Неокласицизм у східно- та центральноєвропейській літературі як складова європейського пізнього модернізму

Classicism in general, and the one of the 20th century in particular, are often characterized as a timeless and universal style and as a return to cultural tradition. Therefore it is considered to be a circular tendency in literature. The neoclassicism of the 1920s and 30s is often linked to the tradition of classicism. Although an undoubtedly important method to localize this phenomenon, such a linkage however leaves a number of questions unanswered. By taking an additional synchronous perspective of analysis (without losing the diachronic one) it is possible, to classify neoclassical tendencies as a distinct product of a certain epoch and, afterwards, to outline them at the intercept point of the two time axes.Synchronic consideration, however, entails the problem, that neoclassicism is neither a trend of classic modernism, nor a hovering counterbalance to avant-garde. As an appropriate solution to this problem one might resort to a four-membered model of modernist movement, which supplements the trichotomy of classic modernism – avant-garde – postmodernism with an additional paradigm of late modernism. In spite of all contingencies, a comparative analysis of neighboring East-European literatures from Poland, Russia and Ukraine allows to find basic common ground, which categorizes neoclassicism both as a general European phenomenon and as a part of European late modernism.Классицизм, в частности классицизм ХХ века, часто называют вневременным универсальным стилем и тяготением к культурной традиции – так называемой циклически повторяющейся тенденции в литературе. Прежде всего в 1920–30-х годах довольно широко распространенный неоклассицизм таким образом нередко приписывается традиции классицизма, что, несомненно, является важным для расположения этого феномена, однако многие вопросы при этом остаются открытыми. За дополнительной синхронной перспективой, не упускающей из виду диахронную, неоклассические тенденции можно разместить в эпохе и в конечном итоге определить их на пересечении двух временных осей. Однако синхронный подход приносит с собой трудности, из-за которых неоклассицизм нельзя считать ни тенденцией классического модернизма, ни неопределенным противовесом авангарда: он непосредственно зависим от них обоих, но не является частью ни того, ни другого. В этом случае может помочь мысленная четырехчленная система модернизма, привлекающая к трихотомии классический модернизм – авангард – постмодернизм парадигму позднего модернизма как третью форму модернизма. Компаративный анализ неоклассицизма, сосредоточивающийся на восточно- и центральноевропейских литературах Польши, Украины и России, отражает коренные сходства, присущие неоклассицизму как европейскому феномену и с этой точки зрения классифицирующие его как часть европейского позднего модернизма.Класицизм, зокрема й ХХ століття, часто називають позачасовим універсальним стилем і потягом до культурної традиції – так званою циклічно повторюваною тенденцією у літературі. Передовсім у 1920–30-х роках досить широко розповсюджений неокласицизм таким чином нерідко приписується до традиції класицизму, що, безсумнівно, важливо для розташування цього феномену, однак багато питань при цьому залишаються відкритими. За додатковою синхронною перспективою, яка не випускає з уваги діахронної, неокласичні тенденції можна розмістити в епосі та у кінцевому результаті окреслити їх на перетині обох часових осей. Однак синхронний підхід приносить з собою труднощі, за якими неокласицизм не можна вважати ні тенденцією класичного модернізму, ані невизначеною противагою до авангарду: він безпосередньо залежний від них обох, але не є частиною жодного. У цьому випадку може допомогти уявна чотиричленна система модернізму, яка до трихотомії класичний модернізм – авангард – постмодернізм долучає парадигму пізнього модернізму як третю форму модернізму. Компаративний аналіз неокласицизму, що зосереджується на східно- та центральноєвропейськіх літературах Польщі, України та Росії, відображає корінні збіжності, які притаманні неокласицизму як європейському феномену, і з цієї точки зору класифікують його як частину європейського пізнього модернізму

Molekulare Analyse der Ureterentwicklung in der Maus

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Energy Efficient True Random Number Generator

For modern cryptography, the availability of true random numbers is indispensable. While recent technology trends require secure communication, they combine this requirement with the need for energy efficient solutions. As a result, true random number generators (TRNG) which satisfy both aspects have to be developed. Based on this motivation, the here presented project has been focused on the realization of a TRNG for a mixed-signal microcontroller unit (MCU) environment. These kind of MCUs generally contain an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which is well known to be influenced by random noise processes, as for example thermal noise. To avoid unnecessary design and prototype costs, it is therefore reasonable to try to implement the entropy source of a TRNG based on the existing ADC design. Possible non-random imperfections in the output of the source can be mask by deterministic post-processor algorithms. Two possible post-processors are the von Neumann corrector (VNC) and an extractor based on pairwise independent hash functions (IHF). To evaluate the proposed concept, during this project the ADC of a typical MCU has been set up to function as an entropy source. The so generated data has been used as a basis for further simulations and analyses of the statistical characteristics of different TRNG designs. To ease these analyses, a novel test has been developed, which can be used to test a bit stream for the existence of special statistical characteristics, required by the VNC. In addition, both the VNC and IHF have been analyzed with regard to their complexity and implemented in SystemVerilog. In order to find an energy efficient implementation of the IHF, two different algorithmic solutions have been considered and the chosen design has been kept generic to be tunable. For the VNC different approaches of clock gating have been explored to reduce unnecessary dynamic power consumption. After the verification of the proposed designs, both post-processors have been synthesized in a standard 65nm technology, in order to estimate their power performance. Finally, in connection with the ADC based source, both post-processor designs have been evaluated with regard to both randomness and energy performance. While the output of the approach using the VNC is classified as not random, the IHF based design passes the so called NIST test suite for random numbers, and can therefore be considered to be random. Hence the connection of the ADC based entropy source and the IHF depicts a functional TRNG solution. By tuning the IHF, it has been able to reach an approximated minimum energy consumption of 5.9nJ for this approac

Detailed Visual Cortical Responses Generated by Retinal Sheet Transplants in Rats with Severe Retinal Degeneration.

To combat retinal degeneration, healthy fetal retinal sheets have been successfully transplanted into both rodent models and humans, with synaptic connectivity between transplant and degenerated host retina having been confirmed. In rodent studies, transplants have been shown to restore responses to flashes of light in a region of the superior colliculus corresponding to the location of the transplant in the host retina. To determine the quality and detail of visual information provided by the transplant, visual responsivity was studied here at the level of visual cortex where higher visual perception is processed. For our model, we used the transgenic Rho-S334ter line-3 rat (both sexes), which loses photoreceptors at an early age and is effectively blind at postnatal day 30. These rats received fetal retinal sheet transplants in one eye between 24 and 40 d of age. Three to 10 months following surgery, visually responsive neurons were found in regions of primary visual cortex matching the transplanted region of the retina that were as highly selective as normal rat to stimulus orientation, size, contrast, and spatial and temporal frequencies. Conversely, we found that selective response properties were largely absent in nontransplanted line-3 rats. Our data show that fetal retinal sheet transplants can result in remarkably normal visual function in visual cortex of rats with a degenerated host retina and represents a critical step toward developing an effective remedy for the visually impaired human population.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa lead to profound vision loss in millions of people worldwide. Many patients lose both retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors. Hence, there is a great demand for the development of efficient techniques that allow for long-term vision restoration. In this study, we transplanted dissected fetal retinal sheets, which can differentiate into photoreceptors and integrate with the host retina of rats with severe retinal degeneration. Remarkably, we show that transplants generated visual responses in cortex similar in quality to normal rats. Furthermore, transplants preserved connectivity within visual cortex and the retinal relay from the lateral geniculate nucleus to visual cortex, supporting their potential application in curing vision loss associated with retinal degeneration

Spectral characteristics of phase sensitivity and discharge rate of neurons in the ascending tectofugal visual system

Drifting gratings can modulate the activity of visual neurons at the temporal frequency of the stimulus. In order to characterize the temporal frequency modulation in the cat's ascending tectofugal visual system, we recorded the activity of single neurons in the superior colliculus, the suprageniculate nucleus, and the anterior ectosylvian cortex during visual stimulation with drifting sine-wave gratings. In response to such stimuli, neurons in each structure showed an increase in firing rate and/or oscillatory modulated firing at the temporal frequency of the stimulus (phase sensitivity). To obtain a more complete characterization of the neural responses in spatiotemporal frequency domain, we analyzed the mean firing rate and the strength of the oscillatory modulations measured by the standardized Fourier component of the response at the temporal frequency of the stimulus. We show that the spatiotemporal stimulus parameters that elicit maximal oscillations often differ from those that elicit a maximal discharge rate. Furthermore, the temporal modulation and discharge-rate spectral receptive fields often do not overlap, suggesting that the detection range for visual stimuli provided jointly by modulated and unmodulated response components is larger than the range provided by a one response component

Oscillations in Spontaneous and Visually Evoked Neuronal Activity in the Superficial Layers of the Cat's Superior Colliculus

Oscillations are ubiquitous features of neuronal activity in sensory systems and are considered as a substrate for the integration of sensory information. Several studies have described oscillatory activity in the geniculate visual pathway, but little is known about this phenomenon in the extrageniculate visual pathway. We describe oscillations in evoked and background activity in the cat's superficial layers of the superior colliculus, a retinorecipient structure in the extrageniculate visual pathway. Extracellular single-unit activity was recorded during periods with and without visual stimulation under isoflurane anesthesia in the mixture of N2O/O2. Autocorrelation, FFT and renewal density analyses were used to detect and characterize oscillations in the neuronal activity. Oscillations were common in the background and stimulus-evoked activity. Frequency range of background oscillations spanned between 5 and 90 Hz. Oscillations in evoked activity were observed in about half of the cells and could appear in two forms —stimulus-phase-locked (10–100 Hz), and stimulus-phase-independent (8–100 Hz) oscillations. Stimulus-phase-independent and background oscillatory frequencies were very similar within activity of particular neurons suggesting that stimulus-phase-independent oscillations may be a form of enhanced “spontaneous” oscillations. Stimulus-phase-locked oscillations were present in responses to moving and flashing stimuli. In contrast to stimulus-phase-independent oscillations, the strength of stimulus-phase-locked oscillations was positively correlated with stimulus velocity and neuronal firing rate. Our results suggest that in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus stimulus-phase-independent oscillations may be generated by the same mechanism(s) that lie in the base of “spontaneous” oscillations, while stimulus-phase-locked oscillations may result from interactions within the intra-collicular network and/or from a phase reset of oscillations present in the background activity

Retinal Origin of Electrically Evoked Potentials in Response to Transcorneal Alternating Current Stimulation in the Rat

PURPOSE: Little is known about the physiological mechanisms underlying the reported therapeutic effects of transorbital alternating current stimulation (ACS) in vision restoration, or the origin of the recorded electrically evoked potentials (EEPs) during such stimulation. We examined the issue of EEP origin and electrode configuration for transorbital ACS and characterized the physiological responses to CS in different structures of the visual system. METHODS: We recorded visually evoked potentials (VEPs) and EEPs from the rat retina, visual thalamus, tectum, and visual cortex. The VEPs were evoked by light flashes and EEPs were evoked by electric stimuli delivered by two electrodes placed either together on the same eye or on the eyeball and in the neck. Electrically evoked potentials and VEPs were recorded before and after bilateral intraorbital injections of tetrodotoxin that blocked retinal ganglion cell activity. RESULTS: Tetrodotoxin abolished VEPs at all levels in the visual pathway, confirming successful blockage of ganglion cell activity. Tetrodotoxin also abolished EEPs and this effect was independent of the stimulating electrode configurations. CONCLUSIONS: Transorbital electrically evoked responses in the visual pathway, irrespective of reference electrode placement, are initiated by activation of the retina and not by passive conductance and direct activation of neurons in other visual structures. Thus, placement of stimulating electrodes exclusively around the eyeball may be sufficient to achieve therapeutic effects

Hydrogen Peroxide-Based Fluorometric Assay for Real-Time Monitoring of SAM-Dependent Methyltransferases

Methylated chemicals are widely used as key intermediates for the syntheses of pharmaceuticals, fragrances, flavors, biofuels and plastics. In nature, the process of methylation is commonly undertaken by a super-family of S-adenosyl methionine-dependent enzymes known as methyltransferases. Herein, we describe a novel high throughput enzyme-coupled assay for determining methyltransferase activites. Adenosylhomocysteine nucleosidase, xanthine oxidase, and horseradish peroxidase enzymes were shown to function in tandem to generate a fluorescence signal in the presence of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine and Amplex Red (10-acetyl-3,7-dihydroxyphenoxazine). Since S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine is a key by-product of reactions catalyzed by S-adenosyl methionine-dependent methyltransferases, the coupling enzymes were used to assess the activities of EcoRI methyltransferase and a salicylic acid methyltransferase from Clarkia breweri in the presence of S-adenosyl methionine. For the EcoRI methyltransferase, the assay was sensitive enough to allow the monitoring of DNA methylation in the nanomolar range. In the case of the salicylic acid methyltransferase, detectable activity was observed for several substrates including salicylic acid, benzoic acid, 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, and vanillic acid. Additionally, the de novo synthesis of the relatively expensive and unstable cosubstrate, S-adenosyl methionine, catalyzed by methionine adenosyltransferase could be incorporated within the assay. Overall, the assay offers an excellent level of sensitivity that permits continuous and reliable monitoring of methyltransferase activities. We anticipate this assay will serve as a useful bioanalytical tool for the rapid screening of S-adenosyl methionine-dependent methyltransferase activities

Entwicklung eines Vergusses des piezoresistiven Verbundelementes als Packaging des Hochdruck-Sensors

Zusammenfassung: Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Konstruktion und Herstellung eines Polymervergusses des am Institut EMK entwickelten piezoresistiven Verbundelements als Packaging des Hochdruck-Sensors für einen Nenndruckbereich bis 1000 bar. Aktuell werden Silizium-Drucksensoren aufgrund ihrer starken Korrosionsneigung durch Passivierungsschichten und einem Packaging bestehend aus Edelstahlgehäuse und Metallmembran mit Ölfüllung geschützt. Diese Form des Packagings ist sehr aufwendig und teuer. Eine günstige und unkomplizierte Alternative stellt der Verguss des Messelements dar und wird als Einfach-Packaging bezeichnet. Dies wird bislang bis maximal 10 bar eingesetzt. Die in dieser Arbeit entwickelten Polymervergüsse realisieren eine Medientrennung und bieten einen mechanischen Schutz für Messelement und Bonddrähte im Hochdruckbereich bis 1000 bar. Durch theoretische Überlegungen werden wichtige Materialeigenschaften für einen Polymerverguss herausgearbeitet. Bei Druckbelastung darf sich das Material nur minimal komprimieren, da es sonst zum Abreißen der Bonddrähte kommt. Für ein reproduzierbares Sensorverhalten muss diese Komprimierung rein elastisch sein. Darüber hinaus darf keine Materialbewegung wärend der Härtung des Polymers, in der Literatur Schrumpfung genannt, auftreten. Diese Anforderungen wird nur durch additionsvernetztende Silikone des Shore-A Härtebereichs erfüllt, da keine Abspaltprodukte bei der Vernetzung entstehen. Alle ausgewählten Silikone besitzen eine hohe Adhäsion auf Metallen um ein Einkriechen von Stoffen am Materialübergang zu vermeiden. Der Vergleich verschiedener Vergussgeometrien zeigt den Kegelstumpfverguss als Optimierung des Zylindervergusses hinsichtlich einer verbesserten Adhäsion auf der Randeinfassung. Der Vergussvorgang wird hinsichtlich einer homogenen Vergussform optimiert. Dies wird durch wiederholtes, stoßweises Entgasen der Vergussmasse sowie einem Zwei-Phasen-Verguss realisiert. Dieser beinhaltet das Ausgießen der Kontaktstifte zur Vermeidung von Lufteinschlüssen und das anschließende Befüllen der restlichen Vergussform. Bei der abschließenden messtechnischen Charakterisierung weisst der mit QLE1102 der Firma ACCSilicones vergossene Sensor die besten Ergebnisse auf. Dieser Sensor liefert einen maximaler Übertragungsfaktor von B0 = 5,62 µV/Vbar bei einem Nenndruckbereich bis 1000 bar. Dies entspricht einer Empfindlichkeit von 98,33% im Vergleich zu einem unvergossenen Sensor. Die Forderung eines Linearitäts-, sowie Hysteresefehlers von jeweils < 5% wird mit F(Lin)=1,64% und F(Hys)=1,02% deutlich unterschritten. Im Hinblick auf die Erweiterung des Nenndruckbereichs konnte das Material bereits erfolgreich bis 5000 bar getestet werden