Lisboa, símbolo de esperança e de liberdade : escritores alemães e austríacos em trânsito - 1940-41 (algumas observações)

Em finais de Junho de 1940, poucos dias após a derrota militar francesa e a entrada em vigor do Tratado de Desarmamento entre a Alemanha nazi e a França, foi fundado o Emergency Rescue Committee em Nova Iorque. Esta organização surgiu com o objectivo de possibilitar a fuga de escritores, cientistas, jornalistas e editores, bem como de artistas europeus ilustres e não-comunistas, das zonas ocupadas ou influenciadas pelos nazis, visto que o artigo 19° do Tratado, negociado entre os dois países, obrigava o Governo de Petain a entregar os refugiados políticos às entidades oficiais alemãs, desde que tal fosse exigido. Em Agosto de 1940, Varian Fry (1907-1967), do Emergency Rescue Committee, deu início ao seu trabalho em Marselha. Ele e os colaboradores do seu grupo organizaram a fuga de centenas de exilados. Entre os primeiros escritores ilustres salvos encontravam-se Heinrich (1871-1950) e Golo Mann (1909-1994), irmão e filho de Thomas Mann. A saída de França foi conduzida através dos Pirinéus, Barcelona e Madrid até Lisboa. De Junho de 1940 a Dezembro de 1941 verifiquei a passagem de setenta e três escritores de língua alemã por Lisboa. [...

Vergleichende Querschnittsuntersuchungen zum Vorkommen von MRSA (Methicillin-resistente Staphylococcus aureus) in ökologisch wirtschaftenden und konventionell wirtschaftenden Schweinebetrieben in Deutschland

Occurrence of MRSA was assessed on 42 organic and 88 conventional pig herds in different regions of Germany by taking dust samples and nasal swabs. The number of nasal swabs was adapted to the herd size so that a MRSA-prevalence of 5 % could be detected. All samples were selectively enriched and cultured on MRSA-selective chromagar. All cultured isolates were confirmed by PCR. In addition, the spa-types were identified. The results of this cross-sectional study showed that 11 of the 42 (26%) examined organic pig herds were identified as MRSA-positive, whereas 92 % of the conventional pig herds were identified as MRSA-positive. In both husbandry systems, similar spa-types (t011, t034) were identified, which are associated with the MRSA ST398. To find out the specific risk factors for the occurrence of MRSA in pig herds questionnaires were used in both husbandry systems and will be evaluated in the second part of this ongoing study

Aktuelle Tiergesundheitssituation in ausgewählten Betrieben der ökologischen Schweinehaltung

Die Tiergesundheitssituation in der ökologischen Schweinehaltung ist seit Jahren als problematisch zu betrachten. Bei 42 Mastbetrieben, Ferkelerzeugern und geschlossenen Systemen wurde die Lage erneut untersucht. Ausgewählte Managementkriterien wurden erfasst und mit Ergebnissen vorhergehender Studien verglichen. Ferkelverluste in einer Größenordnung von 18 % (Spanne von 5-26,6%) wurden beobachtet. Obwohl etwa 80% der Betriebe ihre Ställe reinigen wird eine Desinfektion auf nur 50% der Betriebe durchgeführt. . Es besteht nach wie vor erheblicher Bedarf an der Umsetzung zielführender Managementmaßnahmen zur Verbesserung der Tiergesundheit und Reduzierung von Tierverlusten. Betriebe, die nicht in der Lage sind, ein tolerables Gesundheitsniveau zu realisieren, fügen auf lange Sicht der ökologischen Landwirtschaft einen beträchtlichen Imageschaden zu

Ontology for the Outdoor Mobility of People with Dementia: [research data]

Objective: To construct an ontology for the outdoor mobility of people with dementia (PwD). The model serves two purposes: (a) as a knowledge base from which to build an assistive technology device describing the mobility of PwD (we call this a situation model); (b) as a codebook for the annotation of the recorded behaviour

The Apolipoprotein M/S1P Axis Controls Triglyceride Metabolism and Brown Fat Activity

Summary: Apolipoprotein M (apoM) is the carrier of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in plasma high-density lipoproteins. S1P is a bioactive lipid interacting with five receptors (S1P1–5). We show that lack of apoM in mice increases the amount of brown adipose tissue (BAT), accelerates the clearance of postprandial triglycerides, and protects against diet-induced obesity (i.e., a phenotype similar to that induced by cold exposure or β3-adrenergic stimulation). Moreover, the data suggest that the phenotype of apoM-deficient mice is S1P dependent and reflects diminished S1P1 stimulation. The results reveal a link between the apoM/S1P axis and energy metabolism. : Apolipoprotein M (apoM) is the carrier of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in lipoproteins. Christoffersen et al. show that lack of apoM in mice increases the amount of brown adipose tissue, accelerates the turnover of fat, and protects against obesity. The results reveal a link between the apoM/S1P axis and energy metabolism. Keywords: apolipoproteins, sphingolipids, sphingosine-1-phosphate, lipoproteins, lipid metabolism, triglyceride, brown adipose tissue, apo

dolls/puppets like mensch – dolls/puppets as artificial beings. Part 1.1

Die dritte Ausgabe der Zeitschrift denkste: puppe / just a bit of: doll (de:do), ein multi-disziplinäres Online-Journal für Mensch-Puppen-Diskurse, erscheint als Doppelheft, dessen gemeinsamer Themenschwerpunkt lautet: puppen/dolls like mensch – puppen als künstliche meschen. Mit diesem Fokus wird ein Thema aufgegriffen, das Menschen seit der Antike berührt und bis heute ihren Verstand und ihre Imagination, ihre Bedürfnisse und ihre Gefühle in Unruhe versetzt. In Mythologien, literarischen Fiktionen und Narrativen für Erwachsene und Kinder, in Werken der bildenden Künste, im Film, in mechanisch-technischen Anwendungen und Utopien, in den performativen Künsten, in der (Spiel-)Pädagogik und in den verschiedenen Bereichen der Popkultur wirft das Motiv der Puppe mit seinen unterschiedlichsten Ausdrucksformen immer auch existenzielle Fragen auf: Wer und was ist der Mensch? Die Puppe als künstlicher Mensch ist in gewisser Weise wie mensch, ohne Mensch zu sein. Als von Menschen geschaffene Abbilder, Vorbilder, Nachahmungen und Entwürfe des Menschen spiegeln und bestätigen Puppen vorhandene Lebenswelten und loten gleichzeitig Potenziale und Abgründe des Mensch-Seins zwischen Utopie und Dystopie, zwischen Neugier und Hingabe, zwischen Horror und Glückseligkeit, zwischen Macht und Ohnmacht aus. Puppen/dolls like mensch – der doppelte Wortsinn betont die gegebene Ambiguität der Puppen und die spannenden, ihnen innewohnenden Ambivalenzen. Im ersten Teilband (1.1) wird den Spuren und Erscheinungsformen des Puppenmo-tivs und der Puppe(n) – als literarisches Narrativ, als künstlerisches Motiv, als materialisiertes Objekt – vor allem im Kontext von bildender Kunst, Literatur, Fotografie, Theater und Androiden-technologien nachgegangen. Im zweiten Teilband (1.2) werden zum einen kinderliterarische und (spiel-)didaktische Texte akzentuiert, zum anderen sind hier verschiedene mediale und popkulturelle Formate aus den Bereichen Computerspiel, Comic-Film-Adaptation, Film (unterschiedlicher Genres) und dem Figurentheater versammelt sowie Thematisierungen der Verknüpfung von materiellen Artefakten und literarischen Narrativen. Rezensionen in Form von Essays über literarische Puppen-Narrative, eine Foto-Ausstellung und ein Ballett runden beide Ausgaben ab. Die zeitliche Spanne reicht vom Mittelalter bis in die Gegenwart und Zukunft und zeigt einmal mehr, wie über das Narrativ der Puppe uralte Menschheitsfragen in Traditionslinien eingebunden werden und sie auf faszinierende Weisen fortschreiben.The third edition of the journal denkste: puppe / just a bit of: doll (de: do), a multidisciplinary online journal for human-doll discourses, is a double issue whose shared thematic focus is: puppen/dolls like mensch – dolls/puppets as artificial beings. With this focus, we take up a topic that has concerned mankind since ancient times and has always upset their 'minds' and 'hearts’, their needs and feelings. In mythologies, literary fictions and narratives for adults as well as for children, in works of the visual arts, in film, in mechanical-technical applications and utopias, in the performative arts, in (play-)pedagogy and in the various fields of pop culture, the motif of the doll with its various forms of expression always raises existential questions: Who is man, what is human? The doll as an artificial human being is in a certain way like mensch without being human. As man-made images, as models, imitations and designs of humans, dolls/puppets reflect and confirm existing worlds and at the same time sound out the potentials and abysses of being human between utopia and dystopia, between curiosity and devotion, between horror and bliss, between power and powerlessness. Dolls/puppets like mensch – the double meaning of these words emphasizes the given ambiguity of the dolls/puppets and the intriguing ambivalences inherent in them. In the first part of volume (1.1) the traces and manifestations of the doll motif and of doll(s) – as literary narrative, as artistic motif, as materialized object – will be explored primarily in the context of the fine arts, of literature, photography, theater and android technologies. In the second part of the volume (1.2), on the one hand, children's literature and (play)didactic texts are accentuated; on the other hand, various media and pop-cultural formats from the fields of computer games, comic-film adaptations, films (of different genres) and puppet theater performances are gathered here, as well as issues that link material artifacts and literary narratives. Reviews in the form of essays on literary doll narratives, a photo exhibition and a ballet round off both editions. The time span extends from the Middle Ages to the present and future and shows once again how age-old questions regarding mankind and humanity are integrated into traditional lines and are carried on continuously in fascinating ways

Biological effects of carbon black nanoparticles are changed by surface coating with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

BACKGROUND: Carbon black nanoparticles (CBNP) are mainly composed of carbon, with a small amount of other elements (including hydrogen and oxygen). The toxicity of CBNP has been attributed to their large surface area, and through adsorbing intrinsically toxic substances, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). It is not clear whether a PAH surface coating changes the toxicological properties of CBNP by influencing their physicochemical properties, through the specific toxicity of the surface-bound PAH, or by a combination of both. METHODS: Printex(R)90 (P90) was used as CBNP; the comparators were P90 coated with either benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) or 9-nitroanthracene (9NA), and soot from acetylene combustion that bears various PAHs on the surface (AS-PAH). Oxidative stress and IL-8/KC mRNA expression were determined in A549 and bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE14o-, Calu-3), mouse intrapulmonary airways and tracheal epithelial cells. Overall toxicity was tested in a rat inhalation study according to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) criteria. Effects on cytochrome monooxygenase (Cyp) mRNA expression, cell viability and mucociliary clearance were determined in acute exposure models using explanted murine trachea. RESULTS: All particles had similar primary particle size, shape, hydrodynamic diameter and zeta-potential. All PAH-containing particles had a comparable specific surface area that was approximately one third that of P90. AS-PAH contained a mixture of PAH with expected higher toxicity than BaP or 9NA. PAH-coating reduced some effects of P90 such as IL-8 mRNA expression and oxidative stress in A549 cells, granulocyte influx in the in vivo OECD experiment, and agglomeration of P90 and mucus release in the murine trachea ex vivo. Furthermore, P90-BaP decreased particle transport speed compared to P90 at 10 mug/ml. In contrast, PAH-coating induced IL-8 mRNA expression in bronchial epithelial cell lines, and Cyp mRNA expression and apoptosis in tracheal epithelial cells. In line with the higher toxicity compared to P90-BaP and P90-9NA, AS-PAH had the strongest biological effects both ex vivo and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that the biological effect of CBNP is determined by a combination of specific surface area and surface-bound PAH, and varies in different target cells

Clinical effectiveness of an online supervised group physical and mental health rehabilitation programme for adults with post-covid-19 condition (REGAIN study):multicentre randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a structured online supervised group physical and mental health rehabilitation programme can improve health related quality of life compared with usual care in adults with post-covid-19 condition (long covid).DESIGN: Pragmatic, multicentre, parallel group, superiority randomised controlled trial.SETTING: England and Wales, with home based interventions delivered remotely online from a single trial hub.PARTICIPANTS: 585 adults (26-86 years) discharged from NHS hospitals at least three months previously after covid-19 and with ongoing physical and/or mental health sequelae (post-covid-19 condition), randomised (1:1.03) to receive the Rehabilitation Exercise and psycholoGical support After covid-19 InfectioN (REGAIN) intervention (n=298) or usual care (n=287).INTERVENTIONS: Best practice usual care was a single online session of advice and support with a trained practitioner. The REGAIN intervention was delivered online over eight weeks and consisted of weekly home based, live, supervised, group exercise and psychological support sessions.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was health related quality of life using the patient reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) preference (PROPr) score at three months. Secondary outcomes, measured at three, six, and 12 months, included PROMIS subscores (depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain interference, physical function, social roles/activities, and cognitive function), severity of post-traumatic stress disorder, general health, and adverse events.RESULTS: Between January 2021 and July 2022, 39 697 people were invited to take part in the study and 725 were contacted and eligible. 585 participants were randomised. Mean age was 56 (standard deviation (SD) 12) years, 52% were female participants, mean health related quality of life PROMIS-PROPr score was 0.20 (SD 0.17), and mean time from hospital discharge was 323 (SD 144) days. Compared with usual care, the REGAIN intervention led to improvements in health related quality of life (adjusted mean difference in PROPr score 0.03 (95% confidence interval 0.01 to 0.05), P=0.02) at three months, driven predominantly by greater improvements in the PROMIS subscores for depression (1.39 (0.06 to 2.71), P=0.04), fatigue (2.50 (1.19 to 3.81), P&lt;0.001), and pain interference (1.80 (0.50 to 3.11), P=0.01). Effects were sustained at 12 months (0.03 (0.01 to 0.06), P=0.02). Of 21 serious adverse events, only one was possibly related to the REGAIN intervention. In the intervention group, 141 (47%) participants fully adhered to the programme, 117 (39%) partially adhered, and 40 (13%) did not receive the intervention.CONCLUSIONS: In adults with post-covid-19 condition, an online, home based, supervised, group physical and mental health rehabilitation programme was clinically effective at improving health related quality of life at three and 12 months compared with usual care.TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry ISRCTN11466448.</p