Austria: Heimat and the Nazis

poster abstractThomas Bernhard was a prominent 20th-century Austrian author who was often heavily critical of Austrian society. The most well-known example of this was his play Heldenplatz (1988), written on the 50th anniversary of the Anschluss with Germany. While a continuation of his critical look at Austrian society, which is prominent in his oeuvre, perhaps the most important aspect of this work is the fact that Bernhard raised the issue of Austria’s Nazi past at a time when it was becoming a national issue, forcing the population to confront it, often unwillingly. As Bernhard points out, the Austrian society as a whole seems to have been susceptible not only to the influence of Nazism, but unable to hold itself accountable. However in his earlier works, such as die Ursache (1975), Bernhard describes the Austria where he grew up, and points many of the fatal flaws that may have contributed to Austria’s problematic political landscape, which focused much more on his own personal experience and issues with Austrian society, touching on a wide range of topics. In his later works, namely Heldenplatz, Bernhard narrows the focus significantly by choosing to focus on Austria’s Nazi legacy. After consulting both the original German texts and scholarly secondary sources, I will examine how factors such as the time period in which he wrote these pieces, the literary form he used to present his work, and the way he addresses the issues presented show that Bernhard seems to conclude that Nazism, and the lack of addressing it, is the central issue in Austrian society during his life

GDR Involvement in South Africa: When Does Solidarity become Engagement?

The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was one of the most influential forces during the Cold War in Southern Africa. Thanks to their assistance, revolutionary groups such as the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) and the African National Congress (ANC) were able to stand up against the Apartheid government in South Africa aided by the United States. This project examines the GDR support and solidarity measures during the Cold War and if the GDR‘s involvement in this area constitutes active engagement with the conflict. Since the German reunification, research into the specific policies of the GDR and its connection to these groups has been minimal and is still not readily available to an international audience due to most of the ground research being written in German. This leaves much of this field as unexplored territory. This research helps to begin to fill in some holes by highlighting a perviously mentioned but less thoroughly discussed topic in the existing literature and providing a more focused discussion on the actual programs and support the GDR provided, specifically during the Namibian War of Independence

Letter to the Editor - More Support for Saturday Classes

The letter from Richard Wilson in the Winter \u2783- 84 ISTJ not only gives me an opportunity to endorse the scheduling of science/math classes on Saturdays and during the evenings with part-time teachers but also as another ex-math/science teacher, to voice opinions in several other aspects of teaching. In the \u2750\u27s at St. Ambrose College we initiated Saturday Science Seminars for secondary school students which were highly successful

Eicosapentaenoic acid and oxypurinol in the treatment of muscle wasting in a mouse model of cancer cachexia

Cancer cachexia is a wasting condition, driven by systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. This study investigated eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in combination with oxypurinol as a treatment in a mouse model of cancer cachexia. Mice with cancer cachexia were randomized into 4 treatment groups (EPA (0.4 g/kg/day), oxypurinol (1 mmol/L ad-lib), combination, or control), and euthanized after 29 days. Analysis of oxidative damage to DNA, mRNA analysis of pro-oxidant, antioxidant and proteolytic pathway components, along with enzyme activity of pro- and antioxidants were completed on gastrocnemius muscle. The control group displayed earlier onset of tumor compared to EPA and oxypurinol groups (P&lt;0.001). The EPA group maintained body weight for an extended duration (20 days) compared to the oxypurinol (5 days) and combination (8 days) groups (P&lt;0.05). EPA (18.2&plusmn;3.2 pg/ml) and combination (18.4&plusmn;3.7 pg/ml) groups had significantly higher 8-OH-dG levels than the control group (12.9&plusmn;1.4 pg/ml, P&le;0.05) indicating increased oxidative damage to DNA. mRNA levels of GPx1, MURF1 and MAFbx were higher following EPA treatment compared to control (P&le;0.05). Whereas oxypurinol was associated with higher GPx1, MnSOD, CAT, XDH, MURF1, MAFbx and UbB mRNA compared to control (P&le;0.05). Activity of total SOD was higher in the oxypurinol group (32.2&plusmn;1.5 U/ml) compared to control (27.0&plusmn;1.3 U/ml, P&lt;0.01), GPx activity was lower in the EPA group (8.76&plusmn;2.0 U/ml) compared to control (14.0&plusmn;1.9 U/ml, P&lt;0.05), and catalase activity was lower in the combination group (14.4&plusmn;2.8 U/ml) compared to control (20.9&plusmn;2.0 U/ml, P&lt;0.01). There was no change in XO activity. The increased rate of weight decline in mice treated with oxypurinol indicates that XO may play a protective role during the progression of cancer cachexia, and its inhibition is detrimental to outcomes. In combination with EPA, there was little significant improvement from control, indicating oxypurinol is unlikely to be a viable treatment compound in cancer cachexia.<br /

An Annotated Bibliography of Recent Literature on Current Developments in Philanthropy

As philanthropic organizations play an increasingly important role in societies around the world, the research on philanthropy – from giving and volunteering practices to regulatory frameworks to digital innovations – has also evolved in recent decades. It is important to develop a thorough overview of the relevant scientific discourses and literature on current developments in philanthropy. This will allow researchers and practitioners to enhance the understanding of philanthropy and to improve its practice worldwide. This report provides new insights on current developments and important changes in the global philanthropic landscape, including trends in global philanthropy and its interaction with other sectors of society

Agricultural Drainage Ditches: Soils and Implications for Phosphorus Transport and Retention

Agricultural drainage ditches act as pathways for nutrients to local surface waters. Knowledge of ditch materials, the spatial variation and distribution of ditch soil phosphorus, is critical to effective ditch nutrient management strategies. Ditch materials from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Research Farm in Princess Anne, Maryland were described and characterized using a pedological approach. The spatial variation of phosphorus was also investigated. The materials found within these ditches are natural soil bodies. Pedogenic processes operating in these soils include organic matter accumulation, structure formation, Fe oxidation and reduction, sulfuricization, sulfidization, and bioturbation. Soil phosphorus was well autocorrelated, and exhibited a high degree of spatial variation. Ditch soil phosphorus at depth ranged from 4 to 4882 mg kg-1 for total phosphorus, 4 to 4631 mg kg-1 for oxalate-extractable phosphorus, and 2 to 401 mg kg-1 for Mehlich-3 phosphorus. Future ditch management strategies should include a subsurface soils component

The codegree threshold for 3-graphs with independent neighborhoods

Given a family of 3-graphs F, we define its codegree threshold coex(n, F) to be the largest number d = d(n) such that there exists an n-vertex 3-graph in which every pair of vertices is contained in at least d 3-edges but which contains no member of F as a subgraph. Let F3,2 be the 3-graph on {a, b, c, d, e} with 3-edges abc, abd, abe, and cde. In this paper, we give two proofs that coex(n, {F3,2}) = 1 3 + o(1) n, the first by a direct combinatorial argument and the second via a flag algebra computation. Information extracted from the latter proof is then used to obtain a stability result, from which in turn we derive the exact codegree threshold for all sufficiently large n: coex(n, {F3,2}) = n/3 − 1 if n is congruent to 1 modulo 3, and n/3 otherwise. In addition we determine the set of codegree-extremal configurations for all sufficiently large n

Beta-actin mRNA localization is regulated by signal transduction mechanisms

Beta-actin mRNA is localized in the leading lamellae of chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) (Lawrence, J., and R. Singer. 1986. Cell. 45:407-415), close to where actin polymerization in the lamellipodia drives cellular motility. During serum starvation beta-actin mRNA becomes diffuse and non-localized. Addition of FCS induces a rapid (within 2-5 min) redistribution of beta-actin mRNA into the leading lamellae. A similar redistribution was seen with PDGF, a fibroblast chemotactic factor. PDGF-induced beta-actin mRNA redistribution was inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin, indicating that this process requires intact tyrosine kinase activity, similar to actin filament polymerization and chemotaxis. Lysophosphatidic acid, which has been shown to rapidly induce actin stress fiber formation (Ridley, A., and A. Hall. 1992. Cell. 790:389-399), also increases peripheral beta-actin mRNA localization within minutes. This suggests that actin polymerization and mRNA localization may be regulated by similar signaling pathways. Additionally, activators or inhibitors of kinase A or C can also delocalize steady-state beta-actin mRNA in cells grown in serum, and can inhibit the serum induction of peripherally localized beta-actin mRNA in serum-starved CEFs. These data show that physiologically relevant extracellular factors operating through a signal transduction pathway can regulate spatial sites of actin protein synthesis, which may in turn affect cellular polarity and motility