NSU CASE COVERED UP AND LEGALLY CLOSED: IS IT POSSIBLE TO AVOID SOCIAL AND POLITICAL REPERCUSSIONS?

The neo-Nazi Nationalist Socialist Underground (NSU) terrorist group killed ten people in Germany between 2000-2007. Eight of the victims were members of the Turkish community of more than three million people living in Germany. Beate Zschäpe, Uwe Mundlos, and Uwe Böhnhardt were the nucleus of the National Socialist Underground NSU . Two of them, Uwe Mundlos and Uwe Böhnhardt, had killed themselves in the operations. Beate Zschäpe was the only core member of the NSU stayed alive when NSU trial began. Along with Beate Zschäpe, the four suspected accomplices deemed to be in the close periphery of the NSU trio, including Ralf Wohlleben and André Eminger were tried and received varying degrees of imprisonment. Germany’s highest court of appeals, which is Federal Court of Justice, had rejected appeals by Beate Zschäpe and other two convicted accomplices on 19 August 2021. The Federal Court has recently upheld the exceptionally light prison sentence of two and a half years that Andre Eminger received in 2018. Thus, the Munich court's verdict has become fully legally binding through this decision. It is reported that the high court did not find any legal errors or gaps in the arguments of the Munich court for the verdict and rejected appeals. Ten years after the NSU Neo-Nazi terror cell was exposed, with this decision of the German Federal Court of Justice, the NSU case was legally concluded and closed in its entirety. We have already explained in our previous analyses that racism and xenophobia, Islamophobia is on the rise in Germany and that we, as AVİM, consider this fact a worrying development. We should underline that the totality of court decisions regarding the NSU murders reinforced the perception that racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia did not receive the punishment they deserved in Germany and that the true dimensions of the NSU organization wilfully be left unclarified.

No longer endemic to Africa: Kribiodosis Kieffer, 1921 (Diptera, Chironomidae) new to Oriental China with a phylogeny and expanded adult generic diagnoses

Kribiodosis Kieffer, 1921, an African genus of Chironomini (Diptera: Chironomidae), is newly recorded from the Oriental region through a new species K. cantonensis sp. n. Detailed descriptions of the male, female and a DNA barcode are provided. With the inclusion of the new species bearing scutal tubercle and fused tibial comb, the generic diagnosis needs revision and expansion. The phylogenetic position of Kribiodosis within the tribe Chironomini is explored based on five concatenated genetic makers (18S, 28S, CAD1, CAD4 and COI-3P) using both mixed-model Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods. Kribiodosis is placed as a core member of the Microtendipes group but its precise sister group remains unclear. Inclusion of the analysis of Nilodosis Kieffer, another Chironomini genus with an African-Oriental distribution, reveals an unexpected robust position as sister to a large and diverse inclusive group of many Chironomini.

Responsibility with a Safety Net: Exploring the Medical Student to Junior Doctor Transition During COVID-19

Introduction The Foundation Interim Year-one (FiY1) Programme was part of a UK strategy to increase the medical workforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the strategy was introduced urgently without evidence. We sought to explore the transition experience of medical student to FiY1 to foundation doctor, with a view to inform future undergraduate education. Methods In this hermeneutic phenomenology study, semi-structured individual interviews were completed with nine foundation doctors who had experience of an FiY1 placement. A template analysis approach was taken, and themes reported. Results Participants reported that FiY1 tended to offer a positive experience of transition as a stepping stone to becoming a foundation doctor. Having a degree of clinical responsibility including the right to prescribe medication with supervision was highly valued, as was feeling a core member of the healthcare team. Participants perceived that FiY1 made them more prepared for the foundation transition, and more resilient to the challenges they faced during their first foundation job. Discussion The FiY1 fostered many opportunities for junior doctors to bridge the transition to foundation doctor. Aspects of the FiY1 programme, such as early licencing and increased team membership, should be considered for final-year students in the future.

Drosophila MOV10 regulates the termination of midgut regeneration

The molecular mechanisms by which stem cell proliferation is precisely controlled during the course of regeneration are poorly understood. Namely, how a damaged tissue senses when to terminate the regeneration process, inactivates stem cell mitotic activity, and organizes ECM integrity remain fundamental unanswered questions. The Drosophila midgut intestinal stem cell (ISC) offers an excellent model system to study the molecular basis for stem cell inactivation. Here, we show that a novel gene, CG6967 or dMOV10, is induced at the termination stage of midgut regeneration, and shows an inhibitory effect on ISC proliferation. dMOV10 encodes a putative component of the microRNA (miRNA) gene silencing complex (miRISC). Our data, along with previous studies on the mammalian MOV10, suggest that dMOV10 is not a core member of miRISC, but modulates miRISC activity as an additional component. Further analyses identified direct target mRNAs of dMOV10-containing miRISC, including Daughter against Dpp (Dad), a known inhibitor of BMP/TGF-β signaling. We show that RNAi knockdown of Dad significantly impaired ISC division during regeneration. We also identified six miRNAs that are induced at the termination stage and their potential target transcripts. One of these miRNAs, mir-1, is required for proper termination of ISC division at the end of regeneration. We propose that miRNA-mediated gene regulation contributes to the precise control of Drosophila midgut regeneration.

Targeting BMI-1 with PLGA–PEG nanoparticle-containing PTC209 modulates the behavior of human glioblastoma stem cells and cancer cells

Despite advances in glioblastoma (GBM) treatments, current approaches have failed to improve the overall survival of patients. The oncogene BMI-1, a core member of the polycomb group proteins, is a potential novel therapeutic target for GBM. To enhance the efficacy and reduce the toxicity, PTC209, a BMI-1 inhibitor, was loaded into a PLGA–PEG nanoparticle conjugated with CD133 antibody (Nano-PTC209) and its effect on the behavior of human GBM stem-like cells (GSCs) and the human glioblastoma cell line (U87MG) was assessed. Nano-PTC209 has a diameter of ~ 75 nm with efficient drug loading and controlled release. The IC50 values of Nano-PTC209 for GSCs and U87MG cells were considerably lower than PTC209. Nano-PTC209 significantly decreased the viability of both GSCs and U87MG cells in a dose-dependent manner and caused a significant enhancement of apoptosis and p53 levels as well as inhibition of AKT and JNK signaling pathways. Furthermore, Nano-PTC209 significantly inhibited the migration ability, decreased the activity of metalloproteinase-2 and -9, and increased the generation of reactive oxygen species in both GSCs and U87MG cells. Our data indicate that PLGA–PEG nanoparticle conjugated with CD133 antibody could be an ideal nanocarrier to deliver PTC209 and effectively target BMI-1 for potential approaches in the treatment of GBM.

Managing the Contradictions of Development Finance in the EU’s Eastern Periphery

Eastern members of the European Union have turned to development banks only to a limited extent so far. In this chapter, in order to understand why the “development imagination” of Eastern governments remained restricted, we look at the underlying logics of the national development finance fields. Through the case studies of Hungary and Poland, we uncover marked contradictions within the fields. Initially, development finance was torn between the contradictory logics of neoliberalism and developmentalism, followed by institution-building efforts from the EU that resulted in functioning development banks designed primarily for the EU’s Single Market. Finally, when financial nationalist and authoritarian political parties came to power, development banks came under firm political control, while new development actors appeared. Development banks in Hungary and Poland also exhibit differences in size, structure, and focus that we trace over time. In the end, we argue that today Eastern development banks’ ability to connect, contribute, and benefit from EU structures shows a marked difference from core Member States, one which calls for change in the EU development institutions and policies.

Classification of Chinese Cardinal Numerals Based on the Accuracy and Integrity of the Numbers They Denote

The article considers the classification of cardinal numerals denoting integer numbers, fractions, multiple and approximate numbers, as well as decimals. Taking into account the critical analysis of the earlier classifications of these numerals, a unique view on the class entry, which is based on such characteristics of the denominated numbers as accuracy and completeness, was suggested. In the former case, based on the quantitative aspect accuracy, all numerals fall into definite and indefinite (followed by singling out of the relevant groups) and the word 半 (bàn ‘half’). As to the indefinite numerals, they are arranged depending on their ability to express numeric and non-numeric quantification. Beyond that, the article considers the problem of defining words that may be recognized as numerals. The solution is suggested to be within the framework of the prototype theory. The theory supposes that there is a core member of the lexico-grammatical category (a prototype) which possesses the full spectrum of typical features. As a result, the article concludes that the words that possess the numeric quantification represent the core of the category of numerals, and the words that possess a non-specific numeric quantification are at the periphery of the category.

Vangl2 regulates the dynamics of Wnt cytonemes in vertebrates

The Wnt signalling network regulates cell proliferation and cell differentiation as well as migration and polarity in development of multicellular organisms. However, it is still unclear how distribution of Wnt ligands is precisely controlled to fulfil all of these different functions. Here, we show that the four-pass transmembrane protein Vangl2 occupies a central role in determining the distribution of Wnt by cytonemes in vertebrate tissue. In zebrafish epiblast cells, mouse intestinal telocytes and human gastric cancer cells, activation of Vangl2 leads to the generation of fewer but extremely long cytonemes, which start to branch and deliver Wnt protein to multiple cells. The Vangl2-activated cytonemes increase Wnt/β-catenin signalling in the surrounding cells. Concordantly, inhibition of Vangl2 function leads to the formation of shorter cytonemes and reduced paracrine Wnt/β-catenin signal activation. A mathematical model simulating the observed Vangl2 functions on cytonemes in zebrafish gastrulation predicts an anterior shift of the morphogenetic signalling gradient, altered tissue patterning, and a loss of the sharpness of tissue domains. We confirmed these predictions during anteroposterior patterning in the zebrafish neural plate. In summary, we show that Vangl2 - a core member of the PCP signalling component - is fundamental to paracrine Wnt/β-catenin signalling by controlling cytoneme behaviour in vertebrate development and tissue homeostasis.

The chromatin landscape of primary synovial sarcoma organoids is linked to specific epigenetic mechanisms and dependencies

Synovial sarcoma (SyS) is an aggressive mesenchymal malignancy invariably associated with the chromosomal translocation t(X:18; p11:q11), which results in the in-frame fusion of the BAF complex gene SS18 to one of three SSX genes. Fusion of SS18 to SSX generates an aberrant transcriptional regulator, which, in permissive cells, drives tumor development by initiating major chromatin remodeling events that disrupt the balance between BAF-mediated gene activation and polycomb-dependent repression. Here, we developed SyS organoids and performed genome-wide epigenomic profiling of these models and mesenchymal precursors to define SyS-specific chromatin remodeling mechanisms and dependencies. We show that SS18-SSX induces broad BAF domains at its binding sites, which oppose polycomb repressor complex (PRC) 2 activity, while facilitating recruitment of a non-canonical (nc)PRC1 variant. Along with the uncoupling of polycomb complexes, we observed H3K27me3 eviction, H2AK119ub deposition and the establishment of de novo active regulatory elements that drive SyS identity. These alterations are completely reversible upon SS18-SSX depletion and are associated with vulnerability to USP7 loss, a core member of ncPRC1.1. Using the power of primary tumor organoids, our work helps define the mechanisms of epigenetic dysregulation on which SyS cells are dependent.

Beyond Mere Text Frequency: Assessing Subtle Grammaticalization by Different Quantitative Measures. A Case Study on the Dutch Soort Construction

Grammaticalization has proven to be an insightful approach to semantic-morphosyntactic change within and across languages. Many studies, however, rely on assessing the large, obvious differences before and after the change. When investigating burgeoning or ongoing grammaticalization processes, it is notably harder to objectively measure the degree of grammaticalization. One approach is to gauge changes in the well-known ‘parameters’ of Lehmann, Hopper, and Himmelmann, but this approach is often qualitatively oriented. Quantitative studies mainly rely either on token frequency of a construction, assuming that grammaticalization is accompanied by a frequency increase, or by tracing the development of two competing constructions, looking at the proportion of their respective token frequencies. In this article, we argue for a wider range of quantitative measures, beyond token frequency, as dependent variables. We will show that these measures can jointly point to subtle ongoing grammaticalization. As a case study, we will focus on Dutch binominals with soort ‘sort’, a core member of the much-discussed sort-kind-type (SKT) construction in the languages of Europe. Based on a large dataset of over 14,000 instances from the period between 1850 and 1999, we investigate quantitatively measurable changes in the construction’s surface behavior (i.e., the gradual loss of the relator van ‘of’ and increasing restrictions on premodification and pluralization, pointing to a process of ‘decategorialization’). In addition, we will also use Gries’s deviation of proportions (DP) to gauge the dispersion of soort, a valuable but under-used metric in quantitative studies of grammaticalization.