Search

This paper examines the contribution of German subnational constitutional courts to the judicialization of politics in the German states, known as Länder. This research goal entails three dimensions. First, I have to define and measure judicialization. To accomplish this task, I use an index recently developed by an international group of scholars of comparative politics. Second, based on major theoretical approaches, I identify possible causes that might give reasons for judicialization, namely institutional preconditions and preferences of justices. In a third step, I use a linear regression in order to test the theory empirically and find links between causes and effects of judicial decision-making in subnational constitutional courts. The findings confirm institutionalist approaches that contribute to explaining decision-making in German subnational constitutional courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article shows that two constitutional principles govern the election of justices and the composition of the 16 German state constitutional courts: democracy and the separation of powers. The recruitment of candidates, the vote on nominees in state parliaments, and the composition of benches of the courts in question support this assumption. There is no evidence indicating that a partisan takeover of German state constitutional courts has taken place. In addition, the majorities required for an appointment of justices of state constitutional courts seem less crucial than is often assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why have some German Land constitutions been changed more frequently than others? This is the basic research question addressed in this article. In addition and maybe even more importantly, for the first time the article will apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to the study of comparative constitutional policy, and thus will investigate what conditions explain the changeableness of subnational constitutions. Overall, I will argue that subnational constitutional policy is not just a manifestation of Germany's consensus democracy. On the contrary, it seems that a crucial element of majoritarian democracy – that is, a low number of effective parties – appears to be a core condition for the changeableness of constitutions. In addition, the findings suggest that any theory striving to explain the frequency and scope of constitutional amendments in a comparative perspective should include both institutional and party factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Chemistry is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In metabolic glycoengineering (MGE), cells or animals are treated with unnatural derivatives of monosaccharides. After entering the cytosol, these sugar analogues are metabolized and subsequently expressed on newly synthesized glycoconjugates. The feasibility of MGE was first discovered for sialylated glycans, by using N-acyl-modified mannosamines as precursor molecules for unnatural sialic acids. Prerequisite is the promiscuity of the enzymes of the Roseman-Warren biosynthetic pathway. These enzymes were shown to tolerate specific modifications of the N-acyl side chain of mannosamine analogues, for example, elongation by one or more methylene groups (aliphatic modifications) or by insertion of reactive groups (bioorthogonal modifications). Unnatural sialic acids are incorporated into glycoconjugates of cells and organs. MGE has intriguing biological consequences for treated cells (aliphatic MGE) and offers the opportunity to visualize the topography and dynamics of sialylated glycans in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo (bioorthogonal MGE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Angewandte Chemie is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this article, we try to explain why some German Land constitutions are changed more frequently than others. Notably, we consider three arguments: first, we point out that subnational constitutional politics are an important, permanent, and salient issue in the German Länder. Second, we examine the extent to which parties and features of subnational constitutions impact the number of constitutional amendments in the German Länder. The analysis shows that both institutional and party factors partially explain the policy variation. Third, based on these findings, we conclude that theories trying to explain subnational constitutional amendments need to combine institutional and actor-centered approaches. Furthermore, German consensus democracy seems to work in a specific way at the Länder level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key enzyme of sialic acid (Sia) biosynthesis is the bifunctional UDP- N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase/ManNAc kinase (GNE/MNK). It metabolizes the physiological precursor ManNAc and N-acyl modified analogues such as N-propionylmannosamine (ManNProp) to the respective modified sialic acid. Polysialic acid (polySia) is a crucial compound for several functions in the nervous system and is synthesized by the polysialyltransferases ST8SIA2 and ST8SIA4. PolySia can be modified in vitro and in vivo by metabolic glycoengineering of the N-acyl side chain of Sia. In vitro studies show that the application of ManNProp increases neurite outgrowth and accelerates the re-establishment of functional synapses. In this study, we investigate in vivo how ManNProp application might benefit peripheral nerve regeneration. In mice expressing axonal fluorescent proteins (thy-1-YFP), we transected the sciatic nerve and then replaced part of it with a sciatic nerve graft from non-expressing mice (wild-type mice or St8sia2 mice). Analyses conducted 5 days after grafting showed that systemic application of ManNProp (200 mg/kg, twice a day, i.p.), but not of physiological ManNAc (1 g/kg, twice a day, i.p.), significantly increased the extent of axonal elongation, the number of arborizing axons and the number of branches per regenerating axon within the grafts from wild-type mice, but not in those from St8sia2 mice. The results demonstrate that the application of ManNProp has beneficial effects on early peripheral nerve regeneration and indicate that the stimulation of axon growth depends on ST8SIA2 activity in the nerve graft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making in matters of constitutional change seems hardly to comply with the rules associated with a parliamentary form of government. Constitutional changes require - at least -- a two third majority in parliament. Thus, normally at least one party in opposition has to support bills aiming at amending the constitution. Due to these formal requirements the standard approach explaining law-making in parliamentary governments seems inappropriate to explain the essential aspects of constitutional politics. However, constitutional politics in the state of Brandenburg between 1992 and 2013 show many features of majoritarian decision-making in parliamentary systems. In addition, in the Landtag of Brandenburg constitutional amendments are dealt with in the same way as "normal" bills. Overall, in Brandenburg constitutional politics is similar to the one in the Bundestag regardless of some specifics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extracellular membranes of the inner ear are essential constituents to maintain sensory functions, the cupula for sensing torsional movements of the head, the otoconial membrane for sensing linear movements and accelerations like gravity, and the tectorial membrane in the cochlea for hearing. So far a number of structural proteins have been described, but for the gelatinous cupula precise data are missing. Here, we describe for the first time a major proteinogenic component of the cupula structure with an apparent molecular mass of 45 kDa from salmon. Analyses of respective peptides revealed highly conserved amino-acid sequences with identity to zona pellucida-like domain proteins. Immunohistochemistry studies localized the protein in the ampulla of the inner ear from salmon and according to its anatomical appearance we identified this glycoprotein as Cupulin. Future research on structure and function of zona pellucida-like domain proteins will enhance our knowledge of inner ear diseases, like sudden loss of vestibular function and other disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]