Hochwasser-«Katastrophen» in Basel vom 13. bis 21. Jahrhundert Rekonstruktion, Deutung und Lerneffekte

Magnitudes of peak discharges of 43 non-instrumentally measured Rhine river floods at Basel were reconstructed. The methodology is based on a range of different historic sources, containing flood information (including traditional urban inundation reference points from flood reports of medieval and early modern period chroniclers as well as 19th century journalists, flood marks, paintings and drawings, town maps, longitudinal and cross profiles etc.). These traditional pre-instrumental “flood information systems” still existed in the 19th century, when in 1808 the first instrumental hydrological measurements started. They thus could be calibrated with instrumental measurements in the 19th century overlapping period. The result is a 743 year long quantified Rhine river flood series. Floods of both periods (pre-instrumental as well as instrumental) can thus be directly compared for the very first time. The long-range consequences of rivers Kander and Aare deviations in 1714 and 1878 are reflected in a distinct change of magnitudes of peak discharges in Basel. A clear flood “disaster gap” appears in the 20th century. The lack of any extreme floods for such a long time is completely unique during the 743-year period of analysis. This result will influence the statistical assessment of once-in-a-century events, which might be of great interest for insurance campanies.

Doing House and Neighbourhood

The paper will focus on basic ways of communication between the actors in the house and home and their direct social environments (esp. neighbourhood) during the early modern period. Such ways of communication were established in and through work relations, sociability, social control and certain liminal rites. So far underestimated, the neighbourhood was both helpful and inevitable to keep house and household running. A typical aspect of the practice of communication was the importance of repetitive performative events in everyday life. In order to establish and maintain social relations, the honour of the ‘house’ as such and fundamental roles like housefather and housemother had to be performed under the eyes of neighbours and other actors. Thus, empirical evidence reveals the house and home as a specific kind of stage. In contrast to the outdated concept of ‘das ganze Haus’ (the whole house) by Otto Brunner and also a reduced socioeconomic understanding of household, the openness of the house proves to be a highly relevant feature of early modern society. This openness refers to accessibility, visibility and control. The paper will explain the proposed concept and analyse concrete examples from work and wedding.

Printed Narrative: The Festival Books for Archduke Ernest of Austria from Brussels and Antwerp 1594

Workshop „The Narrative in Eastern and Western Art“, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto, 2-5 December 2013 Abstract by Ivo Raband, University of Berne Printed Narrative: The Festival Books for Ernest of Austria from Brussels and Antwerp 1594 During the early modern period the medium of the festival book became increasingly more important as an object of ‘political narration’ throughout Europe. Focusing on Netherlandish examples from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, my talk will focus on the festival books printed for the Joyous Entries of Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595). Ernest was appointed Governor General of the Netherlands by King Philipp II in 1593, being the first Habsburg Prince to reside in Brussels since 30 years. In Brussels and Antwerp, the Archduke was greeted with the traditional Blijde Imkomst, Joyous Entry, which dates back to the fourteenth century and was a necessity to actually become the sovereign of Brabant and Antwerp and to uphold the privileges of the cities. Decorated with ephemeral triumphal arches, stages, and tableaux vivants, both cities welcomed Ernest and, at the same time, demonstrated their civic self-assurance and negotiated their statuses. In honor of these events of civic power, the city magistrates commissioned festival books. These books combine a Latin text with a description of the events and the ephemeral structures, including circa 30 engravings and etchings. Being the only visual manifestation of the Joyous Entries, the books became important representational objects. The prints featured in festival books will be my point of departure for discussing the importance of narrative political prints and the concept of the early modern festival book as a ‘political object’. By comparing the prints from Ernest’s entries with others from the period between 1549 and 1635, I will show how the prints became as important as the event itself. Thus, I want to pose the question of whether it would have been possible to substitute a printed version of the event for the actual ceremony.

Refractions of Canada in European Literature and Culture

Ever since the first exploratory expeditions in the early modern period, North America has epitomized to Europeans a promise and the hope for the fulfilment of great expectations, be it of more freedom, greater wealth, social liberation or religious tolerance. While numerous features in this dialogic intercontinental relationship will hold true for North America in its entirety, the vast northern territories which we know as Canada today began to emerge early on as a specific iconic location in European mind-maps, and they definitely acquired a distinctive profile after the formation of the USA. As a rich source of cultural exchange and an important partner in political and economic cooperation Canada has come to occupy an important position in the cultural discourses of many European nations. It is these refractions and images of Canada which this volume thoroughly explores in European literature and culture. The contributions include literature, philosophy, language, life-writing and the concept of 'Heimat' (homeland) as well as the cultural impact of the World Wars. While there is an emphasis on literary texts, other fields of cultural representation are also included.

Gestation-specific reference intervals for comprehensive spot urinary steroid hormone metabolite analysis in normal singleton pregnancy and 6 weeks postpartum

BACKGROUND: Normal pregnancy depends on pronounced adaptations in steroid hormone concentrations. Although in recent years, the understanding of these hormones in pregnancy has improved, the interpretation is hampered by insufficient reference values. Our aim was to establish gestation-specific reference intervals for spot urinary steroid hormone levels in normal singleton pregnancies and 6 weeks postpartum. METHODS: Cross-sectional multicentre observational study. Women recruited between 2008 and 2013 at 3 University Hospitals in Switzerland (Bern), Scotland (Glasgow) and Austria (Graz). Spot urine was collected from healthy women undergoing a normal pregnancy (age, 16-45 years; mean, 31 years) attending routine antenatal clinics at gestation weeks 11, 20, and 28 and approximately 6 weeks postpartum. Urine steroid hormone levels were analysed using gas-chromatography mass spectrometry. Creatinine was also measured by routine analysis and used for normalisation. RESULTS: From the results, a reference interval was calculated for each hormone metabolite at each trimester and 6 weeks postpartum. Changes in these concentrations between trimesters and postpartum were also observed for several steroid hormones and followed changes proposed for index steroid hormones. CONCLUSIONS: Normal gestation-specific reference values for spot urinary steroid hormones throughout pregnancy and early postpartum are now available to facilitate clinical management and research approaches to steroid hormone metabolism in pregnancy and the early postpartum period.

A practice-based culminating experience with Texas Children's Hospital: A hospital's journey to baby-friendly status

Breastfeeding and the use of human milk are widely accepted as the most complete form of nutrition for infants. Breastfeeding is shown to be associated with many positive health outcomes for both infants and mothers. Healthy People 2000 goals to increase breastfeeding rates in the early postpartum period to 75% fell short, with only 64% of mothers meeting this objective. Lack of support from healthcare providers, and unsupportive hospital policies and practices are noted as barriers to the initiation and duration of breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to evaluate implementation of the BFHI Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding at Texas Children's Hospital. ^ The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) was developed in 1991 by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to ensure that healthcare facilities offering maternity services adhere to the Ten Steps of Successful Breastfeeding and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes, and create legislation to protect the rights of breastfeeding women. The instrument used in this study was the BFHI 100 Assessment Tool created by Dr. Laura Haiek, Director of Public Health in Monteregie, Quebec, and her staff at Health and Social Services Agency of Quebec. The BFHI 100 tool utilizes 100 different indicators of compliance with BFHI through questionnaires administered to staff and administrators, pregnant and postpartum mothers, and an observer. ^ The study concluded that although there is much room for improvement in educating breastfeeding mothers, overall, the mothers interviewed were satisfied with their level of care in regards to breastfeeding support. Areas of improvement include staff training, as some nursing staff admitted to relying on the lactation consultants to provide most of the breastfeeding education for mothers. Only a small percentage of mothers interviewed reported that their baby “roomed-in” on average of 22 hours per day during their hospital stay. Staff encouragement of the rooming-in practice will help to increase the proportion of mothers who allow their babies to room-in. The current breastfeeding policy will also need to be revised and strengthened to be compliant with the Ten Steps. Ideally, Baby-Friendly practices will become the norm after staff are trained and policy revisions are made. Staff training and acceptance of breastfeeding as optimal nutrition for infants are the most critical factors that will ultimately drive change for the organization. ^

Efectos electrofisiológicos del ácido acetilsalicílico en la injuria por isquemia/reperfusión

La reperfusión, luego de un período de isquemia miocárdica breve, puede desencadenar un daño paradojal, dentro del cual, se destacan las arritmias ventriculares. Existen estudios que reportan un efecto beneficioso del ácido acetilsalicílico (AAS) a nivel cardiovascular, pero se desconocen los efectos electrofisiológicos en el proceso de injuria por isquemia/reperfusión. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar las propiedades electrofisiológicas del AAS, en especial si puede evitar las arritmias de reperfusión (AR) en forma independiente de su efecto antiplaquetario. Se trabajó con corazones aislados de rata Sprague Dawley según la técnica de Langendorff sometidos a 10 minutos de isquemia regional. Se realizaron 3 series esperimentales: 1) control (C, n=10); 2) , corazones perfundidos durante todo el protocolo con AAS 0.14 mM (AAS, n=10) y 3) corazones que recibieron la misma dosis de AAS sólo en los 3 primeros minutos de la reperfusión (AASR, n=9). Se analizaron la incidencia y severidad de las AR y su relación con el ECG y los potenciales de acción registrados simultáneamente. El 82% del grupo control presentó AR sostenidas, el 30 % con AAS y el 22% con AASR (ambas p<0.05 por χ2). En la reperfusión se observó que luego de los primeros tres minutos la duración del potencial de acción (DPA) fue mayor en el grupo AASR (81,5 ± 23,1) que en el grupo AAS (55,2 ± 10,0) p<0.05 por ANOVA I. Por lo tanto, la menor incidencia de AR en los grupos tratados podría asociarse al efecto de la aspirina sobre la DPA y que la droga estudiada tendría efectos sobre esta variable sólo al momento de reperfusión.

Inorganic carbon and geochemistry measurements from landfast sea ice in Resolute Passage, Nunavut, Canada, as part of the Arctic-ICE project, May - June 2010

We conducted a six-week investigation of the sea ice inorganic carbon system during the winter-spring transition in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Samples for the determination of sea ice geochemistry were collected in conjunction with physical and biological parameters as part of the 2010 Arctic-ICE (Arctic - Ice-Covered Ecosystem in a Rapidly Changing Environment) program, a sea ice-based process study in Resolute Passage, Nunavut. The goal of Arctic-ICE was to determine the physical-biological processes controlling the timing of primary production in Arctic landfast sea ice and to better understand the influence of these processes on the drawdown and release of climatically active gases. The field study was conducted from 1 May to 21 June, 2010.

La inserción social del indígena en las urbes y campañas del territorio bonaerense y su relación con la justicia criminal hispanocriolla durante el período independiente temprano (1810-1835)

La sociedad bonaerense del período independiente temprano, no sólo se caracterizó por estar fuertementejerarquizada desde el punto de vista socioeconómico, sinoademás por ser legalmente desigual y altamente punitiva. Los hechos asentados en los expedientes judiciales correspondientes a causas criminales y correccionales presentadas ante el Juzgado del Crimen, muestran claramente -entre otros aspectos- las características de la justicia criminal hispanocriolla: cómo operaba y se administraba la ley vigente, frente a la cual, los sectores bajos de la pirámide social y en particular, los individuos de casta (indios, negros, morenos, etc.), resultaban ser los más desprotegidos y vulnerables. Por lo tanto, en el presente proyecto, nos interesa abordar la inserción social del indígena en las urbes y campañas, y su integración en el mercado laboral de la época, y a partir de este marco y desde esa sociedad que lo incluía, se pretende indagar alindígena frente al delito y dentro de la dinámica del campo judicial, articulando las dimensiones social, económica y jurídica. De esta manera, combinando las fuentes judiciales de 1810 a 1835 con otros documentos del período, se intenta dar cuenta no sólo de los aspectos sociales y económicos de la vida personal y cotidiana del indígena sino además de las particularidades del proceso de juzgamiento y penalización de sus acciones durante el incipiente período independentista.