The Monument: The Shoah and German Memory

The aim of this research project is to analyse forms of remembrance and memory of the Shoah in Germany in its and their political and cultural formations. The underlying question driving the research project is Adorno's famous essay 'What does it mean: coming-to-terms with the past? ''. The thesis deals with historical-philosophical reflections and the historical-literary perspective on the complex process of remembering the Shoah in Germany and its monumental manifestations in the form of the planned Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. The research project sets out to critique and analyse a body of artistic, literary and philosophical works that engage with the problematics of remembering and re-presenting the Shoah. It explores these critical questions against the backdrop of the changed social and historical conditions of the reunited Germany and makes reference to the debates of the 1990s, the planned Holocaust Memorial in Berlin and the wider context of post-Holocaust discourse. The first chapter delivers an exegetical reading of Walter Benjamin's texts in order to open up new interpretative perspectives for an understanding of the issues at stake. Benjamin's notions of 'history' and 'memory' serve as ideas for a comparative analysis of the problematics of memory in the country of the perpetrators and for the possibilities of future memory. The second chapter discusses the decision-making process for a national, central 'Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe' in Berlin; it explores the winning designs of the competition and their respective implications on what constitutes the memory of the Shoah in Germany. The decision for a central memorial and the implications of the chosen design are measured against the backdrop of the debates of the 1990s and the politics of a re-united Germany. The third chapter discusses the different attempts of literary and (historical-)philosophical reflection on the occurrence of the Shoah in the writings of Thomas Mann, Hannah Arendt, Karl Jaspers and Alexander and Margarete Mitscherlich. The chapter questions the political positioning and action of the author Martin Walser, as a representative of the generation of perpetrators, to the process of working-through and coming-to-terms. It critically examines Walser's speech of October 1998 and places the speech in the historical context of coming-to-terms in post-war Germany. The thesis demonstrates that the choice of design. for the planned Holocaust Memorial correlates with the status of politics in the united Germany. It is argued here that the focus on what it is that needs to be worked through and come to terms with, has shifted during the post-Holocaust discourse. The thesis demonstrates that the questions at stake in the most recent debates are the workings-through of a younger generation that confronts part of a horrifying family history. The thesis argues for the necessity of memory and remembrance in the future

“It’s my dream to work with Olympic athletes”: Neophyte sport psychologists’ expectations and initial experiences regarding service delivery

We examined trainee practitioners' initial experiences of applied sport psychology practice. Semi-structured interviews (4) were conducted over 6 months with 7 full-time MSc students before, during, and after the applied sport psychology module, when they were working with clients. Participants also kept reflective diaries over an 8-week period whilst working with clients. Findings included: (a) motivations and expectations of an ASP practice career, (b) perceptions of service delivery, (c) emotional demands, and (d) pivotal experiences. Findings extend previous literature on the initial stages of practitioner development, providing micro-level detail on aspects of the intense development process during this pivotal perio

Effects of Post-Translational Modifications of Fibrinogen on Clot Formation, Clot Structure, and Fibrinolysis: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE: Post-translational modifications of fibrinogen influence the occurrence and progression of thrombotic diseases. In this systematic review, we assessed the current literature on post-translational modifications of fibrinogen and their effects on fibrin formation and clot characteristics. Approach and Results: A systematic search of Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science was performed to find studies reporting post-translational modifications of fibrinogen and the effects on clot formation and structure. Both in vitro studies and ex vivo studies using patient material were included. One hundred five articles were included, describing 11 different modifications of fibrinogen. For the best known and studied modifications, conclusions could be drawn about their effect on clot formation and structure. Oxidation, high levels of nitration, and glycosylation inhibit the rate of polymerization, resulting in dense clots with thinner fibers, while low levels of nitration increase the rate of polymerization. Glycation showed different results for polymerization, but f

Using Semantic Web technologies in the development of data warehouses: A systematic mapping

The exploration and use of Semantic Web technologies have attracted considerable attention from researchers examining data warehouse (DW) development. However, the impact of this research and the maturity level of its results are still unclear. The objective of this study is to examine recently published research articles that take into account the use of Semantic Web technologies in the DW arena with the intention of summarizing their results, classifying their contributions to the field according to publication type, evaluating the maturity level of the results, and identifying future research challenges. Three main conclusions were derived from this study: (a) there is a major technological gap that inhibits the wide adoption of Semantic Web technologies in the business domain;(b) there is limited evidence that the results of the analyzed studies are applicable and transferable to industrial use; and (c) interest in researching the relationship between DWs and Semantic Web has decreased because new paradigms, such as linked open data, have attracted the interest of researchers.This study was supported by the Universidad de La Frontera, Chile, PROY. DI15-0020. Universidad de la Frontera, Chile, Grant Numbers: DI15-0020 and DI17-0043

The psychology of dynamic balance and peak performance in sport: correction theory

This article introduces a new approach to understanding peak performance and dysfunctional performance in sport, correction theory. Correction theory, based within a control theory and dynamical systems perspective, assumes that dynamic balance (a state in which a robust complex system will self-correct in response to imbalance) underwrites individual functioning. The central thesis presented in this article is that an interdependent relationship exists between peak performance and dysfunctional performance in sport. Peak performance is, in part, a (corrective) response to dysfunctional performance and vice versa. An overview of correction theory is presented, based on two propositions relating to balance. Implications of correction theory for understanding sporting performance are briefly considered.N/

Requirements for big data analytics supporting decision making: A sensemaking perspective

Big data analytics requires technologies to efficiently process large quantities of data. Moreover, especially in decision making, it not only requires individual intellectual capabilities in the analytical activities but also collective knowledge. Very often, people with diverse expert knowledge need to work together towards a meaningful interpretation of the associated results for new insight. Thus, a big data analysis infrastructure must both support technical innovation and effectively accommodate input from multiple human experts. In this chapter, we aim to advance our understanding on the synergy between human and machine intelligence in tackling big data analysis. Sensemaking models for big data analysis were explored and used to inform the development of a generic conceptual architecture as a means to frame the requirements of such an analysis and to position the role of both technology and human in this synergetic relationship. Two contrasting real-world use case studies were undertaken to test the applicability of the proposed architecture for the development of a supporting platform for big data analysis. Reflection on this outcome has further advanced our understanding on the complexity and the potential of individual and collaborative sensemaking models for big data analytics

Jean-Martin Charcot’s role in the 19th century study of music aphasia

Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–93) was a well-known French neurologist. Although he is widely recognized for his discovery of several neurological disorders and his research into aphasia, Charcot’s ideas about how the brain processes music are less well known. Charcot discussed the music abilities of several patients in the context of his ‘Friday Lessons’ on aphasia, which took place at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris in 1883–84. In his most comprehensive discussion about music, Charcot described a professional trombone player who developed difficulty copying music notation and playing his instrument, thereby identifying a new isolated syndrome of music agraphia without aphasia. Because the description of this case was published only in Italian by one of his students, Domenico Miliotti, there has been considerable confusion and under-acknowledgement of Charcot’s ideas about music and the brain. In this paper, we describe Charcot’s ideas regarding music and place them within the historical context of the growing interest in the neurological underpinnings of music abilities that took place in the 1880s