"Wenig Talent, Sohn zu sein"

Rainer Maria Rilke war ein außerordentlicher Briefschreiber. Weit mehr als 10.000 Briefe sind erhalten, in beinahe 100 Editionen liegt ein Teil seiner Korrespondenzen vor, doch sind noch lange nicht alle erhaltenen Briefe publiziert. 2009 legte Hella Sieber-Rilke, Ehefrau von Rilkes Enkel Christoph Sieber-Rilke, alle erhaltenen Briefe an seine Mutter Sophia Rilke aus dem Zeitraum 1896 bis 1926 vor. Der sich über 30 Jahre erstreckende Briefverkehr zwischen Mutter und Sohn zeigt starke Differenzen in der Briefschreibe-Tätigkeit des Sohnes. Im Auf und Ab der Kor-respondenz lassen sich Phasen der Zu- und Abwendung von der Mutter ausmachen, die nicht nur im vorliegenden Briefverkehr, sondern auch im Werk und der Biografie Rilkes zu verankern sind. Durch Aufschlüsselung dieser Schreibphasen auf inhaltlicher und stilistischer Ebene lässt sich eine eindeutige Tendenz des Schreibers gegenüber seiner Adressatin nachvollziehen: Der anfängliche Versuch des Sohnes, sich gegenüber der Mutter zu emanzipieren, scheitert an der Uneinsichtigkeit der Briefpartnerin, die die Sensibilität des Künstlers wie den Willen zur Eigenständigkeit des Sohnes verkennt. Die mangelnde Gleichwertigkeit der Briefpartner führt zu einem Scheitern der Korrespondenz, indem die Briefe inhaltlich nicht mehr über den Status der Verteidigung der eigenen Position hinauskommen und die Zwanghaftigkeit des Briefe-Schreibens immer deutlicher zutage tritt. Das Scheitern der Korrespondenz bedeutet darüber hinaus ein Scheitern der Mutter-Sohn-Beziehung, da sich das Verhältnis der Protagonisten vornehmlich auf die briefliche Kommunikation beschränkte. Vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Problem der Mutter-Sohn-Beziehung im Allgemeinen und fokussiert weniger die biografische Situation zwischen Rainer Maria und Sophia Rilke. Diese Vorgangsweise ermöglicht es, den Briefverkehr als literarisches Werk aufzufassen und seine Struktur wie auch die behandelten Themen in einem größeren Maßstab zu behandeln. So wird die Problematik einer gescheiterten Mutter-Sohn-Konstellation in verschiedene Diskurse der Entstehungszeit einbezogen, um die Rilke’schen Mutter-Briefe als Beitrag zur Diskussion der Zeit zu bestätigen.Rainer Maria Rilke was an exceptional letter writer. Far more than 10.000 letters are well preserved and parts of his correspondences are contained in close to 100 editions. However, there have by far not all of his letters been published yet. In 2009, Hella Sieber-Rilke, the wife of Rilke’s grandson Christoph Sieber-Rilke, presented all of the received letters on his mother Sophia Rilke from the period 1896–1926. The 30-year-long correspondence between mother and son shows strong distinctions in the son’s letter-writing activity. The up and down of their correspondence points out phases of affection and aversion which are not only anchored in the correspondence treated in this document but can also be found in Rilke’s works and biography. A break-down of these writing phases on the bases of content as well as style presents an unam-biguous tendency of the writer towards his receiver: The son’s initial attempt to emanci-pate himself from his mother fails on the mother’s inability to understand the artist’s sensitivity as well as his will of independence. This lack of equality in their conversation leads to a failure of their correspondence. The letters don’t get beyond a status of defending each position and the forced tone in their letters becomes more and more obvious. Beyond that, the failure of their correspon-dence also means a failure of the mother-son-relationship in total, as their connection was primarily restricted to postal communication. This paper deals with the problem of the mother-son-relationship generally and is less focussed on the biographical situation between Rainer Maria and Sophia Rilke. This procedure makes it possible to interpret the correspondence as a literary work and to treat its structure as well as the subjects dealt with in a bigger scale. The problematic nature of a failed mother-son-constellation gets transferred into various discourses of its time of origin to confirm Rilke’s letters to his mother as a contribution to the discussion of its time

Does Adherence Moderate the Effect of Physical or Mental Training on Episodic Memory in Older Women?

Objective: The aim was to investigate the overall amount of time spent on physical or mental activity training units (i.e., adherence) as a predictor of episodic memory performance in older healthy women. Methods: Women (N = 171, aged 70 -93 years) took part in a 6-month randomized controlled trial (physical activity or computer training, 3 times weekly). Pre-and post-intervention episodic memory and adherence were assessed. Adherence covers the objectively measured frequency of training participation including travel time to and from course sites. Results: Within the physical exercise group, adherence (β = .19, p = .03) had positive effects on cognitive performance. In the computer group, an interaction between adherence and pre-intervention episodic memory (β = −.17, p = .056) indicated improvement for low-ability women. Conclusions: Adhering to a stimulating mental or physical activity intervention is a prerequisite for healthy older women to maintain or slightly improve their episodic memory performance. Travel activity should be taken into account to cover an overall stimulation. Adherence to mental activity training indicates a moderating effect of mental activity training on episodic memory. Predominantly low-ability women improve their episodic memory performance. In contrast, adherence to physical activity training is positively associated with cognitive performance, regardless of pre-intervention episodic memory performance

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Mitochondrial physiology

As the knowledge base and importance of mitochondrial physiology to evolution, health and disease expands, the necessity for harmonizing the terminology concerning mitochondrial respiratory states and rates has become increasingly apparent. The chemiosmotic theory establishes the mechanism of energy transformation and coupling in oxidative phosphorylation. The unifying concept of the protonmotive force provides the framework for developing a consistent theoretical foundation of mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics. We follow the latest SI guidelines and those of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on terminology in physical chemistry, extended by considerations of open systems and thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The concept-driven constructive terminology incorporates the meaning of each quantity and aligns concepts and symbols with the nomenclature of classical bioenergetics. We endeavour to provide a balanced view of mitochondrial respiratory control and a critical discussion on reporting data of mitochondrial respiration in terms of metabolic flows and fluxes. Uniform standards for evaluation of respiratory states and rates will ultimately contribute to reproducibility between laboratories and thus support the development of data repositories of mitochondrial respiratory function in species, tissues, and cells. Clarity of concept and consistency of nomenclature facilitate effective transdisciplinary communication, education, and ultimately further discovery

Adherence to physical and mental activity interventions: Coping plans as a mediator and prior adherence as a moderator

Objective. Adherence to behavioural intervention programmes is a necessary condition for beneficial outcomes to be achieved. This study tested whether social cognitive variables and coping plans predict adherence. Design and methods. Adherence was examined in a randomized controlled trial with healthy older women (age range: 70-93 years), who were randomized to a physical (N = 86) or a mental (N = 85) activity intervention. Intentions, self-efficacies, coping plans, and objectively measured adherence levels were assessed. A moderated mediation analysis evaluated the power of coping plans to translate intention into behaviour, depending on levels of prior adherence. Results. Adherence to the physical activity programme (65%) was significantly lower than adherence to the mental activity programme (84%, p < .001). Intentions (␤ = .22) weakly predicted adherence in the initiation period of the physical activity programme (6 weeks); pre-action self-efficacy predicted adherence in the initiation period of the mental activity programme (␤ = .35). In both groups, coping plans predicted midperiod adherence (10 weeks) and long-term adherence (20 weeks), moderated by prior adherence (all ps < .01). Coping plans mediated the relationship between intentions and behaviour only in the exercise condition. Conclusions. Instructing older individuals to generate coping plans facilitated their adherence to physical and mental activity programmes. This effect was larger for participants with lower levels of prior adherence -and may have prevented them from dropping out of the programme