Fantasien der Auslöschung : Christian Krachts Romane Faserland und 1979

At the end of the nineties a new stream of "pop-literature" was discussed by German philology. The author Christian Kracht is often mentioned as one of the founders of this genre. In this article two novels of Christian Kracht will be discussed: "Faserland" and "1979". While many critics consider "Faserland" as a prototype of "pop-literature", "1979" already seems to announce the end of this period. Here, the two novels are interpreted and analyzed with respect to their typical elements of "pop-literature".Ende der 90er Jahre diskutiert die germanistische Literaturwissenschaft über eine "neue deutsche Popliteratur". Der Autor Christian Kracht wird als ein Begründer dieser literarischen Strömung gesehen. Der vorliegende Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit Krachts Romanen "Faserland" (1995) und "1979" (2001). Während "Faserland" oft als Prototyp der Popliteratur angesehen wird, scheint "1979" eher einen Ausstieg aus diesem noch schwer zu definierenden Genre anzudeuten. Beide Romane werden in diesem Beitrag interpretiert und hinsichtlich ihrer popliterarischen Elemente diskutiert

a pilot study

Background Parents caring for a child with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) are at high risk for psychological distress and have limited access to psychological care. Therefore, a web-based psychological support program for severely distressed parents of children with CF (WEP-CARE) was developed and evaluated for its feasibility and efficacy. Methods A clinical expert panel developed WEP-CARE based on principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy. This web-based writing therapy comprises nine sessions, tailored for the specific needs of caregivers. The pilot study was conducted as a single-group intervention with pre-post-follow-up design. Out of 31 participants, 23 parents completed the intervention (21 female; mean age 37 years; SD = 6.2 years, range 25 – 48 years). Psychological symptoms and quality of life were assessed online by self-report measures at pre- and post-treatment and were followed up three months later. Results On average, the caregivers’ symptoms of anxiety decreased statistically significant and clinical relevant about five points from an elevated (M = 11.4; SD =2.6) to a normal level (M = 6.7; SD = 2.6; p < .001) between pre and post treatment. Fear of disease progression (p < .001) and symptoms of depression (p = .02) significantly decreased as well. Quality of life significantly improved (p = .01). The effects were maintained at the 3-months follow-up assessment. Conclusions WEP-CARE is feasible and promising regarding its efficacy to improve parental mental health and quality of life

The Framing Effects of Professionalism: Is There a Lawyer Cast of Mind? Lessons from Compliance Programs

Professionals working inside companies may bring with them frames of mind set by their professional experience and socialization. Lawyers, in particular, are said to think like a lawyer -to have a lawyer cast of mind. In seeking power within a company and in exercising the power that they obtain, professionals may draw on their professional background to frame, name, diagnose, and prescribe a remedy for the company\u27s problems. In making decisions about their compliance with the law, companies are constrained not only by their environment, but also by their agents\u27 understanding of whose (or what) interests the company should serve. In particular, compliance managers\u27 understandings will frame and influence their companies\u27 calculations of the value, benefits, and costs of compliance activities. The profession of the compliance manager then may influence how the company complies with the law. This Article uses data from a survey of 999 large Australian businesses to examine the professional background of the person in charge of compliance and (1) how they analyze the costs, benefits and risks of non-compliance; and (2) their company\u27s structures and practices of compliance. Contrary to our hypotheses, we find that the professional background of the individual responsible for compliance has little impact on a company\u27s compliance management structures and practices or assessment of stakeholders. The exceptions are that having a lawyer in charge of compliance is associated with the company\u27s perception of heightened legal risk; and where the person in charge of compliance is a lawyer, the company compliance efforts will be marked by manuals and training programs, but not more fulsome compliance structures, which are present when a compliance specialist leads the department. Unfortunately, our data also reveals that these compliance structures are generally merely formal-and likely largely symbolic

The Framing Effects of Professionalism: Is There a Lawyer Cast of Mind? Lessons from Compliance Programs

Professionals working inside companies may bring with them frames of mind set by their professional experience and socialization. Lawyers, in particular, are said to think like a lawyer -to have a lawyer cast of mind. In seeking power within a company and in exercising the power that they obtain, professionals may draw on their professional background to frame, name, diagnose, and prescribe a remedy for the company\u27s problems. In making decisions about their compliance with the law, companies are constrained not only by their environment, but also by their agents\u27 understanding of whose (or what) interests the company should serve. In particular, compliance managers\u27 understandings will frame and influence their companies\u27 calculations of the value, benefits, and costs of compliance activities. The profession of the compliance manager then may influence how the company complies with the law. This Article uses data from a survey of 999 large Australian businesses to examine the professional background of the person in charge of compliance and (1) how they analyze the costs, benefits and risks of non-compliance; and (2) their company\u27s structures and practices of compliance. Contrary to our hypotheses, we find that the professional background of the individual responsible for compliance has little impact on a company\u27s compliance management structures and practices or assessment of stakeholders. The exceptions are that having a lawyer in charge of compliance is associated with the company\u27s perception of heightened legal risk; and where the person in charge of compliance is a lawyer, the company compliance efforts will be marked by manuals and training programs, but not more fulsome compliance structures, which are present when a compliance specialist leads the department. Unfortunately, our data also reveals that these compliance structures are generally merely formal-and likely largely symbolic

A New Scoring Procedure in Assessment Centers: Insights from Interaction Analysis

This paper proposes interaction analysis as an alternative scoring procedure in assessment centers (ACs). Interaction analysis allows for a more fine-grained scoring approach by which candidate behaviors are captured as they actually happen, thus avoiding judgment errors typically associated with traditional scoring procedures. We describe interaction analysis and explain how this procedure can improve the validity of ACs. In a short research example, we showcase how interaction analysis can be implemented in AC settings. Finally, we integrate our arguments in terms of three key propositions which we hope will inspire future research on more dynamic scoring procedures

Development, reproductive capacity and diet of the Mediterranean grasshopper Arcyptera brevipennis vicheti Harz 1975 (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acrididae: Gomphocerinae)

Arcyptera brevipennis vicheti Harz 1975 (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is a rare grasshopper native to Mediterranean grassland habitats in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. Changes in land-use have modified these unique habitats, thus threatening the survival of A. b. vicheti populations. To improve the conservation of this species this study aimed to describe important aspects of its biology and ecology. Development of nymphs passed through five instars after hatching and was closely associated with the Mediterranean spring season. A prominent sexual size dimorphism is highlighted, but the larger females developed in the same number of instars as males. Hind femur length and number of antenna segments were useful characters when distinguishing between nymphal instars. All individuals were brachypterous, indicating that A. b. vicheti is unable to fly. Adult females laid 15 eggs on average and deposited no more than two egg pods in their lifetime. Grass debris made up 93% of faecal content of both sexes. Our results provide valuable information for the conservation of this highly endangered grasshopper species.Peer reviewe

Development, reproductive capacity and diet of the Mediterranean grasshopper Arcyptera brevipennis vicheti Harz 1975 (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Acrididae: Gomphocerinae)

Arcyptera brevipennis vicheti Harz 1975 (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is a rare grasshopper native to Mediterranean grassland habitats in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. Changes in land-use have modified these unique habitats, thus threatening the survival of A. b. vicheti populations. To improve the conservation of this species this study aimed to describe important aspects of its biology and ecology. Development of nymphs passed through five instars after hatching and was closely associated with the Mediterranean spring season. A prominent sexual size dimorphism is highlighted, but the larger females developed in the same number of instars as males. Hind femur length and number of antenna segments were useful characters when distinguishing between nymphal instars. All individuals were brachypterous, indicating that A. b. vicheti is unable to fly. Adult females laid 15 eggs on average and deposited no more than two egg pods in their lifetime. Grass debris made up 93% of faecal content of both sexes. Our results provide valuable information for the conservation of this highly endangered grasshopper species.Peer reviewe