Privatisierung des Friedens

Das Peacekeeping der Vereinten Nationen ist in den heutigen Konflikten leider oft nicht mehr immer adäquat. Peacekeeping leidet an hohen Kosten, Ineffizienz und hat oft zuwenig Ausrüstung und Ausbildung sowie mangelnden politischen Willen der UN-Staaten zur Truppen-Bereitstellung. Zudem verabschiedet der Sicherheitsrat immer öfter robuste Mandate, in denen Blauhelm-Soldaten Gewalt anwenden dürfen bzw. sollen um den Frieden zu erzwingen, was die Grundprinzipien des Peacekeeping stark gefährdet und auch an die Grenzen der Fähigkeiten der UN-Blauhelme stößt. Auf der anderen Seite ist der Markt der privaten Militär- und Sicherheitsfirmen seit den 1990er Jahren stark am wachsen. Diese Unternehmen übernehmen vermehrt Aufgaben und Aufträge im Bereich Sicherheit oder militärische Dienstleistungen von Staaten, Organisationen oder auch Unternehmen wie zum Beispiel Minenräumung, Sicherheitsdienstleistungen, medizinische Versorgung, Logistik, Transportaufgaben, Waffentrainings und Kampfeinsätze war. Allerdings arbeiten sie profitorientiert und oft noch in (völker)rechtlichen Graubereichen bzw. werden oft noch nicht reguliert und kontrolliert was viele Gefahren und Probleme erzeugt. Trotzdem bieten sie ihre Leistungen relativ effizient und kostengünstig an und verfügen über Spezialtraining und –ausrüstung auch für direkte Kampfeinsätze. Die privaten Militär- und Sicherheitsfirmen scheinen also zum Teil genau über das zu verfügen, was dem UN-Peacekeeping fehlt. Anhand des Fallbeispieles Sierra Leone, währenddessen Bürgerkrieg eine private Militär- und Sicherheitsfirma sowohl als auch eine UN-Friedensmission zum Einsatz kamen, werden in dieser Arbeit Vor- und Nachteile beider Sicherheitsakteure ermittelt. Schlussendlich wird eine mögliche Integration oder Partizipation von privaten Militär- und Sicherheitsfirmen in das UN-Peacekeeping untersucht und analysiert.The UN-Peacekeeping is in today’s conflicts very often no more adequate. UN-Peacekeeping is very expensive, inefficient and often has not enough equipment and training and lacks political will of the UN member states to place their troops at the UN disposal. The UN Security Council passed lately often robust mandates, where blue helmets are allowed or should use force to enforce peace. But this is strongly endangering the principles of the UN-Peacekeeping and furthermore shows the limits of the ability of the UN blue helmets. At the same time the market for private military and security companies is growing strongly since the 1990s. These companies undertake tasks and take orders in the area of security or military services of states, organisations and companies as for example mine clearing, security services, health care, logistics, transport assignments, weapon training and combat operations. But they also work profit-oriented and often in grey areas according to the international law which means that they are very often not yet regulated and controlled and therefore create a lot of dangers and problems. Nevertheless private military and security companies offer their services for very competitive prices, work quite efficiently and dispose of special training and equipment also for combat operations. To a certain extent it seems therefore that the private military and security companies dispose of exactly what the UN-Peacekeeping is lacking. On the basis of the case study of Sierra Leone, where a private military and security company as well as a UN-Peacekeeping-mission was involved during the long lasting civil war, the advantages and disadvantages of both security actors are going to be analyzed in this thesis. Finally a possible integration or participation of private military and security companies within the UN-Peacekeeping will be scrutinized and analyzed

Human neutrophil clearance of bacterial pathogens triggers anti-microbial gamma delta T cell responses in early infection

Human blood Vc9/Vd2 T cells, monocytes and neutrophils share a responsiveness toward inflammatory chemokines and are rapidly recruited to sites of infection. Studying their interaction in vitro and relating these findings to in vivo observations in patients may therefore provide crucial insight into inflammatory events. Our present data demonstrate that Vc9/Vd2 T cells provide potent survival signals resulting in neutrophil activation and the release of the neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL8 (IL-8). In turn, Vc9/Vd2 T cells readily respond to neutrophils harboring phagocytosed bacteria, as evidenced by expression of CD69, interferon (IFN)-c and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a. This response is dependent on the ability of these bacteria to produce the microbial metabolite (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMB-PP), requires cell-cell contact of Vc9/Vd2 T cells with accessory monocytes through lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1), and results in a TNF-a dependent proliferation of Vc9/Vd2 T cells. The antibiotic fosmidomycin, which targets the HMB-PP biosynthesis pathway, not only has a direct antibacterial effect on most HMB-PP producing bacteria but also possesses rapid anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting cd T cell responses in vitro. Patients with acute peritoneal-dialysis (PD)-associated bacterial peritonitis – characterized by an excessive influx of neutrophils and monocytes into the peritoneal cavity – show a selective activation of local Vc9/Vd2 T cells by HMB-PP producing but not by HMB-PP deficient bacterial pathogens. The cd T celldriven perpetuation of inflammatory responses during acute peritonitis is associated with elevated peritoneal levels of cd T cells and TNF-a and detrimental clinical outcomes in infections caused by HMB-PP positive microorganisms. Taken together, our findings indicate a direct link between invading pathogens, neutrophils, monocytes and microbe-responsive cd T cells in early infection and suggest novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.Martin S. Davey, Chan-Yu Lin, Gareth W. Roberts, Sinéad Heuston, Amanda C. Brown, James A. Chess, Mark A. Toleman, Cormac G.M. Gahan, Colin Hill, Tanya Parish, John D. Williams, Simon J. Davies, David W. Johnson, Nicholas Topley, Bernhard Moser and Matthias Eber

E. coli promotes human Vγ9Vδ2 T cell transition from cytokine-producing bactericidal effectors to professional phagocytic killers in a TCR-dependent manner

γδT cells provide immune-surveillance and host defense against infection and cancer. Surprisingly, functional details of γδT cell antimicrobial immunity to infection remain largely unexplored. Limited data suggests that γδT cells can phagocytose particles and act as professional antigen-presenting cells (pAPC). These potential functions, however, remain controversial. To better understand γδT cell-bacterial interactions, an ex vivo co-culture model of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) responses to Escherichia coli was employed. Vγ9Vδ2 cells underwent rapid T cell receptor (TCR)-dependent proliferation and functional transition from cytotoxic, inflammatory cytokine immunity, to cell expansion with diminished cytokine but increased costimulatory molecule expression, and capacity for professional phagocytosis. Phagocytosis was augmented by IgG opsonization, and inhibited by TCR-blockade, suggesting a licensing interaction involving the TCR and FcγR. Vγ9Vδ2 cells displayed potent cytotoxicity through TCR-dependent and independent mechanisms. We conclude that γδT cells transition from early inflammatory cytotoxic killers to myeloid-like APC in response to infectious stimuli

Xenin, a Gastrointestinal Peptide, Regulates Feeding Independent of the Melanocortin Signaling Pathway

OBJECTIVE—Xenin, a 25–amino acid peptide, was initially isolated from human gastric mucosa. Plasma levels of xenin rise after a meal in humans, and administration of xenin inhibits feeding in rats and chicks. However, little is known about the mechanism by which xenin regulates food intake. Signaling pathways including leptin and melanocortins play a pivotal role in the regulation of energy balance. Therefore, we addressed the hypothesis that xenin functions as a satiety factor by acting through the melanocortin system or by interacting with leptin

Schulisches Making und Kreativität: erste Erkenntnisse aus einem Design- Based-Research-Projekt

In zahlreichen Publikationen wird davon ausgegangen, dass Making als Verbindung von spielerisch-assoziativem Tüfteln, vielfältigen Materialien und Technologien Kreativität fördert (vgl. Schön et al. 2016, S. 19; vgl. Boy / Sieben 2017, S. 26; vgl. Ingold / Maurer 2018). Was bedeutet das im Einzelnen? Wo drückt sich kreatives Handeln beim Making aus? Inwieweit kann im MakerSpace etwas erkundet, erschaffen, weiterentwickelt, kombiniert und «quergedacht» werden, und welche Rahmenbedingungen sind hierfür erforderlich? Wie kann Kreativität beim Making wahrgenommen und unterstützt werden? Diesen und ähnlichen Fragen geht der Beitrag nach

Comparison of flow cytometry and heterotrophic plate count methods for dialysis water microbial monitoring

Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.Water is an essential component of renal replacement therapy by dialysis. Haemodialysis patients undergoing 4-hour dialysis sessions, thrice weekly, may be exposed to more than 360 L of dialysis fluid per week. Dialysis water and ultrapure dialysis fluids have been established as a prerequisite for online convective therapies (namely haemodiafiltration), to improve biocompatibility of the dialysis system and to reduce inflammation profile of the dialysis patients. The microbial quality of dialysis water should be monitored regularly to demonstrate the effectiveness of the disinfection protocol. Current water and dialysis fluids microbial quality assessment is typically done via heterotrophic plate counts (HPC) and endotoxins analysis. Plate counts methodology provides information on the microbial content of the water only after a considerable incubation time (typically 7 days). Flow cytometry (FCM), as a rapid alternative method, provides the possibility of real-time corrective actions and greater patient safety. In this study, we compared the outcomes of dialysis water microbial quality in an existing dialysis clinic, using two different measurement methods, HPC and FCM, to test the possible benefits of applying FCM as a valid alternative method for dialysis water microbial monitoring. We conclude that FCM offers higher sensitivity than HPC for microbial monitoring of dialysis water, potentially enabling earlier corrective actions. More extensive and larger studies are needed, namely, to evaluate the possible added value of FCM method in dialysis fluids monitoring. If the FCM method is confirmed, it will be necessary to establish maximum allowable levels and typical action levels for dialysis water and dialysis fluids quality when using FCM.publishersversionpublishe

Handwerk 4.0: Informatik im technischen und textilen Gestalten

Im Fachbereich TTG (Textiles und Technisches Gestalten) sind produktorientierte Beurteilung, ebenso wie prozessorientierte Beurteilung gängige Formen. Die vorliegene Broschüre wurde für den Schulbereich entwickelt. Sie verbindet informatische Aspekte wie Microcontroller, Sensorik und Physical Computing mit klassischen Themenfeldern des TTG Unterrichts. Der erste Teil führt Lehrpersonen an die Grundgedanken und Begriffe rund um Handwerk 4.0 heran. Es werden die 4K, Informatik, die Grundhaltung der Lehrperson, die Raumgestaltung, Materialpools, Making und der Spirit beim Making aufgezeigt. Im nächsten Teil geht es dann um den Minicomputer Calliope mini. Mit den Challengecards stehen konkrete Aufgaben für die Einarbeitung zur Verfügung. Zwei Praxisbeispiele zeigen am Ende auf, wie Handwerk 4.0 Projekte geplant und in der Schule umgesetzt werden können. Sie sollen auch als Inspiriation für eigene Projektideen dienen. Die QR-Codes führen direkt zum Lehrplan 2

Supervision among colleagues. Method, practical experience and a concept of further education

"Kann kollegiale Supervision ... ein Weg zur Entlastung und Professionalisierung [von LehrerInnen] sein? Wenn ja, wie und unter welchen Bedingungen? In welcher Beziehung steht [die kollegiale Supervision] zu Schul- und Qualitätsentwicklung und Evaluation?" Die Autorinnen berichten von eigenen Erfahrungen und stellen ihr Fortbildungskonzept und ein Fallbeispiel aus der Praxis vor. (DIPF/Orig./Un)The discussion of supervision is frequently accompanied by expectations but also by fears. In the context of school, the conditions are not necessarily advantageous. The form of a supervision group among colleagues promises productive possibilities to professionalize teaching and promote school development. (DIPF/Orig.