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This paper aims at reconstructing the development and role of German neurology between 1840 and 1940. Therefore a couple of original sources as well as selected material form the scattered secondary literature were assessed and reviewed. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, an intricate process of separation from internal medicine and psychiatry gradually led to forming a self-conscious community of German neurologists. While Moritz Heinrich Romberg had constructed a cognitive basis for neurology, scientific founders such as Wilhelm Erb, Carl Wernicke, Alois Alzheimer, Hermann Oppenheim, Max Nonne, and many others established the new discipline within modern medicine. In 1891, the first generation of “pure” neurologists succeeded in founding the German Journal for Neurology (Deutsche Zeitschrift für Nervenheilkunde) followed by an autonomous professional organisation, the Society of German Neurologists (Gesellschaft Deutscher Nervenärzte) in 1907. A variety of external factors, however, hampered the institutional evolution and thus the implementation of chairs and departments remained quite modest. In 1935, only 2 years after the National Socialists had seized power, the regulatory merger with the psychiatristsʼ society caused the cautious attempts of German neurologists for autonomy to end in complete failure. The imprisonment, murder and expulsion of neuroscientists declared as Jewish or non-Aryan caused profound changes in neurology, medicine, academic life, and health care in general. Further historical research is needed to reconstruct in detail the involvement of German neurologists in racial-hygienic and eugenic research as well as the institutional and scientific development of German neurology after World War II.
Wer waren die Literaturwissenschaftler, die bei der Gründung 1914 an die Universität Frankfurt am Main berufen wurden, die das akademische Leben der Stadt Frankfurt in der Weimarer Republik mitprägten, die nach 1933 in Frankfurt weiterhin Literaturwissenschaft betrieben oder die vertrieben wurden? Ein zweisemestriges interdisziplinäres Lehrforschungsseminar am Fachbereich 10 (Neuere Philologien) hat anlässlich des Jubiläums zum 100-jährigen Bestehen der Universität im Jahr 2014 Antworten auf diese Fragen gesucht. Das Ergebnis ist eine virtuelle Ausstellung mit 20 Porträts (Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, 2017). Diese Ausstellung war jedoch nur ein Teil einer Reihe von Veranstaltungen, die sich im Jubiläumsjahr der Frankfurter Universität mit den Literaturwissenschaften in Frankfurt befassten.
Les trois auteurs et voyageurs étudiés dans cet article (Albert Londres, André Gide, Michel Leiris) ont prêté leurs voix à l’anticolonialisme. Ils ont critiqué les effets du colonialisme européen en Afrique noire de la fin des années 1920 au début des années 1930. Toutefois, pour des raisons diverses allant d’aspects institutionnels aux sensibilités personnelles, leur engagement ne paraissait pas tout à fait le bienvenu, d’où leur hésitation à placer la parole politique au premier plan et à assumer le rôle d’intellectuel engagé. Ils ont alors justifié leur démarche par l’expérience personnelle et singulière du voyage et par l’urgence du sujet de leurs récits. Les formes littéraires qui en résultent (grand reportage, journal intime de voyage, journal ethnographique) ont profondément modernisé le genre du récit de voyage dans un moment critique de son évolution.
Built to colonize
(2019)
The extensive scholarship devoted to the congruence of mass-elite policy preferences lacks consensus about the meaning, comparison, and measurement across political settings. This makes comparisons difficult and raises obstacles to advancing the debates. This symposium aims to identify the diversity of methodological choices and to reflect systematically on several key choices of particular importance in understanding the congruence. The contributions to the symposium compare and contrast how several types of measurement fare in diverse political contexts in Eastern Europe, Latin America, North Africa, and East Asia, and what we can learn from those methodological choices.
In diesem Beitrag untersuchen wir Entwicklungstendenzen von Infrastrukturen in den Digitalen Geisteswissenschaften. Wir argumentieren, dass infolge (1) der Verfügbarkeit von immer mehr Daten über sozial-semiotische Netzwerke, (2) der Methodeninflation in geisteswissenschaftlichen Disziplinen, (3) der zunehmend hybriden Arbeitsteilung zwischen Mensch und Maschine und (4) der explosionsartigen Vermehrung künstlicher Texte ein erheblicher Anpassungsdruck auf die Weiterentwicklung solcher Infrastrukturen entstanden ist. In diesem Zusammenhang beschreiben wir drei Informationssysteme, die sich unter anderem durch die Interaktionsmöglichkeiten unterscheiden, die sie ihren Nutzern bieten, um solchen Herausforderungen zu begegnen. Dabei skizzieren wir mit VienNA eine neuartige Architektur solcher Systeme, welche aufgrund ihrer Flexibilität die Möglichkeit bieten könnte, letztere Herausforderungen zu bewältigen.
Der Einsatz von Portfolios in der Hochschullehre hat in den letzten Jahren deutlich zugenommen, und es bieten sich vielfältige Einsatzmöglichkeiten. So kann das Portfolio als modul- oder fachübergreifendes Entwicklungsportfolio über die gesamte Studiendauer, zur Darstellung erworbener Kompetenzen, als Präsentationsportfolio im Rahmen einzelner Lehrveranstaltungen, aber auch als Bewertungsportfolio und damit als Prüfungsinstrument eingesetzt werden (vgl. Weber, Hehn-Oldiges, Vogel & Stehle, 2017; Hornung-Prähauser, Geser, Hilzensauer & Schaffert, 2007). Neben dem klassischen Papier-Portfolio wird in den letzten Jahren der Einsatz sog. ePortfolios immer interessanter. Bei dieser digitalen Variante erstellen die Studierenden ihre Einträge direkt im Internet. Neben schriftlichen Einträgen ist das Einfügen von Bildern, Videos und Links möglich. Nach Fertigstellung wird das Portfolio von den Studierenden für den bzw. die Lehrende*n sowie ggf. für weitere oder alle Seminarteilnehmer*innen freigeschaltet, so dass auch Formen des Peer-Feedbacks einbezogen werden können. An der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt werden derzeit Einsatzmöglichkeiten des Portfolios im Rahmen der Lehrer*innenbildung erprobt. Der vorliegende Beitrag zeigt zunächst Möglichkeiten, wie ein Portfolio in der universitären Lehre als Prüfungsform eingesetzt werden kann. Im zweiten Teil wird der konkrete Einsatz im Rahmen eines Seminars für Lehramtsstudierende im Wintersemester 2018/2019 beschrieben. Zudem werden die Ergebnisse einer Befragung gezeigt, bei der die Seminarteilnehmer*innen zu ihren bisherigen Erfahrungen mit Portfolios in der Hochschullehre sowie zum Einsatz des ePortfolios als Prüfungsform im genannten Seminar befragt wurden.
Information asymmetry and its implications in online purchasing behaviour: a country case study
(2020)
The objective of this study is to analyse how certain variables in the online market affect the decision-making trajectory and actions toward reducing the information asymmetry faced in online purchasing. A survey and observation are conducted in order to understand the behavior and perceptions of online buyers toward the information given in online platforms. Descriptive and correlation analysis have been employed in order to evaluate the data collected and test the correlation between variables of the research model. It results that most participants take for granted the fact that sellers have more information than them when entering into a transaction agreement and this makes them feel inferior towards the superior power sellers possess in such interactions. This makes the traditional markets more preferred for them, however multiple sources such as reviews and ratings result as an alternative way of reducing the perceived information asymmetry.
In einer digital geprägten Welt stehen Lehrkräfte vor zahllosen Herausforderungen bezüglich der Mediennutzung in ihrem Unterricht. Kinder und Jugendliche konsumieren Medien durch soziale Netzwerke, Messenger und vor allem in Form von Videos, Filmen und Serien. An der Goethe-Universität werden die aktuellen bildungspolitischen und gesellschaftlichen Forderungen nach medienkompetenten Lehrkräften u.a. in der ersten Phase der Ausbildung aufgegriffen. Im hier vorgestellten bildungswissenschaftlichen Seminar «Mediendidaktik im Kontext Schule» werden Studierende daher unter Anwendung der Methode «Lernen durch Lehren» zur Produktion eigener Erklärvideos in Kleingruppen angeleitet. Dadurch werden die Studierenden zu Expertinnen und Experten, während sie den Videoerstellungsprozess kennenlernen und Mediennutzungskompetenzen ausbilden. Durch die Verzahnung mit Feedbackschleifen und Reflexionsaufgaben als Teil des studentischen Portfolios wurde der bewusste und reflektierte Umgang mit Medien in der späteren Berufspraxis angestrebt. Die Lehrveranstaltung wurde prozessbegleitend und anhand eines Online-Fragebogens summativ evaluiert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen zwar den anhaltenden Bedarf zur Instruktion während der Medienproduktion, aber vor allem das Interesse an digitalen Medien. Die Studierenden erlebten den Lernprozess als leistungsmotivierend, produktiv und betonten die Relevanz der Themen und Ziele des Seminars für die spätere Berufspraxis. Zukünftige Lehrkräfte können in jeder Ausbildungsphase von Praxiserfahrung im Umgang mit digitalen Medien profitieren und sollten dahingehend weitere Angebote während des Studiums und darüber hinaus erhalten.
Um leitor de Walter Benjamin: dialética, interpretação e materialismo em Theodor W. Adorno, 1931-2
(2019)
O objetivo do artigo édiscutir a influência do livro Origem do drama trágico alemão(1928) de Walter Benjamin sobre duas preleções de Theodor W. Adorno na Universidade de Frankfurt, a saber: “A atualidade da filosofia” (1931) e “A ideia de história natural” (1932). Com isso, procurou-se, por um lado, indicar especificamente a influência benjaminiana sobre a ideia de constelação e, por outro, esclarecer as fundações histórico-filosóficas da ideia de história natural, que se encontram no centro das reflexões epistemológicas deAdorno. Dessa maneira, é possível compreender as concepções de dialética, interpretação e materialismo trabalhadas por Adorno com o propósito de caracterizar sua própria tarefa filosófica no início da década de 1930.
O artigo toma as críticas ao entrelaçamento entre direito e violência como um ponto de partida para explorar a possibilidade de um "tertiumdo direito". Desse modo, busca superar a suposição dicotômica básica que enxerga o direito sempre oscilando entre uma apologia à violência, de um lado, e uma utopia da razão, de outro. O texto analisa a possibilidade dessetertium, uma "força legal" além da violência legal e da razão legal, em quatro passos, recorrendo ao trabalho de Jacques Derrida e de autores da primeira geração da Escola de Frankfurt, em particular, de Theodor Adorno e Walter Benjamin. Argumenta que, em um primeiro passo, o direito precisa ser dissociado do Estado. A violência jurídica, entretanto, não se origina apenas do laço entre direito e poder de Estado. O direito é em si mesmo violento, mesmo quando não é direito de Estado. O segundo passo da crítica legal consiste, portanto, na recordação da violência do direito, seguido por um terceiro, que pede a transformação da violência em força. Essas três instâncias da crítica são as precondições para um passo último e essencial, de acordo com o qual a crítica do direito deve facilitar a transcendência da violência jurídica, tomando o direito e a sua promessa de justiça ao pé da letra com a finalidade de voltar essa promessa contra o próprio direito.
Promove-se uma recuperação do debate endógeno estabelecido entre alguns pensadores da Escola de Frankfurt, sobretudo no que se refere às diferentes perspectivas de análise sobre as relações entre ação e estrutura social, bem como as distintas percepções acerca das racionalidades (prática ou comunicativa) que organizam a conexão entre os indivíduos e a sociedade. Verifica-se o modo como os autores ligados à teoria crítica compreenderam as relações entre esferas subjetivas e estruturais em termos de possibilidades de emancipação social e de exercício de práticas deliberativas. Nessa perspectiva, considera-se uma cisão teórica estabelecida no interior da própria escola, cuja expressão se dá a partir das diferenças epistemológicas existentes entre o núcleo central do pensamento frankfurtiano e um conjunto de autores periféricos. Os trabalhos produzidos por esse núcleo “marginal”, bem como seu posterior refinamento na obra de Habermas, apresentam alternativas teóricas de caráter relacional que contrapõem a visão estrutural e cética presente nos trabalhos de Horkheimer, Adorno e Marcuse. É justamente na recuperação dessas fronteiras endógenas que se pretende ponderar as possíveis contribuições do pensamento frankfurtiano para uma perspectiva crítica da sociedade contemporânea.
Failed jump landings represent a key mechanism of musculoskeletal trauma. It has been speculated that cognitive dual-task loading during the flight phase may moderate the injury risk. This study aimed to explore whether increased visual distraction can compromise landing biomechanics. Twenty-one healthy, physically active participants (15 females, 25.8 ± 0.4 years) completed a series of 30 counter-movement jumps (CMJ) onto a capacitive pressure platform. In addition to safely landing on one leg, they were required to memorize either one, two or three jersey numbers shown during the flight phase (randomly selected and equally balanced over all jumps). Outcomes included the number of recall errors as well as landing errors and three variables of landing kinetics (time to stabilization/TTS, peak ground reaction force/pGRF, length of the centre of pressure trace/COPT). Differences between the conditions were calculated using the Friedman test and the post hoc Bonferroni-Holm corrected Wilcoxon test. Regardless of the condition, landing errors remained unchanged (p = .46). In contrast, increased visual distraction resulted in a higher number of recall errors (chi² = 13.3, p = .001). Higher cognitive loading, furthermore, appeared to negatively impact mediolateral COPT (p < .05). Time to stabilization (p = .84) and pGRF (p = .78) were unaffected. A simple visual distraction in a controlled experimental setting is sufficient to adversely affect landing stability and task-related short-term memory during CMJ. The ability to precisely perceive the environment during movement under time constraints may, hence, represent a new injury risk factor and should be investigated in a prospective trial.
Tropical cyclones (TC) represent a substantial threat to life and property for Caribbean and adjacent populations. The prospective increase of TC magnitudes, expressed in the 15th chapter of the IPCC AR5 report, entails a rising probability of ecological and social disasters, which were tragically exemplified by several severe Caribbean TC strikes during the past 20 years. Modern IPCC-grade climate models, however, still lack the required spatial and temporal resolution to accurately consider the underlying boundary conditions that modulate long-time TC patterns beyond the Instrumental Era. It is thus necessary to provide a synoptic mechanistic understanding regarding the origin of such long-time patterns, in order to predict reliable changes of TC magnitude and frequency under future climate scenarios. Caribbean TC records are still rare and often lack the necessary continuity and resolution to overcome these limitations. Here, we report on an annually-resolved sedimentary archive from the bottom of the Great Blue Hole (Lighthouse Reef, Belize). The TC record encompasses 1885 years and extends all existing site-specific TC archives both in terms of resolution and duration. We identified a likely connection between long-term TC patterns and climate phenomena responses to Common Era climate variations and offer a conceptual and comparative view considering several involved tropospheric and oceanographic control mechanisms such as the El-Niño-Southern-Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. These basin-scaled climate modes exercise internal control on TC activity by modulating the thermodynamic environment (sea-surface temperature and vertical wind shear stress dynamics) for enhanced/suppressed TC formation both on millennial (primary) and multi-decadal (secondary) time scales. We interpret the beginning of the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) as an important time interval of the Common Era record and suspect that the southward migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) caused, in combination with extensive hydro-climate changes, a shift in the tropical Atlantic TC regime. The TC activity in the south-western Caribbean changed in general from a stable and less active stage (100–900 CE) to a more active and variable state (1,100 CE-modern).
This work presents, to our knowledge, the first completely passive imaging with human-body-emitted radiation in the lower THz frequency range using a broadband uncooled detector. The sensor consists of a Si CMOS field-effect transistor with an integrated log-spiral THz antenna. This THz sensor was measured to exhibit a rather flat responsivity over the 0.1–1.5-THz frequency range, with values of the optical responsivity and noise-equivalent power of around 40 mA/W and 42 pW/√Hz, respectively. These values are in good agreement with simulations which suggest an even broader flat responsivity range exceeding 2.0 THz. The successful imaging demonstratestheimpressivethermalsensitivitywhichcanbeachievedwithsuchasensor. Recording of a 2.3×7.5-cm2-sized image of the fingers of a hand with a pixel size of 1 mm2 at a scanning speed of 1 mm/s leads to a signal-to-noise ratio of 2 and a noise-equivalent temperature difference of 4.4 K. This approach shows a new sensing approach with field-effect transistors as THz detectors which are usually used for active THz detection.
The purpose of this study consists of the identification of implantologic and prosthetic methods and techniques used in substance loss rehabilitation, associated with identifying the specific biomaterials in perfect accordance with each case particularities, without leaving aside the bone-tissue deficiency etiology. A representative number of clinical cases were selected, cases which are relevant for the chosen theme. The possibility of reconstructing the natural parameters of the edentulous alveolar ridge areas is various, starting with augmentation materials of the autogenous and heterograft type biomaterials(Bio-Oss, Grafton, Cerasorb si MBCP) including the mixing of these two types of biomaterials, and going to epitheses, which are the best choise for complex substance loss.
Programele computerizate au un rol indiscutabil în atingerea unor standarde ridicate în procesul educațional. Pe de altă parte acestea sunt instrumente eficiente în identificarea particularităților cazurilor clinice, evaluarea acestora în conformitate cu indicii clinico-biologici specifici. În timpul procesului didactic, simularea are un rol esenţial, ca o prefaţă la procedurile practice care formează abilităţile practice pe fiecare entitate clinică în medicina dentară.
Axel Honneth associates his reading of Hegel with Winnicott's maturational development theory, in order to defend theses on intersubjectivity and recognition. That connection between philosophy and psychoanalysis is a target of criticism from two Hegelians: Joel Whitebook, a reader of Freud, and Judith Butler, a critical reader of Freud and Lacan. At the core of the controversy is Honneth's rejection of the work of the negative that is performed by Freud's death drive. We intend on following in the wake of that debate, and thus investigate the reasons and consequences for social criticism of Honneth's rejection of Freud's death drive.
Axel Honneth associa sua leitura de Hegel à psicologia da maturação de Winnicott de modo a defender teses sobre intersubjetividade e reconhecimento. Esta articulação entre filosofia e psicanálise é objeto da crítica de dois hegelianos: Joel Whitebook, leitor de Freud, e Judith Butler, leitora crítica de Freud e Lacan. No centro da polêmica está a rejeição honnethiana ao trabalho do negativo realizado pela pulsão de morte freudiana. Pretendemos seguir o rastro deste debate e investigar as razões e consequências para a crítica social da recusa do frankfurtiano à pulsão.
This article corrects the following: Hope in political philosophy,
Claudia Blöser Jakob Huber Darrel Moellendorf. Volume 15Issue 5Philosophy Compass First Published online: April 17, 2020.
It has come to the author's attention that the reference citation of ‘Meirav, 2009’ on page 2 of his published article entitled, ‘Hope in political philosophy’ does not provide bibliographical details regarding the article and does not include it in its list of works cited.
Here is the bibliographical information: Meirav, A. (2009). The nature of hope. Ratio, 22, 216–233.
Hope in political philosophy
(2020)
The language of hope is a ubiquitous part of political life, but its value is increasingly contested. While there is an emerging debate about hope in political philosophy, an assessment of the prevalent scepticism about its role in political practice is still outstanding. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of historical and recent treatments of hope in political philosophy and to indicate lines of further research. We argue that even though political philosophy can draw on recent analyses of hope in analytic philosophy, there are distinct challenges for an account of hope in political contexts. Examples such as racial injustice or climate change show the need for a systematic normative account that is sensitive to the unavoidability of hope in politics as much as its characteristic dangers.
Responsibility for increasing mitigation ambition in light of the right to sustainable development
(2020)
The international community is currently in the midst of a facilitative dialogue about how to increase mitigation ambition under the terms of Paris Agreement. This dialogue concerns centrally considerations of equity, which includes matters of both justice and responsibility. I defend the importance of the right to sustainable development in this regard. I argue that if the right of states to pursue poverty eradicating human development is to be respected, then there is plausible interpretation of responsibility for mitigation in which a state’s ability to pay is the central consideration, where that ability is measured by its human development level. That conception of responsibility should be applied to considerations of how increase mitigation ambition.
This article aims to shed light on some core challenges of liberating social criticism. Its centerpiece is an intuitively attractive account of the nature and difficulty of critical social thought that nevertheless goes missing in many philosophical conversations about critique. This omission at bottom reflects the fact that the account presupposes a philosophically contentious conception of rationality. Yet the relevant conception of rationality does in fact inform influential philosophical treatments of social criticism, including, very prominently, a left Hegelian strand of thinking within contemporary Critical Theory. Moreover, it is possible to mount a defense of the conception by reconstructing, if with various qualifications and additions, an argument from classic—i.e., mid twentieth-century—Anglo-American philosophy of the social sciences, in particular, the argument that forms the backbone of Peter Winch’s The Idea of a Social Science. Winch draws his guiding insights from the later philosophy of Wittgenstein, and one of the payoffs of considering Winch’s Wittgenstein-inspired work against the backdrop of Hegel-inspired work in Critical Theory is to contest the artificial professional strictures that are sometimes taken to speak against reaching across the so-called ‘Continental Divide’ in philosophy. The larger payoff is advancing, by means of this philosophically ecumenical approach, the enterprise of liberating social thought.
Anerkjennelse og menneskeverdets forankring : henimot en transnasjonal anerkjennelsespolitikk
(2011)
Anerkjennelse spiller en nøkkelrolle for menneskeverdet innenfor Frankfurterskolens kritiske teori. Men hvorledes skal «anerkjennelse» forstås? Og hvorledes kan anerkjennelse innløse menneskeverdets universelle og egalitære fordring? Jürgen Habermas' og Axel Honneths «familiekrangel» bidrar med relevant innsikt om relasjonen mellom menneskeverd og anerkjennelse. Dette er en innsikt med affinitet til menneskeverdets normative legitimering i dagens transnasjonaliserte verden.
El concepto de la industria cultural como un problema: una revisión de Adorno, Horkheimer y Benjamin
(2014)
El siguiente documento rastrea la idea de la industria cultural desde su origen como un concepto filosófico en el trabajo de dos autores de la Escuela de Frankfurt, Adorno y Horkheimer. Debido a que el estado lo usa instrumentalmente, la definición de este concepto ha cambiado. El artículo ahonda en la perspectiva de los autores de la Escuela de Frankfurt, agregando las contribuciones y críticas de Walter Benjamin sobre la obra de arte en la era de la reproducción mecánica, con el fin de establecer una relación entre ambas perspectivas.
O Instituto de Pesquisas Sociais (Institut für Sozialforschung) foi fundado em 1923, como um anexo da Universidade de Frankfurt, hoje intitulada Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main. A Escola de Frankfurt, desde 1930, foi dirigida por Max Horkheimer, e reunia pensadores como Theodor W. Adorno, Erich Fromm, Herbert Marcuse, e, contou também como membro do "círculo de fora" do Instituto, Walter Benjamin. Estes intelectuais formularam, como sabemos, o que conhecemos como "Teoria Crítica". Nos anos sessenta, temos a "segunda geração", marcado pela obra de Jürgen Habermas. Aquele que foi seu assistente entre 1984 e 1990, Axel Honneth, veio a ser o Diretor do Instituto frankfurtiano desde 2001. Com ele inaugura-se a "terceira geração" da Escola, cuja proposta consiste em relançar a "Teoria Crítica", sobretudo a partir do livro Kampf um Anerkennung. Zur moralischen Grammatik sozialer Konflikte, de 1992 (publicado no Brasil como Luta por reconhecimento - A Gramática Moral dos Conflitos Sociais. Trad. Luiz Repa. São Paulo: Ed. 34, 2003), tendo como ponto de partida a Fenomenologia do Espírito de Hegel. Honneth centra sua reflexão na "teoria do reconhecimento" e, através dela, são apresentados os limites da obra das gerações de frankfurtianos anteriores. A falta de reconhecimento passa a ser vista como base dos conflitos interpessoais, sociais e políticos na atualidade. Mais recentemente, Honneth publicou Das Recht der Freiheit (Berlin, Suhrkamp, 2011 - O direito à liberdade) e Die Idee des Sozialismus (Berlin, Suhrkamp, 2015 - A ideia do socialismo), sustentando que o socialismo está vivo como ideia, e tem como cerne a liberdade social. Foi em 2014, no Instituto de Pesquisas Sociais de Frankfurt, que aconteceu o encontro e a entrevista com o Diretor do Instituto, Axel Honneth. O foco da breve entrevista, aqui apresentada no original alemão e em tradução portuguesa.
El ensayo contrasta dos grandes posturas ante el fenómeno omnipresente de la técnica, en estricta relación con las concepciones profundas de lo racional y lo natural que le subyacen. Ortega por un lado, y Adorno, Horkheimer y Marcuse por otro, son excelentes ejemplos de visiones muy diferentes pero complementarias, que además conjugan aspectos antropológicos, históricos y políticos de gran importancia para ofrecer una panorámica global en este campo, sin reduccionismo alguno, y ayudar así a repensar nuestro presente.
The following article attempts to clarify the ambivalent relationship that Max Horkheimer and Herbert Marcuse developed with the vitalist and phenomenological tendencies that permeated philosophy and the social sciences during the Weimar Republic. More precisely, it traces how both thinkers, in spite of acknowledging the “truth moment” contained in the criticism that the philosophical exponents of both movements (Husserl, Bergson, Dilthey) developed of 19th century positivism, also recognized in its shallow popularization the advancement of a dangerous philosophical irrationalism, suspicious of science and Enlightenment values, that would soon become an accomplice to the rise of fascism.
O ensaio traz como base a crítica ao capitalismo, no que se refere aos efeitos negativos que ele impõe aos indivíduos, a partir dos estudos da primeira geração da Escola de Frankfurt. Analisar-se-á a história das ideias a partir de Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse, Theodor Adorno e Max Horkheimer. Benjamin afirma que vive-se a perda da aura das obras de arte, já que a sua comercialização faz com que se perca a essência daquelas obras. Ademais, a imposição da novidade às obras e aos produtos consumidos representa uma ferramenta de manipulação do capitalismo, culminando na pobreza da experiência humana. Marcuse afirma que a sociedade vive o princípio do desempenho, que provoca modos de vida uniformizados, baseados numa concepção de trabalho e diversão homogêneos. Adorno propôs que o tempo livre provocava uma sensação de liberdade nos indivíduos, mas, na realidade, tratava-se do exercício de uma não liberdade, já que as formas de diversão seguiam à risca os padrões exigidos pelo capital. A partir do método adotado pela própria Teoria Crítica, afirma-se que a presente discussão teórica só se torna efetiva quando aplicada à prática, à sociedade atual.
Este estudo tem como finalidade analisar a perspectiva da arte como parte do aparato de dominação social, desenvolvida na obra A ideologia da sociedade industrial, de Herbert Marcuse. Para isso, utilizaremos como referência constante as teorias propostas pelos filósofos da Escola de Frankfurt, em especial Theodor W. Adorno e Max Horkheimer no que diz respeito, sobretudo, ao termo “indústria cultural”, cujo conceitoaparece no capítulo homônimo de Adialética do esclarecimento. Apoiaremo-nos também na tese de doutorado de Imaculada Kangussu, intituladaLeis da liberdade: as relações entre Estética e Política na Filosofia de Herbert Marcuse,e, ainda, nas demais obras marcuseanas, com destaque para Erose Civilização: uma interpretação filosófica do pensamento de Freud.
Depletion of yeast/fly Ataxin-2 rescues TDP-43 overexpression toxicity. In mouse models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis via TDP-43 overexpression, depletion of its ortholog ATXN2 mitigated motor neuron degeneration and extended lifespan from 25 days to >300 days. There is another ortholog in mammals, named ATXN2L (Ataxin-2-like), which is almost uncharacterized but also functions in RNA surveillance at stress granules. We generated mice with Crispr/Cas9-mediated deletion of Atxn2l exons 5-8, studying homozygotes prenatally and heterozygotes during aging. Our novel findings indicate that ATXN2L absence triggers mid-gestational embryonic lethality, affecting female animals more strongly. Weight and development stages of homozygous mutants were reduced. Placenta phenotypes were not apparent, but brain histology showed lamination defects and apoptosis. Aged heterozygotes showed no locomotor deficits or weight loss over 12 months. Null mutants in vivo displayed compensatory efforts to maximize Atxn2l expression, which were prevented upon nutrient abundance in vitro. Mouse embryonal fibroblast cells revealed more multinucleated giant cells upon ATXN2L deficiency. In addition, in human neural cells, transcript levels of ATXN2L were induced upon starvation and glucose and amino acids exposure, but this induction was partially prevented by serum or low cholesterol administration. Neither ATXN2L depletion triggered dysregulation of ATXN2, nor a converse effect was observed. Overall, this essential role of ATXN2L for embryogenesis raises questions about its role in neurodegenerative diseases and neuroprotective therapies.
Manufacturing processes of custom implant abutments may contaminate their surfaces with micro wear deposits and generic pollutants. Such particulate debris, if not removed, might be detrimental and provoke inflammatory reactions in peri-implant tissues. Although regulatory guidelines for adequate cleaning, disinfection, or sterilization exist, there does not appear to be a consistent application and data on the amount and extent of such contaminants is lacking. The aim of the present in vitro study was to evaluate the quality and quantity of processing-related surface contamination of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) abutments in the state of delivery and after ultrasonic cleaning. A total of 28 CAD/CAM monotype and hybrid abutments were cleaned and disinfected applying a three-stage ultrasonic protocol (Finevo protocol). Before and after cleaning, the chemical composition and the contamination of the abutments were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX),andcomputer-aidedplanimetricmeasurement(CAPM).Inthedeliverycondition, monotype abutments showed a significantly higher amount of debris compared to hybrid abutments (4.86±6.10% vs. 0.03 ± 0.03%, p < 0.001). The polishing process applied in the laboratory after bonding the hybrid abutment components reduces the surface roughness and thus contributes substantially to their purity. The extent of contamination caused by computer-aided manufacturing of custom abutments can be substantially minimized using a three-stage ultrasonic protocol.
Alcoholism is one of the leading and increasingly prevalent reasons of liver associated morbidity and mortality worldwide. Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) constitutes a severe disease with currently no satisfying treatment options. Lipoxin A4 (LXA4), a 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15)-dependent lipid mediator involved in resolution of inflammation, showed promising pre-clinical results in the therapy of several inflammatory diseases. Since inflammation is a main driver of disease progression in alcoholic hepatitis, we investigated the impact of endogenous ALOX15-dependent lipid mediators and exogenously applied LXA4 on AH development. A mouse model for alcoholic steatohepatitis (NIAAA model) was tested in Alox12/15+/+ and Alox12/15−/− mice, with or without supplementation of LXA4. Absence of Alox12/15 aggravated parameters of liver disease, increased hepatic immune cell infiltration in AH, and elevated systemic neutrophils as a marker for systemic inflammation. Interestingly, i.p. injections of LXA4 significantly lowered transaminase levels only in Alox12/15−/− mice and reduced hepatic immune cell infiltration as well as systemic inflammatory cytokine expression in both genotypes, even though steatosis progressed. Thus, while LXA4 injection attenuated selected parameters of disease progression in Alox12/15−/− mice, its beneficial impact on immunity was also apparent in Alox12/15+/+ mice. In conclusion, pro-resolving lipid mediators may be beneficial to reduce inflammation in alcoholic hepatitis.
Soil degradation can have an impact on the soil microbiota, but its specific effects on soil fungal communities are poorly understood. In this work, we studied the impact of soil degradation on the richness and diversity of communities of soil fungi, including three different degrees of degradation in Germany and Panama. Soil fungi were isolated monthly using the soil-sprinkling method for 8 months in Germany and 3 months in Panama, and characterized by morphological and molecular data. Soil physico-chemical properties were measured and correlated with the observed values of fungal diversity. We isolated a total of 71 fungal species, 47 from Germany, and 32 from Panama. Soil properties were not associated with fungal richness, diversity, or composition in soils, with the exception of soil compaction in Germany. The geographic location was a strong determinant of the soil fungal species composition although in both countries there was dominance by members of the orders Eurotiales and Hypocreales. In conclusion, the results of this work do not show any evident influence of soil degradation on communities of soil fungi in Germany or Panama.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are highly heritable and are characterized by deficits in social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Twin studies on phenotypic subdomains suggest a differing underlying genetic etiology. Studying genetic variation explaining phenotypic variance will help to identify specific underlying pathomechanisms. We investigated the effect of common variation on ASD subdomains in two cohorts including >2500 individuals. Based on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), we identified and confirmed six subdomains with a SNP-based genetic heritability h2SNP = 0.2–0.4. The subdomains nonverbal communication (NVC), social interaction (SI), and peer interaction (PI) shared genetic risk factors, while the subdomains of repetitive sensory-motor behavior (RB) and restricted interests (RI) were genetically independent of each other. The polygenic risk score (PRS) for ASD as categorical diagnosis explained 2.3–3.3% of the variance of SI, joint attention (JA), and PI, 4.5% for RI, 1.2% of RB, but only 0.7% of NVC. We report eight genome-wide significant hits—partially replicating previous findings—and 292 known and novel candidate genes. The underlying biological mechanisms were related to neuronal transmission and development. At the SNP and gene level, all subdomains showed overlap, with the exception of RB. However, no overlap was observed at the functional level. In summary, the ADI-R algorithm-derived subdomains related to social communication show a shared genetic etiology in contrast to restricted and repetitive behaviors. The ASD-specific PRS overlapped only partially, suggesting an additional role of specific common variation in shaping the phenotypic expression of ASD subdomains.
Introduction End-of-life care is an essential task performed by most healthcare providers and often involves decision-making about how and where patients want to receive care. To provide decision support to healthcare professionals and patients in this difficult situation, we will systematically review a knowledge cluster of the end-of-life care preferences of older patients with multimorbidity that we previously identified using an evidence map.
Methods and analysis We will systematically search for studies reporting end-of-life care preferences of older patients (mean age ≥60) with multimorbidity (≥2 chronic conditions) in MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Social Sciences Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index Expanded, PSYNDEX and The Cochrane Library from inception to September 2019. We will include all primary studies that use quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies, irrespective of publication date and language.
Two independent reviewers will assess eligibility, extract data and describe evidence in terms of study/population characteristics, preference assessment method and end-of-life care elements that matter to patients (eg, life-sustaining treatments). Risk of bias/applicability of results will be independently assessed by two reviewers using the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool. Using a convergent integrated approach on qualitative/quantitative studies, we will synthesise information narratively and, wherever possible, quantitatively.
Ethics and dissemination Due to the nature of the proposed systematic review, ethics approval is not required. Results from our research will be disseminated at relevant (inter-)national conferences and via publication in peer-reviewed journals. Synthesising evidence on end-of-life care preferences of older patients with multimorbidity will improve shared decision-making and satisfaction in this final period of life.
Geochemical analyses result of prehistoric pottery from the site of Tol-e Kamin (Fars, Iran) by pXRF
(2020)
A series of pottery samples from the Iranian site Tol-e Kamin, ranging from pre-historical period to the New Elamite, were analyzed in order to study the geochemical variability of the pottery assemblage. A total amount of 168 measurements were obtained using a portable XRF device and were statistically handled. The results could successfully distinguish the geochemical composition of potteries from the chalcolithic to the New Elamite periods in the Kur River Basin. A major shift in the use of different clay sources could be detected since the Proto Elamite period and afterward, in which the carbonated and marl content clays represented by Ca, Ba and Sr shifted to clay sources with a tendency to non-carbonate silty clay Al, Ti, and Fe from a different geological background. The results stress the importance of further provenance studies to address issues of trade and exchange possibilities in southwestern Iran.
Recent studies suggested an important contribution of sphingosine-1-phospate (S1P) signaling via its specific receptors (S1PRs) in the production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as Interleukin (IL)-1β in cancer and inflammation. In an inflammation-driven cancer setting, we previously reported that myeloid S1PR1 signaling induces IL-1β production by enhancing NLRP3 (NOD-, LRR- and Pyrin Domain-Containing Protein 3) inflammasome activity. However, the autocrine role of S1P and enzymes acting on the S1P rheostat in myeloid cells are unknown. Using human and mouse macrophages with pharmacological or genetic intervention we explored the relative contribution of sphingosine kinases (SPHKs) in NLRP3 inflammasome activity regulation. We noticed redundancy in SPHK1 and SPHK2 activities towards macrophage NLRP3 inflammasome transcriptional induction and IL-1β secretion. However, pharmacological blockade of both kinases in unison completely abrogated NLRP3 inflammasome induction and IL-1β secretion. Interestingly, human and mouse macrophages demonstrate varied responses towards SPHKs inhibition and IL-1β secretion. Clinical datasets of renal cell carcinoma and psoriasis patients showed a positive correlation between enzymes affecting the S1P rheostat with NLRP3 inflammasome components expression, which corroborates our finding. Our data provide a better understanding on the role of SPHKs and de novo synthesized S1P in macrophage NLRP3 inflammasome activation
We study simulated animats in terms of wheeled robots with the most simple neural controller possible – a single neuron per actuator. The system is fully self-organized in the sense that the controlling neuron receives uniquely the actual angle of the wheel as an input. Non-trivial locomotion results in structured environments, with the robot determining autonomously the direction of movement (time-reversal symmetry is spontaneously broken). Our controller, which mimics the mechanism used to transmit power in steam locomotives, abstracts from the body plan of the animat, working without problems also in the presence of noise and for chains of individual two-wheeled cars. Being fully compliant our controller may be also used, in the spirit of morphological computation, as a basic unit for higher-level evolutionary algorithms.
Discussions regarding the planned European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS), the missing third pillar of the European Banking Union, have been ongoing since the Commission published its initial legisla-tive proposal in 2015. A breakthrough in negotiations has yet to be achieved. The gridlock on EDIS is most commonly attributed to moral hazard concerns over insufficient risk reduction harboured on the side of northern member states, particularly Germany, due to the weak state of some other member states’ banking sectors. While moral hazard based on uneven risk reduction is helpful for explaining divergent member-state preferences on the scope of necessary risk reduction, this does not explain preferences on the institutional design of EDIS. In this paper, we argue that contrary to persistent differences on necessary risk reduction, preferences regarding the institutional design of EDIS have become more closely aligned. We analyse how preferences on EDIS developed in the key member states of Germany, France, and Italy. In all sampled countries, we find path-dependent benefits con-nected to the current design of national Deposit Guarantee Schemes (DGS) that shifted preferences of the banking sector or significant subsectors in favour of retaining national DGSs. Overall, given that a compromise on risk-reduction can be accomplished, we argue that current preferences in these key member states provide an opportunity to implement EDIS in the form of a reinsurance system that maintains national DGSs in combination with a supranational fund.
Background: Lipoprotein(a) concentration is associated with cardiovascular events. Alirocumab, a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor, lowers lipoprotein(a) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).
Objectives: A pre-specified analysis of the placebo-controlled ODYSSEY Outcomes trial in patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) determined whether alirocumab-induced changes in lipoprotein(a) and LDL-C independently predicted major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
Methods: One to 12 months after ACS, 18,924 patients on high-intensity statin therapy were randomized to alirocumab or placebo and followed for 2.8 years (median). Lipoprotein(a) was measured at randomization and 4 and 12 months thereafter. The primary MACE outcome was coronary heart disease death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or hospitalization for unstable angina.
Results: Baseline lipoprotein(a) levels (median: 21.2 mg/dl; interquartile range [IQR]: 6.7 to 59.6 mg/dl) and LDL-C [corrected for cholesterol content in lipoprotein(a)] predicted MACE. Alirocumab reduced lipoprotein(a) by 5.0 mg/dl (IQR: 0 to 13.5 mg/dl), corrected LDL-C by 51.1 mg/dl (IQR: 33.7 to 67.2 mg/dl), and reduced the risk of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78 to 0.93). Alirocumab-induced reductions of lipoprotein(a) and corrected LDL-C independently predicted lower risk of MACE, after adjustment for baseline concentrations of both lipoproteins and demographic and clinical characteristics. A 1-mg/dl reduction in lipoprotein(a) with alirocumab was associated with a HR of 0.994 (95% CI: 0.990 to 0.999; p = 0.0081).
Conclusions: Baseline lipoprotein(a) and corrected LDL-C levels and their reductions by alirocumab predicted the risk of MACE after recent ACS. Lipoprotein(a) lowering by alirocumab is an independent contributor to MACE reduction, which suggests that lipoprotein(a) should be an independent treatment target after ACS. (ODYSSEY Outcomes: Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab; NCT01663402).
Bei der Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit-/Hyperaktivitätsstörung (ADHS) handelt es sich um eine hochprävalente Erkrankung, die bisher insbesondere im Erwachsenenalter nur unzureichend berücksichtigt wurde. Neben den Kernsymptomen bestehend aus Einschränkungen in der Aufmerksamkeit sowie einem erhöhten Maß an Hyperaktivität und Impulsivität gilt es, Komorbiditäten und Beeinträchtigungen zu berücksichtigen, die mit dieser Erkrankung einhergehen. In früheren Studien konnte bereits nachgewiesen werden, dass sowohl Kinder als auch Erwachsene mit einer ADHS vermehrte Unfälle und infolgedessen eine erhöhte Rate an stationären Behandlungen aufweisen. Zusätzlich besteht bei ADHS-Betroffenen ein höheres Risiko, frühzeitig zu versterben, wobei Unfälle als unnatürliche Todesursache den häufigsten Grund darstellen. Bisher existieren auf internationaler Ebene einige Studien, die sich mit den Zusammenhängen von adulter ADHS und Unfallraten beschäftigten. Eine differenzierte Betrachtung, die eine deutsche Population einschließt und den Einfluss des Geschlechts auf das Unfallgeschehen bei ADHS-Betroffenen untersucht, wurde bisher nicht realisiert. Aus diesen Gründen führten wir eine Querschnittsstudie auf unfallchirurgischen Stationen an zwei Kliniken in Frankfurt am Main durch. Im Rahmen der Studie sollte die Prävalenz von adulter ADHS bei stationär betreuten Unfallopfern ermittelt und mögliche unfallcharakteristische Unterschiede zwischen den Geschlechtern der ADHS-Positivkohorte erfasst werden.
Mithilfe der etablierten Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) der WHO wurden alle Unfallopfer, die den Einschlusskriterien entsprachen, auf adulte ADHS gescreent. Bei der Auswertung des ASRS verwendeten wir zwei unterschiedliche Methoden, die bereits in früheren Studien zur Anwendung kamen. Durch einen eigens erstellten Unfallfragebogen konnten Unfallcharakteristika sowie psychische Komorbiditäten der ADHSPositivkohorte erfasst werden. Zusätzlich erhoben wir zum Vergleich die Unfallcharakteristika bei einer nicht von ADHS betroffenen Kontrollgruppe. Bei einem Teil der positiv gescreenten Patienten wurde eine ausführliche Testung in der ADHS Spezialambulanz des Universitätsklinikums Frankfurt am Main vorgenommen. Mittels diagnostischer Interviews und weiteren Selbstauskunftsfragebögen (DIVA, HASE) konnte eine definitive ADHS-Diagnose gestellt und das positive Screeningergebnis verifiziert werden.
Wir stellten fest, dass die Prävalenz adulter ADHS unter Unfallopfern mit 6,89 % bzw. 8,68 % in Abhängigkeit der ASRS Auswertungskriterien im Vergleich zu der Prävalenz der adulten ADHS in der Allgemeinbevölkerung erhöht war. Des Weiteren gab es mehr Männer mit einem positiven ADHS-Screeningergebnis und einem Unfallgeschehen. Es konnten keine signifikanten geschlechtsspezifischen Unterschiede in den Unfallcharakteristika und Unfallorten in der ADHS Positivkohorte festgestellt werden. Auch in dem Vorhandensein psychischer Komorbiditäten unterschieden sich die beiden Geschlechtergruppen der ADHS-Positivkohorte nicht. Unabhängig der Geschlechterzugehörigkeit wurden die meisten Unfälle der ADHS-Positivkohorte im Straßenverkehr verzeichnet und als selbstverschuldet eingestuft. Es konnten signifikant mehr Unfälle außerhalb des Straßenverkehrs in der nicht von ADHS betroffenen Kontrollgruppe im Vergleich zu der ADHS Positivkohorte nachgewiesen werden. Insgesamt war nur bei 14 % aller positiv gescreenten Patienten eine ADHS-Erkrankung bereits bekannt und diagnostiziert worden.
Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse dieser Studie lässt sich schlussfolgern, dass Menschen mit einer ADHS-Symptomatik vermehrt auf unfallchirurgischen Stationen anzutreffen sind und im Einklang mit früheren Forschungsergebnissen ein erhöhtes Unfall- und Verletzungsrisiko aufweisen. Darüber hinaus folgern wir aus unseren Ergebnissen, dass sich Männer und Frauen mit einer ADHS-Erkrankung hinsichtlich Symptomatik, Komorbidität und spezifischer Unfallcharakteristika ähnlicher sein könnten, als dass sie sich in diesen Bereichen unterscheiden. Im Hinblick auf die geringen vorbestehenden ADHS-Diagnosen in der Positivkohorte erscheint eine Etablierung eines Screeningsystems bei Patienten sinnvoll, die im Rahmen von Unfallgeschehen gehäuft stationär betreut werden müssen. Da ADHS-Betroffene ein erhöhtes Risiko für multiple Unfälle zu haben scheinen, könnte unter diesen Voraussetzungen eine adulte ADHS-Symptomatik früher erkannt und negative Folgen wie eine erhöhte Unfallrate reduziert werden. Methodologische Limitierungen bestanden in unserer Erhebung durch eine geringe Anzahl an ausführlichen Testungen zur Verifizierung der ADHS-Diagnose sowie dem Informationsgewinn auf der Basis einer Selbstauskunft. Um Ergebnisse aussagekräftiger zu gestalten und auch kleinere Unfälle zu erfassen, erscheint eine Ausweitung der Testung in Ambulanzen sinnvoll.
Chronic inflammation is considered to be a cause of the autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, etc. The search for effective compounds with anti-inflammatory properties to combat these diseases is still ongoing. Natural compound narciclasine, derived from plants of Narcissus species, demonstrated its anti-inflammatory activity in in vivo arthritis models. Further investigation of narciclasine’s anti-inflammatory activity together with its impact on the interaction between leukocytes and endothelial cells was the main focus of this PhD thesis.
Narciclasine reduced the infiltration of monocytes and neutrophils to the abdomen and the concentration of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF, IL-6 and IL-1β. Together with this, it reduced acute visceral pain caused by zymosan injection. Narciclasine interfered with leukocyte-endothelial cell interaction in both in vivo and in vitro models. In vivo microscopy revealed that the compound reduced rolling, adhesion and transmigration of leukocytes in the vessels of an injured murine cremaster muscle. This observation was confirmed in the in vitro models for adhesion and transmigration where narciclasine reduced the level of leukocyte’s interaction with HUVECs. Narciclasine demonstrated profound anti-inflammatory properties based on its interference with leukocyte-endothelium interaction by downregulation of endothelial cell adhesion molecules expression (ICAM-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin, CX3CL1) and shutdown of NF-κB pathway. All these effects were a result of the TNF receptor 1 protein translation blocking by narciclasine.
In this work the ability of the compound to reduce visceral pain, downregulate the expression of the endothelial cell adhesion molecules and to interfere with the interaction between leukocytes and endothelial cells was demonstrated for narciclasine for the first time. Obtained results open a promising insight into the understanding of narciclasine’s anti-inflammatory properties and justify further investigation of its potential for treatment of inflammatory diseases.
In der durchgeführten Studie erfolgte die Untersuchung des visuellen Arbeits-gedächtnisses von bipolaren Patienten im Vergleich zu gesunden Kontrollen. Es erfolgten bereits viele Untersuchungen an Patienten mit bipolarer Störung. Wird das Hauptaugenmerk auf die kognitiven Funktionen der Patienten gelegt, so konnte bereits in einigen Studien gezeigt werden, dass nicht nur in depressi-ver oder manischer, sondern auch in euthymer Stimmungslage kognitive Defizi-te vorliegen. Zur näheren Untersuchung der Funktionen des visuellen Arbeits-gedächtnisses der Patienten mit bipolarer Störung wurde daher eine fMRT-Untersuchung durchgeführt. Hier wurden Patienten, die an bipolarer Störung erkrankt sind, mit gesunden Kontrollen verglichen. Dabei wurden die bipolaren Patienten in euthymer Stimmungslage untersucht. Weder in Antwortrichtigkeit noch Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit konnte ein signifikanter Gruppenunterschied nachgewiesen werden. Außerdem wurde in der Untersuchung eine Differenzie-rung zwischen den einzelnen Phasen gemacht, die eine Gedächtnisinformation durchläuft. Bei diesen Phasen handelt es sich um Enkodierungs-, Halte- und Abrufphase. Hierbei konnten veränderte Aktivierungsmuster an diversen Hirn-strukturen der bipolaren Patienten dargestellt werden. Diese Veränderungen ziehen sich durch alle drei Phasen der Gedächtniskonsolidierung und können vor allem im präfrontalen Kortex nachgewiesen werden. Es handelt sich dabei vor allem um eine schwächere Aktivierung des präfrontalen Kortex (PFC) der bipolaren Patienten im Vergleich zu gesunden Kontrollen. Unter anderem ist das Arbeitsgedächtnis im PFC lokalisiert. Diese Ergebnisse scheinen ein Hin-weis dafür zu sein, dass bei den bipolaren Patienten neuronale Defizite im visu-ellen Arbeitsgedächtnis vorliegen.
Purpose. Status epilepticus (SE) is characterized by recurrent seizure activity and can be drug-resistant. Knowledge of neuronal and metabolic activity of the brain during SE may be helpful to improve medical care. We here report the effects of three anti-seizure drugs on changes of acetylcholine energy metabolites and oxidative stress during SE. Methods. We used the lithium-pilocarpine model in rats to induce SE and in vivo-microdialysis to monitor cholinergic and metabolic activity in the hippocampus. We measured extracellular concentrations of acetylcholine, glucose, lactate, pyruvate, glycerol and isoprostanes before and during SE, and after acute treatment with pregabalin, valproic acid, and levetiracteam. Results. Upon onset of SE, acetylcholine (ACh) release increased six- to eightfold. Glucose was increased only transiently by 30% but lactate levels rose four-fold, and extracellular concentrations of glycerol ten-fold. Isoprostanes are markers of oxidative stress and increased more than 20-fold. Two hours after pilocarpine adminstration, rats were treated with pregabalin (100 mg/kg), levetiracetam (200 mg/kg) or valproic acid (400 mg/kg) by i.p. injection. All three drugs stopped seizure activity in a delayed fashion, but at the doses indicated, only animals that received levetiracetam reached consciousness. All drugs reduced ACh release within 60-120 minutes. Lactate/pyruvate ratios, glycerol and isoprostanne levels were also reduced significantly after drug administration. Conclusions. Hippocampal ACh release closely follows seizure activity in SE and is attenuated when SE subsides. Pregabalin, valproic acid and levetiracetam all terminate seizures in the rat SE model and attenuate cholinergic and metabolic changes within two hours.
According to the theory of language of the young Benjamin, the primary task of language isn't the communication of contents, but to express itself as a "spiritual essence" in which also men take part. That conception according to which language would be a medium to signification of something outside it leads to a necessary decrease of its original strength and is thus denominated by Benjamin bürgerlich. The names of human language are remainders of an archaic state, in which things weren't yet mute and had their own language. Benjamin suggests also that all the arts remind the original language of things, as they make objects "speak" in form of sounds, colors, shapes etc. That relationship between arts as reminders of the "language of things" and the possible reconciliation of mankind with itself and with nature has been developed by Theodor Adorno in several of his writings, specially in the Aesthetic Theory, where the artwork is ultimately conceived as a construct pervaded by "language" in the widest meaning - not in the "bourgeois" sense.
This paper intends to present some considerations on a possible epistemology of noise as a response to theory of recognition and its bases on theory of communicative action. The principal movement will be to recover some aspects of Marcuse’s and Foucault’s perspective on the disturbances narratives in social sphere. The interest for them becomes stronger from Habermas’ perspective on their “performative contradicions”. Both of them would appeal to social aspects that escapes from critical normativities. Foucault’s structures of power as well as Marcuse’s psychoanalytical drives would represent aspects of the same Habermasian problem: the absence of auto-critical rationality. However, we can question: what would offer to the two authors the limits of communicative action?
The papers here collected are divided in an English and an Italian section, to facilitate the reader who is confident, or prefers, only one of these languages. In both sections, Critical Theory is addressed in a twofold way: as regards its origins in the so-called School of Frankfurt and as concerns its further and contemporary developments, from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Critical Theory offers a new way to understand not only the society, but also the individual. In particular, I will focus on the thought of Adorno and his conception of society.
First, I want to investigate the Adornian description of society in its totalitarian face and in its paradoxical relationship with the individual. The individual, first element of society, without which any society cannot be imaged, paradoxically finds – in the society – its liquidation and destruction.
Secondly, I want to consider the Adornian revolutionary statement in a conversation with Horkheimer of a need of a “New Manifesto”. Do we need it even today? Would be really possible a new Marxian society in our world? The attempt to answer to those questions will conclude my paper.
In this article the author highlights some issues about Adorno’s thought that are fundamental to be acquired in the present age. It focuses on the questions most criticized in the postwar period: cultural industry, managed world, presumed snobbery about mass society, decline of aura, end of individuality, post-individual or pseudo-individuality, ticket mentality. Therefore, the author suggests to explain contemporary age starting from the Adornian model, an important interpretive antecedent to understand new media and the world that they produce. So this article underscores the similarity about many causes for reflection in Theodor W. Adorno and also H. Marcuse: in spite of oustanding differences, both theorists persist on the “power of negative thinking” and on the “feeling of the contrary”. This persistence lays the foundations of critical thought in Adorno, who shows parodying art such as the critical model par excellence. Finally, last pages are directed to remark the importance of Adorno’s thought such as metacritical philosophy, surely more fruitful than the paradigm of the “second generation” in the following decades.
In this paper I intend to discuss the relation of Marcuse’s theory of technology to its grounding in the possibilities he believed lay inherent, but as yet untapped in nature. Marcuse was an early critic of what he considered to be the exploitative, predatory approach to nature brought about through the direction of technology, industry and science under consumer capitalism, however his alternative; a “new science” and “new technology” which would treat nature as an “ally” in the general struggle for liberation and emancipation, was not without its problems.
The evolution of Critical Theory in the thought of Jürgen Habermas has important consequences for political questions, influencing the actual intellectual debate. This paper examines the main works and studies of Habermas about the epistemology of social sciences, the critique of late capitalist society, the public sphere and democracy, and proposes a comparison with the positions of Jacques Derrida, to have a better comprehension of this evolution.
Critical Theory is the key-word representing all the universe of thought commonly known as „Frankfurt School”. Within it, Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno and Herbert Marcuse are not so far each other, as instead are Max Horkheimer and Marcuse – considering what I in this paper define as the conservative turn of the director of the Institut für Sozialforschung. Whereas Adorno refuses any engagement in the political and lives as an obsession the theory-praxis relation, Marcuse is closer to a certain critical Marxism and to the student movements of Sixities and Seventhies. The crucial issue of the theory-praxis relation comes back clearly in the distance between Marcuse and the other two maîtres à penser, about their judgment on the ’68 movement.
The one-dimensionality of econometric data: the Frankfurt School and the critique of quantification
(2020)
Econometric data are used to produce authoritative facts about the world. Yet, as numbers enjoy a central place in modern reasoning (particularly in government as their presumed objectivity and neutrality assist impartial decision-making), it is important that they receive scrutiny. Using methodological techniques from Western Marxism, with special reference to the work of Lukács, Horkheimer and Adorno, and Marcuse to inform a critique of Acemoglu and Robinson, I argue that the historical emergence of econometrics as a mode of mediated knowledge is a reified practice within the broader technical administration of social life, a practice that is not a transparent representation of social phenomena. This is because when econometrics transforms the thing being measured into a statistical indicator it eclipses political disputes with technical disputes, sidestepping good faith democratic deliberation about what goods are worth pursuing. Effectively, one-dimensional thought cannot perceive the origins of items put into circulation and so ideology is produced – what seems value-free is value-laden.
Este artigo pretende analisar o efeito da operação de enquadramento editorial levada a cabo pela Editora Sur, vinculada à Revista Sur, na circulação do repertório frankfurtiano na Argentina da década de 1960. Ao traduzirem e divulgarem autores como Adorno, Horkheimer e Benjamin, a partir de sua posição específica no campo cultural argentino, a coleção Estudios Alemanes contribui para que seus autores sejam desvinculados da tradição marxista e alocados em uma categoria mais ampla de “pensamento alemão”. Com isso, a circulação desses autores fica restritra a certo público, já cativo da perspectiva teórica e política da Revista Sur. Neste artigo, descrevo a coleção nos marcos da difusão mais ampla da tradição alemã no campo letrado argentino, atentando para os deslocamentos de prestígio que ela mobiliza e, sobretudo, para a composição de uma “atitude intelectual” que, a despeito do conteúdo dos textos em circulação, condiciona a recepção e ressignificação dos textos frankfurtianos.
Over three decades the works of Frankfurt School member Theodor W. Adorno played an important role in the didactic conceptualization of popular music in Germany. This resulted in a predominantly analytical, ethic-centred and, in the end, pejorative agenda. Educationalists who advocated an affirmative approach to popular music needed to formulate “new” objectives that would serve as a true alternative to the highly elaborated Adornian framework. Though affirmative approaches finally became prevalent, the didactic situation remained delicate, since the teaching of popular music was also subject to general debates on how school education shall be constituted. Subsequently, the subject “popular music” became more and more tied to overall educational goals, whereas the objective dimension was increasingly ignored. The paper aims to reconstruct the complex path from critical to post-critical didactic efforts, finally addressing current issues, especially the notion of popular music as cultural practice. The “paradigm shift” towards affirmation is demonstrated on the basis of both theoretical works and curricular sources.
The essay focuses on the impact of Marcuse’s Eros and Civilization in Germany in 1968. First, the essay discusses how Freud’s theory was used in the late twenties at the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt. Then, it focuses on how certain of Adorno and Horkheimer’s ideas were developed in Eros and Civilization. Finally, it shows how Marcuse’s work became relevant for the intellectual development of the student movement in Germany.
Historiadora do cinema, Miriam Hansen examinou e sistematizou as contribuições de Siegfried Kracauer, Walter Benjamin e Theodor Adorno para a teorização do cinema. Nesta pesquisa bibliográfica, buscamos sintetizar e apresentar aos leitores de língua portuguesa o desenvolvimento de sua investigação sobre o tema. Mostramos como Hansen foi capaz de identificar as principais diferenças entre os teóricos frankfurtianos, bem como evidenciar que eles, em comum, pensaram este fenômeno cultural contemporâneo em relação às condições sociais e econômicas de produção. Em suas reflexões, o cinema aparece como expressão da sociedade urbano-industrial, como um elemento sintomático da cultura de massa.
Hope and reasons
(2020)
This paper argues that hope can be understood as an attitude or an attitudinal complex that is partially sensitive to reasons. One way that an attitude is sensitive to reasons is that it is permitted given the reasons available. A second way in which an attitude is sensitive to reasons is that it might be required in light of available reasons. This paper argues that hope may be permitted by the available reasons, and although it is sometimes good or praiseworthy to hope, hope is never categorically required. In that sense, hope is partially sensitive to reasons.
Light is one of the most important abiotic factors for plant physiological processes. In addition to light intensity, the spectral quality of light can also influence the plant morphology and the content of secondary metabolites. In the horticultural industry, artificial light is used in to enable year-round production of herbs, ornamental plants and vegetables in winter terms.
Until today, discharge lamps like high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps, emitting predominantly orange and red light and high amounts of infrared radiation, are the most common lamp systems in greenhouses. In the last decades, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emerged as an efficient alternative light source. LEDs have the advantage of distinct adjustments to the light spectrum. For a usage in horticultural industry LEDs are often too expensive. Furthermore, reduced plant growth can occur due to incorrectly adjusted light spectra and lower leaf temperatures caused by the lack of infrared radiation.
In a research project (LOEWE, funding no. 487/15-29) funded by the Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Arts, Microwave plasma lamps (MPL) were tested as new light sources for horticultural industry and plant research. The electrodeless lamp systems emit light in similar properties like sun light. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of artificial sunlight of the MPL on the accumulation of secondary metabolites, plant architecture and plant physiology of three different species (coleus, basil and potted roses). The MPL was compared with other light systems such as commercial HPS lamps, LEDs or ceramic metal halide lamps (CDM). In addition to morphological parameters such as plant height, internode length or fresh and dry weight, the phenolic content of leaves grown under the respective light sources were examined.
Overall an increased far-red light content in the emission spectra of the MPL showed high influence on the plant architecture which was observed in all three plant species. Artificial sunlight from MPL induced stem elongation in coleus and basil plants, compared to the other tested light sources. In potted roses a reduced branching degree was observed under MPL light compared to HPS grown plants.
In addition to the impact of far-red light also the blue light content of the emission spectra was found to be a strong influencing factor for plant physiological processes. A positive correlation between blue light content and leaf thickness was determined in coleus cultivated under MPL, LED, HPS and CDM lamps. Low blue light content in HPS emission spectra resulted in shade-adapted leaves with low photosynthetic capacity and susceptibility to high irradiances. Blue light was assumed to increase phenolic metabolites in basil and rose leaves. Furthermore, the different light treatments resulted in an alteration of the composition of essential oils of basil.
Experiments with coleus plants demonstrated that besides light color also the infrared radiation, had an influence on secondary metabolites by causing different leaf temperatures. Coleus plants grown with MPL showed the lowest content of phenolic compounds such as rosmarinic acid per dry weight. Infrared radiation resulted in a faster plant development indicated by increased biomass production and higher leaf formation rate as observed in coleus and basil plants.
The results obtained in this study show that the influence of leaf temperature should always be considered when comparing different lamp systems. Especially when LEDs are compared to discharge lamps an overestimation of light color can be a consequence since also infrared radiation influences the content of phenolic compounds and plant growth.
Tissue injury and inflammation may result in chronic pain, a severe debilitating disease that is associated with great impairment of quality of life. An increasing body of evidence indicates that members of the Rab family of small GTPases contribute to pain processing; however, their specific functions remain poorly understood. Here, we found using immunofluorescence staining and in situ hybridization that the small GTPase Rab27a is highly expressed in sensory neurons and in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord of mice. Rab27a mutant mice, which carry a single-nucleotide missense mutation of Rab27a leading to the expression of a nonfunctional protein, show reduced mechanical hyperalgesia and spontaneous pain behavior in inflammatory pain models, while their responses to acute noxious mechanical and thermal stimuli is not affected. Our study uncovers a previously unrecognized function of Rab27a in the processing of persistent inflammatory pain in mice.
Pulmonary failure is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the human chromosomal instability syndrome Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T). Major phenotypes include recurrent respiratory tract infections and bronchiectasis, aspiration, respiratory muscle abnormalities, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary fibrosis. At present, no effective pulmonary therapy for A-T exists. Cell therapy using adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (ASCs) might be a promising approach for tissue regeneration. The aim of the present project was to investigate whether ASCs migrate into the injured lung parenchyma of Atm-deficient mice as an indication of incipient tissue damage during A-T. Therefore, ASCs isolated from luciferase transgenic mice (mASCs) were intravenously transplanted into Atm-deficient and wild-type mice. Retention kinetics of the cells were monitored using in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and completed by subsequent verification using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The in vivo imaging and the qPCR results demonstrated migration accompanied by a significantly longer retention time of transplanted mASCs in the lung parenchyma of Atm-deficient mice compared to wild type mice. In conclusion, our study suggests incipient damage in the lung parenchyma of Atm-deficient mice. In addition, our data further demonstrate that a combination of luciferase-based PCR together with BLI is a pivotal tool for tracking mASCs after transplantation in models of inflammatory lung diseases such as A-T.
The Culex pipiens complex encompasses five species and subspecies of the genus Culex. Over time, a multitude of morphologically indistinguishable species has been assigned to this complex with several species being classified as important vectors for different diseases. Some species of this complex hibernate in subterranean habitats, and it has been proven that viruses can survive this phase of hibernation. However, studies focusing on the environmental requirements, ecology and spatial and temporal distribution patterns of mosquitos in underground habitats are sparse. Here, we investigate the main environmental factors and dependencies of Culex, considering the number of individuals and survival probabilities in underground habitats during the winter months. Methods. Since the State of Hesse, Germany harbors about 3500 to 4000 subterranean shelters ample availability of subterranean habitats there provides a good opportunity to conduct detailed investigations of the Culex pipiens complex. In this study, we identified a sample of 727 specimens of overwintering females within the Culex pipiens complex from 52 different underground sites collected over a period of 23 years using qPCR. A complete data set of samplings of hibernating mosquitos from 698 subterranean habitats in Central Germany over the same period was available to study the spatial and temporal patterns and the effect of temperature and precipitation conditions on these hibernating populations using a generalized linear model (GLM). Results. Our qPCR-results show, similar to aboveground studies of mosquitos, that Culex pipiens pipiens and Culex torrentium occur sympatrically. On the other hand, Culex pipiens molestus occurred very rarely. The GLM revealed no shifts in species composition over time, but different preferences for subterranean hibernacula, chemical effects on overwintering populations as well as effects of annual and seasonal mean temperature and precipitation during the active phase from March to November. Cx. p. pipiens and Cx. torrentium are the most common species within Hessian caves and other underground habitats during winter. They co-occur with different frequency without any patterns in species composition. Weather conditions influence the number of overwintering mosquitos during the activity phase. Depending on cave parameters, the number of mosquitos decreases during the winter months.
Progressive bladder cancer growth is associated with abnormal activation of the mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, but treatment with an mTOR inhibitor has not been as effective as expected. Rather, resistance develops under chronic drug use, prompting many patients to lower their relapse risk by turning to natural, plant-derived products. The present study was designed to evaluate whether the natural compound, sulforaphane (SFN), combined with the mTOR inhibitor everolimus, could block the growth and proliferation of bladder cancer cells in the short- and long-term. The bladder cancer cell lines RT112, UMUC3, and TCCSUP were exposed short- (24 h) or long-term (8 weeks) to everolimus (0.5 nM) or SFN (2.5 µM) alone or in combination. Cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle progression, and cell cycle regulating proteins were evaluated. siRNA blockade was used to investigate the functional impact of the proteins. Short-term application of SFN and/or everolimus resulted in significant tumor growth suppression, with additive inhibition on clonogenic tumor growth. Long-term everolimus treatment resulted in resistance development characterized by continued growth, and was associated with elevated Akt-mTOR signaling and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)1 phosphorylation and down-regulation of p19 and p27. In contrast, SFN alone or SFN+everolimus reduced cell growth and proliferation. Akt and Rictor signaling remained low, and p19 and p27 expressions were high under combined drug treatment. Long-term exposure to SFN+everolimus also induced acetylation of the H3 and H4 histones. Phosphorylation of CDK1 was diminished, whereby down-regulation of CDK1 and its binding partner, Cyclin B, inhibited tumor growth. In conclusion, the addition of SFN to the long-term everolimus application inhibits resistance development in bladder cancer cells in vitro. Therefore, sulforaphane may hold potential for treating bladder carcinoma in patients with resistance to an mTOR inhibitor.
Treatment of large bone defects is one of the great challenges in contemporary orthopedic and traumatic surgery. Grafts are necessary to support bone healing. A well-established allograft is demineralized bone matrix (DBM) prepared from donated human bone tissue. In this study, a fibrous demineralized bone matrix (f-DBM) with a high surface-to-volume ratio has been analyzed for toxicity and immunogenicity. f-DBM was transplanted to a 5-mm, plate-stabilized, femoral critical-size-bone-defect in Sprague-Dawley (SD)-rats. Healthy animals were used as controls. After two months histology, hematological analyses, immunogenicity as well as serum biochemistry were performed. Evaluation of free radical release and hematological and biochemical analyses showed no significant differences between the control group and recipients of f-DBM. Histologically, there was no evidence of damage to liver and kidney and good bone healing was observed in the f-DBM group. Reactivity against human HLA class I and class II antigens was detected with mostly low fluorescence values both in the serum of untreated and treated animals, reflecting rather a background reaction. Taken together, these results provide evidence for no systemic toxicity and the first proof of no basic immunogenic reaction to bone allograft and no sensitization of the recipient.
Although the therapeutic armamentarium for bladder cancer has considerably widened in the last few years, severe side effects and the development of resistance hamper long-term treatment success. Thus, patients turn to natural plant products as alternative or complementary therapeutic options. One of these is curcumin, the principal component of Curcuma longa that has shown chemopreventive effects in experimental cancer models. Clinical and preclinical studies point to its role as a chemosensitizer, and it has been shown to protect organs from toxicity induced by chemotherapy. These properties indicate that curcumin could hold promise as a candidate for additive cancer treatment. This review evaluates the relevance of curcumin as an integral part of therapy for bladder cancer.
This article is written from the perspective of phenomenology. Its potential gain for a critical human geography is discussed in contrast to the paradigmatic frame of basic assumptions in constructivism. The example of atmospheres will illustrate another theoretical conception of space. In phenomenological view there happens not only a reality of things but also a circum-actuality is not spatially extended like a house or another material objective. Atmospheres are vital qualities (Dürckheim) we feel like a cloud in our sense perception in situations of awareness. This implies the necessity to make a difference between a material body (Körper) and a felt body (Leib). This epistemic knowledge will improve our critique of neoliberal societies, tuned by aestheticisation especially in glamour CBDs of postmodern cities. Finally there is a close link to the work of Michel Foucault, topped off in his The Hermeneutics of the Subject. References to the Critical Theory (Frankfurter Schule) are connected.
Dialéctica del Iluminismo, de T.W. Adorno y Max Horkheimer, puede llevar a la confusión de entender pensamiento y razón como términos indiferenciados. Este vínculo tiende a establecerse a través de un mecanismo de metonimia que remite uno al otro como si ambos fueran semejantes. Sin embargo, la primera dificultad al confundir ambos términos y la misma dificultad de Horkheimer en su Crítica de la razón instrumental es la de establecer la diferencia entre razón objetiva y metafísica, así como ubicar valorativamente al mito en esta segunda categoría. El presente trabajo explora las claves que permiten operar la igualación del mito a Iluminismo y la reducción de ambos a metafísica en el pensamiento de la Escuela de Frankfurt.
A publicação deste polêmico artigo é uma homenagem de Lua Nova aos oitenta anos de História e Consciência de Classe, de Georg Lukács. Seu autor faz um resgate do jovem Lukács, identificando os pressupostos e idéias que tornam esse livro de 1923 não tanto filosoficamente, mas politicamente, um feito revolucionário, em sintonia com o ''Evento de 1917'' na Rússia. Zizek entende que é justamente seu teor político, o qual aponta para uma crítica radical dos regimes liberal-democráticos predominantes no Ocidente, que o mantém atual, nesse sentido ultrapassando os limites auto-impostos dos autores da Dialética do esclarecimento.
O presente trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar algumas idéias sobre o tema do treinamento corporal e sua relação com o domínio da natureza. Para isso apresenta-se a teoria da formação do sujeito e da civilização desenvolvida por Theodor W. Adorno e Max Horkheimer, sobretudo na Dialética do esclarecimento. A ênfase recai sobre o papel do sacrifício nesse processo, e a relação deste com o corpo. A partir daí procura-se entender o esporte, e dentro dele o treinamento corporal, com vistas a desenvolver uma análise daquele baseada na lógica sacrificial e na correspondente redução do corpo a uma naturalidade desqualificada e fungível.
This doctoral thesis is concerned with the development of a method that allows to measure in vivo and non-invasively the mid-infrared absorption spectra of human epidermis, using photoacoustic spectroscopy. The main focus is the monitoring of the glucose level in epidermal interstitial fluid and its correlation with the blood glucose level; which is the most important parameter for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. Most publications in this field have only reported measurements in vitro for the absorption spectra of epidermis in the mid-infrared range. Using the approach presented in this work, it was possible to record in vivo and in situ the absorption spectra of skin of volunteers; and with these spectra, the changing glucose concentration could be monitored. The novelty of the photoacoustic method introduced here is that it operates in acoustic resonance in the ultrasound range. This considerably reduces the signal noise due to the external acoustic background. Although the photoacoustic method reported in this work was used to measure glucose in human epidermis, it can also be applied to other solid samples with relevant absorption bands in the mid-infrared. Furthermore, it can be used in other spectral regions if the laser source covers relevant absorption bands of the sample.
kurz und kn@pp news : Nr. 49
(2020)
Ribosome biogenesis is one cell function-defining process. It depends on efficient transcription of rDNAs in the nucleolus as well as on the cytosolic synthesis of ribosomal proteins. For newly transcribed rRNA modification and ribosomal protein assembly, so-called small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) and ribosome biogenesis factors (RBFs) are required. For both, an inventory was established for model systems like yeast and humans. For plants, many assignments are based on predictions. Here, RNA deep sequencing after nuclei enrichment was combined with single molecule species detection by northern blot and in vivo fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-based localization studies. In addition, the occurrence and abundance of selected snoRNAs in different tissues were determined. These approaches confirm the presence of most of the database-deposited snoRNAs in cell cultures, but some of them are localized in the cytosol rather than in the nucleus. Further, for the explored snoRNA examples, differences in their abundance in different tissues were observed, suggesting a tissue-specific function of some snoRNAs. Thus, based on prediction and experimental confirmation, many plant snoRNAs can be proposed, while it cannot be excluded that some of the proposed snoRNAs perform alternative functions than are involved in rRNA modification
The Early Permian coal is of great value in the Tengxian Coalfield, Shandon Province, Eastern China. This work deals with the new data focusing on mineralogical characteristics in the Early Permian Shanxi Formation No. 3 coal from the Jinyuan Mine. The Jinyuan coal is a low ash and highly volatile A bituminous coal. Minerals in the No. 3 coal mainly comprise of kaolinite, ankerite, illite, calcite, siderite, and quartz, with varying compositions of trace amounts of pyrite, jarosite, bassanite, anatase, and rutile. According to mineral assemblage in the coal plies, three Types (A to C) can be identified in the No. 3 coal. The dominant minerals in Type A are poorly-ordered kaolinite, illite, quartz, pyrite, and jarosite. Type B is mainly composed of well-ordered kaolinite, illite, siderite, ankerite, and calcite. Type C, with just one sample (JY-3-7c), which contains high proportions of calcite (54%) and ankerite (34%). Terrigenous minerals are elevated in coal plies that typically have relatively high contents of ash yield. The formation of syngenetic pyrite was generally due to seawater, while the sulphate minerals (jarosite and coquimbite) were derived from the oxidation of pyrite. Epigenetic vein-like or fracture-fillings carbonate minerals (ankerite, calcite, and siderite), kaolinite, and pyrite, as well as authigenic quartz were derived from the influx of hydrothermal fluids during different periods, from the authigenic to epigenetic. The paragonite in the coal may have been formed by the precipitated from Na-rich hydrothermal fluids. No effects of magmatic intrusion on mineralogy were investigated in this research.
Plato's allegory of the cave set a fashion for philosophy, i.e. to distinguish between appearance and reality. This fashion is still distinguishable in the work of two philosophers whose social critiques, at a first glance, are worlds apart: Herman Dooyeweerd of the Free University in Amsterdam, and Theodor Adorno o f the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. Upon a closer look, however, many similarities appear. Their diagnoses of Western society probes beneath the beguiling surface of scientific and technological progress to reveal serious tensions deeply embedded in Western culture. The question arises: how conscious are they of their own embeddedness in this cultural crisis? Dooyeweerd and Adorno are analysed on this issue, and the conclusion shows Dooyeweerd’s philosophy to suffer from an intellectual hybris, whereas Adorno’s is portrayed as burdened with a paralysing aestheticism. The result of this critical analysis of Dooyeweerd and Adorno is a suggestion to rehabilitate the tradition of Christian thinking as an ongoing debate between rival interpretations of the biblical message, which offers creative opportunities to respond to cultural crises and the suffering they entail.
Christoph Sarrazin,1 Francesco Castelli,2 Pietro Andreone,3 Maria Buti,4 Massimo Colombo,5 Stanislas Pol,6 Filipe Calinas,7 Massimo Puoti,8 Antonio Olveira,9 Mitchell Shiffman,10 Jerry O Stern,11 George Kukolj,12 Michael Roehrle,13 Stella Aslanyan,11 Qiqi Deng,11 Richard Vinisko,11 Federico J Mensa,11 David R Nelson,14 on behalf of the HCVerso1 and 2 study groups 1Department of Internal Medicine 1, JW Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany; 2Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University of Brescia, Brescia, 3Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Università di Bologna and Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Policlinico Sant‘Orsola-Malpighi, Bologna, Italy; 4Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron and CIBERehd del Instituto Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain; 5Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; 6University Paris Descartes, Department of Hepatology, Hospital Cochin, APHP and INSERM UMS-20, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France; 7Department of Gastroenterology, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal; 8Department of Infectious Diseases, AO Ospedale Niguarda Cà Granda, Milan, Italy; 9Liver Unit, Hospital Universitario La Paz, CIBERehd, Madrid, Spain; 10Liver Institute of Virginia, Bon Secours Health System, Richmond, VA, USA; 11Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, USA; 12Boehringer Ingelheim Ltd/Ltée, Burlington, ON, Canada; 13Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany; 14Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA Abstract:
The interferon-free combination of once-daily faldaprevir 120 mg, twice-daily deleobuvir 600 mg, and weight-based ribavirin was evaluated in two Phase III studies (HCVerso1, HCVerso2) in hepatitis C virus genotype-1b-infected, treatment-naïve patients, including those ineligible for peginterferon (HCVerso2). Patients without cirrhosis were randomized to 16 weeks (Arm 1; n=208 HCVerso1, n=213 HCVerso2) or 24 weeks (Arm 2; n=211 in both studies) of faldaprevir + deleobuvir + ribavirin. Patients with compensated cirrhosis received open-label faldaprevir + deleobuvir + ribavirin for 24 weeks (Arm 3; n=51, n=72). Primary endpoints were comparisons of adjusted sustained virologic response (SVR) rates with historical rates: 71% (HCVerso1) and 68% (HCVerso2). Adjusted SVR12 rates were significantly greater than historical controls for Arms 1 and 2 in HCVerso2 (76%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 71–81, P=0.002; 81%, 95% CI 76–86, P<0.0001) and Arm 2 in HCVerso1 (81%, 95% CI 77–86, P<0.0001), but not for Arm 1 of HCVerso1 (72%, 95% CI 66–77, P=0.3989). Unadjusted SVR12 rates in Arms 1, 2, and 3 were 71.6%, 82.5%, and 72.5%, respectively, in HCVerso1 and 75.6%, 82.0%, and 73.6%, respectively, in HCVerso2. Virologic breakthrough and relapse occurred in 24-week arms in 8%–9% and 1% of patients, respectively, and in 16-week arms in 7%–8% and 9%–11% of patients, respectively. The most common adverse events were nausea (46%–61%) and vomiting (29%–35%). Adverse events resulted in discontinuation of all medications in 6%–8% of patients. In treatment-naïve patients with hepatitis C virus genotype-1b infection, with or without cirrhosis, faldaprevir + deleobuvir + ribavirin treatment for 24 weeks resulted in adjusted SVR12 rates significantly higher than historical controls. Both studies were registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01732796, NCT01728324).
We present novel measurements of five short-lived brominated source gases (CH2Br2, CHBr3, CH2ClBr, CHCl2Br and CHClBr2) obtained using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer system on board the High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft (HALO). The instrument is extremely sensitive due to the use of chemical ionisation, allowing detection limits in the lower parts per quadrillion (10-15) range. Data from three campaigns using the HALO aircraft are presented, where the Upper Troposphere/Lower Stratosphere (UTLS) of the Northern Hemisphere mid to high latitudes were sampled during winter and during late summer to early fall. We show that an observed decrease with altitude in the stratosphere is consistent with the relative lifetimes of the different compounds. Distributions of the five source gases and total organic bromine just below the tropopause shows an increase in mixing ratio with latitude, in particular during polar winter. This increase in mixing ratio is explained by increasing lifetimes at higher latitudes during winter. As the mixing ratio at the extratropical tropopause are generally higher than those derived for the tropical tropopause, extratropical troposphere-to-stratosphere transport will result in elevated levels of organic bromine in comparison to air transported over the tropical tropopause. The observations are compared to model estimates using different emission scenarios. A scenario which has emissions most strongly concentrated to low latitudes cannot reproduce the observed latitudinal distributions and will tend to overestimate bromine input through the tropical tropopause from CH2Br2 and CHBr3. Consequently, the scenario also overestimates the amount of brominated organic gases in the stratosphere. The two scenarios with the highest overall emissions of CH2Br2 tend to overestimate mixing ratios at the tropical tropopause but are in much better agreement with extratropical tropopause values, showing that not only total emissions but also latitudinal distributions in the emissions are of importance. While an increase in tropopause values with latitude is reproduced with all emission scenarios during winter, the simulated extratropical tropopause values are on average lower than the observations during late summer to fall. We show that a good knowledge of the latitudinal distribution of tropopause mixing ratios and of the fractional contributions of tropical and extratropical air is needed to derive stratospheric inorganic bromine in the lowermost stratosphere from observations. Depending on the underlying emission scenario, differences of a factor 2 in reactive bromine derived from observations and model outputs are found for the lowermost stratosphere, based on source gas injection. We conclude that a good representation of the contributions of different source regions is required in models for a robust assessment of the role of short-lived halogen source gases on ozone depletion in the UTLS.
Genetic association studies have shown their usefulness in assessing the role of ion channels in human thermal pain perception. We used machine learning to construct a complex phenotype from pain thresholds to thermal stimuli and associate it with the genetic information derived from the next-generation sequencing (NGS) of 15 ion channel genes which are involved in thermal perception, including ASIC1, ASIC2, ASIC3, ASIC4, TRPA1, TRPC1, TRPM2, TRPM3, TRPM4, TRPM5, TRPM8, TRPV1, TRPV2, TRPV3, and TRPV4. Phenotypic information was complete in 82 subjects and NGS genotypes were available in 67 subjects. A network of artificial neurons, implemented as emergent self-organizing maps, discovered two clusters characterized by high or low pain thresholds for heat and cold pain. A total of 1071 variants were discovered in the 15 ion channel genes. After feature selection, 80 genetic variants were retained for an association analysis based on machine learning. The measured performance of machine learning-mediated phenotype assignment based on this genetic information resulted in an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 77.2%, justifying a phenotype classification based on the genetic information. A further item categorization finally resulted in 38 genetic variants that contributed most to the phenotype assignment. Most of them (10) belonged to the TRPV3 gene, followed by TRPM3 (6). Therefore, the analysis successfully identified the particular importance of TRPV3 and TRPM3 for an average pain phenotype defined by the sensitivity to moderate thermal stimuli.
Iron is part of many redox and other enzymes and, thus, it is essential for all living beings. Many oxic environments have extremely low concentrations of free iron. Therefore, many prokaryotic species evolved siderophores, i.e., small organic molecules that complex Fe3+ with very high affinity. Siderophores of bacteria are intensely studied, in contrast to those of archaea. The haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii contains a gene cluster that putatively encodes siderophore biosynthesis genes, including four iron uptake chelate (iuc) genes. Underscoring this hypothesis, Northern blot analyses revealed that a hexacistronic transcript is generated that is highly induced under iron starvation. A quadruple iuc deletion mutant was generated, which had a growth defect solely at very low concentrations of Fe3+, not Fe2+. Two experimental approaches showed that the wild type produced and exported an Fe3+-specific siderophore under low iron concentrations, in contrast to the iuc deletion mutant. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that haloarchaea obtained the gene cluster by lateral transfer from bacteria and enabled the prediction of enzymatic functions of all six gene products. Notably, a biosynthetic pathway is proposed that starts with aspartic acid, uses several group donors and citrate, and leads to the hydroxamate siderophore Schizokinen.
NIMA (never-in-mitosis gene A)-related kinase 1 (Nek1) is shown to impact on different cellular pathways such as DNA repair, checkpoint activation, and apoptosis. Its role as a molecular target for radiation sensitization of malignant cells, however, remains elusive. Stably transduced doxycycline (Dox)-inducible Nek1 shRNA HeLa cervix and siRNA-transfected HCT-15 colorectal carcinoma cells were irradiated in vitro and 3D clonogenic radiation survival, residual DNA damage, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis were analyzed. Nek1 knockdown (KD) sensitized both cell lines to ionizing radiation following a single dose irradiation and more pronounced in combination with a 6 h fractionation (3 × 2 Gy) regime. For preclinical analyses we focused on cervical cancer. Nek1 shRNA HeLa cells were grafted into NOD/SCID/IL-2Rγc−/− (NSG) mice and Nek1 KD was induced by Dox-infused drinking water resulting in a significant cytostatic effect if combined with a 6 h fractionation (3 × 2 Gy) regime. In addition, we correlated Nek1 expression in biopsies of patients with cervical cancer with histopathological parameters and clinical follow-up. Our results indicate that elevated levels of Nek1 were associated with an increased rate of local or distant failure, as well as with impaired cancer-specific and overall survival in univariate analyses and for most endpoints in multivariable analyses. Finally, findings from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) validation cohort confirmed a significant association of high Nek1 expression with a reduced disease-free survival. In conclusion, we consider Nek1 to represent a novel biomarker and potential therapeutic target for drug development in the context of optimized fractionation intervals.
Die Südostasienwissenschaften der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt a. M. luden in Zusammenarbeit mit der Südostasien Informationsstelle im Asienhaus Köln und dem Arbeitskreis Südostasien der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Asienkunde den 19. und 20. Juni 2015 zu der Konferenz „Die Schattenseiten des Wirtschaftswachstums in Südostasien“ nach Frankfurt ein...
Diatoms are thought to provide about 40% of total global photosynthesis and diatoms of the genus Coscinodiscus are an important, sometimes dominant, cosmopolitan component of the marine diatom community. The oomycete parasitoid Lagenisma coscinodisci is widespread in the northern hemisphere on its hosts in the genus Coscinodiscus. Because of its potential ecological importance, it would be a suitable pathogen model to investigate plankton/parasite interactions, but the species cannot be cultivated on media without its host, so far. Thus, it was the aim of this study to explore the potential of dual culture of host and pathogen in the laboratory and to optimise cultivation to ensure a long-term cultivation of the pathogen. Here, we report successful cultivation of a single spore strain of L. coscinodisci (Isla), on several Coscinodiscus species and strains, as well as the establishment of a cultivation routine with Coscinodiscus granii (CGS1 and CG36), which enabled us to maintain the single spore strain for more than 3 years in 6 cm Petri dishes and 10 ml tissue culture flasks. This opens up the opportunity to study the processes and mechanism in plankton/parasitoid interactions under controlled conditions.
The oomycete genus Ectrogella currently comprises a rather heterogeneous group of obligate endoparasitoids, mostly of diatoms and algae. Despite their widespread occurrence, little is known regarding the phylogenetic affinities of these bizarre organisms. Traditionally, the genus was included within the Saprolegniales, based on zoospore diplanetism and a saprolegnia/achlya-like zoospore discharge. The genus has undergone multiple re-definitions in the past, and has often been used largely indiscriminately for oomycetes forming sausage-like thalli in diatoms. While the phylogenetic affinity of the polyphyletic genus Olpidiopsis has recently been partially resolved, taxonomic placement of the genus Ectrogella remained unresolved, as no sequence data were available for species of this genus. In this study, we report the phylogenetic placement of Ectrogella bacillariacearum infecting the freshwater diatom Nitzschia sigmoidea. The phylogenetic reconstruction shows that Ectrogella bacillariacearum is grouped among the early diverging lineages of the Saprolegniomycetes with high support, and is unrelated to the monophyletic diatom-infecting olpidiopsis-like species. As these species are neither related to Ectrogella, nor to the early diverging lineages of Olpidiopsis s. str. and Miracula, they are placed in a new genus, Diatomophthora, in the present study.
Holocarpic oomycetes are poorly known but widespread parasites in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Most of the holocarpic species seem to belong to clades that diverge before the two crown lineages of the oomycetes, the Saprolegniomycetes and the Peronosporomycetes. Recently, the genus Miracula was described to accommodate Miracula helgolandica, a holocarpic parasitoid of Pseudo-nitzschia diatoms, which received varying support for its placement as the earliest-diverging oomycete lineage. In the same phylogenetic reconstruction, Miracula helgolandica was grouped with some somewhat divergent sequences derived from environmental sequencing, indicating that Miracula would not remain monotypic. Here, a second species of Miracula is reported, which was found as a parasitoid in the limnic centric diatom Pleurosira leavis. Its life-cycle stages are described and depicted in this study and its phylogenetic placement in the genus Miracula revealed. As a consequence, the newly discovered species is introduced as Miracula moenusica.
Olpidiopsis is a genus of obligate holocarpic endobiotic oomycetes. Most of the species classified in the genus are known only from their morphology and life cycle, and a few have been examined for their ultrastructure or molecular phylogeny. However, the taxonomic placement of all sequenced species is provisional, as no sequence data are available for the type species, O. saprolegniae, to consolidate the taxonomy of species currently placed in the genus. Thus, efforts were undertaken to isolate O. saprolegniae from its type host, Saprolegnia parasitica and to infer its phylogenetic placement based on 18S rDNA sequences. As most species of Olpidiopsis for which sequence data are available are from rhodophyte hosts, we have also isolated the type species of the rhodophyte-parasitic genus Pontisma, P. lagenidioides and obtained partial 18S rDNA sequences. Phylogenetic reconstructions in the current study revealed that O. saprolegniae from Saprolegnia parasitica forms a monophyletic group with a morphologically similar isolate from S. ferax, and a morphologically and phylogenetically more divergent species from S. terrestris. However, they were widely separated from a monophyletic, yet unsupported clade containing P. lagenidioides and red algal parasites previously classified in Olpidiopsis. Consequently, all holocarpic parasites in red algae should be considered to be members of the genus Pontisma as previously suggested by some researchers. In addition, a new species of Olpidiopsis, O. parthenogenetica is introduced to accommodate the pathogen of S. terrestris.
We employ a representative sample of 80,972 Italian firms to forecast the drop in profits and the equity shortfall triggered by the COVID-19 lockdown. A 3-month lockdown generates an aggregate yearly drop in profits of about 10% of GDP, and 17% of sample firms, which employ 8.8% of the sample’s employees, become financially distressed. Distress is more frequent for small and medium-sized enterprises, for firms with high pre-COVID-19 leverage, and for firms belonging to the Manufacturing and Wholesale Trading sectors. Listed companies are less likely to enter distress, whereas the correlation between distress rates and family firm ownership is unclear.
(JEL G01, G32, G33)
We analyze the ESG rating criteria used by prominent agencies and show that there is a lack of a commonality in the definition of ESG (i) characteristics, (ii) attributes and (iii) standards in defining E, S and G components. We provide evidence that heterogeneity in rating criteria can lead agencies to have opposite opinions on the same evaluated companies and that agreement across those providers is substantially low. Those alternative definitions of ESG also a↵ect sustainable investments leading to the identification of di↵erent investment universes and consequently to the creation of di↵erent benchmarks. This implies that in the asset management industry it is extremely dicult to measure the ability of a fund manager if financial performances are strongly conditioned by the chosen ESG benchmark. Finally, we find that the disagreement in the scores provided by the rating agencies disperses the e↵ect of preferences of ESG investors on asset prices, to the point that even when there is agreement, it has no impact on financial performances.