La pieza ausente de una memoria olvidada

In my thesis I would like to explore the effect of collective memory on the recreation of the shooting of Rafael Sánchez Mazas in the novel Soldados de Salamina by Javier Cercas. In his novel, Javier Cercas plays the role of the narrator and protagonist. He becomes interested in the story of the shooting of Rafael Sánchez Mazas, a Nationalist political figure in Spain. Cercas is searching for personal testimonies of other characters in the novel to write about the assassination of Sánchez Mazas, and Cercas as the author utilizes collective memory as a technique and underlying theme of the novel to retrieve these memories. The act of remembering a person, place or action is important for contemporary Spanish society because censorship inhibited many parts of its history from being revealed in its true light. Collective memory is a process used to regenerate "forgotten" history and is defined by Antonio Gómez López-Quiñones, (author of La guerra persistente,) as a social performance that is made possible by combining certain acts and processes (96), which means a child can receive a memory that has been "prepared, planned, and rehearsed socially" (96). An example of this would be how Franco, during his dictatorship, decided how Spain's history would be portrayed in textbooks by providing a biased outlook and refusing to acknowledge varying opinions and by chastising those would felt differently. The concept of collective memory is the process that leads to the recuperation of memory as seen in post-civil war novels in Spain. Eloy E. Merino and H. Rosi Song in their book Traces of Contamination. Unearthing the Francoist Legacy in Contemporary Spanish Discourse show the importance of these collective acts of memory because, according to them, "Our elders' authority is no longer sufficient reason for us to unquestioningly accept" the past that has been described to us. This mean that the memories of people who lived during the war are passed down to their children and grandchildren. These memories are being questioned now by the children and grandchildren because there are two sides to every story. What is the significance of Cercas choosing Sánchez Mazas as the protagonist for his narrative? I want to show in my thesis that Cercas uses the collection of memories and personal testimonies (resources of memories like diaries, public records, oral stories and testimonial literature) of the characters in his novel as a process to regenerate this forgotten history of Sánchez Mazas, an important political figure that not many people remember nowadays. Through his search to find out the story of Sánchez Mazas, he discovers information about a man named Miralles, who may be the soldier that saved Sánchez Mazas. This creates two sides to his collective story: that of the "villain" Sánchez Mazas, and that of the "hero" Antoni Miralles. Cercas is attempting to give validity to the process of collective memory and of recuperation of memory, which is important to Spain's present day society because Spaniards are in the process of uncovering parts of their recent history. I would like to investigate if the process of collective memory is effective in relation to the novel and the interpretations that can be derived from it

Hemingway's religion of death : the cult of the bullring

This paper represents my attempt to link two important forces in Hemingway, death and primitivism, and to trace their logical development into the cult of the bullring. In a world that had obtained a temporary peace, it was only in Spain and in bullfighting that Hemingway's obsession with death could find the arena that would provide the spectacle of man's domination of death through courage. A primitive view of death too became an obsession, even a compulsive ritual, for Hemingway. Hemingway's constant theme of wounding and death was a direct result, I argue, of the trauma produced by his terrible wounding in Italy; the trauma that brought about a regression or primitivization of behavior; the trauma that produced a compulsion to live again the scenes of wounding and death. Under these circumstances, we learn that, in the case of compulsive neurotics, primitive ritual becomes the means of holding onto reality and keeping the dark forces under control

Orientalism and Western Fans: A Look at Fandom Surrounding Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto

Edward Said’s concept of Orientalism has been influential in literary studies, allowing new methods of insight into cross-cultural interaction. Said posits that the western idea of an eastern “Orient” is an illusion, created by and distinguishing western culture through contrast (Said 20-21). Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is a popular manga and anime title with a large following in the United States. As a point of cultural connection between Japan and the US, Naruto serves as a locus around which we can observe the interaction between western readers and an eastern text. This thesis examines western fandom of anime and manga to see if those fans Orientalize, stereotyping in their perceptions of Japan. It specifically examines western fandom of the popular anime and manga, Naruto, and the attitudes that fans hold toward Japan. A textual analysis of Naruto is utilized to determine if it is self-Orientalist, pandering to an Orientalist audience. Following this, I examine fan forums to determine if fans of Naruto hold Orientalist views. Ultimately, I assert that Orientalism does exist within fan communities, but that it is a minority among a culture that largely resists Oriental tendencies. This thesis suggests the idea of the stereotypical (and stereotyping) fan as a misconception, the result of negative hierarchical perceptions in US popular culture as well as within fan communities themselves. I also gesture toward the increasing enmeshment of Japanese cultural products in the lives of Americans, a blurring of “foreign” and domestic intellectual consumption

Deer in the valley

The five stories in this collection follow the residents of a small, western Virginia town, Rocktown, situated in the Shenandoah Valley

7th Annual Seminar on Securities Law

Materials from the UK/CLE 7th Annual Seminar on Securities Law held February 12-13, 1988

The Transformation of Teaching Habits in Relation to the Introduction of Grading and National Testing in Science Education in Sweden

In Sweden, a new curriculum and new methods of assessment (grading of students and national tests) in science education were introduced in grade 6 in 2012/2013. We have investigated what implications these reforms have for teachers’ teaching and assessment practices in order to explore the question of how teachers transform their teaching habits in relation to policy reforms. Interviews with 16 teachers teaching science in grade 6 (Y6), over 3 years after the reforms were introduced, were analysed. Building on the ideas of John Dewey, we consider teachers’ talk about their everyday practice as expressions of their habits of teaching. Habits of teaching are related both to individual experiences as well as institutional traditions in and about teaching. A categorisation of educational philosophies was used to teachers’ habits of teaching to a collective level and to show how habits can be transformed and developed over time in specific sociocultural contexts. The teachers were categorised as using essentialist and/or progressivist educational philosophy. In the responses to the introduction of grading and national testing, the teachers took three approaches: Their habits being reinforced, revised or unchanged in relation to the reforms. Although the responses were different, a striking similarity was that all teachers justified their responses with wanting to do what is best for students. However, how to show care for students differed, from delivering scientific knowledge in alignment with an essentialist educational philosophy, to preparing students to do well on tests, to supporting their development as individuals, which is in alignment with a progressivist educational philosophy

Use and efficacy of bone morphogenetic proteins in fracture healing

Signal transduction in aging related disease

Impairment of circulating endothelial progenitors in Down syndrome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pathological angiogenesis represents a critical issue in the progression of many diseases. Down syndrome is postulated to be a systemic anti-angiogenesis disease model, possibly due to increased expression of anti-angiogenic regulators on chromosome 21. The aim of our study was to elucidate some features of circulating endothelial progenitor cells in the context of this syndrome.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Circulating endothelial progenitors of Down syndrome affected individuals were isolated, <it>in vitro </it>cultured and analyzed by confocal and transmission electron microscopy. ELISA was performed to measure SDF-1α plasma levels in Down syndrome and euploid individuals. Moreover, qRT-PCR was used to quantify expression levels of <it>CXCL12 </it>gene and of its receptor in progenitor cells. The functional impairment of Down progenitors was evaluated through their susceptibility to hydroperoxide-induced oxidative stress with BODIPY assay and the major vulnerability to the infection with human pathogens. The differential expression of crucial genes in Down progenitor cells was evaluated by microarray analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We detected a marked decrease of progenitors' number in young Down individuals compared to euploid, cell size increase and some major detrimental morphological changes. Moreover, Down syndrome patients also exhibited decreased SDF-1α plasma levels and their progenitors had a reduced expression of SDF-1α encoding gene and of its membrane receptor. We further demonstrated that their progenitor cells are more susceptible to hydroperoxide-induced oxidative stress and infection with Bartonella henselae. Further, we observed that most of the differentially expressed genes belong to angiogenesis, immune response and inflammation pathways, and that infected progenitors with trisomy 21 have a more pronounced perturbation of immune response genes than infected euploid cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data provide evidences for a reduced number and altered morphology of endothelial progenitor cells in Down syndrome, also showing the higher susceptibility to oxidative stress and to pathogen infection compared to euploid cells, thereby confirming the angiogenesis and immune response deficit observed in Down syndrome individuals.</p

Prevention of depression and anxiety in adolescents: A randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy and mechanisms of Internet-based self-help problem-solving therapy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Even though depression and anxiety are highly prevalent in adolescence, youngsters are not inclined to seek help in regular healthcare. Therapy through the Internet, however, has been found to appeal strongly to young people. The main aim of the present study is to examine the efficacy of preventive Internet-based guided self-help problem-solving therapy with adolescents reporting depressive and anxiety symptoms. A secondary objective is to test potential mediating and moderating variables in order to gain insight into how the intervention works and for whom it works best.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>This study is a randomized controlled trial with an intervention condition group and a wait-list control group. The intervention condition group receives Internet-based self-help problem-solving therapy. Support is provided by a professional and delivered through email. Participants in the wait-list control group receive the intervention four months later. The study population consists of adolescents (12-18-year-olds) from the general population who report mild to moderate depressive and/or anxiety symptoms and are willing to complete a self-help course. Primary outcomes are symptoms of depression and anxiety. Secondary outcomes are quality of life, social anxiety, and cost-effectiveness. The following variables are examined for their moderating role: demographics, motivation, treatment credibility and expectancy, externalizing behaviour, perceived social support from parents and friends, substance use, the experience of important life events, physical activity, the quality of the therapeutic alliance, and satisfaction. Mediator variables include problem-solving skills, worrying, mastery, and self-esteem. Data are collected at baseline and at 3 weeks, 5 weeks, 4 months, 8 months, and 12 months after baseline. Both intention-to-treat and completer analyses will be conducted.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study evaluates the efficacy and mechanisms of Internet-based problem-solving therapy for adolescents. If Internet-based problem-solving therapy is shown to reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents, the implication is to implement the intervention in clinical practice. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Netherlands Trial Register NTR1322</p