War Discourse on TV: A Glimpse into Russian Political Talk Shows (2014 and 2022)

Dieser Artikel untersucht den Kriegsdiskurs im russischen Fernsehen, insbesondere in politischen Talkshows, die nach dem Einmarsch Russlands in die Ukraine am 24. Februar 2022 ausgestrahlt wurden. Die Frage, wie die beiden Konfliktparteien, Russland und die Ukraine, in diesen Sendungen verbal und visuell dargestellt werden, steht dabei im Vordergrund. Während die quantitative Analyse einen massiven Anstieg der russischen Talkshow-Sendungen seit Kriegsbeginn nachweist, zeigt die Kritische Diskursanalyse, welche Strategien zur Dämonisierung und Diffamierung der ukrainischen Seite und zur Legitimierung des Krieges eingesetzt werden. Durch den Vergleich des aktuellen Kriegsdiskurses mit dem Ukraine-Diskurs im Jahr 2014 zeigt diese Studie, dass Talkshows eine bedeutende Rolle bei der Unterstützung des Krieges übernommen haben und zu einem mächtigen didaktischen Instrument zur Beeinflussung und Manipulation der öffentlichen Meinung geworden sind, indem sie unablässig Kernbotschaften der Regierung wiederholen und alle ihnen zur Verfügung stehenden visuellen, verbalen und nonverbalen Mittel effizient orchestrieren

Was hat ein Krippenkind in der Eingewöhnungsphase davon, selbstständig zu sein?

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich in Form einer Einzelfallstudie mit der Eingewöhnungsphase in die Kinderkrippe. Dabei wird der Frage nachgegangen, ob und wie es dem Mädchen Anja, welches im Zentrum der Arbeit steht, möglich ist, die schmerzhaften Gefühle der Trennung und des Getrennt-Seins, welche beim Übertritt in die institutionelle Fremdbetreuung auftauchen, zu bewältigen. Ein besonderer Fokus wird dabei auf die Frage nach der Bedeutung der Selbstständigkeit im Prozess der Bewältigung gelegt. Als Basis für diese Arbeit dient umfangreiches Beobachtungsmaterial, welches im Rahmen der Wiener Kinderkrippenstudie gewonnen wurde. Dazu diente sowohl bei der Datener-hebung als auch bei der Auswertung eine adaptierte Form der Infant Observation. Nach einer kurzen Hinführung, in welcher die Rahmenbedingungen der Arbeit erläutert werden, wird dieses Beobachtungsmaterial auf dreifache Weise in den Blick genommen: Der erste Blick auf den Fall enthält eine allgemeine Analyse Anjas erster Monate in der Krippe. Im zweiten Blick auf den Fall findet eine Fokussierung auf ihre Bewältigung – welche in die drei Dimensionen Affekte, Interesse und dynamisches Wechselspiel unterteilt ist – statt. Im dritten Blick auf den Fall rückt schließlich Anjas Selbstständigkeit und deren Bedeutung für die Bewältigung ins Zentrum der Aufmerksamkeit. Um dem Anspruch einer Fallstudie gerecht zu werden, werden die Ergebnisse meiner Fallanalyse mit bisherigen Wissensbeständen und Untersuchungen zur Thematik verknüpft und versucht, diese zu ergänzen und erweitern.The present paper is concerned with how infants and toddlers adjust to out-of-home day care. Utilising a single case study, it will discuss the question if and how the girl Anja, who is the central focus of the paper, manages to cope with painful feelings she experiences in situations of leave-taking and being separated from her parents during her transition from maternal care to institutional out-of-home day care. The paper will particularly focus on the meaning of Anja’s ability to act independently and on her own initiative during the process of overcoming her negative feelings. Comprehensive material collected by means of observation sessions as part of the Wiener Kinderkrippenstudie (research project on the adjustment of infants and toddlers to out-of-home day care, Vienna) will serve as the basis for the paper. An adaptation of the Infant Observation method was used to gather and evaluate the required data. Following an introduction which will cover the general preconditions and give fundamental information on the present paper, the material gathered during the observation sessions will be analysed in three steps. The first step comprises a general analysis of Anja’s first few months in the day care institution. Step two will focus on her coming to terms with her emotions, sub-divided into three dimensions: affects, interest, and dynamic interplay. A third look at the case will shift the focus of attention towards Anja’s independence and its meaning for getting over her pain. In order to meet the requirements for a case study, I will refer to previous research and investigations to support and expand the results of my own case analysis

Short Report of Longitudinal CGRP-Measurements in Migraineurs During a Hypoxic Challenge

BackgroundCalcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) plays a key role in the pathophysiology of migraine and is therefore considered a potential biomarker for primary headache disorders. The challenge remaining is establishing standardized protocols for its assessment in various extracellular compartments and identifying pathological situations associated with an increase in CGRP.MethodsWe performed longitudinal measurements of CGRP plasma levels in 30 volunteers with the diagnosis of episodic migraine with and without aura under controlled circumstances during an induced migraine attack under a hypoxic challenge. Blood samples were collected from a cubital vein and CGRP plasma levels measured using ELISA.ResultsCGRP levels varied significantly between the subjects at baseline (15.48–1,889.31 pg/ml) but were neither associated with socio-demographic data nor with headache/migraine frequency or intensity collected before hypoxic exposure. CGRP levels during hypoxia fluctuated around baseline and increased with prolonged hypoxia but did not differ significantly in subjects with migraine or headache compared to those without. However, subjects experiencing migraine without aura showed significantly higher levels than those with aura. Ictal CGRP levels were increased in females, in subjects with a negative family history regarding headaches, in those older than 30 years of age or with a recent headache attack before the experiment (p < 0.05).ConclusionCGRP plasma levels seem to be highly variable even at baseline in migraine patients and increased during hypoxic challenge and migraine attacks. This is the first in human longitudinal measurement of peripheral CGRP levels during induced migraine attacks using a highly standardized protocol

Multilocus Sequence Typing Reveals Extensive Genetic Diversity of the Emerging Fungal Pathogen Scedosporium aurantiacum

Scedosporium spp. are the second most prevalent filamentous fungi after Aspergillus spp. recovered from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in various regions of the world. Although invasive infection is uncommon prior to lung transplantation, fungal colonization may be a risk factor for invasive disease with attendant high mortality post-transplantation. Abundant in the environment, Scedosporium aurantiacum has emerged as an important fungal pathogen in a range of clinical settings. To investigate the population genetic structure of S. aurantiacum, a MultiLocus Sequence Typing (MLST) scheme was developed, screening 24 genetic loci for polymorphisms on a tester strain set. The six most polymorphic loci were selected to form the S. aurantiacum MLST scheme: actin (ACT), calmodulin (CAL), elongation factor-1α (EF1α), RNA polymerase subunit II (RPB2), manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2), and β-tubulin (TUB). Among 188 global clinical, veterinary, and environmental strains, 5 to 18 variable sites per locus were revealed, resulting in 8 to 23 alleles per locus. MLST analysis observed a markedly high genetic diversity, reflected by 159 unique sequence types. Network analysis revealed a separation between Australian and non-Australian strains. Phylogenetic analysis showed two major clusters, indicating correlation with geographic origin. Linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed evidence of recombination. There was no clustering according to the source of the strains: clinical, veterinary, or environmental. The high diversity, especially amongst the Australian strains, suggests that S. aurantiacum may have originated within the Australian continent and was subsequently dispersed to other regions, as shown by the close phylogenetic relationships between some of the Australian sequence types and those found in other parts of the world. The MLST data are accessible at http://mlst.mycologylab.org. This is a joined publication of the ISHAM/ECMM working groups on “Scedosporium/Pseudallescheria Infections” and “Fungal Respiratory Infections in Cystic Fibrosis”.Peer Reviewe

Parascedosporium and its relatives: phylogeny and ecological trends

The genus Scedosporium and its relatives comprising microascalean anamorphs with slimy conidia were studied. Graphium and Parascedosporium also belong to this complex, while teleomorphs are found in Pseudallescheria, Petriella, Petriellopsis, and Lophotrichus. Species complexes were clearly resolved by rDNA ITS sequencing. Significantly different ecological trends were observed between resolved species aggregates. The Pseudallescheria and Scedosporium prolificans clades were the only lineages with a marked opportunistic potential to mammals, while Petriella species were associated primarily with soil enriched by, e.g. dung. A consistent association with bark beetles was observed in the Graphium clade. The ex-type strain of Rhinocladium lesnei, CBS 108.10 was incorrectly implicated by Vuillemin (1910) in a case of human mycetoma; its sequence was identical to that of the ex-type strain of Parascedosporium tectonae, CBS 127.84

Advances in the development of dielectric elastomer generators for wave energy conversion

This paper presents a summary of recent progress towards the development and upscaling of an emerging class of electrostatic power take-off (PTO) systems for wave energy converters (WECs), called dielectric elastomer generators (DEGs). DEGs are electromechanical devices able to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy by exploiting the deformation of rubber-like dielectric materials. The high power density (in the order of hundreds of Watts per kilogram), good efficiency and ease of assembling, combined with the low-cost of the employed materials (a few euros per kilogram) and their intrinsic resilient/reliable response to mechanical shocks make DEGs a very promising option for the deployment of a future generation of WECs. In the last decade, some specific concepts of WECs based on DEGs have been devised and a considerable interest in the topic has been aroused in the wave energy community. Among the candidate DEG topologies for wave energy harvesting, recent studies have suggested that a specific layout, namely the axial-symmetric inflating DEG diaphragm, could be a very promising candidate for future upscaling. This paper first describes the operating principle of DEG PTOs and the effect of electro-mechanical material parameters on their energetic performance. With reference to the above-mentioned inflating DEG diaphragm topology, an overview of concepts for integration on WECs is then provided, with a special focus on advanced concepts enabling the achievement of dynamical tuning with the incoming waves. A general lumped-parameter modelling approach for the design of DEG-based WECs is proposed. Experimental activity carried out to date, i.e. dry-run laboratory tests, wave-tank tests and preliminary sea trials is reviewed, with the aim of showing the progression in the device's scale and performance. Finally, economical and technological considerations are outlined, in order to point out challenges, future research opportunities and to draft a roadmap for future research and technological transfer

Proposed nomenclature for Pseudallescheria, Scedosporium and related genera

As a result of fundamental changes in the International Code of Nomenclature on the use of separate names for sexual and asexual stages of fungi, generic names of many groups should be reconsidered. Members of the ECMM/ISHAM working group on Pseudallescheria/Scedosporium infections herein advocate a novel nomenclature for genera and species in Pseudallescheria, Scedosporium and allied taxa. The generic names Parascedosporium, Lomentospora, Petriella, Petriellopsis, and Scedosporium are proposed for a lineage within Microascaceae with mostly Scedosporium anamorphs producing slimy, annellidic conidia. Considering that Scedosporium has priority over Pseudallescheria and that Scedosporium prolificans is phylogenetically distinct from the other Scedosporium species, some name changes are proposed. Pseudallescheria minutispora and Petriellidium desertorum are renamed as Scedosporium minutisporum and S. desertorum, respectively. Scedosporium prolificans is renamed as Lomentospora prolificans