Zwei Arten von Achtung

Gibt es eine Art von Achtung, die man von jedem für jede gleichermaßen fordern kann? Es ist problematisch und umstritten, was die Basis für eine gleiche Achtung aller sein kann. Es ist sogar umstritten, ob es eine passende Art von Achtung überhaupt gibt, oder nur eine andere Art, die angemessen ist, weil man schätzenswerte Qualitäten vorzuweisen hat. Ich deute die Achtung, die man für alle gleichermaßen fordert, formal, ohne eine Basis, und beziehe mich dabei auf die Rassismusdiskussion. Die Forderung nach gleicher Achtung für alle gleichermaßen ist begrifflich und sachlich eine sinnvolle Forderung. Es wird hier allerdings weder dafür noch dagegen argumentiert, Achtung als den grundlegenden Begriff in einer normativen Moralphilosophie aufzufassen. Das Problem, dass Achtung anscheinend eine Basis voraussetzt, aufgrund derer ein Gegenstand wert ist, geachtet zu werden, wird umgangen

BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DYNAMICS OF SKATING (SKATING 1-2)

Biomechanical data (curves and values) on skating technique are necessary for effective technique training. 1995-1997 kinematographic 3Danalyses of international top class athletes were made during uphill skating. A kinematic description of skating technique, as well as of technical reserves of top German athletes was obtained (Herrmann/Clauß, 1997). The specific dynamic reasons for the kinematic appearance were the subject of continued analyses. It was also aimed to collect information about measuring technical requirements of specific sensors and their attachment to the specific ski and pole. Corresponding results published so far are insufficient and affected by problems

Effects of mining on reindeer/caribou populations and indigenous livelihoods : community-based monitoring by Sami reindeer herders in Sweden and First Nations in Canada

This paper explores the effects of human disturbances associated with mine development in the Arctic on habitat and populations of reindeer/caribou (both Rangifer tarandus), and implications for reindeer husbandry and caribou hunting of indigenous Sami people in Sweden and First Nations in Canada. Through three case studies, we illustrate how Cree and Naskapi communities develop commu- nity-based geospatial information tools to collect field data on caribou migration and habitat changes, and how Sami reindeer herders use GIS to gather informa- tion about reindeer husbandry to better communicate impacts of mining on rein- deer grazing areas. Findings indicate impacts on the use of disturbed habitat by reindeer/caribou, on migration routes, and northern livelihoods. The three cases present novel methods for community-based environmental monitoring, with applications in hazards mapping and denote the active engagement of indigenous communities in polar environmental assessments, generating community-oriented data for land use management decisions. They also illustrate how technology can lead to better communication and its role for empowerment

Das Leben des Fötus von Erlangen: Ein Streitfall medizinischer Ethik

Die Fortschritte der Medizin werfen ethische Fragen auf, die sich nicht durch allgemeine Prinzipien entscheiden lassen. Mit fortschreitenden Diagnosemöglichkeiten scheinen sich zugleich die Kriterien zur Unterscheidung von Leben und Tod zu verschieben, ebenso wie die perinatale Medizin den moralischen Status eines Fötus immer weiter vorzuverlagern scheint. Dies macht die Beantwortung ethischer Fragen, sobald sie sich praktisch stellen, zu einem äußerst komplexen Problem

Führen europäische Exzellenzstrategien zur Entstehung von Spitzenuniversitäten?

Die Europäische Union hat den Exzellenzbegriff, der seine Wurzeln in den USA hat, in seine Forschungs- und Hochschulpolitik übernommen ohne nach seiner Bedeutung zu fragen. Um „die Union zum wettbewerbsfähigsten und dynamischsten wissensbasierten Wirtschaftsraum der Welt zu machen“, sollen exzellente ForscherInnen ausgebildet und exzellente Forschung betrieben werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit beschäftige ich mich mit dem Exzellenzbegriff und gehe auf die Auswirkungen ein, die die Umsetzung des Exzellenzgedankens für das europäische Hochschul- und Forschungssystem mit sich bringen. Um dies zu tun nehme ich eine Begriffsklärung vor und unterscheide zwischen wissenschaftlicher Exzellenz, im Sinne von herausragenden wissenschaftlichen Leistungen und politischer Exzellenz, im Sinne des aus den USA nach Europa importierten Begriffes der Hochschulen zu „unternehmerischen Universitäten“ transformieren soll und wirtschaftliche Aspekte wie das Einwerben von Drittmitteln in den Vordergrund stellt. Durch den Lissabon-Prozess erhält der Exzellenzbegriff innerhalb der Union noch eine weitere Bedeutung. Exzellenz tritt als Synonym für Elite auf, dies manifestiert sich in der Errichtung sogenannter Exzellenzuniversitäten. Exzellenz hat bereits durch die Umsetzung des Bolognaprozesses Einzug in Europa gehalten. Leistungsmessung und Managementstrukturen prägen diesen Begriff, der aus der Wirtschaft stammt und nichts über den Inhalt und die Qualität von Lehre aussagt, sondern sich ausschließlich auf quantitative Aspekte wie die Erhöhung der Studierendenzahlen oder die Publikationshäufigkeit von WissenschaftlerInnen stützt. Europäische Hochschulen sind dazu angehalten ihre Studierendenzahlen zu steigern, ihre Organisation zu straffen und ihre Leistungen zu evaluieren. Gleichzeitig sehen sich Hochschulen mit der Forderung konfrontiert wissenschaftlich exzellente ForscherInnen auszubilden. Exzellenz steht in diesem Zusammenhang für herausragende, ausgezeichnete Leistungen und beginnt „erst“ mit dem MBA. Doch wie sollen Europas Massenuniversitäten diesem Anspruch gerecht werden? Um diese Diskrepanz zu erläutern gehe ich in meiner Arbeit auf zwei Beispiele ein und beleuchte die Umsetzung des Exzellenzgedankens in Großbritannien und in Österreich. Sowohl Universitäten in Großbritannien als auch in Österreich sind zerrissen zwischen der Forderung nach Quantität, bei der Bachelorausbildung und dem Anspruch von Qualität bei der Ausbildung zukünftiger WissenschaftlerInnen. Diese Entwicklungen forcieren die Trennung von Forschung und Lehre an den Universitäten und erhöhen die Gefahr der Förderung eines „Zwei-Klassen-Bildungssystems“ durch die Etablierung von privaten Hochschulen, die sich durch qualitativ hochwertige Ausbildung und Forschung auszeichnen und zu denen nur Zugang hat wer festgelegte Kriterien erfüllt. Zur gleichen Zeit fördert die Union die Entstehung von Exzellenzuniversitäten, Spitzeneinrichtungen die mit US-amerikanischen Eliteuniversitäten wie Harvard und Yale konkurrieren können sollen. In meiner Arbeit gehe ich darauf ein, dass die wirtschaftliche Ausrichtung der Exzellenzuniversitäten, die zur Innovationssteigerung europäischer Forschung beitragen sollen, nicht zur Etablierung von Spitzenuniversitäten sondern zur Aushöhlung wissenschaftlicher Exzellenz führt. Durch das Drängen auf raschen Erfolg, das Vernachlässigen der Lehre und das Beschränken auf wenige Kennziffern, wie etwa den Erhalt eines Preises für herausragende wissenschaftliche Leistungen, wird eine langfristige Förderung qualitativer Forschung zu Gunsten kurzfristiger wirtschaftlicher Erfolge aufgegeben.The European Union has taken over the term of excellence, which has its roots in the USA, without asking for its meaning. To make the union “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world” excellent researchers are to be trained and excellent research is to be accomplished. In this thesis I concern myself with the term of “excellence” and deal with the effects which the European higher education and research system has experienced during its conversion. To do this I take a definition and clarification to distinguish between scientific excellence in the sense of outstanding scientific achievements and political excellence in sense of the term imported from the USA to Europe which should transform universities into “entrepreneurial universities” and which places economic aspects such as the raising of funds in the foreground. By the Lisbon process the term of “excellence” receives further meaning within the European Union. Excellence appears as synonym for elite, this manifests itself in the establishment of so-called “universities of excellence”. However, excellence already held introduction in Europe by the conversion of the Bologna - Process. Performance measurement and management structures shape this term, which originates from the economy and states nothing over contents and the quality of teachings but is based exclusively on quantitative aspects such as the increase in student numbers or the frequency of publication by scientists. European universities are continuous in addition to increase their studying numbers, to tighten their organization and to evaluate their achievements. At the same time universities see themselves confronted with the demand to train excellent researches. Excellence stands in this connection for outstanding, excellent scientific achievements and begins not until the MBA. But how can Europe’s “mass-universities” meet this demand? To explain this inconsistency I deal with two examples and highlight the implementation of the idea of excellence in the UK and Austria. 142 - Both universities in Great Britain and in Austria are torn between the demand after quantity in the Bachelor training and the requirement of quality with the training of future scientists. These developments force the separation from research and theory (teaching) at the universities and carry the risk of the emergence of a “two-tier education system” through the establishment of private universities which are characterized by high-quality training and research to which only has access who meets specified criteria. At the same time the union promotes the emergence of “universities of excellence”, top institutions which will be able to compete with U.S. elite universities like Harvard and Yale. In my thesis I deal with the fact that the economic orientation of the universities of excellence which should contribute to an increase of innovation in European research leads not to the establishment of world – class universities but to the erosion of academic excellence. Through the insistence on rapid success, the neglect of teaching and the limit to a few figures, such as the receipt of a prize for outstanding scientific achievements, a long-term promotion of qualitative research is abandoned in favour of short-term economic success

Effect of inherent epileptic seizures on brain injury after transient cerebral ischemia in Mongolian gerbils

Subthreshold excitotoxic stimuli such as brief cerebral ischemia or chemically induced seizures modulate brain injury resulting from subsequent transient ischemia. Depending on the delay between the two insults, either tolerance or cumulative damage will develop. We were interested whether non-chemically induced inherent epileptic seizures as they occur in Mongolian gerbils have an effect on the outcome of a transient global ischemia, i.e., whether they are an interfering variable in ischemia experiments. Occurrence of spontaneous seizures in adult male gerbils was registered with a video-controlled seizure monitoring system. Bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries was carried out 2h or 24h after the last generalized seizure. After 4days survival, the extent of ischemia-induced neuronal damage and glial activation were assessed in the hippocampus and striatum. No significant difference in the ischemia induced nerve cell loss was observed in cresyl violet stained sections between the 2-h or 24-h interval gerbils. Neuronal expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in CA1 disappeared with neuronal degeneration. Distribution and degree of upregulation of glial fibrillary acidic protein as marker for astrocytes did not differ between the two groups. We concluded that non-chemically induced inherent epileptic seizures neither protect the gerbil brain from injury nor augment the degree of damage resulting from transient forebrain ischemia. Thus, inherent epileptic seizures do not influence the outcome of the insult, making the gerbil a reliable model for studies on transient brain ischemi

The Recognition of Sacred Natural Sites of Arctic Indigenous Peoples as a Part of Their Right to Cultural Integrity

Sacred Natural Sites (SNS) are an important means for the expressions and transmission of culture, and a manifestation of spiritual values of nature, which have contributed to the conservation of species and habitats. However, many SNS are increasingly under threat, and their contribution to conservation is still not sufficiently recognized by states and conservation agencies, laws and policies. With a growing recognition of the mutual dependency between biodiversity and sociocultural systems in the Arctic, indigenous communities, conservationists, law-and policy-makers are endeavoring to re-establish bio-cultural diversity as a constructive pathway for conservation law, policy and practice. The integration of indigenous rights into conservation, through rights-based approaches is an emerging and challenging area. This new rights-based approach to conservation acknowledges that conservation and human rights must be pursued in mutually supportive ways that contribute to the common goal of environmental sustainability and human well-being. Much remains to be done to better understand the benefits, practical implications and limitations of such rightsbased approaches. This paper discusses the role of international law as well as sui generis processes from the sub-Arctic and Arctic regions that recognize and uphold indigenous peoples’ rights in conservation, and where action for the conservation of sacred natural sites is being taken by indigenous communities themselves using international law and policy instruments, or developing their own community instruments. These cases provide ways forward for duty-bearers and custodians to engage in constructive dialogue to seek together synergies to mutual responsibilities and benefits, and to build new spaces in law, policy and practice in the Arctic.Keywords: Sacred Natural Sites; Indigenous Peoples; Arctic; cultural integrity; international human rights law, international environmental lawCitation: Arctic Review on Law and Politics, vol. 4, 2/2013 pp. 207–233. ISSN 1891-625

DNA- and RNA- Derived Fungal Communities in Subsurface Aquifers Only Partly Overlap but React Similarly to Environmental Factors

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies have revolutionized our understanding of microbial diversity and composition in relation to their environment. HTS-based characterization of metabolically active (RNA-derived) and total (DNA-derived) fungal communities in different terrestrial habitats has revealed profound differences in both richness and community compositions. However, such DNA- and RNA-based HTS comparisons are widely missing for fungal communities of groundwater aquifers in the terrestrial biogeosphere. Therefore, in this study, we extracted DNA and RNA from groundwater samples of two pristine aquifers in the Hainich CZE and employed paired-end Illumina sequencing of the fungal nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region to comprehensively test difference/similarities in the “total” and “active” fungal communities. We found no significant differences in the species richness between the DNA- and RNA-derived fungal communities, but the relative abundances of various fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) appeared to differ. We also found the same set of environmental parameters to shape the “total” and “active” fungal communities in the targeted aquifers. Furthermore, our comparison also underlined that about 30%–40% of the fungal OTUs were only detected in RNA-derived communities. This implies that the active fungal communities analyzed by HTS methods in the subsurface aquifers are actually not a subset of supposedly total fungal communities. In general, our study highlights the importance of differentiating the potential (DNA-derived) and expressed (RNA-derived) members of the fungal communities in aquatic ecosystems

Activity and electron donor preference of two denitrifying bacterial strains identified by Raman gas spectroscopy

Human activities have greatly increased the input of reactive nitrogen species into the environment and disturbed the balance of the global N cycle. This imbalance may be offset by bacterial denitrification, an important process in maintaining the ecological balance of nitrogen. However, our understanding of the activity of mixotrophic denitrifying bacteria is not complete, as most research has focused on heterotrophic denitrification. The aim of this study was to investigate substrate preferences for two mixotrophic denitrifying bacterial strains, Acidovorax delafieldii and Hydrogenophaga taeniospiralis, under heterotrophic, autotrophic or mixotrophic conditions. This complex analysis was achieved by simultaneous identification and quantification of H2, O2, CO2, 14N2, 15N2 and 15N2O in course of the denitrification process with help of cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopic (CERS) multi-gas analysis. To disentangle electron donor preferences for both bacterial strains, microcosm-based incubation experiments under varying substrate conditions were conducted. We found that Acidovorax delafieldii preferentially performed heterotrophic denitrification in the mixotrophic sub-experiments, while Hydrogenophaga taeniospiralis preferred autotrophic denitrification in the mixotrophic incubation. These observations were supported by stoichiometric calculations. The results demonstrate the prowess of advanced Raman multi-gas analysis to study substrate use and electron donor preferences in denitrification, based on the comprehensive quantification of complex microbial gas exchange processes. © 2021, The Author(s)