Jüdische Amulette aus Osteuropa

Meine Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit jüdischen Amuletten aus der geographischen Region Osteuropa, der Großteil dieser Objekte ist in die 2. Hälfte des 19. bis zum Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts zu datieren. Magie und Dämonenglaube waren besonders in Osteuropa stark verbreitet. Dies begründet sich auf kabbalistischen Einflüssen und Volksglauben im Judentum, die jedoch auch wesentlich von der Umgebung geprägt waren. Die magischen Bräuche existierten parallel zu offiziellen Religionen, deren Instanzen den Aberglauben oft ablehnten. Trotzdem waren volkstümliche Rituale und Magie in den Stehtln Osteuropas weit verbreitet, besonders unter chassidischen Juden. Baalei Schem, die sogenannten Wunder-Rabbis, bedeutet „Meister der heiligen Namen“. Dies impliziert deren Wissen das Schicksal und die Probleme von Hilfesuchenden unter zur Hilfenahme von heiligen Namen zu verbessern bzw. abzuwenden. In meiner Arbeit habe ich auch einige jüdische Ritualobjekte mit einbezogen. Diese wurden im wissenschaftlichen Kanon erstmals mit dem Aufkommen der Psychoanalyse um 1900 auch als Amulette definiert. Diese Publikationen finden sich primär in Freuds Imago und beschreiben diese Objekte unter Bezugnahme der Totem-Theorie als Identifikation mit dem Totem-Tier, und in weiterer Konsequenz mit dem Vater-Gott. Diese Hypothese ist primär für die Wissenschaftsgeschichte von Interesse, doch hilft uns der psychoanalytisch-anthropologische Zugang auch die Phänomene von Dybbukim, dem bösen Blick und der Lilith tiefer zu erforschen. Der Charakter der Lilith dient vor allem im jüdisch-orthodoxen Milieu als Projektionsfläche für Ängste und Phantasien um Sexualität und Fortpflanzung. In jüdischen Zauberbüchern, die in Osteuropa verwendet wurden, wird gerade der Ritualgegenstand der Mesusa als effektives Amulett gegen diese Dämonin beschrieben. Weiters habe ich Text-Amulette aus eben diesen Quellen meiner Arbeit inkludiert. Größter Popularität erfreuten sich Geburtsamulette, für einen Übergangsritus mit großen Gefahren und Risiken vor allem in abgelegenen, ländlichen Gegenden. Handgefertigte Scherenschnitte sowie gedruckte Geburtsamulette zeigen beinahe identische Textpassagen und Anrufungen, basierend auf früheren Beispielen auch aus anderen Regionen. Die zweitgrößte Gruppe der erhalten gebliebenen Stücke stellt die der Amulette gegen Epidemien von Rabbi Mosche Teitelbaum dar, gedruckt in der Karpaten-Region. Die Hand-Amulette gegen den bösen Blick haben ihren Ursprung vermutlich in Israel, sie formen die drittwichtigste Gruppe. Andere Amulette, welche in viel kleinerer Zahl oder singulär erhalten sind, befassen sich mit generelleren Problem und Wünschen wie der Bitte um Schutz oder Hoffnung auf Erfolg. Am Auffälligsten sind die Unterschiede zwischen den handgemachten und gedruckten Amuletten. Besonders die Scherenschnitte zeugen vom osteuropäischen Stil der Volkskunst, der auch die jüdische Ikonographie dieser Region mit beeinflusst hat. Im Gegensatz dazu stehen die Objekte von den An-Sky-Expeditionen, heute im Russischen Ethnographischen Museum in St. Petersburg, diese Amulette sind individueller und einfacher gestaltet. Die Verwendung von Amuletten stellt eine lebende Tradition dar, vor allem unter chassidischen Juden in Israel und Amerika. Einige Zeugnisse zeitgenössischer Stücke mit ähnlichen oder identischen Texten wie auf älteren osteuropäischen Stücken finden sich in meinem Resümee.My thesis is dealing with Jewish amulets from the geographical region of Eastern Europe, the majority of the objects dating back to the second half of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. Superstition and demonology was particularly widespread in Eastern Europe, owing to Kabbalistic influences and folk beliefs in Judaism, but also interactions with neighbouring cultures. Magical practice existed parallel to the official high religion, which mainly opposed superstitious beliefs. However, folkloristic rituals found their way into orthodox Stethls; this was particularly marked among Chassidic groups. Baalei Shem, the so-called wonder Rabbis, means Master of the Holy Names. This indicates their special knowledge, giving them the ability to redress worldly problems with the help of holy names. I have also included ritual objects defined as amulets in scholarly literature for the first time around the turn of the last century in psychoanalytic theory with the hype of psychoanalysis. These articles published in Freud’s Imago define these objects via the Totem theory as identification with the Totem animal, the parent and in further consequence with God-father. This hypothesis is mainly of interest for the history of science. But the psychoanalytic-anthropological approach helps us to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomena Dybbukim, the Evil Eye and Lilith. The character of Lilith serves as a projection of fears and phantasies surrounding sexuality and reproduction within the Jewish-Orthodox milieu; in Books of Charms used in Eastern Europe it is the Mezuzah which is also described as an effective amulet against this demoness. I have also included textual amulets from these sources in my work. The most common type of amulet seems to have been those for birth, a rite of passage involving great danger and risk, especially during a time in a rural neighbourhood without a doctor on call. The hand-made paper-cuts and the printed birth amulets both show similar textual compositions, which are based on earlier examples. The second biggest group is formed by the amulets against epidemic diseases ascribed to Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, printed in the Carpathian region. Remaining something of a mystery are the Magical Hand-Amulets against the evil eye, since we can only assume an origin in Israel. Other amulets, found in much smaller numbers or as single pieces, deal with general concerns like protection and hope for success. We are struck most by the differences between printed and hand-made examples. Especially the paper-cuts enable us to formulate a definition of the Eastern European style, in contrast the objects from the An-Sky expeditions, today in the Russian Museum of Ethnography, St. Petersburg, are the only one testifying to a pragmatic approach. The use of amulets is a living tradition, especially among Hasidic Jews who also have brought amulets from Eastern Europe to Israel and the New World. I have included a few contemporary examples based on the very same textual combinations used in Eastern Europe in my conclusion

The role of long waves in the stability of the plane wake

This work is directed towards investigating the fate of three-dimensional long perturbation waves in a plane incompressible wake. The analysis is posed as an initial-value problem in space. More specifically, input is made at an initial location in the downstream direction and then tracing the resulting behavior further downstream subject to the restriction of finite kinetic energy. This presentation follows the outline given by Criminale and Drazin [Stud. in Applied Math. \textbf{83}, 123 (1990)] that describes the system in terms of perturbation vorticity and velocity. The analysis is based on large scale waves and expansions using multi scales and multi times for the partial differential equations. The multiscaling is based on an approach where the small parameter is linked to the perturbation property independently from the flow control parameter. Solutions of the perturbative equations are determined numerically after the introduction of a regular perturbation scheme analytically deduced up to the second order. Numerically, the complete linear system is also integrated. Since the results relevant to the complete problem are in very good agreement with the results of the first order analysis, the numerical solution at the second order was deemed not necessary. The use for an arbitrary initial-value problem will be shown to contain a wealth of information for the different transient behaviors associated to the symmetry, angle of obliquity and spatial decay of the long waves. The amplification factor of transversal perturbations never presents the trend - a growth followed by a long damping - usually seen in waves with wavenumber of order one or less. Asymptotical instability is always observed.Comment: accepted Physical Review E, March 201

Biogas Upgrading: A Review of National Biomethane Strategies and Support Policies in Selected Countries

Bioenergy contributes significantly towards the share of renewable energies, in Europe and worldwide. Besides solid and liquid biofuels, gaseous biofuels, such as biogas or upgraded biogas (biomethane), are an established renewable fuel in Europe. Although many studies consider biomethane technologies, feedstock potentials, or sustainability issues, the literature on the required legislative framework for market introduction is limited. Therefore, this research aims at identifying the market and legislative framework conditions in the three leading biomethane markets in Europe and compare them to the framework conditions of the top six non-European biomethane markets. This study shows the global status and national differences in promoting this renewable energy carrier. For the cross-country comparison, a systematic and iterative literature review is conducted. The results show the top three European biomethane markets (Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden) and the six non-European biomethane markets (Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States of America), pursuing different promotion approaches and framework conditions. Noteworthy cross-national findings are the role of state-level incentives, the tendency to utilise biomethane as vehicular fuel and the focus on residues and waste as feedstock for biomethane production. Presenting a cross-country comparison, this study supports cross-country learning for the promotion of renewable energies like biomethane and gives a pertinent overview of the work

Überlegungen zu Krieg und Konflikt im Brettspiel

Einleitende Überlegungen zu Krieg und Konflikt im Brettspiel

Associations of objectively assessed physical activity and sedantary time

Background Sedentary behavior is related to increased mortality risk. Whether such elevated risk can be offset by enhanced physical activity has not been examined using accelerometry data. Materials and Methods We examined the relations of sedentary time and physical activity to mortality from any cause using accelerometry data among 1,677 women and men aged 50 years or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004 cycle with follow-up through December 31, 2006. Results During an average follow-up of 34.67 months and 4,845.42 person-years, 112 deaths occurred. In multivariate Cox proportional hazard models, greater sedentary time (≥ median of 8.60 hours/day) was associated with increased risk of mortality from any cause (relative risk (RR) = 2.03; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09-3.81). Low level of moderate to vigorous physical activity (< median of 6.60 minutes/day) was also related to enhanced all-cause mortality risk (RR = 3.30; 95% CI = 1.33-8.17). In combined analyses, greater time spent sedentary and low levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity predicted a substantially elevated all-cause mortality risk. As compared with the combination of a low sedentary level and a high level of moderate to vigorous physical activity, the risks of mortality from all causes were 4.38 (95% CI = 1.26-15.16) for low levels of both sedentary time and physical activity, 2.79 (95% CI = 0.77-10.12) for greater time spent sedentary and high physical activity level, and 7.79 (95% CI = 2.26-26.82) for greater time spent sedentary and low physical activity level. The interaction term between sedentary time and moderate to vigorous physical activity was not statistically significant (p = 0.508). Conclusions Both high levels of sedentary time and low levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity are strong and independent predictors of early death from any cause. Whether a high physical activity level removes the increased risk of all-cause mortality related to sedentariness requires further investigation

Erioflorin stabilizes the tumor suppressor Pdcd4 by inhibiting its interaction with the E3-ligase β-TrCP1

Loss of the tumor suppressor Pdcd4 was reported for various tumor entities and proposed as a prognostic marker in tumorigenesis. We previously characterized decreased Pdcd4 protein stability in response to mitogenic stimuli, which resulted from p70S6K1-dependent protein phosphorylation, β-TrCP1-mediated ubiquitination, and proteasomal destruction. Following high-throughput screening of natural product extract libraries using a luciferase-based reporter assay to monitor phosphorylation-dependent proteasomal degradation of the tumor suppressor Pdcd4, we succeeded in showing that a crude extract from Eriophyllum lanatum stabilized Pdcd4 from TPA-induced degradation. Erioflorin was identified as the active component and inhibited not only degradation of the Pdcd4-luciferase-based reporter but also of endogenous Pdcd4 at low micromolar concentrations. Mechanistically, erioflorin interfered with the interaction between the E3-ubiquitin ligase β-TrCP1 and Pdcd4 in cell culture and in in vitro binding assays, consequently decreasing ubiquitination and degradation of Pdcd4. Interestingly, while erioflorin stabilized additional β-TrCP-targets (such as IκBα and β-catenin), it did not prevent the degradation of targets of other E3-ubiquitin ligases such as p21 (a Skp2-target) and HIF-1α (a pVHL-target), implying selectivity for β-TrCP. Moreover, erioflorin inhibited the tumor-associated activity of known Pdcd4- and IκBα-regulated αtranscription factors, that is, AP-1 and NF-κB, altered cell cycle progression and suppressed proliferation of various cancer cell lines. Our studies succeeded in identifying erioflorin as a novel Pdcd4 stabilizer that inhibits the interaction of Pdcd4 with the E3-ubiquitin ligase β-TrCP1. Inhibition of E3-ligase/target-protein interactions may offer the possibility to target degradation of specific proteins only as compared to general proteasome inhibition

The spliceosomal autoantigen heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2 (hnRNP-A2) is a major T cell autoantigen in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

A hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the appearance of autoantibodies to nuclear antigens, including autoantibodies directed to the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2 (hnRNP-A2), which occur in 20% to 30% of SLE patients as well as in animal models of this disease. To investigate the underlying cellular reactivity and to gain further insight into the nature and potential pathogenic role of this autoimmune response we characterized the T cell reactivity against hnRNP-A2 in patients with SLE in comparison to healthy controls. Cellular proliferation of peripheral blood T cells to hnRNP-A2 was determined by [3H]thymidine incorporation and T cell clones (TCCs) specific for hnRNP-A2 were grown by limiting dilution cloning; IFNγ, IL-4 and IL-10 in culture supernatants were measured by ELISA. Bioactivity of culture supernatants was determined by incubation of anti-CD3/anti-CD28 stimulated peripheral blood CD4+ T cells with supernatants of TCCs. Stimulation assays performed with peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 35 SLE patients and 21 healthy controls revealed pronounced proliferative responses in 66% of SLE patients and in 24% of the controls, which were significantly higher in SLE patients (p < 0.00002). Furthermore, hnRNP-A2 specific TCCs generated from SLE patients (n = 22) contained a relatively high proportion of CD8+ clones and mostly lacked CD28 expression, in contrast to TCCs derived from healthy controls (n = 12). All CD4+ TCCs of patients and all control TCCs secreted IFNγ and no IL-4. In contrast, CD8+ TCCs of patients secreted very little IFNγ, while production of IL-10 did not significantly differ from other T cell subsets. Interestingly, all CD8+ clones producing IL-10 in large excess over IFNγ lacked expression of CD28. Functional assays showed a stimulatory effect of the supernatants derived from these CD8+CD28- hnRNP-A2 specific TCCs that was similar to that of CD4+CD28+ clones. Taken together, the pronounced peripheral T cell reactivity to hnRNP-A2 observed in the majority of SLE patients and the distinct phenotype of patient-derived CD8+ TCCs suggest a role for these T cells in the pathogenesis of SLE

Linear waves in sheared flows. Lower bound of the vorticity growth and propagation discontinuities in the parameters space

This study provides sufficient conditions for the temporal monotonic decay of enstrophy for two-dimensional perturbations traveling in the incompressible, viscous, plane Poiseuille and Couette flows. Extension of J. L. Synge's procedure (1938) to the initial-value problem allowed us to find the region of the wavenumber-Reynolds number map where the enstrophy of any initial disturbance cannot grow. This region is wider than the kinetic energy's one. We also show that the parameters space is split in two regions with clearly distinct propagation and dispersion properties