The Pop-Icon Hitler as a Trope of Critical Reflection on Media Society: The World‘s Most Recognisable Face

Countless representations in different media and genres through several decades make Hitler one of the most productive icons on a global scale. The analysis of this icon seems of fundamental theoretical interest as its original semantics as the embodiment of evil challenges common notions of icon work between collaborative iconolatry, on the one hand, and adversarial iconoclasm, on the other. However, the range of different significances to be found in contemporary Hitler representations suggests that the icon serves to work through issues of the respective context in which it is used. I will argue that, interestingly, especially representations claiming to do justice to history and to the historical person Hitler might be problematized and seen as part of a “remembrance industry”, while pop-cultural, often humorous representations of the icon establish a critical meta-level allowing audiences to reflect on certain phenomena in contemporary media society

When the Ocean Strikes Back: Frank Schätzing’s Eco-thriller The Swarm and the Pop-cultural Imagination of Global Environmental Disaster

The disaster scenario is one of the predominant settings we find unfold in the pop-cultural imagination, namely in films and novels. In recent years, as increased awareness of environmental issues affect the agendas of public debate, we also see local and increasingly global environmental disasters depicted in fiction. The most outstanding example of this tendency in German literature is Frank Schätzing’s internationally bestselling eco-thriller The Swarm from 2004, published in English in 2006 and planned as a Hollywood production in 2015. In Schätzing’s book, a global environmental disaster is evolving caused by an intelligent life form of the deep sea striking back at mankind. This article aims at discussing in what ways The Swarm uses elements and patterns of the pop-cultural disaster imagination, specifically the disaster and science fiction movie of the 1990s. Furthermore, it investigates how the ‘alienness’ depicted in the book differs from representations in pop-cultural tradition, challenges the position of the human species in the order of nature, and questions the capacity of humankind to prevent self-extinction. In concluding, a parallel to contemporary cultural theory (Dominic Pettman) problematizing the concept of humanity is drawn

When the Ocean Strikes Back: Frank Schätzing’s Eco-thriller The Swarm and the Pop-cultural Imagination of Global Environmental Disaster

The disaster scenario is one of the predominant settings we find unfold in the pop-cultural imagination, namely in films and novels. In recent years, as increased awareness of environmental issues affect the agendas of public debate, we also see local and increasingly global environmental disasters depicted in fiction. The most outstanding example of this tendency in German literature is Frank Schätzing’s internationally bestselling eco-thriller The Swarm from 2004, published in English in 2006 and planned as a Hollywood production in 2015. In Schätzing’s book, a global environmental disaster is evolving caused by an intelligent life form of the deep sea striking back at mankind. This article aims at discussing in what ways The Swarm uses elements and patterns of the pop-cultural disaster imagination, specifically the disaster and science fiction movie of the 1990s. Furthermore, it investigates how the ‘alienness’ depicted in the book differs from representations in pop-cultural tradition, challenges the position of the human species in the order of nature, and questions the capacity of humankind to prevent self-extinction. In concluding, a parallel to contemporary cultural theory (Dominic Pettman) problematizing the concept of humanity is drawn

The Pop-Icon Hitler as a Trope of Critical Reflection on Media Society: The World‘s Most Recognisable Face

Countless representations in different media and genres through several decades make Hitler one of the most productive icons on a global scale. The analysis of this icon seems of fundamental theoretical interest as its original semantics as the embodiment of evil challenges common notions of icon work between collaborative iconolatry, on the one hand, and adversarial iconoclasm, on the other. However, the range of different significances to be found in contemporary Hitler representations suggests that the icon serves to work through issues of the respective context in which it is used. I will argue that, interestingly, especially representations claiming to do justice to history and to the historical person Hitler might be problematized and seen as part of a “remembrance industry”, while pop-cultural, often humorous representations of the icon establish a critical meta-level allowing audiences to reflect on certain phenomena in contemporary media society

Ein mathematisches Kompartimentmodell der murinen Erythro- und Granulopoese unter simultaner Gabe von Erythropoietin und G-CSF

In dieser Arbeit wird das in vivo-Verhalten der murinen Erythro- und Granulopoese, einschließlich der hämatopoetischer Stammzellen, unter dem Einfluß von exogen appliziertem G-CSF und Erythropoietin mit Hilfe eines mathematischen Kompartimentmodelles untersucht. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Identifizierung von linienübergreifenden Wachstumsfaktoreffekten. Zu diesem Zweck werden experimentelle Daten mit den Modellsimulationen unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener Modellannahmen verglichen. Die experimentellen Daten für die Modellentwicklung stammen zum einem kleinen Teil aus der Literatur, hauptsächlich betrachtet wurden jedoch Daten einer kooperierenden niederländischen Arbeitsgruppe. Die beiden Wachstumsfaktoren wurden kontinuierlich und simultan mittels osmotischer Minipumpen subkutan über einen längeren Zeitraum appliziert. Die experimentellen Daten werden zunächst mit Hilfe eines nichtlinearen Regressionsmodelles analysiert und quantitativ beschrieben, wobei Interaktionseffekte zwischen den Wachstumsfaktoren besondere Berücksichtigung finden. Es wird dann ein umfassendes mathematischen Differentialgleichungsmodell der murinen Erythro- und Granulopoese unter Berücksichtigung der linienübergreifenden Wachstumsfaktoreffekte und Interaktionen aufgestellt. Es wird zunächst überprüft, ob sich die beobachteten Daten unter Simultanstimulation durch die einfache Zusammenschaltung zweier bereits existierender Einzelmodelle der Erythro- und Granulopoese ohne weitere Modellannahmen erklären lassen. Dazu werden Daten von normalen als auch splenektomierten Tieren berücksichtigt. Es zeigt sich nach Prüfung verschiedener Hypothesen, dass erst unter Annahme einer durch Erythropoietin potenzierten Amplifikation der primär G-CSF-abhängigen Zellstufe der lienalen CFU-GM die experimentell beobachteten Effekte erklärt werden können. Es wird außerdem gezeigt, daß sich mit demselben Modell und denselben Modellparametern die bei splenektomierten Tieren zu beobachtetende G-CSFabhängige Entwicklung einer EPO-resistenten Anämie gut erklärt wird. In einem zweiten Teil der Arbeit wird ein Modellkonzept erarbeitet, mit welchem sich die Effekte nach Langzeitgabe von G-CSF mittels rezeptorvermitteltem G-CSF-Abbau erklären lassen. In einem dritten Teil wird geprüft, ob sich die hämatopoetische Zellzahldynamik nach Absetzen der G-CSF-Gabe durch eine aktive Rückmigration von Progenitoren aus der Milz in das Knochenmark erklären läßt. Das in dieser Arbeit entwickelte kombinierte Modell der Erythro- und Granulopoese impliziert eine Reihe von weiteren Fragen und bedarf der Überprüfung und Weiterentwicklung anhand weiterer experimenteller Daten. Dafür werden entsprechende Vorschläge erarbeitet, die weitere Einblicke in das komplexe Systemverhalten der Hämatopoese liefern könnten

Sønderjysk genforening 1920 / 2020

On the centenary of the Reunification of Southern Jutland, this issue of Academic Quarter presents ten articles which deal with Danish-German relations, the consequences of the new border of 1920 and experiences of the border in history, culture and literature. The first article critically discusses the labelling of the outcome of the plebiscites. The second contribution investigates narratives of Danishness in Southern Jutland in the years between 1920 and 1933. The next two articles give an insight into present identities in the Danish-German borderland. The following two contributions investigate the economic consequences of the division of Schleswig and the introduction of emergency currency in the years 1919-1921. A linguistic analysis compares the use of the exclamation mark in Danish and German. The last three articles deal with artists and their relations to the borderland. Firstly, Kaj Munk’s attitude to the question of Southern Jutland is investigated, secondly, the relation between humans and nature in Theodor Storm’ novella The Rider on the White Horse and finally, identity issues in the works of Gynther Hansen

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men