From a poetics of the drastic to a sketch of a realism of globalization illustrated by Terézia Mora's novels

In light of this (not so) new century, there is good reason to consider the rise of a "realism of globalization". As the former leading agent of modelling alternative worlds, the tradition of the realistic novel has long lost ground against the dominance of new, "visual novels" (i.e. "The Wire") with their own approach towards realistic aesthetics. What is the role that literature can play in this transformative, mediatic field? Which originality can it claim? The objective of this (two part) study is to respond to these concerns by example. The case is made for two novels, "Alle Tage" (2004) and "Der einzige Mann auf dem Kontinent" (2009), by the German-Hungarian writer Terézia Mora, which might function as a showcase for the ways in which contemporary fiction responds to and contributes in shaping the discourse of globalization. The first part of this study is presented hereby.Wir können unter den Vorzeichen des nicht mehr ganz so jungen aktuellen Jahrhunderts von einem "Realismus der Globalisierung" sprechen. Doch scheint der Erzähltext, im speziellen der Roman als Leitmedium von alternativen Weltentwürfen, gegen die Dominanz der visuellen Narrative (z.B. TV-Serien wie "The Wire") im Sinne einer zeitgenössischen Ästhetik des Realen eine seiner letzten Domänen zu verlieren. Welche Rolle kann die Literatur angesichts dieser weit fortgeschrittenen Verschiebung des medialen Feldes noch spielen? Welche Eigenständigkeit kann sie darin behaupten? Das Ziel einer in zwei Teilen konzipierten Untersuchung soll es sein, diese beiden Fragen am Beispiel der Romane "Alle Tage" (2004) und "Der einzige Mann auf dem Kontinent" (2009) von Terézia Mora exemplarisch und – mit Blick auf die Hauptthese auch experimentell für die Literatur – zu beantworten. Der erste Teil dieser Untersuchung, in welcher der Roman "Alle Tage" im Zentrum steht, liegt hiermit in einer ersten Fassung vor

Alejandro de Humboldt y el giro digital: desafíos para la edición de manuscritos históricos

In Latin America, Alexander von Humboldt is a household name. This is mostly due to the grand scientific voyage through the Americas that Humboldt undertook in the years 1799-1804. The 29 volumes of his work Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent (Paris 1805-1838) are the scientific output of these famous travels. The manuscripts we know today as Humboldt’s American Travel Diaries are at the core of this extensive opus. Today, we find ourselves in a crucial moment for the research of Humboldt’s Diaries. Since 2014, there has been a joint research project between the University of Potsdam and the Berlin State Library, focusing on conservation, digitization, research and scholarly analysis of these historic documents. Since 2015, there also is a long-term research project at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, dedicated to the scholarly edition of both the Humboldt Travel Diaries and all manuscripts related to his travels that can be found in his literary legacy in the archives of Berlin and Cracow. The scholarly edition will be hybrid, that is, both in print and digital form. Editing such a complex corpus of texts poses a challenge but, at the same time, gives us an opportunity to meet the expectations of the digital era. To conceptualize a hybrid edition means to understand that we are currently in the midst of a media diversification between the printed book and digital scholarly editions. The results of this diversification are still not clearly defined and largely depend on the work of a current generation of scholarly editors.Hablar de Alejandro de Humboldt en América Latina es hablar sobre todo del viaje americano que Humboldt emprendió en las Américas entre los años 1799-1804. El resultado científico de este viaje lo constituyen los veintinueve tomos de su obra Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent (París 1805-1838). El núcleo de esta obra vasta se encuentra en los manuscritos que hoy conocemos como los diarios del viaje americano. El análisis de los diarios de viaje se encuentra hoy en un momento histórico y crucial. Junto con un proyecto de investigación entre la Universidad de Potsdam y la Biblioteca Estatal de Berlín para el estudio de la conservación, digitalización, investigación y análisis académico de esta documentación histórica (desde 2014) existe ahora (desde 2015) un proyecto de larga duración en la Academia de Ciencias y Humanidades de Berlín-Brandenburgo, con el fin de editar no solo los diarios de viaje americano sino todos los manuscritos de viaje que de Humboldt tenemos en su legado literario en los archivos de Berlín y Cracovia. La edición se proyecta como híbrida, es decir, tanto digital como impresa. Editar un corpus tan complejo como éste constituye hoy un gran reto para la filología de edición. A la vez, representa una gran oportunidad, puesto que acontece en medio de una era que ya bien se conoce como el giro digital. Por efecto de ello, el libro impreso y la edición digital están en un proceso de diversificación mediática. El resultado de esta diversificación no está definido aún y depende en gran medida del trabajo de la actual generación de filólogos de edición

Mold, Mycotoxins and a Dysregulated Immune System: A Combination of Concern?

Fungi represent one of the most diverse and abundant eukaryotes on earth. The interplay between mold exposure and the host immune system is still not fully elucidated. Literature research focusing on up-to-date publications is providing a heterogenous picture of evidence and opinions regarding the role of mold and mycotoxins in the development of immune diseases. While the induction of allergic immune responses by molds is generally acknowledged, other direct health effects like the toxic mold syndrome are controversially discussed. However, recent observations indicate a particular importance of mold/mycotoxin exposure in individuals with pre-existing dysregulation of the immune system, due to exacerbation of underlying pathophysiology including allergic and non-allergic chronic inflammatory diseases, autoimmune disorders, and even human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression. In this review, we focus on the impact of mycotoxins regarding their impact on disease progression in pre-existing immune dysregulation. This is complemented by experimental in vivo and in vitro findings to present cellular and molecular modes of action. Furthermore, we discuss hypothetical mechanisms of action, where evidence is missing since much remains to be discovered

Die Berliner "Edition Humboldt digital"

Zusammenfassung Das Akademienvorhaben „Alexander von Humboldt auf Reisen – Wissenschaft aus der Bewegung“ (AvH-R) hat Anfang 2015 mit einer projektierten Laufzeit von 18 Jahren seine Arbeit an der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften aufgenommen. Die Hauptaufgabe von AvH-R besteht in der vollständigen Herausgabe der Humboldt‘schen Manuskripte zum Themenkomplex Reisen an der Schnittstelle von Kultur- und Naturwissenschaften. Die Schriftenreihe des Akademienvorhabens AvH-R läuft unter dem Titel Edition Humboldt und ist hybrid angelegt. Die Printedition der Tagebücher – Edition Humboldt – ist als Lesefassung konzipiert. Die Edition Humboldt digital zielt auf eine möglichst umfassende textorientierte Transkription und Kommentierung der Handschriften sowie auf eine intelligente Nutzung normdateibasierter Webdienste und Informationsangebote. Die ersten Ergebnisse wurden im Herbst 2016 der Öffentlichkeit unter avhr.bbaw.de präsentiert und werden hier zusammengefasst vorgestellt. Summary The Academy Project „Alexander von Humboldt auf Reisen – Wissenschaft aus der Bewegung [Travelling Humboldt – Science on the Move]“ (AvH-R) started in 2015 at the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and has a project lifetime of 18 vears. Its main focus is the edition of Humboldt’s manuscripts on the topical complex ‘journeys’ at the intersection of cultural and natural sciences. The project’s series is designed as a hybrid edition under the title Edition Humboldt. Its print version is made for reading, while Edition Humboldt digital offers complete transcriptions, a critical apparatus and the intelligent use of digital components and interfaces. AvH-R’s first results were shown to the public in autumn of 2016 under avhr.bbaw.de and are presented here in a summarized version.  Resumen El proyecto de academia „Alexander von Humboldt auf Reisen – Wissenschaft aus der Bewegung [Centro Alejandro de Humboldt – Ciencia en Movimiento]“ (AvH-R) empezó en 2015 en la Academia de Ciencias y Humanidades de Berlín Brandenburgo y tiene una duración estimada de 18 años. Su enfoque principal es la edición de los manuscritos de viaje humboldtianos en la intersección de ciencias naturales y culturales. La edición del proyecto bajo el título de Edition Humboldt tiene un diseño híbrido. Su versión impresa estará hecha para la lectura principalmente, mientras que Edition Humboldt digital ofrecerá transcripciones completas con apendices críticos y el uso inteligente de componentes e interfaces digitales. Los primeros resultados del trabajo de AvH-R se presentaron al público en otoño de 2016 bajo avhr.bbaw.de y son sintetizados aquí para su mayor difusión

Studienlandschaft Schwingbachtal: an out-door full-scale learning tool newly equipped with augmented reality

This paper addresses education and communication in hydrology and geosciences. Many approaches can be used, such as the well-known seminars, modelling exercises and practical field work but out-door learning in our discipline is a must, and this paper focuses on the recent development of a new out-door learning tool at the landscape scale. To facilitate improved teaching and hands-on experience, we designed the Studienlandschaft Schwingbachtal. Equipped with field instrumentation, education trails, and geocache, we now implemented an augmented reality App, adding virtual teaching objects on the real landscape. The App development is detailed, to serve as methodology for people wishing to implement such a tool. The resulting application, namely the Schwingbachtal App, is described as an example. We conclude that such an App is useful for communication and education purposes, making learning pleasant, and offering personalized options

The Humboldt Code: On creating a hybrid digital scholarly edition of a 19th century globetrotter

Tobias Kraft and Stefan Dumont report on the hybrid digital scholarly edition of Alexander von Humboldt. The complementary approach of ‘edition humboldt’ combines the strengths of a reader-friendly book edition with those of a digital full-text and facsimile edition based on a carefully curated data infrastructure. In addition to the advantages of the book for the concentrated study of longer texts, the online edition offers the complementary technological and methodological framework to provide a scholarly reliable basis for research into Humboldt’s work and life-long research activities. Tobias Kraft und Stefan Dumont geben einen Werkstattbericht zur Hybridedition von Humboldts Reisedokumenten im Rahmen des deutschen Akademieprogramms. Der Ansatz der ‚edition humboldt‘ verbindet die Stärken einer lesefreundlichen Buchedition mit denen einer digitalen Volltext- und Faksimile-Edition auf der Grundlage einer sorgfältig entwickelten Dateninfrastruktur.Tobias Kraft and Stefan Dumont report on the hybrid digital scholarly edition of Alexander von Humboldt. The complementary approach of ‘edition humboldt’ combines the strengths of a reader-friendly book edition with those of a digital full-text and facsimile edition based on a carefully curated data infrastructure. In addition to the advantages of the book for the concentrated study of longer texts, the online edition offers the complementary technological and methodological framework to provide a scholarly reliable basis for research into Humboldt’s work and life-long research activities

Das Ganze erfassen. Dem Alexander-von-Humboldt-Forscher Eberhard Knobloch zum 80. Geburtstag

Zusammenfassung Der Wissenschaftshistoriker Eberhard Knobloch beschäftigt sich seit rund zwanzig Jahren mit Leben und Werk Alexander von Humboldts. Er zeigt, dass Humboldts Wissenschaftstheorie vom Naturbild der pythagoreischen Schule inspiriert war, seine wissenschaftliche Methode hingegen dem Vorbild der Himmelsmechanik Laplaces folgte. Humboldt entwickelte aus diesen Quellen ein auf Zahlenverhältnisse und Mittelwerte gegründetes Erkenntnismodell, das wegweisend für die datenbasierten Bio- und Geowissenschaften wurde. Die wechselseitige Verbundenheit der verschiedenen Naturphänomene visualisierte Humboldt in seinem ‚Tableau physique des Andes‘. In mehreren Aufsätzen entschlüsselte Eberhard Knobloch auf anschauliche Weise diesen komplexen Blick ins Ganze der Natur. Abstract The historian of science Eberhard Knobloch has been studying the life and work of Alexander von Humboldt for over twenty years. He has shown that Humboldt’s theory of science was inspired by the Pythagorean School’s view of nature, while his scientific method followed the example of Laplace’s Celestial Mechanics. From these sources, Humboldt developed an epistemological model centered on numerical ratios and averages that led the way for databased life and earth sciences. Humboldt visualized the interconnectedness of the various natural phenomena in his ‘Tableau physique des Andes’. In several essays, Eberhard Knobloch decoded this complex view into the unity of nature in a comprehensible way. Resumen El historiador de la ciencia Eberhard Knobloch lleva unos veinte años estudiando la vida y la obra de Alexander von Humboldt. Ha demostrado que la teoría de la ciencia de Humboldt se inspiraba en la visión de la naturaleza de la Escuela Pitagórica, mientras que su método científico seguía el ejemplo de la Mecánica Celeste de Laplace. A partir de estas fuentes, Humboldt desarrolló un modelo epistemológico centrado en proporciones y promedios numéricos que abrió el camino a las bio- y geociencias basadas en datos. Humboldt visualizó la interconexión de los diversos fenómenos naturales en su “Tableau physique des Andes”. En varios ensayos, Eberhard Knobloch descifró esta compleja visión de la totalidad de la naturaleza de una forma comprensible

Schriftenverzeichnis: Publikationen von Eberhard Knobloch zu Alexander von Humboldt

Zusammengestellt von Tobias Kraft und Ulrich Päßler

COU254, a specific 3-carboxamide-coumarin inhibitor of coagulation factor XII, does not protect mice from acute ischemic stroke

Background: Anticoagulation is an important means to prevent from acute ischemic stroke but is associated with a significant risk of severe hemorrhages. Previous studies have shown that blood coagulation factor XII (FXII)- deficient mice are protected from pathological thrombus formation during cerebral ischemia without bearing an increased bleeding tendency. Hence, pharmacological blockade of FXII might be a promising and safe approach to prevent acute ischemic stroke and possibly other thromboembolic disorders but pharmacological inhibitors selective over FXII are still lacking. In the present study we investigated the efficacy of COU254, a novel nonpeptidic 3-carboxamide-coumarin that selectively blocks FXII activity, on stroke development and post stroke functional outcome in mice. Methods: C57Bl/6 mice were treated with COU254 (40 mg/kg i.p.) or vehicle and subjected to 60 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) using the intraluminal filament method. After 24 h infarct volumes were determined from 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazoliumchloride(TTC)-stained brain sections and functional scores were assessed. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to estimate the extent of neuronal cell damage. Thrombus formation within the infarcted brain areas was analyzed by immunoblot. Results: Infarct volumes and functional outcomes on day 1 after tMCAO did not significantly differ between COU254 pre-treated mice or untreated controls (p > 0.05). Histology revealed extensive ischemic neuronal damage regularly including the cortex and the basal ganglia in both groups. COU254 treatment did not prevent intracerebral fibrin(ogen) formation. Conclusions: COU254 at the given concentration of 40 mg/kg failed to demonstrate efficacy in acute ischemic stroke in this preliminary study. Further preclinical evaluation of 3-carboxamide-coumarins is needed before the antithrombotic potential of this novel class of FXII inhibitors can be finally judged