Alice Munro: Nobel Prize-winning Master of the Contemporary Short Story

This article surveys Alice Munro’s achievements and consists of four parts: Alice Munro and the Nobel Prize; From Canadian Small Town Life to Global Literary Renown; Alice Munro’s Art of the Short Story: Oeuvre, Characteristics, Poetics; Exemplary Text Analysis: Alice Munro, “Fiction.” The article focuses on the virtuosity of Munro’s short story poetics and how she breaks with traditional rules of short story writing for her purposes. The poetological analysis is complemented by a detailed analysis of one of her exceptionally well-constructed and moving stories, “Fiction” (2007), which is particularly suitable for teaching and representative of Munro’s mastery of the short story form.Cet article considère les succès d’Alice Munro et consiste en quatre parties : Alice Munro et le Prix Nobel ; De sa vie dans une petite ville du Canada à une renommée internationale en littérature ; L’art de la nouvelle d’Alice Munro : l’oeuvre, les traits caractéristiques, la poétique ; L’analyse d’un texte exemplaire : Alice Munro, « Fiction ». L’article se concentre sur la virtuosité de la poétique de Munro dans l’écriture de la nouvelle et sur sa manière de rompre avec les règles traditionnelles de l’écriture de la nouvelle pour imposer y son propre tempo. L’analyse poétologique est ici complétée par une analyse détaillée d’une de ses nouvelles, « Fiction » (2007) qui est particulièrement émouvante et exceptionnellement bien construite. Elle est aussi particulièrement bien adaptée à l’enseignement car elle reflète l’exceptionnelle maîtrise de la forme de la nouvelle, par Munro

Evaluation of standard imaging techniques and volumetric preservation of nervous tissue in genetically identical offspring of the crayfish Procambarus fallax cf. virginalis (Marmorkrebs)

In the field of comparative neuroanatomy, a meaningful interspecific comparison demands quantitative data referring to method-specific artifacts. For evaluating the potential of state-of-the-art imaging techniques in arthropod neuroanatomy, micro-computed X-ray microscopy (μCT) and two different approaches using confocal laser-scanning microscopy (cLSM) were applied to obtain volumetric data of the brain and selected neuropils in Procambarus fallax forma virginalis (Crustacea, Malacostraca, Decapoda). The marbled crayfish P. fallax cf. virginalis features a parthogenetic reproduction generating genetically identical offspring from unfertilized eggs. Therefore, the studied organism provides ideal conditions for the comparative analysis of neuroanatomical imaging techniques and the effect of preceding sample preparations of nervous tissue. We found that wet scanning of whole animals conducted with μCT turned out to be the least disruptive method. However, in an additional experiment it was discovered that fixation in Bouin’s solution, required for μCT scans, resulted in an average tissue shrinkage of 24% compared to freshly dissected and unfixed brains. The complete sample preparation using fixation in half-strength Karnovsky’s solution of dissected brains led to an additional volume decrease of 12.5%, whereas the preparation using zinc-formaldehyde as fixative resulted in a shrinkage of 5% in comparison to the volumes obtained by μCT. By minimizing individual variability, at least for aquatic arthropods, this pioneer study aims for the inference of method-based conversion factors in the future, providing a valuable tool for reducing quantitative neuroanatomical data already published to a common denominator. However, volumetric deviations could be shown for all experimental protocols due to methodological noise and/or phenotypic plasticity among genetically identical individuals. MicroCT using undried tissue is an appropriate non-disruptive technique for allometry of arthropod brains since spatial organ relationships are conserved and tissue shrinkage is minimized. Collecting tissue-based shrinkage factors according to specific sample preparations might allow a better comparability of volumetric data from the literature, even if another technique was applied

Alpine Freiräume in der räumlichen Planung - Ein Plädoyer für mehr grenzüberschreitende Zusammenarbeit

Alpine Freiräume werden zusehends knapper. Diese Aussage gilt in den Alpen für den naturgemäß raren Dauersiedlungsraum, der z.B. in Tirol nur 11,8 % des Landesgebietes umfasst. Die Bevölkerung und damit auch die erforderliche Infrastruktur wachsen in vielen Talschaften. Aber auch die Freiräume, die in den darüber gelegenen Höhenstufen der Alpen liegen, werden sukzessiv zerschnitten und mit technischen Anlagen (z.B. Seilbahnen, hydroelektrische Anlagen) erschlossen bzw. sind mit immer intensiveren Nutzungen (z.B. E-Mountainbikes) konfrontiert. Im Freistaat Bayern begann die Erhaltung von Freiräumen mit der Implementierung des Alpenplans als raumordnerische Zielsetzung bereits im Jahr 1972. Die dadurch betriebene Zonierung des gesamten bayerischen Alpenraums nach drei Intensitätsstufen der verkehrlichen Nutzung war eine echte Innovation des Normgebers. Sie zielte mit ihrer sogenannten Zone C auf den damals noch jungen Naturschutz und die Verringerung alpiner Naturgefahren ab. In der Hauptsache jedoch galt diese planerische Initiative der nicht anlagengebundenen, landschaftsbezogenen Erholung, d.h. Freizeit- und Tourismusaktivitäten in der Natur. Heute bestehen mehr oder weniger erfolgreiche, verwandte Initiativen in Südtirol (Italien), Österreich und der Schweiz. Sie zu analysieren, ihre Festlegung, Funktionsweise und planerische Umsetzung vergleichend zu beschreiben sowie kritisch zu hinterfragen, ist die Zielsetzung dieses Beitrags. Im Fokus steht die Gegenüberstellung von Analysen zum Erhalt von Freiräumen für den Menschen (Einheimische und ihre traditionellen Wirtschaftsweisen, aber auch Besucher) und das Naturerbe. Neben dem Vorschlag einer forschungsleitenden, ganzheitlichen Definition von Freiräumen werden die heute gängigen Praktiken im Umgang mit alpinen Freiräumen in Raumordnung und räumlicher Planung im deutschsprachigen und Schweizer Alpenraum und deren kritische Bewertung sowie künftige Möglichkeiten grenzüberschreitend harmonisierter Verfahrensweisen dazu debattiert.Alpine open spaces are becoming noticeably scarcer. This statement applies to the inherently restricted area of permanent settlement in the Alps, which, e.g., covers only 11.8 % of the territory of Tyrol. The population is growing in many of the valleys and with it the infrastructure required. However, the open spaces, situated at altitudes above the settlements, are also being successively broken up and exploited using technical equipment (e.g. cable cars, hydro-electric facilities) or increasingly intensive types of use (e.g. e-mountain bikes). In Bavaria the conservation of open space began as early as 1972 with the implementation of the Alpine plan (Alpenplan), which set spatial planning objectives for the entire Alpine area. This led to the division of the Bavarian Alpine area into three zones of varying intensity of traffic use, a true legislative innovation. The so-called Zone C was intended for nature protection, still in its infancy at that time, and also aimed to reduce natural Alpine hazards. Primarily, however, this planning initiative was related to the role of the landscape for recreation, i.e. to leisure and touristic activities in natural surroundings. Today, there are similar initiatives of varying success in South Tyrol (Italy), Austria and Switzerland. This paper aims to analyse these initiatives, comparing and critically assessing their specifications, functioning and planning implementation. The focus of attention is on bringing together approaches for conserving open space for people (local inhabitants and their traditional economic activities, but also visitors) and natural heritage. Presentday regional and spatial planning practices related to Alpine open spaces in the German-speaking Alps are presented and critically evaluated and future options for harmonising approaches across the borders are discussed

Analyse, Bewertung und Sicherung alpiner Freiräume durch Raumordnung und räumliche Planung

Alpine Freiräume werden zusehends knapper. Diese Aussage gilt in den Alpen für den naturgemäß raren Dauersiedlungsraum, der z.B. in Tirol nur 11,8 % des Staatsgebietes umfasst. Die Bevölkerung wächst in vielen Talschaften und damit auch die erforderliche Infrastruktur. Aber auch die Freiräume, die in den darüber gelegenen Höhenstufen der Alpen liegen, werden sukzessiv zerschnitten und mit technischen Anlagen (z.B. Seilbahnen, hydroelektrischen Anlagen) bzw. immer intensiveren Nutzungen (z.B. EMountainbikes) erschlossen. Im Freistaat Bayern begann die alpenweite Erhaltung von Freiräumen mit der Implementierung des Alpenplans als raumordnerische Zielsetzung bereits im Jahr 1972. Die dadurch betriebene Zonierung des gesamten bayerischen Alpenraums nach drei Intensitätsstufen der verkehrlichen Nutzung war eine echte Innovation des Normgebers. Sie zielte mit ihrer sogenannten Zone C auf den damals noch jungen Naturschutz und die Verringerung alpiner Naturgefahren ab. In der Hauptsache jedoch galt diese planerische Initiative der nicht anlagengebundenen, landschaftsbezogenen Erholung, das heißt Freizeit- und Tourismusaktivitäten in der Natur. Heute bestehen mehr oder weniger erfolgreiche, verwandte Initiativen in allen deutschsprachigen Alpenstaaten und der Schweiz. Sie zu analysieren, ihre Festlegung, Funktionsweise und planerische Umsetzung vergleichend zu beschreiben sowie kritisch zu hinterfragen ist die Zielsetzung dieser Arbeit. Weil der Erhalt von Freiräumen ein transnationales Thema darstellt, gerade in den vielfach von politischen Grenzen durchzogenen Alpen, wird dabei auch auf die rahmensetzenden Vorgaben der völkerrechtlich verbindlichen Alpenkonvention aus dem Jahr 1991 abgehoben und die neue EU-Initiative EUSALP sowie deren potenzielle Auswirkungen erörtert. Im Fokus steht aber die Zusammenführung von Ansätzen zum Erhalt von Freiräumen für den Menschen (Einheimische und ihre traditionellen Wirtschaftsweisen, aber auch Besucher) und das Naturerbe. Die heute gängigen Praktiken im Umgang mit alpinen Freiräumen in Raumordnung und räumlicher Planung im deutschsprachigen Alpenraum und der Schweiz werden aufgezeigt sowie kritisch bewertet. Zudem werden künftige Möglichkeiten von grenzüberschreitenden harmonisierten Verfahrensweisen debattiert.The analysis, evaluation and safeguarding of Alpine open spaces through regional and spatial planning Alpine open spaces are becoming noticeably scarcer. This statement applies to the inherently restricted area of permanent settlement in the Alps, which, e.g., covers only 11.8 % of the territory of the Tyrol. The population is growing in many of the valleys and with it the infrastructure required. However, the open spaces, situated at altitudes above the settlements, are also being successively broken up and exploited using technical equipment (e.g. cable cars, hydro-electric facilities) or increasingly intensive types of use (e.g. e-mountain bikes). In Bavaria the conservation of open space began as early as 1972 with the implementation of the Alpine plan (Alpenplan), which set spatial planning objectives for the entire Alpine area. This led to the division of the Bavarian Alpine area into three zones of varying intensity of traffic use, a true legislative innovation. The so-called Zone C was intended for nature protection, still in its infancy at that time, and also aimed to reduce natural Alpine hazards. Primarily, however, this planning initiative was related to the role of the landscape for recreation, i. e. to leisure and touristic activities in natural surroundings. Today, there are similar initiatives of varying success in all the Germanspeaking Alpine states and in Switzerland. This paper aims to analyse these initiatives, comparing and critically assessing their stipulation, functioning and planning implementation. As the conservation of open space is a transnational issue, especially in the Alps, which are dissected by many political borders, reference is also made to the framework provisions of the internationally binding Alpine Convention from 1991 and to the new EU initiative EUSALP, and their potential consequences. The focus of attention is, however, on bringing together approaches for conserving open space for people (local inhabitants and their traditional economic activities, but also visitors) and natural heritage. Presentday regional and spatial planning practices related to Alpine open spaces in the Germanspeaking Alps and in Switzerland are presented and critically evaluated and future options for harmonising approaches across the borders are discussed

Border Insecurity: Reading Transnational Environments in Jim Lynch’s Border Songs

This article applies an eco-critical approach to contemporary American fiction about the Canada-US border, examining Jim Lynch’s portrayal of the British Columbia-Washington borderlands in his 2009 novel Border Songs. It argues that studying transnational environmental actors in border texts—in this case, marijuana, human migrants, and migratory birds—helps illuminate the contingency of political boundaries, problems of scale, and discourses of risk and security in cross-border regions after 9/11. Further, it suggests that widening the analysis of trans-border activity to include environmental phenomena productively troubles concepts of nature and regional belonging in an era of climate change and economic globalization. Cet article propose une lecture écocritique de la fiction étatsunienne contemporaine portant sur la frontière entre le Canada et les États-Unis, en étudiant le portrait donné par Jim Lynch de la région frontalière entre la Colombie-Britannique et Washington dans son roman Border Songs, paru en 2009. L’article soutient que l’étude, dans les textes sur la frontière, des acteurs environnementaux transnationaux – dans ce cas-ci, la marijuana, les migrants humains et les oiseaux migratoires – jette un jour nouveau sur la contingence des limites territoriales politiques, des problèmes d’échelle et des discours sur le risque et la sécurité des régions transfrontalières après les évènements du 11 septembre 2001. Il suggère également qu’en élargissant l’analyse de l’activité transfrontalière pour y inclure les phénomènes environnementaux, on brouille de façon productive les concepts de nature et d’appartenance régionale d’une époque marquée par les changements climatiques et la mondialisation de l’économie

Efficacy and Safety of Lacosamide in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate efficacy and safety of lacosamide compared with placebo in painful diabetic polyneuropathy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Diabetic patients with at least moderate neuropathic pain were randomized to placebo or lacosamide 400 (in a slow or standard titration) or 600 mg/day over 6-week titration and 12-week maintenance periods. Primary efficacy criterion was intra-individual change in average daily Numeric Pain Rating Scale score from baseline to the last 4 weeks. RESULTS: For the primary end point, pain reduction was numerically but not statistically greater with lacosamide compared with placebo (400 mg/day, P = 0.12; 600 mg/day, P = 0.18). Both doses were significantly more effective compared with placebo over the titration (P = 0.03, P = 0.006), maintenance (P = 0.01, P = 0.005), and entire treatment periods (P = 0.03, P = 0.02). Safety profiles between titration schemes were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Lacosamide reduced neuropathic pain and was well tolerated in diabetic patients, but the primary efficacy criterion was not met, possibly due to an increased placebo response over the last 4 weeks.status: publishe

Identification of differentially expressed proteins in sulfadiazine resistant and sensitive strains of Toxoplasma gondii using difference-gel electrophoresis (DIGE).

Treatment options for toxoplasmosis in humans are generally limited to the use of sulfonamide and/or pyrimethamine-based compounds. However, there is increasing evidence for clinical therapy failures in patients suggesting the existence of drug resistance in these classes of drug. In vitro resistance to sulfadiazine has been detected in three strains of Toxoplasma gondii isolated from clinical cases. In order to begin to understand the mechanisms of resistance, we undertook a difference-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) approach combined with mass spectrometry to identify proteins that are differentially expressed in sulfadiazine-resistance strains of the parasite. Naturally resistant strains TgA 103001 (Type I), TgH 32006 (Type II) and TgH 32045 (Type II variant) were compared to sensitive strains RH (Type I) and ME-49 (Type II) using DIGE and the modulated proteins analyzed using LC-MS/MS. In total, 68 differentially expressed protein spots were analyzed by mass spectrometer and 31 unique proteins, including four hypothetical proteins, were identified. Among the differentially expressed proteins, 44% were over-expressed in resistant strains and 56% were over-expressed in sensitive strains. The virulence-associated rhoptry protein, ROP2A, was found in greater abundance in both naturally resistant Type II strains TgH 32006 and TgH 32045 compared to the sensitive strain ME-49. Enolase 2 and IMC1 were found to be in greater abundance in sensitive strains RH and ME-49, and MIC2 was found to be more abundant in the sensitive strain ME-49. Proteins regulation of ROP2, MIC2, ENO2, IMC1 and GRA7 were confirmed by Western blot analysis. In addition, gene expression patterns of ROP2, MIC2, ENO2 and IMC1 were analyzed with qRT-PCR. This study provides the first proteomics insights into sulfadiazine resistance in T. gondii resistant strains isolated from clinical cases