Bodily Experience and Suppressed Female Values: A Pathway through Works of Literature, Art and the Labyrinth

This presentation is part of the Value and the Body track. In my paper I will question the relation between bodily experience and female values. The debate on gender and gender equality has made it quite difficult to use the word ‘female’ or to refer to the female body. Is it possible to presuppose an analogy of body and values similar to the one Immanuel Kant probably had in mind, when in the Critique of Practical Reason (1788) he admired “the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me”? Even if my paper will not primarily be about moral values Kant’s analogy may inspire to take a closer look at the relationship between the experience of the own body and the order of the world outside, i.e. the structure of the symbolic order. My analysis of that relationship will take place in the field of culture – I will refer to works of art and literature. The first part will be based on Julia Kristeva’s theory of language as she presents it in Revolution in Poetic Language (1974) and on her understanding of the woman artist in the last chapter of About Chinese Women (1974). With the distinction of the semiotic and the symbolic aspect of the signifying process she describes the “alchemy of the word within its sounds”. In part two, I will present some recent research on the labyrinth. The path which leads through the labyrinth can be understood as a metaphor for the path of life, which also is a pathway through your own body. I want to elaborate this metaphoric meaning of the labyrinth especially from a female perspective. This leads to part three of my paper. There I will ask about values in a special way: I will focus on an almost lost female tradition in our societies which only during the last decades has been rediscovered. I will do so in referring to objects of art and literature. Part 1: As my former work on Kristeva has shown, the concentration on the emergence of language within the period of early childhood is highlighting two aspects of the signifying process: the first is the bodily bonding of every speech act. Secondly Kristeva is able to explain the female roots of a phenomenon, which in many different languages of the world is called “mother tongue”, “Muttersprache”, “langue maternelle” etc. Various quotations of poetry and literature exemplify this aspect in part II of Revolution in Poetic Language. The relation between experience and language acquisition can be described as an interdependent relation and a permanent exchange between the Symbolic and the Semiotic. A closer look at this interrelation reveals that many of the bodily and semiotic aspects were traditionally identified as female and that they were often neglected. To focus on this neglected female aspect shall not lead to draw any normative conclusions neither for women nor for men. Only then Kristeva’s theory of the Semiotic and the Symbolic can be understood as a revolution which takes place within language. The transformation it effects influences not only individual but also social and political structures. A short look at theories of theories of the Social Contract which mostly forgot the bodily aspect of our being and especially the importance of women’s work for our societies can illustrate this fact (see Seyla Benhabib “The Generalized and the Concrete Other”, 1987). Part 2: The different interpretations of the labyrinth can exemplify what has happened to a female cultural knowledge during the formation of patriarchal civilization. In our times people usually understand the labyrinth as a place where you can get lost. This interpretation is relatively young compared to an older meaning of labyrinth. I here refer to the structure of the labyrinth in Crete. In this kind of labyrinth only one path exists, meandering, making many turns. One cannot get lost in this labyrinth or take a wrong decision. Walking through this labyrinth life feels more like being home than going on an odyssey (also see my critique of the psychoanalytic notion of castration in the article “Homelessness or Symbolic Castration”, Bettina Schmitz, 2005). This insight of the labyrinth can be completed with the three aspects of the Goddess symbolizing the three ages of a woman: the white one, young and independent; the red one, the woman in her middle ages, fertile and creative; and the black one, old and wise (here I follow Lisa Kuttner “Die drei Lebensphasen der Frau. Ein Heilungsritual im Labyrinth”, 2006). I will also refer to Riane Eisler’s analysis of the problems of suppressed cultures in The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future (1987). Part 3: Finally this discussion shall be carried forward to the field of art. How can we overcome the aporias of a female culture within patriarchal tradition? This will be demonstrated and discussed along the understanding of the woman artist in the work of Julia Kristeva and Judy Chicago. To refer to bodily experience and to the female body opens up new spaces in art and culture (and in the political order). Art – but philosophy and other disciplines as well – can become a place where the traditional limitations of patriarchal rationality are left behind

Semantic Network Analysis of Ontologies

A key argument for modeling knowledge in ontologies is the easy re-use and re-engineering of the knowledge. However, current ontology engineering tools provide only basic functionalities for analyzing ontologies. Since ontologies can be considered as graphs, graph analysis techniques are a suitable answer for this need. Graph analysis has been performed by sociologists for over 60 years, and resulted in the vivid research area of Social Network Analysis (SNA). While social network structures currently receive high attention in the Semantic Web community, there are only very few SNA applications, and virtually none for analyzing the structure of ontologies. We illustrate the benefits of applying SNA to ontologies and the Semantic Web, and discuss which research topics arise on the edge between the two areas. In particular, we discuss how different notions of centrality describe the core content and structure of an ontology. From the rather simple notion of degree centrality over betweenness centrality to the more complex eigenvector centrality, we illustrate the insights these measures provide on two ontologies, which are different in purpose, scope, and size

Influence of atmospheric circulation on turbulent air-sea heat fluxes over the Mediterranean Sea during winter

The influence of the winter atmospheric circulation on the turbulent variables of the air-sea boundary layer in the Mediterranean Sea is investigated. We examine the effects of several climatic indices and the corresponding large scale atmospheric patterns on the above variables by using a correlation analysis. The spatial characteristics and the behavior of the turbulent variables are also examined based on standard deviation and EOF analysis. Two main types of response to the index-specified atmospheric patterns have been identified: (1) A relatively uniform response of the entire basin associated with the influence of the East Atlantic pattern and (2) opposite responses in the western and eastern sub-basins linked mainly to the intrabasin SLP. The latter is a combined effect of the first four modes of atmospheric variability in the North Atlantic/Eurasia region, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the East Atlantic Pattern (EA), the Scandinavian Pattern (SCAND), and the East Atlantic-West Russia Pattern (EAWR). The two identified responses of the Mediterranean Sea to the atmospheric forcing are also in accordance with the primary modes of variability of the turbulent variables that result in the EOF analysis. All of the statistically independent indices (NAO, EA, SCAND, EAWR) have to be considered in order to fully account for the modulation of the turbulent variables in the Mediterranean Sea. As an example we refer to the mechanism through which, independent modes of atmospheric variability contributed to the Eastern Mediterranean Transient event between 1987 and 1995. © 2012 by the American Geophysical Union.Peer Reviewe

Risk-Adjusted Cancer Screening and Prevention (RiskAP): Complementing Screening for Early Disease Detection by a Learning Screening Based on Risk Factors

Breast cancer; Evidence-generating care; Risk-adjusted preventionCáncer de mama; Atención generadora de evidencia; Prevención ajustada al riesgoCàncer de mama; Atenció generadora d'evidències; Prevenció ajustada al riscBackground: Risk-adjusted cancer screening and prevention is a promising and continuously emerging option for improving cancer prevention. It is driven by increasing knowledge of risk factors and the ability to determine them for individual risk prediction. However, there is a knowledge gap between evidence of increased risk and evidence of the effectiveness and efficiency of clinical preventive interventions based on increased risk. This gap is, in particular, aggravated by the extensive availability of genetic risk factor diagnostics, since the question of appropriate preventive measures immediately arises when an increased risk is identified. However, collecting proof of effective preventive measures, ideally by prospective randomized preventive studies, typically requires very long periods of time, while the knowledge about an increased risk immediately creates a high demand for action. Summary: Therefore, we propose a risk-adjusted prevention concept that is based on the best current evidence making needed and appropriate preventive measures available, and which is constantly evaluated through outcome evaluation, and continuously improved based on these results. We further discuss the structural and procedural requirements as well as legal and socioeconomical aspects relevant for the implementation of this concept.The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health (grant No. 2515FSB401 to Rita Schmutzler and Christiane Woopen) for supporting the international expert meetings, and a grant of the EU Horizon 2020 program, BRIDGES (grant No. 634935, PI Peter Devilee, WP5-PI Rita Schmutzler), for the compilation of the most recent findings of genetic risk prediction

Semantics and technologies in modern design of interior stairs

Use of metal in the design of interior stairs presents new features for shaping, and can be implemented using different technologies. The article discusses the features of design and production technologies of forged metal spiral staircase considering the image semantics based on the historical and cultural heritage. To achieve the objective was applied structural-semantic method (to identify the organization of structure and semantic features of the artistic image), engineering methods (to justify the construction of the object), anthropometry method and ergonomics (to provide usability), methods of comparative analysis (to reveale the features of the way the ladder in different periods of culture). According to the research results are as follows. Was revealed the semantics influence on the design of interior staircase that is based on the World Tree image. Also was suggested rational calculation of steps to ensure the required strength. And finally was presented technology, providing the realization of the artistic image. In the practical part of the work is presented version of forged staircase

Two Modes of Transcriptional Activation at Native Promoters by NF-κB p65

The NF-κB family of transcription factors is crucial for the expression of multiple genes involved in cell survival, proliferation, differentiation, and inflammation. The molecular basis by which NF-κB activates endogenous promoters is largely unknown, but it seems likely that it should include the means to tailor transcriptional output to match the wide functional range of its target genes. To dissect NF-κB–driven transcription at native promoters, we disrupted the interaction between NF-κB p65 and the Mediator complex. We found that expression of many endogenous NF-κB target genes depends on direct contact between p65 and Mediator, and that this occurs through the Trap-80 subunit and the TA1 and TA2 regions of p65. Unexpectedly, however, a subset of p65-dependent genes are transcribed normally even when the interaction of p65 with Mediator is abolished. Moreover, a mutant form of p65 lacking all transcription activation domains previously identified in vitro can still activate such promoters in vivo. We found that without p65, native NF-κB target promoters cannot be bound by secondary transcription factors. Artificial recruitment of a secondary transcription factor was able to restore transcription of an otherwise NF-κB–dependent target gene in the absence of p65, showing that the control of promoter occupancy constitutes a second, independent mode of transcriptional activation by p65. This mode enables a subset of promoters to utilize a wide choice of transcription factors, with the potential to regulate their expression accordingly, whilst remaining dependent for their activation on NF-κB

Microbiome variation in corals with distinct depth distribution ranges across a shallow-mesophotic gradient (15-85 m)

Mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) are generally poorly studied, and our knowledge of lower MCEs (below 60 m depth) is largely limited to visual surveys. Here, we provide a first detailed assessment of the prokaryotic community associated with scleractinian corals over a depth gradient to the lower mesophotic realm (15-85 m). Specimens of three Caribbean coral species exhibiting differences in their depth distribution ranges (Agaricia grahamae, Madracis pharensis and Stephanocoenia intersepta) were collected with a manned submersible on the island of Cura double dagger ao, and their prokaryotic communities assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. Corals with narrower depth distribution ranges (depth-specialists) were associated with a stable prokaryotic community, whereas corals with a broader niche range (depth-generalists) revealed a higher variability in their prokaryotic community. The observed depth effects match previously described patterns in Symbiodinium depth zonation. This highlights the contribution of structured microbial communities over depth to the coral's ability to colonize a broader depth range.Austrian Science Fund (FWF); Catlin Group Limited; Global Change Institute; Eddie Bauer Grant for Expeditions by The Explorers Club; Marie Curie Fellowship [FP7-299320]; Lise Meitner Program of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) [M1363-B20]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Risk-Adjusted Cancer Screening and Prevention (RiskAP): Complementing Screening for Early Disease Detection by a Learning Screening Based on Risk Factors

Background: Risk-adjusted cancer screening and prevention is a promising and continuously emerging option for improving cancer prevention. It is driven by increasing knowledge of risk factors and the ability to determine them for individual risk prediction. However, there is a knowledge gap between evidence of increased risk and evidence of the effectiveness and efficiency of clinical preventive interventions based on increased risk. This gap is, in particular, aggravated by the extensive availability of genetic risk factor diagnostics, since the question of appropriate preventive measures immediately arises when an increased risk is identified. However, collecting proof of effective preventive measures, ideally by prospective randomized preventive studies, typically requires very long periods of time, while the knowledge about an increased risk immediately creates a high demand for action. Summary: Therefore, we propose a risk-adjusted prevention concept that is based on the best current evidence making needed and appropriate preventive measures available, and which is constantly evaluated through outcome evaluation, and continuously improved based on these results. We further discuss the structural and procedural requirements as well as legal and socioeconomical aspects relevant for the implementation of this concept