How Does a COVID mRNA vaccine really work?

The most potent weapon against COVID-19 is a vaccine based on messenger RNA (mRNA). The first of these vaccines authorized for use was developed by the German company BioNTech in cooperation with Pfizer, closely followed by the (U.S.-produced) Moderna vaccine. These vaccines send a piece of mRNA into cells of a host. The mRNA instructs the cells to produce masses of the same spike protein that also occurs on the shell of the real coronavirus. The immune system responds by learning to destroy anything showing that protein: if the real virus arrives, the immune system will attack it immediately. This much has been reported widely by the media. But important questions remain. How is mRNA actually synthesized as a transcription of the spike-producing segment of the virus' RNA? How is the selection and replication done? How does mRNA enter a host cell, and how long will it stay there? Will it produce the spike protein forever? Is it perhaps dangerous? And the biggest question of all: How does the immune system record the structure of the foreign protein, how does it recognize the invader, and how is the immune response cranked up? To answer these questions, we bring you a conversation between Ubiquity editor Walter Tichy and his daughter Dr. Evelyn Tichy, an infectious disease expert.

Crooked limbs

This chapter describes thalidomide embryopathy as a paradigm of exogenous malformation. Previously, 1 in 1000 newborns had a limb anomaly, dreaded by agrarian societies that valued their offspring according to their bodily fitness. During the Middle Ages, malformations were attributed to cohabitation with animals or maternal imagination. Thalidomide, produced by the German company Chemie Grünenthal, was a popular sleeping pill marketed in Germany from 1957, in Britain from 1958, and in many other countries. With a 9-month delay and until 1962, over 10,000 severely malformed infants were born worldwide, the most frequent defects being limb reductions, ear and eye anomalies, and heart malformations. The drug’s toxicity was species specific and acted from 24 to 33 days after fertilization, when many women did not yet know they were pregnant. The epidemic was the greatest disaster in the history of pharmacology, and revealed severe shortcomings in German drug legislation. In the aftermath of this catastrophe, drug laws were tightened and patient safety has improved. The price was that in European countries, it became difficult to develop new drugs for infants.

Technical and technological improvement of sunflower cultivation in the dry regions of the Volga federal district

The article presents the results of studies of the effectiveness of liquid mineral nitrogen and nitrogen-sulfur-containing fertilizers based on urea-ammonia mixture-UAN in comparison with solid-ammonium nitrate when growing sunflower in arid, typical for the zone of "risky farming" - the Volga region, years (2018-2020) with the use of modern high-performance equipment manufactured in Russia (Samara) at JSC "Eurotechnika" of the German company AMAZONEN-Werke. Conducted three-year studies on typical chernozems of the Samara region on the experimental fields of the Samara State Agrarian University, showed a significant advantage of liquid fertilizers with an increase in sunflower yield on average for three years according to experimental options up to a maximum of 6centners / ha or by13 %.

Aufsichtsratskommunikation

International corporate governance standards are exercising unrelenting pressure on German company law. One of the most pressing questions in current corporate governance debate is to what extent the supervisory board can participate in the investor relations of a public limited company without intruding too far into the executive board's sphere of competence. Starting from the legal and economic perspective on the distribution of information in public limited companies, the author shows on what dogmatic principles such involvement may be permissible. The development of the supervisory board into an active player in corporate communication also means that the role of the supervisory board and the scope of duties of the chairman of the supervisory board must be reviewed in a different light.

Social Networks and Cultural Differences

The purpose of this chapter is the comparison of social media strategy on Twitter and Sina Weibo by the German company Adidas. A successful social media campaign is pushing brand awareness and companies improve their focus on that. Due to the internet censorship of the Chinese government, the social media landscape in China differs from the Western world. Therefore, companies need cultural and linguistic know how to be successful on Chinese platforms like Sina Weibo. The chapter compares how Adidas uses Twitter and Sina Weibo for their marketing purpose. Cultural differences and the local adaption of their social media appearance will be presented.

SOVIET-GERMAN COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF HYDRO-TURBINE ENGINEERING IN THE 1920s

In December 1920, the GOELRO plan was adopted: a long-term plan for the electrification of the country, which was supposed to form the necessary prerequisites for the industrial development of the young Soviet state. The development of hydropower played an important role in this, however, without the necessary technologies and experience in building large hydro turbines, the Soviet state would have been forced to acquire them abroad, and thus inevitably fell into dependence on the advanced Western countries. In this regard, it was decided to develop Soviet own hydro-turbine-building enterprises (one of the key ones among which was the Leningrad Metal Plant), attracting foreign assistance whenever it was possible. Cooperation was started with the German company «Fritz Neumeyer», which was ready not only to supply finished products, but also to carry out technical cooperation. This article contains an attempt to consider the prerequisites for cooperation of the Leningrad Metal Plant with the company «Fritz Neumeyer», to determine the key areas of the transfer of technologies of hydro-turbine engineering between Leningrad Metal Plant and the «Fritz Neumeyer» at various stages, and to assess the impact of this cooperation on the establishment and development of national hydro-turbine development.

Research of the Cutting Possibility of Magnesium Alloys with Abrasive Diamond Wire Saw

Wire saw technology is a method that works great in industrial applications – it is a dominant method in the production of silicon wafers. But almost all kinds of brittle materials (ceramics, rocks, meteorite and minerals or wood) can be cut using wire saw. Question, this article will try to answer is whether this is also applicable to magnesion alloys? Article presents selected problems from an area of abrasive treatment of magnesium alloys. This includes effects of research, concerning possibilities of application of abrasive diamond wire in the process of cutting magnesium alloys AM60 and AZ91 as well as results concerning surface quality obtained after cutting with the abrasive diamond wire German Company HK Präzisionstechnik.

Das Ende eines Automobil-Konzerns – der Borgward-Konkurs und die Bremer Politik

The end of an automobile company – Borgward’s bankruptcy and Bremen politics.The collapse of the Borgward company in early 1961 was not only a shocking moment for Bremen, but for the entire German automobile industry. The circumstances of the largest bankruptcy of a German company at the time have repeatedly been subject to debate, especially concerning suspicions and accusations about who was to blame. Those responsible in Bremen politics at the time have especially been the focus of attention and criticism since then. The following study aims to show that grave mistakes within the management of Borgward, such as wrong choices concerning corporate strategy, excessive production- and sales-costs and an antiquated style of leadership, were responsible for the bankruptcy, not Bremen’s politicians. This highlights that a scientifically ambitious historical revision of the Borgward-bankruptcy needs to review new aspects of the story rather than following the approach of previous studies in order to not fall victim to conspiracy theories or ill-founded suspicions.

Das Unternehmensinteresse - Maßstab für die Organwalter der Aktiengesellschaft

The so-called company interests determine the directors’ duties within a corporation. There has been an ongoing discussion of this term in German company law for the last 100 years. Recently, it has been receiving new impetus through the ongoing development of corporate social responsibility and the debate about sustainability and the commitment of companies to the pursuit of public interests. To date, German legislation remains unchanged, but the key provision of the French Civil Code (Art. 1832) has been altered in 2019. Against this backdrop, this book analyses company interests as a crucial standard for directors’ duties, their derivation and repercussions. The directors have to ensure the long-term viability of the company, taking into account the benefit of its shareholders as a whole, as well as the interests of the company’s employees. Additionally, the company’s interest, in protecting its reputation, serves as a gateway for the director’s regard to the company's business relationships, business conduct and the public interest, but at the same time, it sets limits for this regard. Further limitations to protect public interests need prohibition statutes.