Der Einfluss familialer Merkmale auf den Entwicklungsprozess vom Fussballtalent zum Spitzenspieler

The process by which young talents develop to become topclass players once they reach the age of maximum performance is influenced by numerous factors. Among the exogenous factors, the family plays a central role. In the context of a research project carried out in cooperation with the Swiss Football Association SFV, 159 former members of the national youth football team were interviewed retrospectively, among other things concerning their family circumstances. The study is interested in understanding two issues: 1) It examines which family conditions – compared with average Swiss families – lead to success in adolescence (nomination for a national youth team). 2) Since success in adolescence by no means guarantees top-level performance at the age of maximum performance, the heterogeneity of the sample’s adult level of performance is used to compare players who later achieve greater success to the less successful players. It is found that these players come from families with many children and a strong affinity to sports. Those players who are particularly successful at the age of maximum performance also felt they received more support from their parents and siblings during childhood and adolescence than the players who went on to be less successful.

Vom Wettermacher zum Ökosystemgestalter - Biodiversität und Klimawandel aus der Sicht der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit

Die internationale Entwicklungszusammenarbeit ist im Umbruch. Die drohenden Auswirkungen des globalen Wandels halten uns vor Augen, wie klein und verletzlich unsere Erde ist. Es wird höchste Zeit, dass die Weltgemeinschaft die Kräfte für ein koordiniertes Vorgehen zu Gunsten einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung auf allen Ebenen bündelt. Dieser Beitrag zeigt einige wesentliche Elemente der Herausforderung und entwirft eine Positionierung aus Sicht einer internationalen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, welche der Armutsbekämpfung und der nachhaltigen Entwicklung verpflichtet ist.

Naive B-cell trafficking is shaped by local chemokine availability and LFA-1-independent stromal interactions.

It is not known how naive B cells compute divergent chemoattractant signals of the T-cell area and B-cell follicles during in vivo migration. Here, we used two-photon microscopy of peripheral lymph nodes (PLNs) to analyze the prototype G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) CXCR4, CXCR5, and CCR7 during B-cell migration, as well as the integrin LFA-1 for stromal guidance. CXCR4 and CCR7 did not influence parenchymal B-cell motility and distribution, despite their role during B-cell arrest in venules. In contrast, CXCR5 played a nonredundant role in B-cell motility in follicles and in the T-cell area. B-cell migration in the T-cell area followed a random guided walk model, arguing against directed migration in vivo. LFA-1, but not α4 integrins, contributed to B-cell motility in PLNs. However, stromal network guidance was LFA-1 independent, uncoupling integrin-dependent migration from stromal attachment. Finally, we observed that despite a 20-fold reduction of chemokine expression in virus-challenged PLNs, CXCR5 remained essential for B-cell screening of antigen-presenting cells. Our data provide an overview of the contribution of prototype GPCRs and integrins during naive B-cell migration and shed light on the local chemokine availability that these cells compute.