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The nucleus of statehood is situated at the local level: in the village, the neighborhood, the city district. This is where a community, beyond the level of the family, first develops collective rules that are intended to ensure its continued existence. But usually this is not the only level of governance at play. Above it, there are supralocal formations of power, varying in scope from regional networks to empires, which supplement the local orders or compete with them. The premise of this Research Unit is that local forms of self-governance are especially heterogeneous and prominent, wherever supralocal statehood exists in the mode of weak permeation. The central question of our approach is how local forms of self-governance work in this context. We will examine the relations to the state level as well as to other local groups as they develop over time; the scope and spatial contingency of forms of self-governance; their legitimization and the interdependency with the organization and collective identity of those groups which carry them out; finally, we will turn our attention to the significance of self-governance for the configuration of weak statehood. The empirical focus will be at the local level, which has so far been largely neglected in the research on governance beyond the state. In order to achieve this, we will work with case studies that are structured by categories and situated in geographical areas and time periods that lie outside of modern Europe with its particular development of statehood since the Late Middle Ages: in Antiquity, and in the Global South of the present. By incorporating these different time frames, we hope to contribute to overcoming the dichotomy between the modern and pre-modern era, which is often given canonical status. Our goal is to create a comparative analysis of different configurations of order as well as the development of a typology of patterns of local governance. The structure of the empirical comparison itself promises methodological insights, since it will entail recognizing, dealing with, and overcoming disciplinary limitations. Starting with the identification of typical patterns and processes, we hope to gain a better grasp of the mechanisms by which local configurations of order succeed, while at the same time advancing the theoretical debate. This will allow us to make an interdisciplinary contribution to the understanding of fundamental elements of statehood and local governance that are of central importance, especially in the context of weak statehood. The insights we hope to gain by adopting this historical perspective will contribute to understanding a present that is not based exclusively on its own, seemingly completely new preconditions, and will thus significantly sharpen the political analysis of various forms of governance.
We report on the characterization and target analysis of the small (s) RNA\(_{162}\) in the methanoarchaeon Methanosarcina mazei. Using a combination of genetic approaches, transcriptome analysis and computational predictions, the bicistronic MM2441-MM2440 mRNA encoding the transcription factor MM2441 and a protein of unknown function was identified as a potential target of this sRNA, which due to processing accumulates as three stabile 5' fragments in late exponential growth. Mobility shift assays using various mutants verified that the non-structured single-stranded linker region of sRNA\(_{162}\) (SLR) base-pairs with the MM2440-MM2441 mRNA internally, thereby masking the predicted ribosome binding site of MM2441. This most likely leads to translational repression of the second cistron resulting in dis-coordinated operon expression. Analysis of mutant RNAs in vivo confirmed that the SLR of sRNA\(_{162}\) is crucial for target interactions. Furthermore, our results indicate that sRNA\(_{162}\)-controlled MM2441 is involved in regulating the metabolic switch between the carbon sources methanol and methylamine. Moreover, biochemical studies demonstrated that the 50 end of sRNA\(_{162}\) targets the 5'-untranslated region of the cis-encoded MM2442 mRNA. Overall, this first study of archaeal sRNA/mRNA-target interactions unraveled that sRNA\(_{162}\) acts as an antisense (as) RNA on cis- and trans-encoded mRNAs via two distinct domains, indicating that cis-encoded asRNAs can have larger target regulons than previously anticipated.
Der Nucleus von Staatlichkeit liegt auf der lokalen Ebene, im Dorf, im Viertel, in der Nachbarschaft. Hier entwickelt eine Gemeinschaft jenseits der Familie zuerst kollektive Regeln, die ihren Fortbestand sichern sollen. Meist ist aber nicht nur diese Regelungsebene vorhanden. Über ihr stehen überlokale Herrschaftsformationen – von regionalen Verbünden bis zum Imperium –, welche die Ordnungsangebote vor Ort ergänzen oder mit ihnen konkurrieren. Örtliche Selbstregelungen sind, so die Prämisse dieser Forschungsgruppe, dann besonders vielfältig und ausgeprägt, wenn überlokale Staatlichkeit im Modus der schwachen Durchdringung existiert. Wie lokale Selbstregelungen in diesem Kontext funktionieren, ist unsere zentrale Forschungsfrage. Wir untersuchen die Relationen zu den staatlichen Ebenen wie zu anderen lokalen Gruppen in ihrem zeitlichen Verlauf, wir analysieren die Reichweite und die räumliche Bedingtheit von Selbstregelungen, fragen nach ihrer Legitimierung sowie nach der Interdependenz zu Organisation und kollektiver Identität der sie tragenden Gruppen; schließlich wenden wir uns der Bedeutung der Selbstregelungen für die Ordnungsform der schwachen Staatlichkeit zu. Der empirische Fokus liegt auf der lokalen Ebene, die in der bisherigen Forschung zum Regieren jenseits des Staates wenig beachtet wurde. Dazu wird in kategorial strukturierten Fallstudien gearbeitet, die in räumlichen und zeitlichen Bereichen außerhalb der europäischen (Sonder-)Entwicklung von Staatlichkeit seit dem Hochmittelalter situiert sind: in der griechisch-römischen Antike und im Globalen Süden der Gegenwart. Mit der unterschiedlichen Zeitstellung möchten wir zur Überwindung der oft als kanonisch geltenden Dichotomie zwischen Moderne und Vormoderne beitragen. Angestrebt wird sowohl die komparative Analyse der verschiedenen Ordnungsarrangements als auch die typologische Erfassung lokaler Regelungsmuster. Allein von der Anlage des empirischen Vergleichs erwarten wir methodischen Ertrag, denn es gilt disziplinäre Beschränkungen zu erkennen, mit ihnen umzugehen und sie zu überwinden. Ausgehend von der Identifizierung typischer Muster und Prozesse, möchten wir theoriebildend die Mechanismen für das Gelingen lokaler Ordnungsarrangements im Ganzen besser abschätzen. Somit leisten wir einen entscheidenden interdisziplinären Beitrag zum Verständnis basaler Elemente von Staatlichkeit, die gerade im Kontext schwacher Staatlichkeit von elementarer Bedeutung sind. Diese in historischer Perspektive gewonnenen Erkenntnisse sollen helfen, die Gegenwart nicht nur aus ihren eigenen, scheinbar völlig neuartigen Voraussetzungen heraus zu begreifen, und so die politische Analyse diverser Governance-Formen erheblich schärfen.
West African torrent-frogs of the genus Odontobatrachus currently belong to a single species: Odontobatrachus natator (Boulenger, 1905). Recently, molecular results and biogeographic separation led to the recognition of five Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) thus identifying a species-complex. Based on these insights, morphological analyses on more than 150 adult specimens, covering the entire distribution of the family and all OTUs, were carried out. Despite strong morphological congruence, combinations of morphological characters made the differentiation of OTUs successful and allowed the recognition of five distinct species: Odontobatrachus natator, and four species new to science: Odontobatrachus arndti sp. n., O. fouta sp. n., O. smithi sp. n. and O. ziama sp. n. All species occur in parapatry: Odontobatrachus natator is known from western Guinea to eastern Liberia, O. ziama sp. n. from eastern Guinea, O. smithi sp. n. and O. fouta sp. n. from western Guinea, O. arndti sp. n. from the border triangle Guinea-Liberia-Cote d'Ivoire. In addition, for the first time the advertisement call of a West African torrent-frog (O. arndti sp. n.) is described.
(1) Background: Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) is a concept that applies to obese patients without any elements of metabolic syndrome (metS). In turn, metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) defines the presence of elements of metS in obese patients. The components of MUO can be divided into subgroups regarding the elements of inflammation, lipid and glucose metabolism and cardiovascular disease. MUO patients appear to be at greater risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) compared to MHO patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different MUO components on NAFLD and NASH in patients with morbid obesity undergoing bariatric surgery. (2) Methods: 141 patients undergoing bariatric surgery from September 2015 and October 2021 at RWTH Aachen university hospital (Germany) were included. Patients were evaluated pre-operatively for characteristics of metS and MUO (HbA1c, HOMA, CRP, BMI, fasting glucose, LDL, TG, HDL and the presence of arterial hypertension). Intraoperatively, a liver biopsy was taken from the left liver lobe and evaluated for the presence of NAFLD or NASH. In ordinal regression analyses, different factors were evaluated for their influence on NAFLD and NASH. (3) Results: Mean BMI of the patients was 52.3 kg/m\(^2\) (36–74.8, SD 8.4). Together, the parameters HbA1c, HOMA, CRP, BMI, fasting glucose, LDL, TG, HDL and the presence of arterial hypertension accounted for a significant amount of variance in the outcome, with a likelihood ratio of χ\(^2\) (9) = 41.547, p < 0.001, for predicting the presence of NASH. Only HOMA was an independent predictor of NASH (B = 0.102, SE = 0.0373, p = 0.007). Evaluation of steatosis showed a similar trend (likelihood ratio χ\(^2\) (9) = 40.272, p < 0.001). Independent predictors of steatosis were HbA1c (B = 0.833, SE = 0.343, p = 0.015) and HOMA (B = 0.136, SE = 0.039, p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The above-mentioned model, including components of MUO, was significant for diagnosing NASH in patients with morbid obesity undergoing bariatric surgery. Out of the different subitems, HOMA independently predicted the presence of NASH and steatosis, while HbA1c independently predicted steatosis and fibrosis. Taken together, the parameter of glucose metabolism appears to be more accurate for the prediction of NASH than the parameters of lipid metabolism, inflammation or the presence of cardiovascular disease.
Interdisziplinarität markiert ein Forschungsprogramm, das unterschiedliche Konjunkturen erlebt hat. Auch wenn es aktuell wieder an Zuspruch gewinnt, bleiben oftmals die Konturen der Vorstellung von Interdisziplinarität verschwommen. Wenn eine Forschungsgruppe dezidiert die interdisziplinäre Perspektive aufgreift, ist es daher zwingend geboten, sich über den Begriff und seine Implikationen zu verständigen.
Darauf aufbauend zeigen wir, wie sich die DFG-Forschungsgruppe 2757 interdisziplinär aufstellt und vernetzt, um eine komplexe Fragestellung zu klären, die durch Einzelforschung nicht befriedigend behandelt werden kann. Dazu erläutern wir zunächst die in interdisziplinärer Reflexion gewonnenen und ausgewählten begrifflichen Grundlagen, Theorien und Methoden und präsentieren die entsprechenden Grundideen unserer Forschungsgruppe. Auf dieser Basis beschreiben wir deren organisatorische Tektonik sowie die inhaltlichen und methodischen Verbindungen der einzelnen Teilprojekte. Somit präzisieren wir unsere Vorstellung von interdisziplinärer Zusammenarbeit im Sinne einer vernetzten Forschung.
Wir erarbeiten mit unserem Vorgehen in interdisziplinärer Hinsicht einen angemessenen Zugang zur Thematik, der es erlaubt, die grundlegenden Fragen aus unterschiedlichen epistemologischen Perspektiven zu beleuchten und damit umfassender zu erfassen, als es aus einer rein disziplinären Sicht möglich wäre. Weiterhin streben wir eine Erweiterung und Vertiefung unseres methodischen Vorgehens an, indem verschiedene fachspezifische Methoden verwendet und kombiniert werden. Auf dieser Grundlage versprechen wir uns innovative Ergebnisse, die theoretische und methodologische Aspekte betreffen.
Background:
Fatty Degeneration (FD) of the rotator cuff muscles influences functional and anatomical outcome after rotator cuff repair. The MRI based estimation of fatty degeneration is the gold standard. There is some evidence that Ultrasound elastography (EUS) can detect local differences of tissue stiffness in muscles and tendons. Shear-wave elastography (SWE) was evaluated to determine the extent to which shear wave velocity was associated with measures of fatty degeneration. MRI-spectroscopic fat measurement was used as a reference to quantify the amount of fat in the muscle belly.
Methods:
Forty-two patients underwent SWE of the supraspinatus muscles at its thickest diameter. After ultrasound evaluation an MRI-spectroscopic fat measurement of the supraspinatus muscle was performed using the SPLASH-technique. A gel filled capsule was used to locate the measured area in the MRI. The values of shear wave velocity (SWV) measured with SWE and spectroscopic fat measurement were correlated statistically using Pearson’s correlation test.
Results:
Correlation of the fat amount measured with MRI-spectroscopy and the SWV measured with SWE was ρ =0.82. Spectroscopic measured fat ratio of the supraspinatus muscle ranged from 0% to 77.41% and SWV from 1.59 m/s to 5.32 m/s. In 4 patients no sufficient SWE could be performed, these individuals showed a larger diameter of the overlying soft tissue. SWV measured with SWE showed a good correlation with MRI spectroscopic fat amount of the supraspinatus muscle.
Conclusion:
These preliminary data suggest that SWE may be a sufficient tool in detecting and estimating the amount of fatty degeneration in the supraspinatus muscle in real time. Large overlying soft tissue may be a limitation in performing sufficient EUS.
A phosphoproteomic approach reveals that PKD3 controls PKA-mediated glucose and tyrosine metabolism
(2021)
Members of the protein kinase D (PKD) family (PKD1, 2, and 3) integrate hormonal and nutritional inputs to regulate complex cellular metabolism. Despite the fact that a number of functions have been annotated to particular PKDs, their molecular targets are relatively poorly explored. PKD3 promotes insulin sensitivity and suppresses lipogenesis in the liver of animals fed a high-fat diet. However, its substrates are largely unknown. Here we applied proteomic approaches to determine PKD3 targets. We identified more than 300 putative targets of PKD3. Furthermore, biochemical analysis revealed that PKD3 regulates cAMP-dependent PKA activity, a master regulator of the hepatic response to glucagon and fasting. PKA regulates glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism in the liver, by targeting key enzymes in the respective processes. Among them the PKA targets phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) catalyzes the conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine. Consistently, we showed that PKD3 is activated by glucagon and promotes glucose and tyrosine levels in hepatocytes. Therefore, our data indicate that PKD3 might play a role in the hepatic response to glucagon.