Punishment and Respect: The Sacralization of the Person and its Endangerment. Translated by Simon Susen

Discussions of punishmentin the modern era turn on the question of the definition and importance of human rights. To understand this linkage, it is important to examine critically two narratives of the origin and development of modern Western forms of punishment, namely that of the Enlightenment, and that of the process of ‘disciplination’ to be found in the work of Foucault. In this article, I suggest an alternative to both these narratives, namely a Durkheimian attention to the process of the ‘sacralization of the person’ which indicates the importance ofreading thedevelopment ofmodernpunishment aspart of a larger process of ‘inclusion’ in which more and more people were included within the category of human personhood. A focus on the sacrality of the person as central to the notion of punishment also helps us to understand the ambiguity of punishment in the modern era, as well as threats posed to human rights by certain contemporary punishment regimes

Hans Joas: Die Sakralität der Person. Eine neue Genealogie der Menschenrechte

akzeptierte Manuskriptversio

Electronic theory for superconductivity in Sr2_2RuO4_4: triplet pairing due to spin-fluctuation exchange

Using a two-dimensional Hubbard Hamiltonian for the three electronic bands crossing the Fermi level in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ we calculate the band structure and spin susceptibility $\chi({\bf q}, \omega)$ in quantitative agreement with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiments. The susceptibility has two peaks at {\bf Q}$_i = (2\pi/3, 2\pi/3)$ due to the nesting Fermi surface properties and at {\bf q}$_i = (0.6\pi, 0)$ due to the tendency towards ferromagnetism. Applying spin-fluctuation exchange theory as in layered cuprates we determine from $\chi({\bf q}, \omega)$, electronic dispersions, and Fermi surface topology that superconductivity in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ consists of triplet pairing. Combining the Fermi surface topology and the results for $\chi({\bf q}, \omega)$ we can exclude $s-$ and $d-$wave symmetry for the superconducting order parameter. Furthermore, within our analysis and approximations we find that $f$-wave symmetry is slightly favored over p-wave symmetry due to the nesting properties of the Fermi surface.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, misprints correcte

Effect of magnetism and temperature on the stability of (Cr-x, V1-x)(2)AlC phases

The stability of (Crx,V1-x)2AlC MAX phases, materials of interest for a variety of magnetic as well as high temperature applications, has been studied using density-functional-theory first-principles calculations. The enthalpy of mixing predicts these alloys to be unstable towards unmixing at 0 K. The calculations also predict, however, that these phases would be thermally stabilised by configurational entropy at temperatures well below the values used for synthesis. The temperature Ts below which they become unstable is found to be quite sensitive to the presence of magnetic moments on Cr ions, as well as to the material’s magnetic order, in addition to chemical order and composition. Allowing for magnetism, the value of Ts for (Cr0.5,V0.5)2AlC with chemically disordered Cr and V atoms, is estimated to be between 516 K and 645 K depending on the level of theory, while if constrained to spin-paired, Ts drops to 142 K. Antiferromagnetic spin arrangements are found to be favored. The combination of antiferromagnetic frustration and configurational disorder should give rise to interesting spin textures at low temperatures

The moral muteness of managers: an Anglo-American phenomenon? German and British managers and their moral reasoning about environmental sustainability in business

Several studies in the Anglo-American context have indicated that managers present themselves as morally neutral employees who act only in the best interest of the company by employing objective skills. The reluctance of managers to use moral arguments in business is further accentuated in the now common argument presented as a neutral fact that the company must always prioritise shareholder value. These and other commercial aims are seen as an objective reality in business, whilst questions about sustainability, environmental problems or fair trade are seen as emotional or moral ones; a phenomenon described as ‘moral muteness’. This research explores whether this ‘moral muteness’ is an Anglo-American phenomenon and/or whether managers in other countries - in this case Germany - might express themselves in a different way. The focus is on moral arguments around environmental sustainability and the implications of this study for cross-cultural management. This article is based on a qualitative, comparative cross-cultural study of British and German managers in the Food Retail and Energy Sectors. In line with the studies mentioned above, British managers placed a strong emphasis on their moral neutrality. In contrast, German managers tended to use moral arguments when discussing corporate greening, often giving such arguments more weight than financial arguments. Overall, the study suggests that the ‘moral muteness’ of managers is a British phenomenon and quite distinct from the German approach. The article ends in a short exploration of how this understanding can help managers better manage people, organisations and change across cultures

Reproductive period and preclinical cerebrospinal fluid markers for Alzheimer disease: a 25-year study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine the association between reproductive period, as an indicator of endogenous estrogen, and levels of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for Alzheimer disease (AD). METHODS: A population-based sample of women from Gothenburg, Sweden was followed from 1968 to 1994 (N = 75). All women had natural menopause and were free from dementia. Information on reproductive period (age at menarche to age at menopause) was obtained from interviews from 1968 to 1980. Lumbar puncture was performed from 1992 to 1994 and CSF levels of Aβ42, Aβ40, P-tau, and T-tau were measured with immunochemical methods. Linear regression models adjusted for potential confounders were used to analyze the relationship between reproductive period and CSF biomarkers for AD. RESULTS: Longer reproductive period was associated with lower levels of Aβ42 (β = -19.2, P  = 0.01), higher levels of P-tau (β = 0.03, P  = 0.01), and lower ratio of Aβ42/Aβ40 (β = -0.02, P  = 0.01), while no association was observed for T-tau (β = 0.01, P  = 0.46). In separate analyses, examining the different components of reproductive period, earlier age at menarche was associated higher levels of P-tau (β = -0.07, P  = 0.031) and lower ratio of Aβ42/Aβ40 (β = 0.05, P  = 0.021), whereas no association was observed with Aβ42 (β = 31.1, P  = 0.11) and T-tau (β = -0.001, P  = 0.98). Furthermore, no association was observed between age at menopause and CSF biomarkers for AD. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that longer exposure to endogenous estrogen may be associated with increased levels of AD biomarkers in the preclinical phase of AD. These findings, however, need to be confirmed in larger samples. / Video Summary: http://links.lww.com/MENO/A804

Geometric characterization of nodal domains: the area-to-perimeter ratio

In an attempt to characterize the distribution of forms and shapes of nodal domains in wave functions, we define a geometric parameter - the ratio $\rho$ between the area of a domain and its perimeter, measured in units of the wavelength $1/\sqrt{E}$. We show that the distribution function $P(\rho)$ can distinguish between domains in which the classical dynamics is regular or chaotic. For separable surfaces, we compute the limiting distribution, and show that it is supported by an interval, which is independent of the properties of the surface. In systems which are chaotic, or in random-waves, the area-to-perimeter distribution has substantially different features which we study numerically. We compare the features of the distribution for chaotic wave functions with the predictions of the percolation model to find agreement, but only for nodal domains which are big with respect to the wavelength scale. This work is also closely related to, and provides a new point of view on isoperimetric inequalities.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure

Expanding the reflexive space: resilient young adults, institutional cultures, and cognitive schemas

For many U.S. young adults, being resilient to stressful events hinges on making meaning of such events and thereby minimizing their negative emotional impact. Yet why are some better able to do this than others? In this study, which uses an innovative outlier sampling strategy and linked survey and interview data, we argue that one important factor is connection to institutional cultures associated with higher education, religion/spirituality, and the military. Such cultures provide material for the development of cognitive schemas that can be adopted and applied to their stressful experiences, which include narratives of social progress, divine providence, and self‐discipline. Using a metaphor adapted from the pragmatist philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce, we argue the resulting schemas have the effect of “expanding the space” of reflexive thought, providing new cognitive material for interpreting stress and supporting resilience. Finally, we argue this framing improves in several ways on the concept of meaning making often used in stress process research.Accepted manuscrip

Paradox as invitation to act in problematic change situations

It has been argued that organizational life typically contains paradoxical situations such as efforts to manage change which nonetheless seem to reinforce inertia. Four logical options for coping with paradox have been explicated, three of which seek resolution and one of which ‘keeps the paradox open’. The purpose of this article is to explore the potential for managerial action where the paradox is held open through the use of theory on ‘serious playfulness’. Our argument is that paradoxes, as intrinsic features in organizational life, cannot always be resolved through cognitive processes. What may be possible, however, is that such paradoxes are transformed, or ‘moved on’ through action and as a result the overall change effort need not be stalled by the existence of embedded paradoxes

Application of BRED technology to construct recombinant D29 reporter phage expressing EGFP

Bacteriophage Recombineering of Electroporated DNA (BRED) has been described for construction of gene deletion and point mutations in mycobacteriophages. Using BRED, we inserted a Phsp60-egfp cassette (1143 bp) into the mycobacteriophage D29 genome to construct a new reporter phage, which was used for detection of mycobacterial cells. The cassette was successfully inserted and recombinant mycobacteriophage purified. DNA sequencing of the cassette did not show any mutations even after several phage generations. Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 cells were infected with D29::Phsp60-egfp (MOI of 10) and evaluated for EGFP expression by microscopy. Fluorescence was observed at around 2 h after infection, but dissipated in later times because of cell lysis. We attempted to construct a lysis-defective mutant by deleting the lysA gene, although we were unable to purify the mutant to homogeneity even with complementation. These observations demonstrate the ability of BRED to insert c. 1 kbp-sized DNA segments into mycobacteriophage genomes as a strategy for constructing new diagnostic reporter phages.Fil: Silva, Joas L. da. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Piuri, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Broussard, Gregory. University Of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Marinelli, Laura J.. University Of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Bastos, Gisele M.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Hirata, Rosario D. C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Hatfull, Graham F.. University Of Pittsburgh; Estados UnidosFil: Hirata, Mario H.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasi