Hoisted by their Own Petard: The Emergence of Sri Lankan Buddhist Printing and Counter-Christian Activities

This contribution describes the emergence of print technology in Sri Lanka and the role it played in shaping modern Sri Lankan Buddhism, as exemplified by the case study of the textual transmission of the Mahāvaṃsa, a chronicle of the history of Sri Lanka. The first part is devoted to a description of the reception of this work in the European scholarly tradition, followed by a brief examination of the interaction of oral and manuscript transmission of Buddhist texts in pre-modern Sri Lankan Buddhist culture and society. Vaṃsa literature can be seen as a product of the change from orality to writing. The establishment of printing culture in the nineteenth century however changed the status of this type of literature. The rediscovery of vaṃsa literature by European scholars caused a change in the reception and use of this genre in Sri Lanka. Thus, in recent times vaṃsas are seen as historical literature and play an important part in Sinhala Nationalism

Joseph Ludwig Stolls Leben und literarisches Schaffen

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Leben und literarischen Schaffen des österreichischen Dichters Joseph Ludwig Stoll, dessen literarische Huldigung sich in dem Gedicht Ludwig Uhlands „Auf einen verhungerten Dichter“ findet. Joseph Ludwig Stoll war der Sohn des bekannten Arztes Maximilian Stoll (1742-1787) und dessen Frau Johanna Xaveria Stoll, geborene Molitor von Mühlfeld (1741-1792). Joseph Ludwig wurde am 31. März 1777 in der Wiener Schottenpfarre getauft und seine letzten Lebenszeugnisse entstammen dem Jahr 1813. Er starb in ärmlichen Verhältnissen, mutmaßlich am 22. Juni 1815 ebenfalls in Wien, wobei sein Sterbeprotokoll nicht aufgefunden werden konnte. Joseph Ludwig Stolls Werk umfasst sechs überlieferte Theaterstücke sowie zahlreiche Gedichte, die hauptsächlich in Zeitschriften und Musenalmanachen der Zeit abgedruckt wurden. Darüber hinaus betätigte er sich als Herausgeber der Zeitschrift „Prometheus“, ein gemeinsames Projekt mit dem Literaten Leopold von Seckendorf, aus deren gemeinsamer Herausgeberschaft im Jahr 1808 sechs Hefte in Wien erschienen. Stolls Werk erscheint als poetisches Ergebnis seiner frühen Bildungsreisen sowie der literarischen Szene um 1800. Es lässt sich eine starke Einflussnahme der literarischen Strömungen der Zeit innerhalb und außerhalb Österreichs in seinen Schriften erkennen. Doch bleibt sein Schaffen auf durchschnittlichem Niveau und in der Nachahmung von großen Vorbildern seiner Zeit verhaftet

Aktivierung und Feedback - Der Einsatz von Just-in-Time Teaching und Peer Instruction in einer Analysis-Veranstaltung

Die lernerzentrierten Methoden Just-in-Time Teaching und Peer Instruction wurden im Rahmen des Projekts HD MINT an der Hochschule München in einer Analysis-Veranstaltung eingesetzt: Ziel ist es, Studierende aktiv an der Vorlesung zu beteiligen und sowohl dem Dozenten als auch den Studierenden jederzeit Feedback zum Leistungsstand und dem Grad des Verstehens zu ermöglichen

Are there memory effects on greenhouse gas emissions (CO2_{2}, N2_{2}O and CH4_{4}) following grassland restoration?

A 5-year greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange study of the three major gas species (CO$_{2}$, CH$_{4}$ and N$_{2}$O) from an intensively managed permanent grassland in Switzerland is presented. Measurements comprise 2 years (2010 and 2011) of manual static chamber measurements of CH$_{4}$ and N$_{2}$O, 5 years of continuous eddy covariance (EC) measurements (CO$_{2}$–H$_{2}$O – 2010–2014), and 3 years (2012–2014) of EC measurement of CH$_{4}$ and N$_{2}$O. Intensive grassland management included both regular and sporadic management activities. Regular management practices encompassed mowing (three to five cuts per year) with subsequent organic fertilizer amendments and occasional grazing, whereas sporadic management activities comprised grazing or similar activities. The primary objective of our measurements was to compare pre-plowing to post-plowing GHG exchange and to identify potential memory effects of such a substantial disturbance on GHG exchange and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) gains and losses. In order to include measurements carried out with different observation techniques, we tested two different measurement techniques jointly in 2013, namely the manual static chamber approach and the eddy covariance technique for N$_{2}$O, to quantify the GHG exchange from the observed grassland site. Our results showed that there were no memory effects on N$_{2}$O and CH$_{4}$ emissions after plowing, whereas the CO$_{2}$ uptake of the site considerably increased when compared to pre-restoration years. In detail, we observed large losses of CO$_{2}$ and N$_{2}$O during the year of restoration. In contrast, the grassland acted as a carbon sink under usual management, i.e., the time periods 2010–2011 and 2013–2014. Enhanced emissions and emission peaks of N$_{2}$O (defined as exceeding background emissions 0.21 ± 0.55 nmol m$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ (SE = 0.02) for at least 2 sequential days and the 7 d moving average exceeding background emissions) were observed for almost 7 continuous months after restoration as well as following organic fertilizer applications during all years. Net ecosystem exchange of CO$_{2}$ (NEECO$_{2}$) showed a common pattern of increased uptake of CO$_{2}$ in spring and reduced uptake in late fall. NEECO$_{2}$ dropped to zero and became positive after each harvest event. Methane (CH$_{4}$) exchange fluctuated around zero during all years. Overall, CH$_{4}$ exchange was of negligible importance for both the GHG budget and the carbon budget of the site. Our results stress the inclusion of grassland restoration events when providing cumulative sums of C sequestration potential and/or global warming potential (GWP). Consequently, this study further highlights the need for continuous long-term GHG exchange observations as well as for the implementation of our findings into biogeochemical process models to track potential GHG mitigation objectives as well as to predict future GHG emission scenarios reliably

Mutations in UDP-Glucose:Sterol Glucosyltransferase in Arabidopsis Cause Transparent Testa Phenotype and Suberization Defect in Seeds

In higher plants, the most abundant sterol derivatives are steryl glycosides (SGs) and acyl SGs. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) contains two genes, UGT80A2 and UGT80B1, that encode UDP-Glc:sterol glycosyltransferases, enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of SGs. Lines having mutations in UGT80A2, UGT80B1, or both UGT80A2 and UGT8B1 were identified and characterized. The ugt80A2 lines were viable and exhibited relatively minor effects on plant growth. Conversely, ugt80B1 mutants displayed an array of phenotypes that were pronounced in the embryo and seed. Most notable was the finding that ugt80B1 was allelic to transparent testa15 and displayed a transparent testa phenotype and a reduction in seed size. In addition to the role of UGT80B1 in the deposition of flavanoids, a loss of suberization of the seed was apparent in ugt80B1 by the lack of autofluorescence at the hilum region. Moreover, in ugt80B1, scanning and transmission electron microscopy reveals that the outer integument of the seed coat lost the electron-dense cuticle layer at its surface and displayed altered cell morphology. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry of lipid polyester monomers confirmed a drastic decrease in aliphatic suberin and cutin-like polymers that was associated with an inability to limit tetrazolium salt uptake. The findings suggest a membrane function for SGs and acyl SGs in trafficking of lipid polyester precursors. An ancillary observation was that cellulose biosynthesis was unaffected in the double mutant, inconsistent with a predicted role for SGs in priming cellulose synthesis

Identification of tumor-specific Salmonella Typhimurium promoters and their regulatory logic

Conventional cancer therapies are often limited in effectiveness and exhibit strong side effects. Therefore, alternative therapeutic strategies are demanded. The employment of tumor-colonizing bacteria that exert anticancer effects is such a novel approach that attracts increasing attention. For instance, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium has been used in many animal tumor models as well as in first clinical studies. These bacteria exhibit inherent tumoricidal effects. In addition, they can be used to deliver therapeutic agents. However, bacterial expression has to be restricted to the tumor to prevent toxic substances from harming healthy tissue. Therefore, we screened an S. Typhimurium promoter-trap library to identify promoters that exclusively drive gene expression in the cancerous tissue. Twelve elements could be detected that show reporter gene expression in tumors but not in spleen and liver. In addition, a DNA motif was identified that appears to be necessary for tumor specificity. Now, such tumor-specific promoters can be used to safely express therapeutic proteins by tumor-colonizing S. Typhimurium directly in the neoplasi

Individual fostering at primary schools. A reason for inter-professional cooperation?

Der Beitrag präsentiert quantitative und qualitative Befunde zur interprofessionellen Kooperation von Lehrkräften und pädagogischem Personal in Bezug auf Förderangebote an Ganztagsgrundschulen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine geringe Zusammenarbeit, die sich vornehmlich auf den Schüleraustausch beschränkt. Komplexere Formen der Zusammenarbeit finden sich lediglich in Bezug auf Kinder mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf. (DIPF/Orig.)This paper presents results of a quantitative and qualitative study examining the co-operation of teachers and pedagogical staff concerning individual fostering of students. The results show a low level of cooperation between the groups, which is mainly limited to the direct exchange about individual students. Higher levels of cooperation are only found with regard to children with special educational needs. (DIPF/Orig.