for manoeuvre a controller has in a given situation. Overall, our analysis adds a more nuanced picture to the literature on controllers’ handling of information and demonstrates the fundamental role of informational tactics for their everyday work.</p

Is the covering of the resection margin after distal pancreatectomy advantageous?

BACKGROUND: In recent years, many advances in pancreatic surgery have been achieved. Nevertheless, the rate of pancreatic fistula following pancreatic tail resection does not differ between various techniques, still reaching up to 30% in prospective multicentric studies. Taking into account contradictory results concerning the usefulness of covering resection margins after distal pancreatectomy, we sought to perform a systematic, retrospective analysis of patients that underwent distal pancreatectomy at our center. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the data of 74 patients that underwent distal pancreatectomy between 2001 and 2011 at the community hospital in Neuss. Demographic factors, indications, postoperative complications, surgical or interventional revisions, and length of hospital stay were registered to compare the outcome of patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy with coverage of the resection margins vs. patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy without coverage of the resection margins. Differences between groups were calculated using Fisher’s exact and Mann–Whitney U test. RESULTS: Main indications for pancreatic surgery were insulinoma (n=18, 24%), ductal adenocarcinoma (n=9, 12%), non-single-insulinoma-pancreatogenic-hypoglycemia-syndrome (NSIPHS) (n=8, 11%), and pancreatic cysts with pancreatitis (n=8, 11%). In 39 of 74 (53%) patients no postoperative complications were noted. In detail we found that 23/42 (55%) patients with coverage vs. 16/32 (50%) without coverage of the resection margins had no postoperative complications. The most common complications were pancreatic fistulas in eleven patients (15%), and postoperative bleeding in nine patients (12%). Pancreatic fistulas occurred in patients without coverage of the resection margins in 7/32 (22%) vs. 4/42 (1011%) with coverage are of the resection margins, yet without reaching statistical significance. Postoperative bleeding ensued with equal frequency in both groups (12% with coverage versus 13% without coverage of the resection margins). The reoperation rate was 8%. The hospital stay for patients without coverage was 13 days (5–60) vs. 17 days (8–60) for patients with coverage. CONCLUSIONS: The results show no significant difference in the fistula rate after covering of the resection margin after distal pancreatectomy, which contributes to the picture of an unsolved problem

Impairment of Bone Health in Pediatric Patients with Hemolytic Anemia

Introduction Sickle cell anemia and thalassemia result in impaired bone health in both adults and youths. Children with other types of chronic hemolytic anemia may also display impaired bone health. Study Design To assess bone health in pediatric patients with chronic hemolytic anemia, a cross-sectional study was conducted involving 45 patients with different forms of hemolytic anemia (i.e., 17 homozygous sickle cell disease and 14 hereditary spherocytosis patients). Biochemical, radiographic and anamnestic parameters of bone health were assessed. Results Vitamin D deficiency with 25 OH-vitamin D serum levels below 20 ng/ml was a common finding (80.5%) in this cohort. Bone pain was present in 31% of patients. Analysis of RANKL, osteoprotegerin (OPG) and osteocalcin levels indicated an alteration in bone modeling with significantly elevated RANKL/OPG ratios (control: 0.08+0.07; patients: 0.26+0.2, P = 0.0007). Osteocalcin levels were found to be lower in patients compared with healthy controls (68.5+39.0 ng/ml vs. 118.0+36.6 ng/ml, P = 0.0001). Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed a significant (P<0.025) influence of LDH (partial r2 = 0.29), diagnosis of hemolytic anemia (partial r2 = 0.05) and age (partial r2 = 0.03) on osteocalcin levels. Patients with homozygous sickle cell anemia were more frequently and more severely affected by impaired bone health than patients with hereditary spherocytosis. Conclusion Bone health is impaired in pediatric patients with hemolytic anemia. In addition to endocrine alterations, an imbalance in the RANKL/OPG system and low levels of osteocalcin may contribute to this impairment