407 research outputs found
Countermovements in Europe? A Polanyian Perspective
No full textCountermovements in Europe? A Polanyian perspective Martin Seeliger/ Bernd Sommer Trade union politics as a countermovement? A Polaniyan perspective Martin Seeliger Trade unions and the Polanyian countermovement: a Southern perspective Edward Webster The fictitious commodification of money and the Euro experiment Maja Savevska Accumulation via QE: comment on Maja Savevska’s "The fictitious commodification of money and the Euro experiment" Jonah Stuart Brundage The EU emissions trading scheme: protection via commodification? Christopher M. Rea Polanyi, markets and environmental protection Arild Vatn Rise of right-wing populism in the Europe of today – outlines of a sociotheoretical exploration Hans-Jürgen Bieling A great variety of transformations – and populisms Floris Biskamp The Economy for the Common Good: a European countermovement against the destructive impacts of laissez-faire capitalism? Klara Stumpf/ Bernd Sommer Karl Polanyi and discussions on a renewed socialism Michael Brie Of (anti-)capitalism, countermovements, and socialdemocratic bedtime stories. A review of recent literature on Polanyi Moritz Müller The reality of exclusive solidarity A response to Wolfgang Streeck’s "Between Charity and Justice" Silke van Dyk/ Stefanie Graefe Between clarity and disorientation: remarks on the unease of Wolfgang Streeck with the 21st century migration Ludger Pries Keep it straight and simple, also with respect to migration: a comment on Streeck’s "Between Charity and Justice" Andreas Nölke A search for alternatives: Hauke Brunkhorst, Donatella della Porta and Fritz W. Scharpf on the state of the European Integration Monika Eigmüller/ Martin Seelige
Rod photoreceptor light adaptation in a mouse model of achromatopsia investigated with paired-flash ERGs
No full textRod photoreceptor light adaptation in a mouse model of achromatopsia investigated with paired-flash ERGs
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Ground-based transit observations of the HAT-P-18, HAT-P-19, HAT-P-27/WASP40 andWASP-21 systems
No full textSeeliger, M. et al.--Full list of authors: Seeliger, M.; Kitze, M.; Errmann, R.; Richter, S.; Ohlert, J. M.; Chen, W. P.; Guo, J. K.; Göğüş, E.; Güver, T.; Aydın, B.; Mottola, S.; Hellmich, S.; Fernandez, M.; Aceituno, F. J.; Dimitrov, D.; Kjurkchieva, D.; Jensen, E.; Cohen, D.; Kundra, E.; Pribulla, T.; Vaňko, M.; Budaj, J.; Mallonn, M.; Wu, Z. -Y.; Zhou, X.; Raetz, St.; Adam, C.; Schmidt, T. O. B.; Ide, A.; Mugrauer, M.; Marschall, L.; Hackstein, M.; Chini, R.; Haas, M.; Ak, T.; Güzel, E.; Özdönmez, A.; Ginski, C.; Marka, C.; Schmidt, J. G.; Dincel, B.; Werner, K.; Dathe, A.; Greif, J.; Wolf, V.; Buder, S.; Pannicke, A.; Puchalski, D.; Neuhäuser, R.As part of our ongoing effort to investigate transit timing variations (TTVs) of known exoplanets, we monitored transits of the four exoplanets HAT-P-18b, HAT-P-19b, HAT-P-27b/WASP-40b and WASP-21b. All of them are suspected to show TTVs due to the known properties of their host systems based on the respective discovery papers. During the past three years 46 transit observations were carried out, mostly using telescopes of the Young Exoplanet Transit Initiative. The analyses are used to refine the systems' orbital parameters. In all cases we found no hints for significant TTVs, or changes in the system parameters inclination, fractional stellar radius and planet-to-star radius ratio. However, comparing our results with those available in the literature shows that we can confirm the already published values. © 2015 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.All the participating observatories appreciate the logistic and financial support of their institutions and in particular their technical workshops. MS would like to thank all participating YETI telescopes for their observations, as well as G. Maciejewski and the anonymous referee for helpful comments on this work. JGS, AP, and RN would like to thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for support in the Collaborative Research Center Sonderforschungsbereich SFB TR 7 ‘Gravitationswellenastronomie’. RE, MK, SR and RN would like to thank the DFG for support in the Priority Programme SPP 1385 on the First ten Million years of the Solar system in projects NE 515/34-1 and -2. RN would like to acknowledge financial support from the Thuringian government (B 515-07010) for the STK CCD camera (Jena 0.6 m) used in this project. MM and CG thank DFG in project MU 2695/13-1. The research of DD and DK was supported partly by funds of projects DO 02-362, DO 02-85 and DDVU 02/40-2010 of the Bulgarian Scientific Foundation, as well as project RD-08-261 of Shumen University. Z-YU was supported by the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation grant no. 11373033. The research of RC, MH and MH is supported as a project of the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und Künste in the framework of the academy programme by the Federal Republic of Germany and the state Nordrhein-Westfalen. MF acknowledges financial support from grants AYA2011-30147-C03-01 of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), cofunded with EU FEDER funds, and 2011 FQM 7363 of the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo (Junta de Andalucía, Spain). We also wish to thank the TÜBİTAK National Observatory (TUG) for supporting this work through project numbers 12BT100-324-0 and 12CT100-388 using the T100 telescope. MS thanks D. Keeley, M. M. Hohle and H. Gilbert for supporting the observations at the University Observatory Jena. This research has made use of NASA's Astrophysics Data System. This research is based on observations obtained with telescopes of the University Observatory Jena, which is operated by the Astrophysical Institute of the Friedrich-Schiller-University. This work has been supported in part by Istanbul University under project number 39742, by a VEGA Grant 2/0143/14 of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and by the joint fund of Astronomy of the National Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Science under grants U1231113.Peer reviewe
Retinal functional alterations in mice lacking intermediate filament proteins glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin.
No full textVimentin (Vim) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are important components of the intermediate filament (IF) (or nanofilament) system of astroglial cells. We conducted full-field electroretinogram (ERG) recordings and found that whereas photoreceptor responses (a-wave) were normal in uninjured GFAP(-/-)Vim(-/-) mice, b-wave amplitudes were increased. Moreover, we found that Kir (inward rectifier K(+)) channel protein expression was reduced in the retinas of GFAP(-/-)Vim(-/-) mice and that Kir-mediated current amplitudes were lower in Müller glial cells isolated from these mice. Studies have shown that the IF system, in addition, is involved in the retinal response to injury and that attenuated Müller cell reactivity and reduced photoreceptor cell loss are observed in IF-deficient mice after experimental retinal detachment. We investigated whether the lack of IF proteins would affect cell survival in a retinal ischemia-reperfusion model. We found that although cell loss was induced in both genotypes, the number of surviving cells in the inner retina was lower in IF-deficient mice. Our findings thus show that the inability to produce GFAP and Vim affects normal retinal physiology and that the effect of IF deficiency on retinal cell survival differs, depending on the underlying pathologic condition.-Wunderlich, K. A., Tanimoto, N., Grosche, A., Zrenner E., Pekny, M., Reichenbach, A., Seeliger, M. W., Pannicke, T., Perez, M.-T. Retinal functional alterations in mice lacking intermediate filament proteins glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin
Vax2 regulates retinoic acid distribution and cone opsin expression in the vertebrate eye
No full textVax2 is an eye-specific homeobox gene, the inactivation of which in mouse leads to alterations in the establishment of a proper dorsoventral eye axis during embryonic development. To dissect the molecular pathways in which Vax2 is involved, we performed a transcriptome analysis of Vax2(-/-) mice throughout the main stages of eye development. We found that some of the enzymes involved in retinoic acid (RA) metabolism in the eye show significant variations of their expression levels in mutant mice. In particular, we detected an expansion of the expression domains of the RA-catabolizing enzymes Cyp26a1 and Cyp26c1, and a downregulation of the RA-synthesizing enzyme Raldh3. These changes determine a significant expansion of the RA-free zone towards the ventral part of the eye. At postnatal stages of eye development, Vax2 inactivation led to alterations of the regional expression of the cone photoreceptor genes Opn1sw (S-Opsin) and Opn1mw (M-Opsin), which were significantly rescued after RA administration. We confirmed the above described alterations of gene expression in the Oryzias latipes (medaka fish) model system using both Vax2 gain- and loss-of-function assays. Finally, a detailed morphological and functional analysis of the adult retina in mutant mice revealed that Vax2 is necessary for intraretinal pathfinding of retinal ganglion cells in mammals. These data demonstrate for the first time that Vax2 is both necessary and sufficient for the control of intraretinal RA metabolism, which in turn contributes to the appropriate expression of cone opsins in the vertebrate eye
Hyperekplexia Phenotype of Glycine Receptor α1 Subunit Mutant Mice Identifies Zn2+ as an Essential Endogenous Modulator of Glycinergic Neurotransmission
No full textSummaryZn2+ is thought to modulate neurotransmission by affecting currents mediated by ligand-gated ion channels and transmitter reuptake by Na+-dependent transporter systems. Here, we examined the in vivo relevance of Zn2+ neuromodulation by producing knockin mice carrying the mutation D80A in the glycine receptor (GlyR) α1 subunit gene (Glra1). This substitution selectively eliminates the potentiating effect of Zn2+ on GlyR currents. Mice homozygous for Glra1(D80A) develop a severe neuromotor phenotype postnatally that resembles forms of human hyperekplexia (startle disease) caused by mutations in GlyR genes. In spinal neurons and brainstem slices from Glra1(D80A) mice, GlyR expression, synaptic localization, and basal glycinergic transmission were normal; however, potentiation of spontaneous glycinergic currents by Zn2+ was significantly impaired. Thus, the hyperekplexia phenotype of Glra1(D80A) mice is due to the loss of Zn2+ potentiation of α1 subunit containing GlyRs, indicating that synaptic Zn2+ is essential for proper in vivo functioning of glycinergic neurotransmission
Novel rodent models for macular research
No full textBACKGROUND: Many disabling human retinal disorders involve the central retina, particularly the macula. However, the commonly used rodent models in research, mouse and rat, do not possess a macula. The purpose of this study was to identify small laboratory rodents with a significant central region as potential new models for macular research.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Gerbillus perpallidus, Meriones unguiculatus and Phodopus campbelli, laboratory rodents less commonly used in retinal research, were subjected to confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO), fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) using standard equipment (Heidelberg Engineering HRA1 and Spectralis™) adapted to small rodent eyes. The existence of a visual streak-like pattern was assessed on the basis of vascular topography, retinal thickness, and the topography of retinal ganglion cells and cone photoreceptors. All three species examined showed evidence of a significant horizontal streak-like specialization. cSLO angiography and retinal wholemounts revealed that superficial retinal blood vessels typically ramify and narrow into a sparse capillary net at the border of the respective area located dorsal to the optic nerve. Similar to the macular region, there was an absence of larger blood vessels in the streak region. Furthermore, the thickness of the photoreceptor layer and the population density of neurons in the ganglion cell layer were markedly increased in the visual streak region.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The retinal specializations of Gerbillus perpallidus, Meriones unguiculatus and Phodopus campbelli resemble features of the primate macula. Hence, the rodents reported here may serve to study aspects of macular development and diseases like age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema, and the preclinical assessment of therapeutic strategies
Restoration of cone vision in the CNGA3-/- mouse model of congenital complete lack of cone photoreceptor function.
No full textCongenital absence of cone photoreceptor function is associated with strongly impaired daylight vision and loss of color discrimination in human achromatopsia. Here, we introduce viral gene replacement therapy as a potential treatment for this disease in the CNGA3(-/-) mouse model. We show that such therapy can restore cone-specific visual processing in the central nervous system even if cone photoreceptors had been nonfunctional from birth. The restoration of cone vision was assessed at different stages along the visual pathway. Treated CNGA3(-/-) mice were able to generate cone photoreceptor responses and to transfer these signals to bipolar cells. In support, we found morphologically that treated cones expressed regular cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel complexes and opsins in outer segments, which previously they did not. Moreover, expression of CNGA3 normalized cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels in cones, delayed cone cell death and reduced the inflammatory response of Müller glia cells that is typical of retinal degenerations. Furthermore, ganglion cells from treated, but not from untreated, CNGA3(-/-) mice displayed cone-driven, light-evoked, spiking activity, indicating that signals generated in the outer retina are transmitted to the brain. Finally, we demonstrate that this newly acquired sensory information was translated into cone-mediated, vision-guided behavior
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