Two-Dimensional Manganese(II) Coordination Polymer Based on Phthalate and Pyrazine Bridges Exhibiting Antiferromagnetic Porperties

Benzodifuran-functionalised pyrene and anthracene fluorophores 1 and 2 were obtained in reasonable yields. Their single crystal structures, electrochemical, optical absorption, and fluorescence characteristics have been described. They show strong luminescence with high quantum yields of 0.53 for 1 and 0.48 for 2. Magnetic measurements for the 2D coordination polymer [Mn(Pht(Pyz(H2O)2]n (1), in which metal centres are linked together by pyrazine (Pyz) and 1,6-bridging o-phthalate ligand (Pht2-), revealed antiferromagnetic interactions between Mn(II) ions.

Annexations in Europe and the Persecution of Jews, 1939-1944

This contribution tries to explain why Jews were persecuted earlier or more fiercely in territories annexed by a state during World War II than in the mainland of that state. The case-studies covered are Nazi Germany, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and the USSR. It is argued that internationally, similar policies of incorporation, especially the replacement of existing elites and the process of bringing in new settlers, worked against the Jews. Aside from focusing on governmental policies, the contribution also sketches the manner in which individual actions by state functionaries (who did not merely implement state policies) and by non-state actors had adverse effects on the Jewish population, impacting their survival chances. Finally, the article places the persecution of Jews in annexed areas in the context of the concerted violence conducted, at the same time, against other ethnically defined, religious, and social groups.

Cohort-specific effects of the expansion of the welfare state on job opportunities: a longitudinal analysis of three birth cohorts in the Federal Republic of Germany

Ziel der Untersuchung war es, Einflüsse auf den Arbeitsmarkt der Bundesrepublik durch das Anwachsen des Wohlfahrtsstaates zu ermitteln. Zu diesem Zweck wurden zwischen 1981 und 1983 2.171 Männer und Frauen der Geburtskohorten 1929-31, 1939-41 und 1949-51 mit standardisierten Interviews befragt zu ihrem Lebensverlauf, speziell unter den Gesichtspunkten: Soziale Herkunft, Ausbildung, Beschäftigung, Familie, Mobilität. Insbesondere interessierte die Frage nach der Beschäftigung im öffentlichen Dienst oder in der Privatwirtschaft bzw. ob und wann ein Wechsel von einem in den anderen Bereich stattgefunden hat. Einige Ergebnisse: Die Bildungsexpansion in den 70er Jahren führte dazu, daß eine steigende Anzahl von Universitätsabsolventen im öffentlichen Dienst Beschäftigung fand; seit der Stagnation des Wohlfahrtsstaates ab ca. 1980 sind die Beschäftigungschancen für hochqualifizierte Berufsanfänger dort wieder gesunken. In der Privatwirtschaft wird unqualifizierte Beschäftigung durch höher qualifizierte ersetzt, während im öffentlichen Dienst bei geringerem Arbeitsplatzangebot weniger hochqualifizierte Berufsanfänger nachgefragt werden.

IGHD II: A Novel GH-1 Gene Mutation (GH-L76P) Severely Affects GH Folding, Stability, and Secretion

CONTEXT The autosomal dominant form of GH deficiency (IGHD II) is characterized by markedly reduced GH secretion combined with low concentrations of IGF-1 leading to short stature. OBJECTIVE Structure-function analysis of a missense mutation in the GH-1 gene converting codon 76 from leucine (L) to proline (P) yielding a mutant GH-L76P peptide. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PATIENTS Heterozygosity for GH-L76P/wt-GH was identified in a nonconsanguineous Spanish family. The index patients, two siblings, a boy and a girl, were referred for assessment of their short stature (-3.2 and -3.8 SD). Their grandmother, father, and aunt were also carrying the same mutation and showed severe short stature; therefore, IGHD II was diagnosed. INTERVENTIONS AND RESULTS AtT-20 cells coexpressing both wt-GH and GH-L76P showed a reduced GH secretion (P < .001) after forskolin stimulation when compared with the cells expressing only wt-GH. In silico mutagenesis and molecular dynamics simulations presented alterations of correct folding and mutant stability compared with wt-GH. Therefore, further structural analysis of the GH-L76P mutant was performed using expressed and purified proteins in Escherichia coli by thermofluor assay and fast degradation proteolysis assay. Both assays revealed that the GH-L76P mutant is unstable and misfolded compared to wt-GH confirming the bioinformatic model prediction. CONCLUSIONS This is the first report of a family suffering from short stature caused by IGHD II, which severely affects intracellular GH folding and stability as well as secretion, highlighting the necessity of functional analysis of any GH variant for defining new mechanisms as a cause for IGHD II.