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

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

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

Time Trend in SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity, Surveillance Detection- and Infection Fatality Ratio until Spring 2021 in the Tirschenreuth County—Results from a Population-Based Longitudinal Study in Germany

Herein, we provide results from a prospective population-based longitudinal follow-up (FU) SARS-CoV-2 serosurveillance study in Tirschenreuth, the county which was hit hardest in Germany in spring 2020 and early 2021. Of 4203 individuals aged 14 years or older enrolled at baseline (BL, June 2020), 3546 participated at FU1 (November 2020) and 3391 at FU2 (April 2021). Key metrics comprising standardized seroprevalence, surveillance detection ratio (SDR), infection fatality ratio (IFR) and success of the vaccination campaign were derived using the Roche N- and S-Elecsys anti-SARS-CoV-2 test together with a self-administered questionnaire. N-seropositivity at BL was 9.2% (1st wave). While we observed a low new seropositivity between BL and FU1 (0.9%), the combined 2nd and 3rd wave accounted for 6.1% new N-seropositives between FU1 and FU2 (ever seropositives at FU2: 15.4%). The SDR decreased from 5.4 (BL) to 1.1 (FU2) highlighting the success of massively increased testing in the population. The IFR based on a combination of serology and registration data resulted in 3.3% between November 2020 and April 2021 compared to 2.3% until June 2020. Although IFRs were consistently higher at FU2 compared to BL across age-groups, highest among individuals aged 70+ (18.3% versus 10.7%, respectively), observed differences were within statistical uncertainty bounds. While municipalities with senior care homes showed a higher IFR at BL (3.0% with senior care home vs. 0.7% w/o), this effect diminished at FU2 (3.4% vs. 2.9%). In April 2021 (FU2), vaccination rate in the elderly was high (>77.4%, age-group 80+)

Estimates and determinants of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and infection fatality ratio using latent class analysis: the population-based Tirschenreuth study in the hardest-hit German county in spring 2020

SARS-CoV-2 infection fatality ratios (IFR) remain controversially discussed with implications for political measures. The German county of Tirschenreuth suffered a severe SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in spring 2020, with particularly high case fatality ratio (CFR). To estimate seroprevalence, underreported infections, and IFR for the Tirschenreuth population aged ≥14 years in June/July 2020, we conducted a population-based study including home visits for the elderly, and analyzed 4203 participants for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies via three antibody tests. Latent class analysis yielded 8.6% standardized county-wide seroprevalence, a factor of underreported infections of 5.0, and 2.5% overall IFR. Seroprevalence was two-fold higher among medical workers and one third among current smokers with similar proportions of registered infections. While seroprevalence did not show an age-trend, the factor of underreported infections was 12.2 in the young versus 1.7 for ≥85-year-old. Age-specific IFRs were <0.5% below 60 years of age, 1.0% for age 60–69, and 13.2% for age 70+. Senior care homes accounted for 45% of COVID-19-related deaths, reflected by an IFR of 7.5% among individuals aged 70+ and an overall IFR of 1.4% when excluding senior care home residents from our computation. Our data underscore senior care home infections as key determinant of IFR additionally to age, insufficient targeted testing in the young, and the need for further investigations on behavioral or molecular causes of the fewer infections among current smokers

Reduced microvascular density in omental biopsies of children with chronic kidney disease

Endothelial dysfunction is an early manifestation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and consistently observed in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We hypothesized that CKD is associated with systemic damage to the microcirculation, preceding macrovascular pathology. To assess the degree of "uremic microangiopathy", we have measured microvascular density in biopsies of the omentum of children with CKD.Omental tissue was collected from 32 healthy children (0-18 years) undergoing elective abdominal surgery and from 23 age-matched cases with stage 5 CKD at the time of catheter insertion for initiation of peritoneal dialysis. Biopsies were analyzed by independent observers using either a manual or an automated imaging system for the assessment of microvascular density. Quantitative immunohistochemistry was performed for markers of autophagy and apoptosis, and for the abundance of the angiogenesis-regulating proteins VEGF-A, VEGF-R2, Angpt1 and Angpt2.Microvascular density was significantly reduced in uremic children compared to healthy controls, both by manual imaging with a digital microscope (median surface area 0.61% vs. 0.95%, p<0.0021 and by automated quantification (total microvascular surface area 0.89% vs. 1.17% p = 0.01). Density measured by manual imaging was significantly associated with age, height, weight and body surface area in CKD patients and healthy controls. In multivariate analysis, age and serum creatinine level were the only independent, significant predictors of microvascular density (r2 = 0.73). There was no immunohistochemical evidence for apoptosis or autophagy. Quantitative staining showed similar expression levels of the angiogenesis regulators VEGF-A, VEGF-receptor 2 and Angpt1 (p = 0.11), but Angpt2 was significantly lower in CKD children (p = 0.01).Microvascular density is profoundly reduced in omental biopsies of children with stage 5 CKD and associated with diminished Angpt2 signaling. Microvascular rarefaction could be an early systemic manifestation of CKD-induced cardiovascular disease