Commemoration and Cult of the Fallen in Germany post-1918

The First World War was commemorated in numerous ways in post-1918 Germany. Local and national monuments and activities of veterans? organizations? were some of the most visible forms of commemoration, although not the only ones. These commemorations rarely created unified mourning. Statements about the present and the future of Germany were linked to how the country commemorated its war dead. In contrast to what is often assumed, veterans? associations supporting the German Republic were as present in these debates as their anti-democratic counterparts. War commemorations in Weimar Germany did not create unifying national sites of mourning but commemorative practices were also not confined to national conservative or anti-republican sentiments

Veterans' Organisations (Germany)

War veterans? associations had a significant public voice in Weimar Germany as they claimed to represent the demands of those who had fought for the country. Divided into national, regional, and local branches, veterans? associations were often an important pillar of the local fabric of towns and villages

Ausnahmerecht, Gewalt und Selbstgleichschaltung. Die Machtergreifung der NSDAP 1933

Am 30. Januar 1933 marschierten 15 000 SA-Männer durch das Brandenburger Tor und bejubelten Adolf Hitler, der gegen Mittag zum Reichskanzler ernannt worden war. Gleichzeitig protestierten Kommunisten, Sozialdemokraten und Republikaner. 01 In der Rückschau wird dieser Moment oft als Beginn des „Dritten Reiches“ interpretiert. Zeitgenossen hatten einen anderen Eindruck. Wie lange die Nationalsozialisten an der Macht bleiben würden, war Anfang 1933 noch völlig offen. Intrigen und Taschenspielertricks eines kleinen Kreises rechtskonservativer Männer, die den eigenen Einfluss über- und die NS-Bewegung unterschätzten, hatten Hitler in den Sattel gehoben. 02 Sobald die Nationalsozialisten staatliche Schaltstellen innehatten, nutzten sie diese zur Machtsicherung und zum Umbau des Staates. Gewalt staatlicher und nicht-staatlicher Akteure unterstützte dieses Ziel. Bis zum Jahresende 1933 nahmen die Nationalsozialisten wohl mehr als 80 000 Personen in Haft. 500 Menschen, vielleicht doppelt so viele, wurden umgebracht oder starben an ihren Misshandlungen. 03 Der Jurist Ernst Fraenkel bezeichnete das für das „Dritte Reich“ typische Nebeneinander von Normenstaat (Gesetze) und Maßnahmenstaat (Willkür, Gewalt) später als „Doppelstaat“. 04 Außerdem konnten die Deutschen an der propagierten nationalsozialistischen „Volkgemeinschaft“ teilhaben. Formen der Selbstermächtigung verankerten das NS-Regime in der Gesellschaft. Die Nationalsozialisten folgten dabei keiner Blaupause. Mit einer Mischung aus Normenverachtung, Geschwindigkeit und Radikalität nutzten sie Möglichkeiten, die sich ihnen boten oder die sie selbst schufen

Optimization of Digital Image Correlation for High-Resolution Strain Mapping of Ceramic Composites

Digital image correlation (DIC) is assessed as a tool for measuring strains with high spatial resolution in woven-fiber ceramic matrix composites. Using results of mechanical tests on aluminum alloy specimens in various geometric configurations, guidelines are provided for selecting DIC test parameters to maximize the extent of correlation and to minimize errors in displacements and strains. The latter error is shown to be exacerbated by the presence of strain gradients. In a case study, the resulting guidelines are applied to the measurement of strain fields in a SiC/SiC composite comprising 2-D woven fiber. Sub-fiber tow resolution of strain and low strain error are achieved. The fiber weave architecture is seen to exert a significant influence over strain heterogeneity within the composite. Moreover, strain concentrations at tow crossovers lead to the formation of macroscopic cracks in adjacent longitudinal tows. Such cracks initially grow stably, subject to increasing applied stress, but ultimately lead to composite rupture. Once cracking is evident, the composite response is couched in terms of displacements, since the computed strains lack physical meaning in the vicinity of cracks. DIC is used to identify the locations of these cracks (via displacement discontinuities) and to measure the crack opening displacement profiles as a function of applied stress

An elastic–plastic constitutive model for ceramic composite laminates

Existing phenomenological constitutive models are unable to capture the full range of behaviors of ceramic composite laminates. To ameliorate this deficiency, we propose a new model based on the deformation theory of plasticity. The predictive capabilities of the model are assessed through comparisons of computed and measured strain and displacement fields in open-hole tension tests. The agreements in the magnitude of strains and in the size and shape of shear bands that develop around a hole are very good over most of the loading history. Some discrepancies are obtained at high stresses. These are tentatively attributed to non-proportional stressing of some material elements: a feature not captured by the present model

Similar NF-κB Gene Signatures in TNF-α Treated Human Endothelial Cells and Breast Tumor Biopsies

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse pathologies ranging from vascular and immune diseases to cancer. TNF-α is one of the mediators of endothelial dysfunction through the activation of transcription factors, including NF-κB. While HUVEC (macrovascular cells) have been largely used in the past, here, we documented an NF-κB gene signature in TNFα-stimulated microvascular endothelial cells HMEC often used in tumor angiogenesis studies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We measured mRNA expression of 55 NF-κB related genes using quantitative RT-PCR in HUVEC and HMEC. Our study identified twenty genes markedly up-regulated in response to TNFα, including adhesion molecules, cytokines, chemokines, and apoptosis regulators, some of them being identified as TNF-α-inducible genes for the first time in endothelial cells (two apoptosis regulators, TNFAIP3 and TNFRSF10B/Trail R2 (DR5), the chemokines GM-CSF/CSF2 and MCF/CSF1, and CD40 and TNF-α itself, as well as NF-κB components (RELB, NFKB1 or 50/p105 and NFKB2 or p52/p100). For eight genes, the fold induction was much higher in HMEC, as compared to HUVEC. Most importantly, our study described for the first time a connection between NF-κB activation and the induction of most, if not all, of these genes in HMEC as evaluated by pharmacological inhibition and RelA expression knock-down by RNA interference. Moreover, since TNF-α is highly expressed in tumors, we further applied the NF-κB gene signature documented in TNFα-stimulated endothelial cells to human breast tumors. We found a significant positive correlation between TNF and the majority (85 %) of the identified endothelial TNF-induced genes in a well-defined series of 96 (48 ERα positive and 48 ERα negative) breast tumors. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together these data suggest the potential use of this NF-κB gene signature in analyzing the role of TNF-α in the endothelial dysfunction, as well as in breast tumors independently of the presence of ERα

Anonymous Women? A Scoping Review of the Experiences of Women in Gamblers Anonymous (GA)

Women are participating in gambling at levels approaching those of men, and although levels of disordered gambling remain lower in women than in men, significant numbers are affected. Gamblers Anonymous (GA) is a mainstay of help to problem gamblers in many countries. A scoping review was conducted which specifically addressed the experiences of women who attend GA. Within the 25 identified relevant studies, only two reported empirical data on the specific numbers of women attending. A range of barriers still remain to the participation of women in these communities. These include ‘external’ barriers such as lack of referral and signposting, lack of accessible meetings, and costs of travel; ‘internal’ barriers such as shame, stigma, and fear of disclosure; and features of the GA meetings and discourse, such as a climate which is dismissive of women’s experiences