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The recent financial and economic crisis has put a big question mark behind the neo-liberal paradigm. For a long time the prevailing approach was deregulation, leaving everything to the market. At least as far as financial markets are concerned, there seems to be a change of perception. The change of paradigm should not be confined to the financial market. It also should be applied to labour markets. Even if many long-term benefits are indirect and difficult to measure, empirical evidence shows that labour standards result in improved health and human capital which increases the productivity potential of workers. It particularly shows that fair working conditions result in improved motivation and willingness of workers for high performance. Long-term and stable relationship between the worker and the company provides incentives to companies to invest in training of their workers because the company is able to recover returns from training.

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Seven contributions to JOSHA’s new Issue 4 of Volume 2 lead you from a biochemical method to experimental oncology, further to digital acrylics, academic appointment procedures and ethics, and finally to an invitation to participate in a workshop and a symposium on bioethics. Together with the first four issues since its initiation, JOSHA continues to provide an expanded range of rich material and new information. As outlined in the Editorial to the first issue, JOSHA has been initiated exactly for this goal, to create a novel open access internet platform to facilitate entrée to the broad diversity of important discoveries and creativity in the fields of Science, Humanities and Arts. JOSHA’s new issue will again sustain this conception. We are confident that it will have impact on the diversity and the colorfulness of your world of reading. Let yourself seduce to read articles that are not primarily in the center of your concern.

Dear Madam, dear Sir, The IMBS team would like to welcome you to the IMBS Bioethics Module which will be taught in the week of August 10-14, 2015 in Freiburg, Germany. External students are invited to participate in the IMBS Bioethics Workshop as well as the IMBS symposium “Science, Ethics and Society” on August 14. Students who successfully complete the Workshop will receive a Staement of Attendance with ECTS Points. The International Master in Biomedical Sciences (IMBS) is a joint English language Program and collaboration between the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany, and the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. We annually welcome students from all parts of the world. The students will have the chance to learn about and discuss ethical issues in an international environment raised in the context of Human Health, Science, Technology and Research. We would be happy to welcome you to the IMBS Summer School Bioethics Module and/or to the IMBS Symposium.

Dear Madam, dear Sir, We would like to invite you to the Symposium "Science, Ethics and Society" on Friday, August 14, in Freiburg, Haus zur Lieben Hand, which is open to the general public. Speakers from the Albert-Ludwig-University Freiburg, University of Buenos Aires, World Health Organization Geneva, FLACSO Buenos Aires, and the National Centre of Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg will address current topics of importance and controversy in Human Health, Environmental Aspects, Science, Technology, and Research. We would be happy to welcome you to this important Symposium, which is part of the IMBS Program. The International Master in Biomedical Sciences (IMBS) is a joint English language Program and collaboration between the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany, and the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. In order to register or to ask further questions, please contact felicitas.holzer@josha-archive.org to register for the Symposium.

Facing the upcoming application possibilities of genomic sequencing in human health research, to determine the appropriate ethical scope of genetic counselling for research participants becomes a most important challenge. In this thesis, an informed consent model for the disclosure of incidental findings in research using whole genome sequencing or whole exome sequencing will be presented. The design of an informed consent model is always based on a general informed consent theory. Thus, informed consent models can be defined as application of an ideal informed consent theory, containing general ethical principles, to a particular context.

This issue of the JOSHA Journal contains a wide range of interesting articles in the fields of human research, arts, history and education. This time the special topic will focus on mentoring in the academic context from a Latin American Perspective. “International Cooperation and Mentoring: An Academic Obligation?” is discussed by Carlos Conzález Correa from the University of Concepción, as well as by Cristina Arranz from the University of Buenos Aires, offering a complementary Argentine view point. Furthermore, we present a paper “Gesang ist Dasein, Todeskonzeption und Dichtung als Seinsstiftung im Spätwerk Rilkes insbesondere den Sonnetten an Orpheus“ in the field of art which addresses the hermaneutic method within Rainer Maria Rilke’s oevre.

Dopamine is a prominent modulatory neurotransmitter affecting a vast array of neural circuits, however, dopamine has also been shown to be an important regulator of neurogenesis both in the developing embryo and in the adult mammalian brain. A more thorough understanding of dopamine and its role in neurogenesis will be pivotal to exploit endogenously produced neural precursors for cell replacement in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease. Two genes important for dopaminergic function are tyrosine hydroxylase (th), the rate limiting enzyme in the synthesis of catecholamines, and the re-uptake carrier dopamine transporter (dat / slc6a3). Using TALENs technology, mutations were induced in the th and dat genes of zebrafish embryos.

The use of growth hormone has risen in the last years. Apart from its interactions in growth and metabolism, its use has been approved in different clinical conditions which do not necessarily implicate the lack of GH. Furthermore, GH is used to prevent attributes of aging and to gain better athletic condition, without being approved for these cases. In this context, it should be clear that the use of GH is not free from side effects. A serious side effect of the use or the abuse of GH could be the development of tumors. The excess of GH is associated with the development of liver tumors in mice. Possible mechanisms for GH promoting this type of cancer imply its effect on cellular proliferation and the modulation of signaling components involved in a large range of processes i.e. inflammation.

Microarrays are powerful and versatile analytical tools. They can address the complex diagnosis of various diseases and disorders in a fast, reliable and simple manner. They consist of very small test sites in form of spots on which various biochemical assays can be performed simultaneously. In the past few years, this technology has developed a lot with the implementation of novel surface chemistries, detection techniques, and different assay formats. 3D-hydrogel microarrays were developed using unique immobilization techniques based on hydrophilic polymer networks. The 3D polymer network attaches and immobilizes the capture molecules onto the surface in form of a spot with molecules immobilized both on the surface and inside the gel matrix. This retains the molecule’s natural confirmation and structure and enables higher immobilization efficiency, which allows for higher sensitivity.