Gotthelf und Dickens : Armutsdarstellungen im "Bauernspiegel", in den "Leiden und Freuden eines Schulmeisters" und im "Oliver Twist"

Armut und Armenpflege ist eines der großen Themen in der öffentlichen Diskussion und der Literatur der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts. So erstaunt es nur wenig, dass nahezu gleichzeitig zwei äusserst populäre Romane mit ähnlichen Verläufen sich mit dem Thema beschäftigen, obwohl keine intertextuelle Beeinflussung erkennbar ist: der "Bauernspiegel" (1837) von Albert Bitzius (1797–1854), in dem Bitzius das Pseudonym Jeremias Gotthelf, mit dem er als Schriftsteller bekannt wurde, das erste Mal benutzte, und "Oliver Twist, or The Parish Boy’s Progress" (1837–1839), der zweite Roman von Charles Dickens (1812–1870), unter dessen Pseudonym Boz erschienen. Auch Gotthelfs zweiter Roman, die "Leiden und Freuden eines Schulmeisters" (1838/39), beschäftigen sich mit der Armut, hier mit Bezug auf eines der weiteren großen Themen des frühen 19. Jahrhunderts, dem (Primar-)Schulwesen. Oliver Twist war als Reaktion auf das "New Poor Law" von 1834 entstanden, die Leiden und Freuden eines Schulmeister nehmen direkt Bezug auf die Schullehrertaxation von 1836 und das 1835 verabschiedete Berner Primarschulgesetz

How does innovation emerge in a service ecosystem?

To advance the study of innovation in complex settings, this study integrates the innovation, institutional theory, philosophy, and service-dominant logic literatures. Exploring the emergence of innovation and service ecosystem dynamics, researchers take an abductive approach anchored in over 4 years of case study data regarding a high technology solution in an Internet-of-Things setting. By framing innovation as a systemic process, the study reveals that (1) institutional reconciliation is an overlooked phase of innovation, (2) ideas are refined by four types of institutional reconciliation pressures (tensions, divergences, expected value, and service), and (3) innovation is influenced by plasticity in four ways (recursivity, temporality, complementarity, and continuity). Based on these findings, the authors outline a research agenda regarding four principles of innovation as a systemic process. The findings suggest that managers should nurture norms, rules, and beliefs through a systemic process that facilitates the emergence of innovation

Autonomic cardiac control in animal models of cardiovascular diseases II. Variability analysis in transgenic rats with alpha-tropomyosin mutations Asp175Asn and Glu180Gly

Animal models of cardiovascular diseases allow to investigate relevant pathogenetic mechanisms in detail. In the present study, the mutations Asp175Asn and Glu180Gly in alpha-tropomyosin (TPM1), known cause familiar hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) were studied for changes in hemodynamic parameters and spontaneous baroreflex regulation in transgenic rats in comparison to transgenic and non-transgenic controls by telemetry. Heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure variability (BPV) were analyzed using time- and frequency domain, as well as non-linear measures. The dual sequence method was used for the estimation of the baroreflex regulation. In transgenic rats harboring mutated TPM1, changes in HRV were detected during exercise, but not at rest. Both mutations, Asp175Asn and Glu180Gly, caused increased low frequency power. In addition, in animals with mutation Asp175Asn a reduced total HRV was observed. BPV did not show any differences between all transgenic animal lines. During exercise, a strong increase in the number of bradycardic and tachycardic fluctuations accompanied with decreased baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) was detected in animals with either TPM1 mutation, Asp175Asn or Glu180Gly. These data suggest, that the analysis of cardiac autonomic control, particularly of baroreflex regulation, represents a powerful non-invasive approach to investigate the effects of subtle changes in sarcomeric architecture on cardiac physiology in vivo. In case of mutations Asp175Asn or Glu180Gly in TPM1, early detection of alterations in autonomic cardiac control could help to prevent sudden cardiac death in affected persons

Comment on ``Conduction states in oxide perovskites: Three manifestations of Ti3+^{3 +} Jahn-Teller polarons in barium titanate''

In this comment to [S. Lenjer, O. F. Schirmer, H. Hesse, and Th. W. Kool, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 66}, 165106 (2002)] we discuss the electronic structure of oxygen vacancies in perovskites. First principles computations are in favour of rather deep levels in these vacancies, and Lenjer et al suggest that the electrons' interaction energy is negative, but data on electroconductivity are against.Comment: 2 pages, no figure

Colored Motifs Reveal Computational Building Blocks in the C. elegans Brain

Background: Complex networks can often be decomposed into less complex sub-networks whose structures can give hints about the functional organization of the network as a whole. However, these structural motifs can only tell one part of the functional story because in this analysis each node and edge is treated on an equal footing. In real networks, two motifs that are topologically identical but whose nodes perform very different functions will play very different roles in the network. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we combine structural information derived from the topology of the neuronal network of the nematode C. elegans with information about the biological function of these nodes, thus coloring nodes by function. We discover that particular colorations of motifs are significantly more abundant in the worm brain than expected by chance, and have particular computational functions that emphasize the feed-forward structure of information processing in the network, while evading feedback loops. Interneurons are strongly over-represented among the common motifs, supporting the notion that these motifs process and transduce the information from the sensor neurons towards the muscles. Some of the most common motifs identified in the search for significant colored motifs play a crucial role in the system of neurons controlling the worm's locomotion. Conclusions/Significance: The analysis of complex networks in terms of colored motifs combines two independent data sets to generate insight about these networks that cannot be obtained with either data set alone. The method is general and should allow a decomposition of any complex networks into its functional (rather than topological) motifs as long as both wiring and functional information is available

Randomized Placebo-Controlled Double-Blind Clinical Trial of Cannabis-Based Medicinal Product (Sativex) in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: Depression is a major confounding factor

Objective: To assess the efficacy of Sativex, a cannabis-based medicinal extract, as adjuvant treatment in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Research design and methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 30 subjects with painful DPN received daily Sativex or placebo. The primary outcome measure was change in mean daily pain scores, and secondary outcome measures included quality-of-life assessments. Results: There was significant improvement in pain scores in both groups, but mean change between groups was not significant. There were no significant differences in secondary outcome measures. Patients with depression had significantly greater baseline pain scores that improved regardless of intervention. Conclusions: This first-ever trial assessing the efficacy of cannabis has shown it to be no more efficacious than placebo in painful DPN. Depression was a major confounder and may have important implications for future trials on painful DPN