Die Teilung ihres Landes in der Sichtweise Deutscher (BRD), chinesischer (Taiwan) und koreanischer (Südkorea) Journalisten

Die vorliegende Studie ist eine internationale vergleichende Journalistenbefragung über ein politisch-historisches Ereignis, das in allen untersuchten Ländern vorkommen. Untersucht werden Journalisten aus der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Taiwan und Südkorea, die in den politischen oder relevanten Ressorts der bedeutenden Medien der jeweiligen Länder tätig sind. Die Themen der Befragung behandeln die Teilung und Wiedervereinigungsprobleme sowie die politisch-ideologischen Hintergründe der Teilung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, China und Korea. Obwohl alle drei Länder nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg durch die ideologische Auseinandersetzung zwischen Ost und West geteilt wurden, zeichnet die Wahrnehmung dieses Ereignisses durch die Journalisten der drei Länder aufgrund ihrer unterschiedlichen politischen Entwicklungen und Pressetraditionen bemerkbare Unterschiede auf. Die deutschen Journalisten tendieren dazu, die Vorzüge der Bundesrepublik Deutschland gegenüber der damaligen DDR hervorzuheben. Die taiwanesischen Journalisten distanzieren sich wegen der asymmetrischen Teilungsgröße zwischen Taiwan und der Volksrepublik China von der Möglichkeit einer Wiedervereinigung Chinas. Die südkoreanischen Journalisten weisen starken Nationalismus auf und setzen sich am häufigsten für Nordkorea und eine eventuelle Wiedervereinigung der koreanischen Halbinsel ein. Im letzten Teil der Studie wird das Rollenverständnis der Journalisten für die Berichterstattung über die Teilungsprobleme untersucht. Es bestätigt sich, dass die Sichtweise der Journalisten über die Teilung und Wiedervereinigungsprobleme ihres Landes sich auf ihre Berichterstattung über die entsprechenden Themen auswirkt. Diese Ergebnisse stimmen mit der Theorie der „Instrumentellen Aktualisierung“ überein.

Higher education in the Federal Republic of Germany - devolpments and recent issues

Center of European Studies, Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York

Comparative survey of the relative impact of mRNA features on local ribosome profiling read density

Ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq), a promising technology for exploring ribosome decoding rates, is characterized by the presence of infrequent high peaks in ribosome footprint density and by long alignment gaps. Here, to reduce the impact of data heterogeneity we introduce a simple normalization method, Ribo-seq Unit Step Transformation (RUST). RUST is robust and outperforms other normalization techniques in the presence of heterogeneous noise. We illustrate how RUST can be used for identifying mRNA sequence features that affect ribosome footprint densities globally. We show that a few parameters extracted with RUST are sufficient for predicting experimental densities with high accuracy. Importantly the application of RUST to 30 publicly available Ribo-seq data sets revealed a substantial variation in sequence determinants of ribosome footprint frequencies, questioning the reliability of Ribo-seq as an accurate representation of local ribosome densities without prior quality control. This emphasizes our incomplete understanding of how protocol parameters affect ribosome footprint densities.

A comparative study of the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells cultured on β-TCP ceramics and demineralized bone matrix with or without osteogenic inducers in vitro

The repair of bone defects that result from periodontal diseases remains a clinical challenge for periodontal therapy. β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) ceramics are biodegradable inorganic bone substitutes with inorganic components that are similar to those of bone. Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) is an acid-extracted organic matrix derived from bone sources that consists of the collagen and matrix proteins of bone. A few studies have documented the effects of DBM on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of inorganic and organic elements of bone on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of hPDLCs using three-dimensional porous β-TCP ceramics and DBM with or without osteogenic inducers. Primary hPDLCs were isolated from human periodontal ligaments. The proliferation of the hPDLCs on the scaffolds in the growth culture medium was examined using a Cell‑Counting kit‑8 (CCK-8) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the osteogenic differentiation of the hPDLCs cultured on the β-TCP ceramics and DBM were examined in both the growth culture medium and osteogenic culture medium. Specific osteogenic differentiation markers were examined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). SEM images revealed that the cells on the β-TCP were spindle-shaped and much more spread out compared with the cells on the DBM surfaces. There were no significant differences observed in cell proliferation between the β-TCP ceramics and the DBM scaffolds. Compared with the cells that were cultured on β-TCP ceramics, the ALP activity, as well as the Runx2 and osteocalcin (OCN) mRNA levels in the hPDLCs cultured on DBM were significantly enhanced both in the growth culture medium and the osteogenic culture medium. The organic elements of bone may exhibit greater osteogenic differentiation effects on hPDLCs than the inorganic elements.

A comparative survey of the fish populations of 10 West-Midlands meres of SSSI status

This is a comparative survey of the Fish Populations of 10 West-Midlands Mere of Site of Special Scientific Interest Status. The meres of the Shropshire-Cheshire plain (West Midlands) comprise over 60 water bodies. Water quality in the meres ranges from naturally eutrophic to nutrient limited and some of them have received Site of Special Scientific Interest status (SSSIs). This survey was commissioned in order to obtain quantitative information on the fish fauna of selected SSSIs and evaluate the likely impact of fish on other species within the community. The current survey was concerned with 10 of the West Midlands’ meres, a cross section of sites was selected. Sites were widely distributed from Marton Pool in the south-western part of Shropshire to Tabley moat in Chesire. Meres varied in size, depth and nutrient status. All were to be sampled using the methods outlined. The report is divided into different sections for clarity and ease of reference. The materials and methods section provides an outline of the location and status of each mere and information on known fish species present. The results were considered individually and comparatively, relative abundance of fish, species present, their diet, sex, age, parasite burdens and growth. Inter-site comparisons were made using information derived from echo-soundings, growth rate, diet, and species abundance for each site. The final section will be in the form of a general discussion, comparative information from longer term studies, conclusions and recommendations.

A comparative study of domestic, European and international job-related relocation

This paper explores a number of relocation outcomes for geographically mobile employees in the following three regions: Germany as the home country and destination for domestic assignments (n = 115), Western Europe (n = 116) and other countries (n = 236). The satisfaction with various aspects of the post-relocation environment, the perception of change between the pre- and post-relocation environment and the attachment to the post-relocation environment at various levels were compared between the three groups. For the European and international sub-samples differences in the ideal country and future plans were also investigated. The group that stood out most clearly was the domestic sub-sample. It emerged as the group least satisfied with their job or task characteristics, perceived significantly fewer changes in the environment and was comparatively eager to leave the site they were currently working at and the job they were currently employed in. The sometimes proposed redefinition of intra-European assignments as ‘quasi-domestic’ relocation appears to be inappropriate.