Search

IntroductionP2X receptors are a family of homo- and heterotrimeric cation channels gated by extracellular ATP. The P2X4 and P2X7 subunits show overlapping expression patterns and have been involved in similar physiological processes, such as pain and inflammation as well as various immune cell functions. While formation of P2X2/P2X3 heterotrimers produces a distinct pharmacological phenotype and has been well established, functional identification of a P2X4/P2X7 heteromer has been difficult and evidence for and against a physical association has been found. Most of this evidence stems, however, from in vitro model systems.MethodsHere, we used a P2X7-EGFP BAC transgenic mouse model as well as P2X4 and P2X7 knock-out mice to re-investigate a P2X4-P2X7 interaction in mouse lung by biochemical and immunohistochemical experiments as well as quantitative expression analysis.ResultsNo detectable amounts of P2X4 could be co-purified from mouse lung via P2X7-EGFP. In agreement with these findings, immuno-histochemical analysis using a P2X7-specific nanobody revealed only limited overlap in the cellular and subcellular localizations of P2X4 and P2X7 in both the native lung tissue and primary cells. Comparison of P2X4 and P2X7 transcript and protein levels in the respective gene-deficient and wild type mice showed no mutual interrelation between their expression levels in whole lungs. However, a significantly reduced P2rx7 expression was found in alveolar macrophages of P2rx4-/- mice.DiscussionIn summary, our detailed analysis of the cellular and subcellular P2X4 and P2X7 localization and expression does not support a physiologically relevant direct association of P2X4 and P2X7 subunits or receptors in vivo.

The COVID-19 pandemic had major implications for private and family lives. The German Family Panel pairfam conducted an online survey regarding the experiences during the pandemic. The survey was conducted from May to July 2020. It includes instruments introduced in previous pairfam waves as well as new modules on topics that proved particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting dataset encompasses a sample of 3,182 respondents from all German federal states ranging in age from 17–47 years. The data has already been used in a variety of scientific publications and is available for research and teaching purposes.

Our respiratory system is exposed to toxicants and pathogens from both sides: the airways and the vasculature. While tracheal, bronchial and alveolar epithelial cells form a natural barrier in the airways, endothelial cells protect the lung from perfused toxic compounds, particulate matter and invading microorganism in the vascular system. Damages induce inflammation by our immune response and wound healing by (myo)fibroblast proliferation. Members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of ion channel are expressed in many cells of the respiratory tract and serve multiple functions in physiology and pathophysiology. TRP expression patterns in non-neuronal cells with a focus on TRPA1, TRPC6, TRPM2, TRPM5, TRPM7, TRPV2, TRPV4 and TRPV6 channels are presented, and their roles in barrier function, immune regulation and phagocytosis are summarized. Moreover, TRP channels as future pharmacological targets in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cystic and pulmonary fibrosis as well as lung edema are discussed.

Members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily are broadly expressed in our body and contribute to multiple cellular functions. Most interestingly, the fourth member of the vanilloid family of TRP channels (TRPV4) serves different partially antagonistic functions in the respiratory system. This review highlights the role of TRPV4 channels in lung fibroblasts, the lung endothelium, as well as the alveolar and bronchial epithelium, during physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms. Data available from animal models and human tissues confirm the importance of this ion channel in cellular signal transduction complexes with Ca2+ ions as a second messenger. Moreover, TRPV4 is an excellent therapeutic target with numerous specific compounds regulating its activity in diseases, like asthma, lung fibrosis, edema, and infections.

Large numbers of studies, mostly from the U.S., have addressed the effects of parental separation and divorce, pointing to disadvantages of children and adolescents growing up in separated families. However, evidence on this topic varies across countries and is limited for Germany. Using longitudinal data from waves 1 and 3 of the German Family Panel pairfam, we investigated differences in adolescents’ well-being by comparing stable nuclear families (n = 1968), single mother families (n = 360), and stepfather families (n = 214), as well as an additional smaller group of adolescents whose parents separated between waves 1 and 3 (“prospective separators”; n = 76). Adolescents’ satisfaction with different domains of life (family, education/work, and their general life satisfaction) as well as their self-esteem were used as indicators of well-being. A series of multiple regression analyses tested the effects of family structure on well-being at T1 and changes in well-being over time, controlling for various background factors. Furthermore, likely mediation effects of infrequent contact to the non-resident father and economic strain were tested. The findings show (relatively minor) effects of parental separation, namely lower well-being among youth1 in single mother families compared to nuclear families. Disadvantages of youth in single mother families could only be partly explained by the higher financial strain generally experienced in these families. Youth in stepfather families reported a similar overall well-being as adolescents in nuclear families, but indicated a greater decrease in family satisfaction over time. Pre-separation disadvantages among prospective separators were limited to greater dissatisfaction with school. Infrequent contact with the non-resident father did not affect adolescents’ well-being. Effects of family structure did not differ between boys and girls, but maternal education moderated the effects of family structure on adolescents’ life satisfaction. Overall, the findings are in line with other evidence from Germany, which points towards only limited disadvantages of youth in separated or divorced families.

Focusing family influences on children’s academic development, the present study investigated longitudinal effects of parental school involvement as well as children’s closeness to parents as predictors of school achievement across two years. Two aspects of academic socialization were of particular interest: parents’ aspirations for higher education and their interest in children’s schooling. Data for 469 children (age 8 to 16 years) came from the German Family Panel pairfam. Multiple regression analyses controlling for a variety of background factors, children’s previous grades, and their problem behavior revealed significant effects of parents’ educational aspirations only. Whereas children’s age did not moderate the effects of closeness to parents or those of academic socialization, higher closeness to parents proved to facilitate effects of parents’ educational aspirations. The findings emphasize the role of parental aspirations, particularly in the context of a positive parent-child relationship. Zusammenfassung Mit Blick auf die Bildungsbedeutung der Familie untersucht diese Studie längsschnittliche Einflüsse des elterlichen Schulengagements und der Verbundenheit mit den Eltern auf die schulische Leistungsentwicklung im 2-Jahres-Zeitraum. Im Mittelpunkt stehen zwei Aspekte akademischer Sozialisation: die Bildungsorientierung der Eltern und deren Interesse an schulischen Belangen der Kinder. Die Daten für 469 Kinder im Alter zwischen 8 und 16 Jahren stammen aus dem Deutschen Beziehungsund Familienpanel pairfam. In multiplen Regressionen, die zahlreiche Hintergrundfaktoren, den früheren Leistungsstand sowie das Problemverhalten der Kinder kontrollieren, erweist sich lediglich die Bildungsorientierung der Eltern als relevant. Während das Alter der Kinder keinen moderierenden Einfluss auf die Bedeutung akademischer Sozialisation und die Verbundenheit mit den Eltern hat, trägt die Bildungsorientierung nur bei hoher Verbundenheit der Kinder mit den Eltern zu besseren schulischen Leistungen bei. Die Befunde unterstreichen die Bedeutung elterlicher Bildungsaspirationen, vor allem im Kontext einer positiven Eltern- Kind-Beziehung.

ABSTRACTProfessional sociology in Ecuador started with the first chair in sociology in 1915. This led to a series of foundational texts during the 1920s and 30s that sought to define what sociology is while applying it to core aspects of Ecuadorian society. While this time was – in the Global North- marked by a growing centralization on the theories of Durkheim and Weber, the Ecuadorian sociologists preferred other thinkers in order to understand society. The result was a mixture of different theories that were not always clearly articulated but did sustain the first relatively coherent sociological readings of Ecuadorian society. This text will shed light on how the first professional sociology in Ecuador used the classics of sociology in a particular way to build local sociology. The focus will be on the four most relevant sociological thinkers of the first half of the twentieth century, Agustín Cueva Sáenz, Ángel Modesto Paredes, Víctor Gabriel Garcés, and Luis Bossano. They worked with Tarde, Worms, Durkheim, and some German, US-American, and Latin American authors. The creation of the first School for Sociology in the 1960s meant a break from this tradition that has not been reflected adequately until today.

Academic sociology in Ecuador started in 1915 with the establishment of the sociology chair at the Central University of Ecuador. This original moment entrenched a certain way of thinking about society, which included a canon of accepted classic authors. The development of a specific school of thought, which became dominant until the 50’s, made it more difficult for Ecuadorian sociology to incorporate new perspectives, especially when Ecuadorian sociology needed to open itself to the new currents of thought resulting from the creation of novel global and continental sociological institutions. However, this particular theory, which assumed that society evolved according to fixed natural laws and which granted elites a key role in promoting social progress; helped legitimize the discipline and provided a link with the then dominant ideas of political liberalism. The present article is based on an examination of the theories and concepts present in the most important texts invoked by practitioners during the central debates in early Ecuadorian sociology. The analysis of authors such as Agustín Cueva Sáenz, Belisario Quevedo, Ángel Modesto Paredes and Luis Bossano, allows for an adequate description of key the concepts present in their works and of the route followed in their efforts to develop adequate theoretic arguments. Additionally, a comparison of their ideas with Herbert Spencer´s shows that the earliest Ecuadorian sociology was not only positivistic, but also was heavily influenced by the Spenserian school.

Dreier et al. reports that the anion channelrhodopsin GtACR1 does not undergo a syn-cycle (light adapted ground state) and thus has a more efficient channel behaviour than CrChR2. They propose that constructing variants lacking syn-cycle could optimize channelrhodopsin for optogenetic applications.

The decolonial sociology has been a project of a considerable group of thinkers. There are many texts that contribute to a critique of the colonial and imperial roots of sociology, its questionable institutionalization, its inherent power structures, or its persistent Eurocentrism. However, generally, these texts leave aside the teaching of sociology, especially if it occurs in the Global South. The present text tries to remedy that. It parts from the concrete experience of the formation of a department of social sciences and the reform of the curriculum of sociology in a university of the Global South. This experience and the material related to it form the basis for a theoretical reflection that seeks to bring the decolonial debate into dialogue with a particular local reality. Emphasizing the importance of the local, this text is developed in a scheme that leads to the formulation of three principles for a decolonial sociology: the double contextualization, comparison and self-criticism.

The deep-drawability of a sheet metal blank is strongly influenced by the tribological conditions prevailing in a deep-drawing process. Therefore, new methods to influence the tribology represent an important research topic. In this work, the application of a process-integrated lubrication in a deep-drawing process is investigated. Most promising geometries of the lubrication channels and outlet openings are first identified by means of numerical simulation at the example of a demonstrator process. Cylindrical test specimens with the specified channel geometries are additively manufactured and installed in a strip drawing test stand. Additive manufacturing enables the possibility of manufacturing complex channel geometries which cannot be manufactured by conventional methods. A hydraulic metering device for conveying lubricant is connected to the cylindrical test specimens. Thus, hydraulically lubricated strip drawing tests are performed. The tests are evaluated according to the force curves and the fluid mechanical buildup of pressure cushion. The performance of process-integrated lubrication is thus analyzed and evaluated. By means of a coupled forming and SPH simulation, the lubrication channels could be optimally designed. From the practical tests, it could be achieved that the drawing force decreases up to 27% with pressure cushion build up. In this research, a hydraulic lubrication in the area of highest contact normal stresses is the most optimal process parameter regarding friction reduction.

Indigenous peoples have been and still are largely excluded from the most important areas of modern society. They cannot participate adequately in politics, economics, education, etc. This exclusion is linked to colonialism and the coloniality of power and manifests itself in the term «indigenous» itself. The indigenous movement, especially since the 1970s, showed a clear awareness of this contradiction. It took advantage of the oppressive categories in the sense of a collective liberation. The indigenous function as a mechanism of political inclusion allows a local movement to connect with other movements, insofar as they are linked to the indigenous. And the indigenous became a discursive vehicle for the central demands of indigenous movements worldwide. In this contribution, it will be discussed the internal and external effects of the dissemination of the buen vivir concept by the indigenous movement based on a deeper discussion of the mechanisms of self-inclusion sustained on the indigenous movements. The centre of this discussion will be the framed of the concrete demands of the indigenous movement, especially the Ecuadorian movement and its economic proposals, in the concept of buen vivir.

With regard to climate change, it is imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One solution approach is to increase energy efficiency in buildings. Buildings contribute a high share of the total global energy usage. As the rate of new building constructions is low, measures applicable to existing buildings become paramount. Before applying new approaches on a large scale, it is necessary to evaluate them in a representative, realistic environment. Living labs such as the Living Lab Energy Campus (LLEC) at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) facilitate innovative monitoring and control approaches in a real-world setting. In this work, we investigate the required steps for bringing sensor and control networks, comprising more than 1800 devices, into 18 existing and new buildings. This enables both room-level monitoring and control, as well as the integration of building-wide automation. By introducing an ICT infrastructure, we pave the way towards holistic approaches on a district level. We describe the workflows used for selected instrumentation variants and show first insights from the operation of the resulting infrastructure. We show that the investigated instrumentation variants exhibit similar characteristics; however, they affect control behavior differently. We emphasize that instrumentation should be planned in the context of existing infrastructure. Moreover, we present and evaluate sample measurements obtained from different buildings.

La interculturalidad se ha convertido en un paradigma que orienta la política de estados, partidos y movimientos sociales y atraviesa diferentes aspectos de la vidasocial. Desde sus orígenes en los años setenta en América Latina, la interculturalidad se ha expandido en los ámbitos de la educación, la justicia, la comunicación, las artes, la salud, entre otros. Los últimos años han sido testigos de numerosas reflexiones sobre el concepto mismo de interculturalidad, sus relaciones con conceptos asociados, más no equivalentes, como multiculturalidad, pluriculturalidad o plurinacionalidad, pero también sobre los peligros que encierra una aplicación ingenua del concepto sin un cuestionamiento profundo de las estructuras de dominación de nuestras sociedades. En la misma línea, los debates sobre interculturalidad han asumido con demasiada frecuencia que se trata de un estado de cosas y no de un proyecto por construir, o bien de aquello que tiene que ver única y exclusivamente con aspectos étnicos. Una renovada discusión sobre la interculturalidad exige, por lo tanto, un giro que tome en cuenta su carácter dinámico de construcción y promueva una visión crítica sobre los alcances de los procesos interculturales en marcha en la región, a más de reflexionar no sólo sobre el qué de la interculturalidad, sino especialmente sobre el cómo de su construcción.

Benjamín Inuca fue un líder histórico del movimiento indígena—designación que le resultaba jocosa—que participó en diferentes organizaciones.

The concept of 'sumak kawsay, buen vivir' or “good life”—in Bolivia, 'suma qamaña', or 'vivir bien'—has been widely diffused on an international level since the Ecuadorian Constituent Assembly in 2007–2008 and the Bolivian one in 2006–2009. Good life has been understood as an alternative to capitalist modernizing development that is based on the indigenous ideal of harmony between individual, society, and nature. Nevertheless, in the usage of the indigenous movement, which initiated the diffusion of this concept, good life is a local and territorial conception of a lifestyle. While this notion of locality is largely ignored or invisibilized by the Ecuadorian government and by nonindigenous intellectuals, and to some degree even by national indigenous organizations, local indigenous organizations integrated good life into their discourse of territorial autonomy in a pluralist state. Good life allows for local decolonialization, a concrete and local fight against the structures of “the coloniality of power” framed within a discursive panorama that includes concepts of plurality and autonomy. This text analyzes sumak kawsay as a key concept of local decolonialization, emphasizing its relation to similar concepts and the differences in its usage by different actors. Resumen El concepto de 'sumak kawsay', o buen vivir —igual que su versión boliviana 'suma qamaña'— ha experimentado desde la Constituyente ecuatoriana en 2007–2008 y la boliviana en 2006–2009 una amplia difusión a nivel internacional. El buen vivir ha sido entendido como una alternativa al desarrollo modernizante capitalista que se basa en el ideal indígena de una harmonía entre individuo, sociedad y naturaleza. No obstante, en el uso del movimiento indígena —actor que inició la difusión de este concepto— el buen vivir es una concepción local y territorial de un estilo de vida. Mientras que en el uso por el gobierno ecuatoriano y por intelectuales no-indígenas —y en algún grado hasta en las organizaciones indígenas nacionales—, esta noción de localidad es ignorada o invisibilizada, las organizaciones indígenas locales integraron al buen vivir en su discurso de autonomía territorial en un Estado pluralista. El buen vivir permite una apertura en la perspectiva para una decolonialización local, una lucha concreta y localizada contra las estructuras de la colonialidad del poder enmarcada en un panorama discursivo que incluye conceptos de pluralidad y autonomía. Esta presentación va a analizar al sumak kawsay como concepto clave de una decolonialización local, poniendo énfasis en su relación con conceptos afines y en las diferencias de su uso por los diferentes actores discursivos.

El movimiento indígena del Ecuador está compuesto por diferentes organizaciones indígenas que compiten entre sí por miembros y recursos. Estos actores encarnan diferentes intereses y tendencias que a veces son contradictorias, dadas las distintas concepciones políticas, étnicas y sociales que se manifiestan en el interior de las organizaciones, por lo tanto hablar del movimiento indígena sin considerar esta diversidad organizativa resultaría un análisis limitado. Este artículo intentará hacer un resumen histórico de las organizaciones indígenas, destacando sus demandas, sus estrategias particulares y las relaciones que existen entre ellas. No vamos a interpretar el desarrollo del movimiento como sucesión de organizaciones con ideologías generalmente incompatibles, sino como una dinámica de competencia y a veces cooperación entre las distintas organizaciones. Este estudio se basa en publicaciones realizadas por las propias organizaciones, completándolas y ampliándolas con textos académicos, con la intención de ayudar a la sistematización de una auto-historia del movimiento indígena desde una perspectiva científica.

Desde la década de los 1980, las organizaciones del movimiento indígena en Ecuador lucharon no sólo por derechos económicos, políticos o culturales, sino además por una reconstrucción de la sociedad y del Estado ecuatoriano. Esta reconstrucción pasa por conceptos bastante específicos como Interculturalidad y Plurinacionalidad. Aún si estos conceptos fueron adoptados en la Constitución del 2008, desde la perspectiva del movimiento indígena, todavía falta implementarlos. Este texto es un análisis del desarrollo tanto del movimiento indígena como de sus conceptos con un enfoque en las relaciones entre las diferentes organizaciones y conceptos. English: The fight of indigenous movement organizations in the Republic of Ecuador (Ecuador) since the 1980s has not only been for equal economic, political or cultural rights, but also for reconstruction of the Ecuadorean society and the State. This reconstruction is formed alongside quite specific concepts, such as Interculturality and Plurinationality. Even if these concepts have been adopted in the Constitution of 2008, from the perspective of the Indigenous movement, they are yet to be implemented. This article is an analysis of the development of both Indigenous movement and their concepts with a focus on the interrelation between the different organizations and Interculturality and Plurinationality.

The crystal structure of the title compound, C6H16N2O32+·2Cl−, has been reported previously by Palm [Acta Cryst. (1967), 22, 209–216] from Weisenberg camera data, with R1 = 10.5%, isotropic refinement of non-H atoms and H atoms not located. We remeasured a data set of the title compound and present a more precise structure determination. The asymmetric unit contains two unique 1,3-diammonio-1,2,3-trideoxy-cis-inositol cations and four Cl− counter-ions. The cyclohexane rings of both inositol cations adopt chair conformations with two axial hydroxy groups. An extended network of hydrogen bonds is formed. The four chloride counter ions are hydrogen bonded to the hydroxy and ammonium groups of the cations by N—H...Cl and O—H...Cl interactions. The cations are aligned into wavy layers by cation...cation interactions of the form N—H...O(ax), N—H...O(eq) and O(ax)—H...O(eq). Intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the axial hydroxy groups is, however, not observed.

This essay reviews the following works: