MaerzMusik: The Impact of Festivals on Contemporary Music

This Master's thesis considers the history of music festivals, and specifically of Berlin's MaerzMusik, in order to show the impact of a cultural institution on contemporary music practice. I focus on two main dimensions of the festival, the first relating to curatorship and programming, and the second to its use of public spaces. European festivals have since antiquity played a central role in shaping culture, as I examine in my literature review. At the turn of the twentieth century, festivals became sites for the performance of contemporary music, appropriating and secularizing a formerly ritualistic event. Festivals have since become diversified, with each artistic niche having its own, regular gathering. For my research on MaerzMusik, I draw on archival documents from the Landersarchiv Berlin, as well as programme books, observations and interviews made during the festival in 2013 and 2014. These materials show how MaerzMusik implemented its institutional power to redefine the notion of contemporary music, providing it with new artistic and societal relevance. In conclusion, I show how a more encompassing programming policy, incorporating a wider range of musics and alternative venues, led to a broader engagement with other forms of art and to the broadening of the festival's audience.

The Influence of High-Intensity Ultrasonication on Properties of Cellulose Produced from the Hop Stems, the Byproduct of the Hop Cones Production

The goal of this work is to evaluate the hop stems, a byproduct of hop cones production, as a potential source of cellulose. Hop stems contain up to 29% of cellulose. The cellulose isolation was conducted through the thermochemical treatment. After high-speed blending, the cellulose was characterized by 67% of crystallinity degree obtained from X-ray diffraction and median diameter of 6.7 nm obtained from atomic force microscopy imaging. The high-intensity ultrasonication (HIUS) was applied to reach further disintegration of cellulose fibers. The longer HIUS treatment resulted in decrease in crystallinity degree even up to 60% and decrease in the fiber diameter up to 4 nm. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra showed that HIUS treatment led to changes in intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The stability of cellulose dispersions versus length of HIUS treatment was monitored over 14 days with back dynamic light scattering and laser Doppler electrophoresis methods. Obtained results are evidence that the hop stems are a potential source of cellulose and that it is possible to obtain stable dispersions after HIUS treatment. This was the first time that the properties of hop cellulose have been described so extensively and in detail after the use of HIUS treatment

The significance of markers in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer is one of the most common cancers experienced by women throughout the world. It is also the most common malignancy within the female reproductive system, representing 37.7% of all disorders. The incidence increases with age, and is diagnosed most frequently in women between 45 and 65 years old. In the last few years, numerous studies have been performed to identify tumour biomarkers. Biomarkers include not only protein routinely used as tumour markers but also genes and chromosomes. The limiting factor in the use of markers in the diagnosis of endometrial cancer is their lack of specificity. However, specific markers for endometrial cancer are the subject of much research attention. Although moderately elevated levels of markers are present in a number of inflammatory or non-malignant diseases, significantly increased levels of markers indicate the development of cancer. Recently, research has been focused on the identification of molecular changes leading to different histological subtypes of endometrial cancer. In this paper the authors reviewed several currently investigated markers. Progress in these investigations is very important in the diagnostics and treatment of endometrial cancer. In particular, the identification of novel mutations and molecular profiles should enhance our ability to personalise adjuvant treatment with genome-guided targeted therapy