Hugo von Hofmannsthal und Julius Meier-Graefe : Briefwechsel

In einer kritischen Edition wurde hier der Briefwechsel zwischen Hugo von Hofmannsthal und Julius Meier-Graefe von 1917 bis 1929 in Herausgeberschaft von Ursula Renner abgedruckt, eingeleitet und kommentiert

La rehumanización del hombre. María Zambrano und Javier Gomá Lanzón: Analyse und Kritik des modernen Subjekts

In der vorliegenden Dissertation werden die Analyse und Kritik des modernen Subjekts sowie die daran anschließenden Vorschläge zur literarisch vermittelten Rehumanisierung des Menschen aus den Werken der spanischen Philosoph(inn)en Javier Gomá Lanzón und María Zambrano herausgearbeitet. Rehumanisierung meint im Anschluss an die Philosoph(inn)en die Überwindung eines Subjektzentrismus sowie die Reintegration des Menschen in einen gemeinschaftlichen und politischen Kontext. Ihre Analyse, Kritik und Rehumanisierungsvorschläge werden zu zeitgenössischen Diagnosen aus der Philosophie, der Literaturwissenschaft und der Soziologie in Beziehung gesetzt. In diesem Rahmen wird ihren pädagogisch ausgerichteten, ästhetischen Ansätzen das Potenzial attestiert, ein utopisches Vakuum in der postmodernen Kultur therapieren zu können sowie der Entpolitisierung des Menschen im Kontext des Konsumkapitalismus entgegenzuwirken. Zudem wird aufgezeigt, dass Zambrano und Gomá im Rahmen ihrer Analyse und Kritik des modernen Subjekts in einen republikanisch orientierten Diskurs treten, welcher die Atomisierung der Gesellschaft sowie den Zerfall des öffentlichen Raumes kritisiert und sich normativ an einem Öffentlichkeitsbegriff der griechischen Polis orientiert. Darüber hinaus wird dargelegt, dass die spanischen Philosoph(inn)en zwischen einem republikanischen und ästhetischen Paradigma vermitteln, insofern sie die Literatur in ein Projekt der Überwindung eines Subjektzentrismus und der Wiederbelebung des öffentlichen Raumes einspannen

Sex Differences in Clinical Course and Intensive Care Unit Admission in a National Cohort of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19

Males have a higher risk for an adverse outcome of COVID-19. The aim of the study was to analyze sex differences in the clinical course with focus on patients who received intensive care. Research was conducted as an observational retrospective cohort study. A group of 23,235 patients from 83 hospitals with PCR-confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 between 4 February 2020 and 22 March 2021 were included. Data on symptoms were retrieved from a separate registry, which served as a routine infection control system. Males accounted for 51.4% of all included patients. Males received more intensive care (ratio OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.51–1.71) and mechanical ventilation (invasive or noninvasive, OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.73–2.01). A model for the prediction of mortality showed that until the age 60 y, mortality increased with age with no substantial difference between sexes. After 60 y, the risk of death increased more in males than in females. At 90 y, females had a predicted mortality risk of 31%, corresponding to males of 84 y. In the intensive care unit (ICU) cohort, females of 90 y had a mortality risk of 46%, equivalent to males of 72 y. Seventy-five percent of males over 90 died, but only 46% of females of the same age. In conclusion, the sex gap was most evident among the oldest in the ICU. Understanding sex-determined differences in COVID-19 can be useful to facilitate individualized treatments

Do social cues in instructional videos affect attention allocation, perceived cognitive load, and learning outcomes under different visual complexity conditions?

Background: There are only few guidelines on how instructional videos should be designed to optimize learning. Recently, the effects of social cues on attention allocation and learning in instructional videos have been investigated. Due to inconsistent results, it has been suggested that the visual complexity of a video influences the effect of social cues on learning. Objectives: Therefore, this study compared the effects of social cues (i.e., gaze & gesture) in low and high visual complexity videos on attention, perceived cognitive load, and learning outcomes. Methods: Participants (N = 71) were allocated to a social cue or no social cue condition and watched both a low and a high visual complexity video. After each video, participants completed a knowledge test. Results and Conclusions: Results showed that participants looked faster at referenced information and had higher learning outcomes in the low visual complexity condition. Social cues did not affect any of the dependent variables, except when including prior knowledge in the analysis: In this exploratory analysis, the inclusion of gaze and gesture cues in the videos did lead to better learning outcomes. Takeaways: Our results show that the visual complexity of instructional videos and prior knowledge are important to take into account in future research on attention and learning from instructional videos

Untersuchung einer Wasserstoff‐π Wechselwirkung in einem eingeschlossenen Wassermolekül im Festkörper

Der Nachweis und die Charakterisierung von eingeschlossenen Wassermolekülen in chemischen Gebilden und Biomakromolekülen ist weiterhin eine Herausforderung für feste Materialien. Wir präsentieren hier Protonen-detektierte Festkörper-Kernspinresonanzspektroskopie (NMR) Experimente bei Rotationsfrequenzen von 100 kHz um den magischen Winkel und bei hohen statischen Magnetfeldstärken (28.2 T), die den Nachweis eines einzelnen Wassermoleküls ermöglichen, das im Calix[4]aren-Hohlraum eines Lanthan-Komplexes durch eine Kombination von drei Arten nicht-kovalenter Wechselwirkungen fixiert ist. Die Protonenresonanzen des Wassers werden bei einer chemischen Verschiebung nahe Null ppm nachgewiesen, was wir durch quantenchemische Berechnungen bestätigen. Berechnungen mit der Dichtefunktionaltheorie zeigen, wie empfindlich der Wert der chemischen Verschiebung der Protonen auf Wasserstoff-π-Wechselwirkungen reagiert. Unsere Studie unterstreicht, wie sich die Protonen-detektierte Festkörper NMR zur Methode der Wahl für die Untersuchung schwacher nicht-kovalenter Wechselwirkungen entwickelt, die einen ganzen Zweig molekularer Erkennungsvorgänge in der Chemie und Biologie bestimmen

Research potential and limitations of trace analyses of cremated remains

Human cremation is a common funeral practice all over the world and willpresumably become an even more popular choice for interment in thefuture. Mainly for purposes of identification, there is presently agrowing need to perform trace analyses such as DNA or stable isotopeanalyses on human remains after cremation in order to clarify pendingquestions in civil or criminal court cases. The aim of this study was toexperimentally test the potential and limitations of DNA and stableisotope analyses when conducted on cremated remains.For this purpose, tibiae from modern cattle were experimentally crematedby incinerating the bones in increments of 100 degrees C until a maximumof 1000 degrees C was reached. In addition, cremated human remains werecollected from a modern crematory. The samples were investigated todetermine level of DNA preservation and stable isotope values (C and Nin collagen, C and O in the structural carbonate, and Sr in apatite).Furthermore, we assessed the integrity of microstructural organization,appearance under UV-light, collagen content, as well as the mineral andcrystalline organization. This was conducted in order to provide ageneral background with which to explain observed changes in the traceanalyses data sets. The goal is to develop an efficacious screeningmethod for determining at which degree of burning bone still retains itsoriginal biological signals. We found that stable isotope analysis ofthe tested light elements in bone is only possible up to a heat exposureof 300 degrees C while the isotopic signal from strontium remainsunaltered even in bones exposed to very high temperatures. DNA-analysesseem theoretically possible up to a heat exposure of 600 degrees C butcan not be advised in every case because of the increased risk ofcontamination. While the macroscopic colour and UV-fluorescence ofcremated bone give hints to temperature exposure of the bone’s outersurface, its histological appearance can be used as a reliable indicatorfor the assessment of the overall degree of burning

Chimpanzee accumulative stone throwing

The study of the archaeological remains of fossil hominins must rely on reconstructions to elucidate the behaviour that may have resulted in particular stone tools and their accumulation. Comparatively, stone tool use among living primates has illuminated behaviours that are also amenable to archaeological examination, permitting direct observations of the behaviour leading to artefacts and their assemblages to be incorporated. Here, we describe newly discovered stone tool-use behaviour and stone accumulation sites in wild chimpanzees reminiscent of human cairns. In addition to data from 17 mid- to long-term chimpanzee research sites, we sampled a further 34 Pan troglodytes communities. We found four populations in West Africa where chimpanzees habitually bang and throw rocks against trees, or toss them into tree cavities, resulting in conspicuous stone accumulations at these sites. This represents the first record of repeated observations of individual chimpanzees exhibiting stone tool use for a purpose other than extractive foraging at what appear to be targeted trees. The ritualized behavioural display and collection of artefacts at particular locations observed in chimpanzee accumulative stone throwing may have implications for the inferences that can be drawn from archaeological stone assemblages and the origins of ritual sites

Identification of an Intracellular Site of Prion Conversion

Prion diseases are fatal, neurodegenerative disorders in humans and animals and are characterized by the accumulation of an abnormally folded isoform of the cellular prion protein (PrPC), denoted PrPSc, which represents the major component of infectious scrapie prions. Characterization of the mechanism of conversion of PrPC into PrPSc and identification of the intracellular site where it occurs are among the most important questions in prion biology. Despite numerous efforts, both of these questions remain unsolved. We have quantitatively analyzed the distribution of PrPC and PrPSc and measured PrPSc levels in different infected neuronal cell lines in which protein trafficking has been selectively impaired. Our data exclude roles for both early and late endosomes and identify the endosomal recycling compartment as the likely site of prion conversion. These findings represent a fundamental step towards understanding the cellular mechanism of prion conversion and will allow the development of new therapeutic approaches for prion diseases

Coronary microvascular resistance: methods for its quantification in humans

Coronary microvascular dysfunction is a topic that has recently gained considerable interest in the medical community owing to the growing awareness that microvascular dysfunction occurs in a number of myocardial disease states and has important prognostic implications. With this growing awareness, comes the desire to accurately assess the functional capacity of the coronary microcirculation for diagnostic purposes as well as to monitor the effects of therapeutic interventions that are targeted at reversing the extent of coronary microvascular dysfunction. Measurements of coronary microvascular resistance play a pivotal role in achieving that goal and several invasive and noninvasive methods have been developed for its quantification. This review is intended to provide an update pertaining to the methodology of these different imaging techniques, including the discussion of their strengths and weaknesses