“Like a Flaming Myth”. The catastrophe of the ‘German East’ in selected German novels of the 1950s

The article presents variants of the story of the final phase of World War II in the eastern provinces of the Third Reich exemplified in the novels Wenn die Dämme brechen... by Edwin Erich Dwinger (1950), Engel, Menschen und Dämonen by Hanna Stephan (1951), Jenseits der Schleuse by Werner Klose (1953), and Feuer im Schnee by Jens Rehn (1956). The basis of the discussion are works outside the contemporary canon of literature devoted to World War II depicting forced evacuation of German civilian population and the retreat of Wehrmacht forces in the face of an offensive by the Red Army. The analysis shows the diversity in which the catastrophe of the “German East” was handled in works of fiction of the 1950s. Thus, the article disputes the theses of the German researcher Louis Ferdinand Helbig concerning the subject of “exodus and dislocation” in German writing. Helbig differentiates three successive phases of literary development devoted to the German exodus from central and eastern Europe and ties them to the predominance of specific genres (documentaries, quasi-documentaries, memoirs, and fiction). The present article, on the other hand, shows the diversity of narrative techniques in the period which Helbig considers as the realm of witness literature. The article examines different ways of discerning purpose in Germany’s defeat and the suffering of the civilian population: heroic and military (Dwinger, Klose), mythical-demonic and religious (Stephan), as well as existential (Klose). Contrasted with such interpretations is a novel which rejects attempts to aggrandize tragic events by invoking ideology, metaphysics, or literary tradition (Rehn). The article presents variants of the story of the final phase of World War II in the eastern provinces of the Third Reich exemplified in the novels Wenn die Dämme brechen... by Edwin Erich Dwinger (1950), Engel, Menschen und Dämonen by Hanna Stephan (1951), Jenseits der Schleuse by Werner Klose (1953), and Feuer im Schnee by Jens Rehn (1956). The basis of the discussion are works outside the contemporary canon of literature devoted to World War II depicting forced evacuation of German civilian population and the retreat of Wehrmacht forces in the face of an offensive by the Red Army. The analysis shows the diversity in which the catastrophe of the “German East” was handled in works of fiction of the 1950s. Thus, the article disputes the theses of the German researcher Louis Ferdinand Helbig concerning the subject of “exodus and dislocation” in German writing. Helbig differentiates three successive phases of literary development devoted to the German exodus from central and eastern Europe and ties them to the predominance of specific genres (documentaries, quasi-documentaries, memoirs, and fiction). The present article, on the other hand, shows the diversity of narrative techniques in the period which Helbig considers as the realm of witness literature. The article examines different ways of discerning purpose in Germany’s defeat and the suffering of the civilian population: heroic and military (Dwinger, Klose), mythical-demonic and religious (Stephan), as well as existential (Klose). Contrasted with such interpretations is a novel which rejects attempts to aggrandize tragic events by invoking ideology, metaphysics, or literary tradition (Rehn)

El efecto de la política lingüística sobre la igualdad: lo que los movimientos base nos enseñan acerca de la creación de grafemarios para lenguas indígenas

Chile ratificó los Objetivos de 2015 del Desarrollo Sostenible de las Naciones Unidas, jurando: “para 2030, potenciar y promover la inclusión social, económica y política de todas las personas, independientemente de su edad, sexo, discapacidad, raza, etnia, origen, religión o situación económica u otra condición” (Ministerio de Desarrollo Social, 2015). En términos de política lingüística, en lo relacionado con problemáticas indígenas, eso significa que tales consideraciones no solo tienen que existir, sino que también tienen que proyectarse hasta la población objetivo para ser efectivas. Con el fin de señalar que hay una distancia entre la práctica de la política lingüística del país y las preferencias de su población indígena, el presente estudio explora el uso actual de las escrituras (grafemarios) mapuches frente a normativas contrastantes dentro de los entornos social, académico y de planificación lingüística en Chile. Luego se expone una hipótesis sobre las metas de sustentabilidad que no se están cumpliendo debido a las normas de escritura contrarias, con repercusiones sobre el acceso a información legal y de salud, indicando que el planteamiento descendiente del mapuzungun ha tenido un efecto contrario, el de alejar a la población en vez de promover su inclusión social

Dietary pattern in initial familiar hypercholesterolaemia

Rodzinna hipercholesterolemia (FH) jest chorobą uwarunkowaną genetycznie, dziedziczoną autosomalnie dominująco. Charakteryzuje się znacznie podwyższonym stężeniem cholesterolu frakcji LDL (LDL-C) w surowicy oraz wysokim ryzykiem przedwczesnego rozwoju choroby wieńcowej. Głównym celem farmakologicznego leczenia hipolipemizującego jest obniżenie cholesterolu frakcji LDL. Lekami hipolipemizującymi pierwszego wyboru są statyny. Dodanie żywicy lub ezetymibu do statyn można rozważyć, gdy mimo ich stosowania nie osiągnięto docelowego stężenia LDL-C. Chorym z FH zaleca się spożycie nasyconych kwasów tłuszczowych w wysokości nie więcej niż 7% oraz cholesterolu poniżej 200 mg/dobę. Podkreśla się też istotną rolę spożywanych nienasyconych kwasów tłuszczowych oraz steroli i stanoli roślinnych.Familiar hypercholesterolaemia is a genetically conditioned disease, subject to autosomal dominant inheritance. It is characterized by a significantly higher level of cholesterol LDL (LDL-C) in serum and high risk of premature development of atherosclerotic coronary disease. The main aim of pharmacological hypolipidemic treatment is reducing of LDL-cholesterol. The first choice in hypolipidemic treatment are statins. Adding resins or ezetimib to statin may be considered if the desired level of LDL-C has not been reached. The diet of patients with familiar hypercholesterolaemia should be poor in saturated fatty acids (≤ 7%), and cholesterol (< 200 mg/day). The role in diet of unsaturated fatty acids, plant sterols and stanols is also emphasised

A large-scale survey of genetic variation and genome evolution within the invasive Reynoutria complex : [streszczenie]

The taxa from the genus Reynoutria: R. japonica, R. sachalinensis, originating from Asia, and their hybrid R. ×bohemica are some of the most troublesome alien invasive species in Europe and North America, particularly dangerous to riparian ecosystems. Simultaneously, these taxa constitute a unique model system for the creation of hybrids and the initiation of evolutionary processes in an invaded range. The aim of the study was: (i) to examine the level of genetic diversity using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers in selected populations of three Reynoutria taxa from Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Slovakia in comparison with Japan, (ii) to identify marked chromosomes in all taxa using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with rDNA sequences, and (iii) to establish genome size and ploidy level in the knotweed species using flow cytometry (FCM) (Fragment tekstu)

Designing of passive residential buildings – case study

This paper describes the process of designing the passive residential buildings. The analysis is carried out on the basis of the Mannheim project, created as an entry for the Isover competition – Multi-Comfort House. Particular steps of the design process are analyzed for meeting the requirements of passive standard building. The specific solutions adopted in the Mannheim project are presented as an example

Bifunctional TaqII restriction endonuclease: redefining the prototype DNA recognition site and establishing the Fidelity Index for partial cleaving

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The TaqII enzyme is a member of the <it>Thermus </it>sp. enzyme family that we propounded previously within Type IIS restriction endonucleases, containing related thermophilic bifunctional endonucleases-methyltransferases from various <it>Thermus </it>sp.: TaqII, Tth111II, TthHB27I, TspGWI, TspDTI and TsoI. These enzymes show significant nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarities, a rare phenomenon among restriction endonucleases, along with similarities in biochemical properties, molecular size, DNA recognition sequences and cleavage sites. They also feature some characteristics of Types I and III.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Barker et al. reported the Type IIS/IIC restriction endonuclease TaqII as recognizing two distinct cognate site variants (5'-GACCGA-3' and 5'-CACCCA-3') while cleaving 11/9 nucleotides downstream. We used four independent methods, namely, shotgun cloning and sequencing, restriction pattern analysis, digestion of particular custom substrates and GeneScan analysis, to demonstrate that the recombinant enzyme recognizes only 5'-GACCGA-3' sites and cleaves 11/9 nucleotides downstream. We did not observe any 5'-CACCCA-3' cleavage under a variety of conditions and site arrangements tested. We also characterized the enzyme biochemically and established new digestion conditions optimal for practical enzyme applications. Finally, we developed and propose a new version of the Fidelity Index - the Fidelity Index for Partial Cleavage (FI-PC).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The DNA recognition sequence of the bifunctional prototype TaqII endonuclease-methyltransferase from <it>Thermus aquaticus </it>has been redefined as recognizing only 5'-GACCGA-3' cognate sites. The reaction conditions (pH and salt concentrations) were designed either to minimize (pH = 8.0 and 10 mM ammonium sulphate) or to enhance star activity (pH = 6.0 and no salt). Redefinition of the recognition site and reaction conditions makes this prototype endonuclease a useful tool for DNA manipulation; as yet, this enzyme has no practical applications. The extension of the Fidelity Index will be helpful for DNA manipulation with enzymes only partially cleaving DNA.</p

Evolution of major histocompatibility complex class I and class II genes in the brown bear

International audienceBackground: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins constitute an essential component of the vertebrate immune response, and are coded by the most polymorphic of the vertebrate genes. Here, we investigated sequence variation and evolution of MHC class I and class II DRB, DQA and DQB genes in the brown bear Ursus arctos to characterise the level of polymorphism, estimate the strength of positive selection acting on them, and assess the extent of gene orthology and trans-species polymorphism in Ursidae . Results: We found 37 MHC class I, 16 MHC class II DRB, four DQB and two DQA alleles. We confirmed the expression of several loci: three MHC class I, two DRB, two DQB and one DQA. MHC class I also contained two clusters of non-expressed sequences. MHC class I and DRB allele frequencies differed between northern and southern populations of the Scandinavian brown bear. The rate of nonsynonymous substitutions (d N ) exceeded the rate of synonymous substitutions (d S ) at putative antigen binding sites of DRB and DQB loci and, marginally significantly, at MHC class I loci. Models of codon evolution supported positive selection at DRB and MHC class I loci. Both MHC class I and MHC class II sequences showed orthology to gene clusters found in the giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca. Conclusions: Historical positive selection has acted on MHC class I, class II DRB and DQB, but not on the DQA locus. The signal of historical positive selection on the DRB locus was particularly strong, which may be a general feature of caniforms. The presence of MHC class I pseudogenes may indicate faster gene turnover in this class through the birth-and-death process. South - north population structure at MHC loci probably reflects origin of the populations from separate glacial refugia

A Survey of Genetic Variation and Genome Evolution within the Invasive Fallopia Complex

The knotweed taxa Fallopia japonica, F. sachalinensis and their interspecific hybrid F. x bohemica are some of the most aggressive invaders in Europe and North America and they are serious threats to native biodiversity. At the same time, they constitute a unique model system for the creation of hybrids and studies of the initiation of evolutionary processes. In the presented study, we focused on (i) examining genetic diversity in selected populations of three Fallopia taxa in the invaded (Poland) and native ranges (Japan), (ii) establishing genome size and ploidy levels and (iii) identifying ribosomal DNA (rDNA)-bearing chromosomes in all of the taxa from the invaded range. We found that the genetic diversity within particular taxa was generally low regardless of their geographical origin. A higher level of clonality was observed for the Polish populations compared to the Japanese populations. Our study suggests that the co-occurrence of F. sachalinensis together with the other two taxa in the same stand may be the source of the higher genetic variation within the F. x bohemica hybrid. Some shift towards the contribution of F. japonica alleles was also observed for selected F. x bohemica individuals, which indicates the possibility of producing more advanced generations of F. x bohemica hybrids. All of the F. sachalinensis individuals were hexaploid (2n = 6x = 66; 2C = 6.01 pg), while those of F. japonica were mostly octoploid (2n = 8x = 88; 2C = 8.87 pg) and all of the F. x bohemica plants except one were hexaploid (2n = 6x = 66; 2C = 6.46 pg). Within the chromosome complement of F. japonica, F. sachalinensis and F. x bohemica, the physical mapping of the rDNA loci provided markers for 16, 13 and 10 chromosomes, respectively. In F. x bohemica, a loss of some of rDNA loci was observed, which indicates the occurrence of genome changes in the hybrid

Anthropometry and body composition of adolescents in Cracow, Poland

The aim of the present study was to determine the level of adiposity and obesity in Polish adolescents and compare the results with earlier studies conducted in this population as well as those carried out in other populations.The study group consisted of 456 boys and 514 girls aged 14-18 years living in Cracow chosen from randomly selected secondary schools. Weight, height, waist, and hip circumference (WC, HC) as well as triceps, biceps, subscapular, and suprailiac skinfold thickness (SFT) were measured. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), subscapular/triceps skinfold ratio (STR), and percentage body fat were computed. The prevalence of overweight and obesity based on Polish children growth reference were calculated and age-dependent and gender-specific smoothed percentile curves for BMI and ROC curves were generated.Weight, height, WC, HC (up 16yr), WHtR (up 15yr), and WHR were considerably higher in males than females. Weight, height, and HC increased with age; WHtR remained the same. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 10.2% (boys 10.3%; girls 10.1%) and 4.2% (boys 5.3%; girls 3.3%). ROC analysis revealed that WHtR was the best tool for detection of obesity (AUC of 0.982±0.007) in males, whereas the sum of four SFTs (AUC: 0.968±0.011) and WHtR (AUC: 0.963±0.012) were the best predictors of obesity in females.The level of adiposity in Cracow adolescents increased during the last decade. However, it is still lower than in other well-developed societies struggling with obesity epidemics

Ultrastructural visualization of 3D chromatin folding using volume electron microscopy and DNA in situ hybridization.

The human genome is extensively folded into 3-dimensional organization. However, the detailed 3D chromatin folding structures have not been fully visualized due to the lack of robust and ultra-resolution imaging capability. Here, we report the development of an electron microscopy method that combines serial block-face scanning electron microscopy with in situ hybridization (3D-EMISH) to visualize 3D chromatin folding at targeted genomic regions with ultra-resolution (5 × 5 × 30 nm in xyz dimensions) that is superior to the current super-resolution by fluorescence light microscopy. We apply 3D-EMISH to human lymphoblastoid cells at a 1.7 Mb segment of the genome and visualize a large number of distinctive 3D chromatin folding structures in ultra-resolution. We further quantitatively characterize the reconstituted chromatin folding structures by identifying sub-domains, and uncover a high level heterogeneity of chromatin folding ultrastructures in individual nuclei, suggestive of extensive dynamic fluidity in 3D chromatin states