La vida detrás del telón de acero. Autorepresentación cultural en la novela negra de la República Democrática Alemana

[spa] La presente investigación analiza la capacidad de la novela negra de la República Democrática Alemana como fuente de información histórica y social y desgrana cómo la representación de la vida cotidiana ofrece un testimonio detallado y polifacético de la vida de los germanoorientales tras el telón de acero. En un estado totalitario en el que absolutamente todo estaba controlado por el omnipotente partido SED y su arma principal, la Stasi, la novela negra, además de entretener a los lectores, debía cumplir un papel adoctrinador, promover los ideales ideológicos del Partido y ayudar a la prevención de la criminalidad en la RDA. Los ensayos e investigaciones producidos en la RDA demuestran cómo autores y teóricos definen el género, defienden su existencia dentro del panorama literario de la RDA y lo adaptan a las exigencias políticas e ideológicas existentes. En los años setenta, se culmina la consolidación del género negro en la RDA con la creación de la serie más importante, la DIE-Reihe de la editorial Das Neue Berlin. Tras analizar el trasfondo político e histórico y retratar detalladamente la producción literaria en la RDA, los mecanismos de control y censura existentes y las premisas que debía cumplir la novela negra, se procede al análisis pormenorizado de la representación de la vida cotidiana de la RDA basada en un corpus literario amplio de la serie DIE. Se demuestra que dicha representación ofrece una imagen compleja y detallada de la vida cotidiana en la RDA que abarca los ámbitos más diversos. Al margen de esta capacidad testimonial, el análisis del corpus revela los mecanismos que utilizaban los autores para la manipulación ideológica a través de este género. Se analiza, además, la capacidad del género de reflejar aspectos negativos de la vida en la RDA y cómo los autores trataban a aspectos conflictivos o incluso tabúes, como la Stasi o la manipulación de la prensa. Se confirma cómo y en qué medida la novela negra cumplía con funciones adicionales, incluyendo crítica indirecta mediante comentarios humorísticos o irónicos y también crítica explícita a través de determinados personajes. Se analizan, además, los numerosos comentarios autoreferenciales que aparecen en todas las novelas y que permiten a los autores introducir reflexiones teóricas sobre el género y contribuir al proceso de la consolidación y recepción del género en la RDA. Finalmente, se analizan dos casos particulares del corpus de manera detallada ya que demuestran o parodian los mecanismos de censura existentes en la RDA.[eng] This research analyzes the capacity of the crime novel of the German Democratic Republic as a source of historical and social information and pinpoints how the representation of everyday life provides a detailed image of the life of the East Germans behind the Iron Curtain. In a totalitarian state in which absolutely everything was controlled by the powerful party SED and their main weapon, the Stasi, crime novels should promote the ideology of the party and help to prevent crime in the GDR. The essays produced in the GDR demonstrate how authors and theorists define the gender, defend its existence within the literary scene in the GDR and adapt it to the existing policies and ideological demands. In the seventies, the creation of the crime novel series DIE-Reihe consolidates definitely the gender in the GDR. After analyzing the political and historical background and portray the literary production in the GDR and the existing mechanisms for control and censorship, I proceed to the analysis of the representation of the everyday life based on the novels of the DIE series. It shows that this representation provides a very detailed picture of everyday life in the GDR. Besides this testimonial capacity, the analysis reveals mechanisms used by the authors to manipulate ideologically the readers. I also analyze the capacity of the novels to reflect negative aspects of life in the GDR and how the authors treated contentious issues or taboos. The analysis confirms how and to what extent the crime novels complied with additional functions. Numerous self-referential comments in all novels allowed the authors to introduce theoretical reflections and helped them to contribute to the process of consolidation of the gender. Finally, two particular cases of the corpus are analyzed in detail as they demonstrate existing mechanisms of censorship in the GDR

Surface Critical Behavior of Binary Alloys and Antiferromagnets: Dependence of the Universality Class on Surface Orientation

The surface critical behavior of semi-infinite (a) binary alloys with a continuous order-disorder transition and (b) Ising antiferromagnets in the presence of a magnetic field is considered. In contrast to ferromagnets, the surface universality class of these systems depends on the orientation of the surface with respect to the crystal axes. There is ordinary and extraordinary surface critical behavior for orientations that preserve and break the two-sublattice symmetry, respectively. This is confirmed by transfer-matrix calculations for the two-dimensional antiferromagnet and other evidence.Comment: Final version that appeared in PRL, some minor stylistic changes and one corrected formula; 4 pp., twocolumn, REVTeX, 3 eps fig

Cortical and trabecular bone density and structure in anorexia nervosa

The aim of the study was to examine bone density and architecture with three different measurement methods in a sample of young women with anorexia nervosa (AN) and in an age-matched control group of women. Three-dimensional periphery quantitative computer tomography (3D-pQCT) at the ultradistal radius, a new technology providing measures of cortical and trabecular bone density and architecture, was performed, as well as quantitative ultrasound (QUS) at the heel, and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the spine and hip. Thirty-six women with AN aged 18-30 years (mean duration of AN: 5.8 years) and 30 age-matched women were assessed. Bone mineral density measured by DXA at the spine and hip, and broadband ultrasound attenuation measured by QUS at the heel were significantly lower in patients than controls. 3D-pQCT demonstrated a highly significant deficit in the absolute number of bone trabecules and a significant reduction of cortical thickness. Severity of underweight was significantly associated with bone deficits at the hip measured by DXA. 3D-pQCT revealed mostly deficits of cortical bone related with age of onset of eating disorder. Using three different methods to measure bone density and bone structure at the hip, spine, heel and ultradistal radius, significant deficits in bone mineral density both in trabecular and cortical bone, as well in trabecular structure could be demonstrated in the AN patient

Patients profiling for Botox® (onabotulinum toxin A) treatment for migraine: a look at white matter lesions in the MRI as a potential marker

BACKGROUND: To evaluate if white matter lesions (WML) on MRI can be a potential marker for onabotulinum toxin A (Botox®) treatment success in migraine, given the limited response rate and high costs per treatment. METHODS: Retrospective data base and MRI analysis of 529 migraineurs who received Botox® between 2002 and 2009. Responders were defined as patients who underwent three or more treatments, whereas non-responders had only one or two treatments. MRIs were analysed on axial T2 and coronar FLAIR (fluid attenuated inversion recovery) sequences for the presence of WML. Statistical analysis was done with the Chi-Square-Test and the Mann-Whitney-U-Test. RESULTS: Of 529 Botox® treated migraineurs, 111 patients had a MRI. Of these 111 patients, 47 were responders, 64 non-responders to Botox®. Response rate to Botox® in migraineurs with WML was 55.3%, in migraineurs without WML 44.7%. In the investigated items "age", "age at onset", "gender", "attack duration", "frequency", "aura", "WML", "size of WML", we found no statistical significant difference between the two groups. 55% of the responders and 50% of the non-responders showed WML. All WML were located supratentorially, anteriorly, mostly of small size (3-5 mm). CONCLUSION: WML on MRIs cannot serve as a marker to predict a positive response to Botox®

(Z)-1,2:5,6-Di-O-isopropyl­idene-α-d-ribo-hexofuranos-3-ulose O-benzyl­oxime

The title compound, C19H25NO6, is a Z diastereomer in which the phenyl ring of the 3-benzyl­oxime substituent and the 5,6-O-isopropyl­idene acetal are both located on the Si-face of the C=N double bond. Inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions result in helical chains along the b axis of the monoclinic unit cell

Modulation of granulocyte-endothelium interactions by antileukoproteinase: inhibition of anti-type II collagen antibody-induced leukocyte attachment to the synovial endothelium

Antileukoproteinase (ALP) is a physiological inhibitor of granulocytic serine proteases that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties in addition to its antiproteolytic activity. On the basis of its potential to block anti-collagen type II (CII) antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) and to suppress the conformational activation of β(2)-integrins in leukocytes, the present study was undertaken to investigate its interference with leukocyte adherence to cytokine-activated endothelium. The potential of recombinant ALP to block the interactions of leukocytes with the endothelial lining was concomitantly investigated in vitro and in vivo. Thus, intravital fluorescence microscopic imaging of leukocyte rolling and firm adhesion to postcapillary venules were performed in the knee joints of DBA1/J mice after intravenous injection of anti-CII mAbs. An IL-1β-activated endothelial layer formed by a murine glomerular cell line (glEND.2) was used to assay the interaction with human leukocytes in vitro. Electromobility shift and luciferase reporter gene assays permitted the analysis of cytokine-induced activation of the NF-κB pathway. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting was applied to determine endothelial E-selectin expression. Leukocyte rolling and firm adhesion to the synovial endothelium in an early response to the anti-CII antibody transfer were significantly decreased in ALP-pretreated mice. Concomitantly, ALP suppressed the IL-1β-induced NF-κB activation and the upregulation of E-selectin expression in glEND.2 cells in vitro. These findings support the notion that the newly uncovered properties of ALP to interfere with cytokine signalling and upregulation of adhesion molecules in endothelial cells are likely to contribute to the therapeutic potential of ALP in immune-complex-induced tissue injury

Biomarkers for Non-Invasive Stratification of Coronary Artery Disease and Prognostic Impact on Long-Term Survival in Patients with Stable Coronary Heart Disease

Knowledge about cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited. To address this, we analyzed 3072 patients (36% female) with a median follow-up of 10 years in the Leipzig LIFE Heart Study with suspected CAD with coronary angiography. Selected biomarkers included troponin T (hsTNT), N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), copeptin, C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Patients were stratified by CAD severity: CAD0 (no sclerosis), CAD1 (non-obstructive, i.e., stenosis < 50%), and CAD2 (one stenosis 50%). Group comparison (GC) included GC1: CAD0 + 1 vs. CAD2; GC2: CAD0 vs. CAD1 + 2. CAD0, CAD1, and CAD2 were apparent in 1271, 631, and 1170 patients, respectively. Adjusted for classical risk factors, hs-cTnT, NT-proBNP, and IL-6 differed significantly in both GC and hsCRP only in GC2. After multivariate analysis, hs-cTnT, NT-proBNP, and IL-6 remained significant in GC1. In GC2, hs-cTnT (p < 0.001) and copeptin (p = 0.014) reached significance. Ten-year survival in groups CAD0, CAD1, and CAD2 was 88.3%, 77.3%, and 72.4%. Incorporation of hs-cTnT, NT-proBNP, copeptin, and IL-6 improved risk prediction (p < 0.001). The studied cardiac and inflammatory biomarkers enable fast and precise non-invasive identification of mortality risk in CAD patients, allowing the tailoring of primary and secondary CAD prevention

Designing Cathodes and Cathode Active Materials for Solid‐State Batteries

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) currently attract great attention as a potentially safe electrochemical high-energy storage concept. However, several issues still prevent SSBs from outperforming today\u27s lithium-ion batteries based on liquid electrolytes. One major challenge is related to the design of cathode active materials (CAMs) that are compatible with the superionic solid electrolytes (SEs) of interest. This perspective, gives a brief overview of the required properties and possible challenges for inorganic CAMs employed in SSBs, and describes state-of-the art solutions. In particular, the issue of tailoring CAMs is structured into challenges arising on the cathode-, particle-, and interface-level, related to microstructural, (chemo-)mechanical, and (electro-)chemical interplay of CAMs with SEs, and finally guidelines for future CAM development for SSBs are proposed