Mythen und Mythenbildung in Kunst und Werbung

Aufgrund der breiten aktuellen Verwendung des Mythen-Begriffs in Kunst und Werbung, aber darüber hinaus auch in nahezu allen Bereichen gesellschaftlichen Lebens und vor allem in der Philosophie ergibt sich die Notwendigkeit, einen erweiterten Mythos-Begriff über das Historisch-Authentische hinaus zu verfolgen. Ausgehend von einer strukturalen Annäherung an den Mythos-Begriff im Sinne des von Roland Barthes vorgeschlagenen sekundären semiologischen Systems, d.h. einer semiologischen Sinnverschiebung zur Schaffung einer neuen – mythischen – Bedeutung, fordert diese neue Bedeutung eine Analyse, eine Mythenanalyse heraus. Dies ist deshalb so entscheidend, weil eben diese neue Bedeutung ihr mythisches Profil im Sinne von Hans Blumenberg durch forcierte Bedeutsamkeit für Individuen oder für bestimmte gesellschaftliche Gruppierungen unterlegt, z.B. durch bewusst intensive Wiederholung eines Themas oder durch unerwartete Koinzidenzen von Ereignissen oder durch Steigerung bzw. Depotenzierung von Fakten. Der erweiterte Mythen-Begriff verlangt nach einer Strukturierung und führt dabei zu unterschiedlichen Mythen-Ansätzen: zum Ursprungsstoff des authentischen Mythos und darauf basierender Geisteslage, zum Erkennen eines reflektierten Mythos, wenn es um das Verhältnis Mythos/Aufklärung geht, zum Zeitgeist-Mythos mit seinen umfangreichen Ausprägungen ideologischer, affirmativer und kritischer Art oder zu Alltagsmythen, die sich auf Persönlichkeitskulte und Sachverherrlichungen beziehen. Gerade der letztere Typus ist das Terrain der Werbung, die über den Gebrauchswert eines Produktes hinaus Wert steigernde Tauschwerte durch symbolische Zusatzattribute erarbeiten möchte. Hierbei können Markenmythen unterschiedlichster Prägung entstehen, denen wir täglich im Fernsehen oder im Supermarkt begegnen. Die Manifestation des Mythos in der Kunst ist einerseits eine unendliche Transformationsgeschichte mythischer Substanzen und andererseits ein überhöhender Bezug auf Zeitgeisterscheinungen, etwa bei dem Mythos des Künstlers selbst oder der durch ihn vorgenommenen „Verklärung des Gewöhnlichen“. Die Transformationsprozesse können u.a . prototypisch an zwei Beispielketten erläutert werden, die für den Kunst/Werbung-Komplex besonders interessant sind, weil ihr Charakter sich in einem Fall für die Werbung als äußerst Erfolg versprechend erwiesen hat und weil sich im zweiten Fall geradezu das Gegenteil abzeichnet: Zum einen ist es die Mythengestalt der Nymphe, jene jugendliche, erotisch-verführerische Frauengestalt, die über ihre antiken Wurzeln als Sinnbild der Lebensfreude und Fruchtbarkeit hinaus in und nach der Renaissance ihre Eignung als Verbildlichung der Wiederzulassung des Weiblichen in der Kunst beweist und schließlich der Instrumen-talisierung der Werbung dient. Im anderen Fall ist es die Geschichte der Medusa, die man idealtypisch als die andere Seite der Nympha bezeichnen kann. Hier hat Kunst Auf-klärungsarbeit geleistet, vor allem durch die Verschiebung des medusischen Schreckens von ihr weg zu einer allgemein-medusischen Realität, deren neue Träger nicht nur den Schrecken, sondern zugleich ihre Beteiligung an der Schaffung dieses Schreckens auf sich nehmen. Mythosanalyse ist erforderlich, um die Stellungnahmen der Künstler über alle Epochen hinweg und dabei vor allem diese Transformationsprozesse zu erkennen und im Sinne von Ent- oder Remythologisierung einzuordnen. Die hierarchische Zuordnung der dabei erkannten Bedeutungen kann zu einem Grundbestandteil einer praktischen Philosophie werden, wenn sie einen Diskurs durchläuft, der sich an Jürgen Habermas’ Aspekt der Richtigkeit für kommunikatives Handeln unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Toleranz orientiert. Dabei ist nicht nur zu beachten, dass eine verstärkte Mythenbildung in der Kunst zu einem erweiterten Mythen-begriff und damit zu dem erweiterten, heute dominierenden Kunstbegriff postmoderner Prägung geführt hat, sondern dass innerhalb des aktuellen Mythenpakets sich die Darstellungen von Zeitgeist- und Alltagsmythen zu Lasten des authentischen und des reflektierten Mythos entwickelt haben, wobei zusätzlich werbliche Markenmythen ihre Entstehung auf Verfahrensvorbildern der Kunst basieren. Die ökonomische Rationalität der aktuellen Gesellschaft hat die Mythenbildung keines-wegs abgebaut, sie hat sie im Gegenteil gefördert. Der neuerliche Mythenbedarf wurde stimuliert durch die Sinnentleerung der zweckrationalisierten Welt, die Ersatzbedarf anmeldete. Ihre Ordnungsprinzipien durchdringen nicht nur ihre Paradedisziplin, die Ökonomie, sondern Politik und Staat, Wissenschaft und Kunst. Das Umschlagen der Aufklärung wird nur zu vermeiden sein, wenn wir uns Schritt für Schritt durch Mythenanalyse unserer Unmündigkeit entledigen.

Gender and Space in Tehran

Abstract: This dissertation generally concentrates on the relationships between “gender” and “space” in the present time of urban life in capital city of Tehran. “Gender” as a changing social construct, differentiated within societies and through time, studied this time by investigation on “gender attitude” or “gender identity” means attitudes towards “gender” issues regarding Tehran residences. “Space” as a concept integrated from physical and social constituents investigated through focus on “spatial attitude” means attitudes towards using “living spaces” including private space of “house”, semi private semi public space of neighborhood and finally public spaces of the city. “Activities and practices” in space concentrated instead of “physical” space; this perspective to “space” discussed as the most justified implication of “space” in this debate regarding current situations in city of Tehran. Under a systematic approach, the interactions and interconnections between “gender” and “space” as two constituent variables of social organization investigated by focus on the different associations presented between different “gender identities” and their different “spatial identities”; in fact, “spatial identity” manifests “gender identity” and in opposite direction, “spatial identity” influences to construction of “gender identity”. The hypotheses of case study in Tehran defined as followed: • “Gender identity” is reflected on “spatial identity”. Various “gender identities” in Tehran present different perspectives of “space” or they identify “space” by different values. • As “gender identity” internalizes patriarchal oppression, it internalizes associated “spatial” oppression too. • Within the same social class, different “gender identities” related to men and women, present interconnected qualities, compared with “gender identities” related to men or women of different social classes. This situation could be found in the “spatial” perspectives of different groups of men and women too. • Following the upper hypotheses, “spatial” oppression differs among social classes of Tehran living in different parts of this city. This research undertook a qualitative study in Tehran by interviewing with different parents of both young daughter and son regarding their attitudes towards gender issues from one side and activities and behaviors of their children in different spaces from the other side. Results of case study indicated the parallel changes of parents’ attitudes towards “gender” and “spatial” issues; it means strong connection between “gender” and “space”. It revealed association of “equal” spatial attitudes with “open, neutral” gender attitudes, and also the association of “biased, unequal” spatial identities with “conservative patriarchal” gender identities. It was cleared too that this variable concept – gender space - changes by “sex”; mothers comparing fathers presented more equitable notions towards “gender spatial” issues. It changes too by “social class” and “educational level”, that means “gender spatial” identity getting more open equitable among more educated people of middle and upper classes. “Breadwinning status in the family” also presents its effect on the changes of “gender spatial” identity so participant breadwinners in the family expressed relatively more equitable notions comparing householders and housekeepers. And finally, “gender spatial” identity changes through “place” in the city and regarding South – North line of the city. The illustration of changes of “gender spatial” identity from “open” to “conservative” among society indicated not only vertical variation across social classes, furthermore the horizontal changing among each social class. These results also confirmed hypotheses while made precision on the third one regarding variable of sex. More investigations pointed to some inclusive spatial attitudes throughout society penetrated to different groups of “gender identities”, to “opens” as to “conservatives”, also to groups between them, by two opposite features; first kind, conservative biased spatial practices in favor of patriarchal gender relations and the second, progressive neutral actions in favor of equal gender relations. While the major reason for the inclusive conservative practices was referred to the social insecurity for women, the second neutral ones associated to more formal & safer spaces of the city. In conclusion, while both trends are associated deeply with the important issues of “sex” & “body” in patriarchal thoughts, still strong, they are the consequences of the transitional period of social change in macro level, and the challenges involved regarding interactions between social orders, between old system of patriarchy, the traditional biased “gender spatial” relations and the new one of equal relations. The case study drew an inhomogeneous illustration regarding gender spatial aspects of life in Tehran, the opposite groups of “open” and “conservative”, and the large group of “semi open semi conservative” between them. In macro perspective it presents contradicted social groups according their general life styles; they are the manifestations of challenging trends towards tradition and modernity in Iranian society. This illustration while presents unstable social situations, necessitates probing solutions for social integration; exploring the directions could make heterogeneous social groups close in the way they think and the form they live in spaces. Democratic approaches like participatory development planning might be helpful for the city in its way to more solidarity and sustainability regarding its social spatial – gender as well – development, in macro levels of social spatial planning and in micro levels of physical planning, in private space of house and in public spaces of the city.

[Ressenya del llibre The Desert is no lady: southwestern landscapes in women's writing and art, de Vera Norwood i Janice Monk (ed.)]

Ressenya del llibre The Desert is no lady: southwestern landscapes in women's writing and art, obra on s’interrelacionen tres temes que són paisatge, gènere (en aquest cas, la dona) i literatura (i, per extensió, un quart que és l’art)

Modification of cell wall properties in lettuce improves shelf life

It is proposed that post-harvest longevity and appearance of salad crops is closely linked to pre-harvest leaf morphology (cell and leaf size) and biophysical structure (leaf strength). Transgenic lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa cv. Valeria) were produced in which the production of the cell wall-modifying enzyme xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTH) was down-regulated by antisense inhibition. Independently transformed lines were shown to have multiple members of the LsXTH gene family down-regulated in mature leaves of 6-week-old plants and during the course of shelf life. Consequently, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase (XET) enzyme activity and action were down-regulated in the cell walls of these leaves and it was established that leaf area and fresh weight were decreased while leaf strength was increased in the transgenic lines. Membrane permeability was reduced towards the end of shelf life in the transgenic lines relative to the controls and bacteria were evident inside the leaves of control plants only. Most importantly, an extended shelf-life of transgenic lines was observed relative to the non-transgenic control plants. These data illustrate the potential for engineering cell wall traits for improving quality and longevity of salad crops using either genetic modification directly, or by using markers associated with XTH genes to inform a commercial breeding programme.

Intertextuality, authenticity, and gonzo selves in Anya Ulinich’s 'Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel'

This article traces the intertextual relationships between Anya Ulinich’s graphic novel Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel, Bernard Malamud’s short story ‘The Magic Barrel’ and a number of works by Philip Roth. Through these relationships and her construction of a number of variations on what Miriam Libicki has called a ‘gonzo self’ Ulinich explores the tensions between life and art, fact and fiction, and autobiography and the novel, mediating the aesthetic imperatives of what Roth has called the ‘written world’ and the ethical obligations of the ‘unwritten world’ in order to arrive at an authentic sense of herself as an artist and writer.

The fractured lives of German Bohemian children, born 1933-40 in the area known as Sudetenland: a memory study, Nablonz-Neugablonz

At the Paris Peace Conferences of 1918-1919, new states aspiring to be nation-states were created for 60 million people, but at the same time 25 million people found themselves as ethnic minorities. This change of the old order in Europe had a considerable impact on one such group, more than 3 million Bohemian German-speakers, later referred to as Sudeten Germans. After the demise of the Habsburg Empire In 1918, they became part of the new state of Czechoslovakia. In 1938, the Munich Agreement – prelude to the Second World War – integrated them into Hitler’s Reich; in 1945-1946 they were expelled from the reconstituted state of Czechoslovakia. At the centre of this War Child case study are German children from the Northern Bohemian town and district, formerly known as Gablonz an der Neisse, famous for exquisite glass art, now Jablonec nad Nisou in the Czech Republic. After their expulsion they found new homes in the post-war Federal Republic of Germany. In addition, testimonies have been drawn upon of some Czech eyewitnesses from the same area, who provided their perspective from the other side, as it were. It turned out to be an insightful case study of the fate of these communities, previously studied mainly within the context of the national struggle between Germans and Czechs. The inter-disciplinary research methodology adopted here combines history and sociological research to demonstrate the effect of larger political and social developments on human lives, not shying away from addressing sensitive political and historical issues, as far as these are relevant within the context of the study. The expellees started new lives in what became Neugablonz in post-war Bavaria where they successfully re-established the industries they had had to leave behind in 1945-1946. Part 1 of the study sheds light on the complex Czech-German relationship of this important Central European region, addressing issues of democracy, ethnicity, race, nationalism, geopolitics, economics, human geography and ethnography. It also charts the developments leading to the expulsion of the Sudeten Germans from Czechoslovakia after 1945. What is important in this War Child study is how the expellees remember their history while living as children in Sudetenland and later. The testimony data gained indicate that certain stereotypes often repeated within the context of Sudeten issues such as the confrontational nature of inter-ethnic relations are not reflected in the testimonies of the respondents from Gablonz. In Part 2 the War Child Study explores the memories of the former Sudeten war children using sociological research methods. It focuses on how they remember life in their Bohemian homeland and coped with the life-long effects of displacement after their expulsion. The study maps how they turned adversity into success by showing a remarkable degree of resilience and ingenuity in the face of testing circumstances due to the abrupt break in their lives. The thesis examines the reasons for the relatively positive outcome to respondents’ lives and what transferable lessons can be deduced from the results of this study.

Catalog of Paintings Exhibited in the Colby College Art Museum May 8 -22- 1974

This catalog describes paintings by the author, completed as his Senior Scholar Project in art and exhibited in the Colby College Art Museum. Images of the paintings are not available.

Quality of life and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in a community health care program population

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate quality of life in a population that attended a specific community event on health care education, and to investigate the association of their quality of life with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors INTRODUCTION: Interest in health-related quality of life is growing worldwide as a consequence of increasing rates of chronic disease. However, little is known about the association between quality of life and cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: This study included 332 individuals. Demographics, blood pressure, body mass index, and casual glycemia were evaluated. The brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire on quality of life was given to them. The medians of the scores obtained for the physical, psychological, emotional, and environmental domains were used as cutoffs to define higher and lower scores. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to define the parameters associated with lower scores. RESULTS: Diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obesity were associated with lower scores in the physical domain. Dyslipidemia was also associeted with lower scores in the psychological domain. Male gender and regular physical activity had protective effects on quality of life. Aging was inversely associated with decreased quality of life in the environmental domain. CONCLUSION: The presence of cardiovascular risk factors is related to a decreased quality of life. Conversely, male gender and regular physical activity had protective effects on quality of life. These findings suggest that exercising should be further promoted by health-related public programs, with a special focus on women.

Analysis of the influence of pre-loading in the rating life calculation of tapered roller bearings applied to lightweight front-axle differentials

For intricate automotive systems that enclose several components, such as gearboxes, an important aspect of the design is defining the correct assembly parameters. A proper assembly can ensure optimized operating conditions and therefore the components can achieve a longer life. In the case of the support bearings applied to front-axle lightweight differentials, the assembly preload is a major aspect for an adequate performance of the system. During the design phase it is imperative to define reference values to this preload, so the application would endure its requirements. However, with the assistance of computer simulations, it is possible to determine an optimum condition of operation, i.e. optimum pre-load, which would increase the system reliability. This paper presents a study on the influence of preload on the rating life of tapered roller bearings applied to light-weight front axle differentials, evaluating how preload affects several key parameters such as rating life and displacement of components, taking into account the flexibility of the surrounding differential housing. Copyright © 2012 SAE International.

Quality of life profile and correlated factors in chronic leg ulcer patients in the mid-west of São Paulo State, Brazil

BACKGROUND: Chronic leg ulcer may have an impact on patients' quality of life.OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to identify the impact of leg ulcers on patient's quality of life using the Dermatology Life Quality Index and to define the main factors correlated with this perception.METHOD:Cross-sectional, non-probabilistic sampling study. We included patients with chronic leg ulcers being treated for at least 3 months. A sociodemographic and clinical survey was conducted to assess the profile of the ulcers. We administered a screening for depressive symptoms and the Dermatology Life Quality Index. We performed a descriptive statistical analysis, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney test for categorical data, Pearson for numeric variables, and multiple regression for categorical data.RESULTS:Forty-one patients were assessed. Their mean age was 61.78 years. Venous ulcers (48.8%) were the most prevalent. Seventy-three percent of the sample perceived no impact/low impact on quality of life in the past week, and 26.8% perceived moderate/high impact. A multiple regression analysis identified the causes of lesion, pain related to the ulcers, time of onset, and severity of the depressive symptoms as the variables that had an influence on quality of life.CONCLUSIONS:The majority of the sample perceived low or no impact of the condition on the quality of the life. The variables etiology of the lesion (p<0.001), pain related to the ulcers (p=0.001), time of onset (p=0.006), and severity of the depressive symptoms (p<0.001) had an influence on the quality of life, suggesting the need for further studies with more robust designs to confirm the causal relationship between these characteristics and quality of life.

Cardiovascular risk and mortality in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing dialysis: sleep study, pulmonary function, respiratory mechanics, upper airway collapsibility, autonomic nervous activity, depression, anxiety, stress and quality of life: a prospective, double blind, randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most serious public health problems. The increasing prevalence of CKD in developed and developing countries has led to a global epidemic. The hypothesis proposed is that patients undergoing dialysis would experience a marked negative influence on physiological variables of sleep and autonomic nervous system activity, compromising quality of life.Methods/Design: A prospective, consecutive, double blind, randomized controlled clinical trial is proposed to address the effect of dialysis on sleep, pulmonary function, respiratory mechanics, upper airway collapsibility, autonomic nervous activity, depression, anxiety, stress and quality of life in patients with CKD. The measurement protocol will include body weight (kg); height (cm); body mass index calculated as weight/height(2); circumferences (cm) of the neck, waist, and hip; heart and respiratory rates; blood pressures; Mallampati index; tonsil index; heart rate variability; maximum ventilatory pressures; negative expiratory pressure test, and polysomnography (sleep study), as well as the administration of specific questionnaires addressing sleep apnea, excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, anxiety, stress, and quality of life.Discussion: CKD is a major public health problem worldwide, and its incidence has increased in part by the increased life expectancy and increasing number of cases of diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Sleep disorders are common in patients with renal insufficiency. Our hypothesis is that the weather weight gain due to volume overload observed during interdialytic period will influence the degree of collapsibility of the upper airway due to narrowing and predispose to upper airway occlusion during sleep, and to investigate the negative influences of haemodialysis in the physiological variables of sleep, and autonomic nervous system, and respiratory mechanics and thereby compromise the quality of life of patients.

Energy Requirements in Early Life Are Similar for Male and Female Goat Kids

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Youth purpose and life goals of students engaged in community and social activities

Purpose provides a moral compass for young people to apply their strengths and virtues in their lives. Deepen the studies about youth purpose may contribute to the design of new and more efficient moral education strategies, aiming the development of greater citizenship awareness, social justice and youth engagement in the construction of a society based on democracy, justice and social solidarity. This research paper explores the identification of life goals, the beyond the self or self-oriented purpose in life, a meaningful engagement in purposeful activities and the well-being and satisfaction with life in Brazilian youth engaged and not engaged in social and community issues.

Evaluation of quality of life related to i-131 therapy in patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer and emphasis in salivary morbidity: a follow up study after treatment

To evaluate the impact of iodine-131 therapy received during childhood and adolescence and correlate it with the quality of life in these patients. Methods: We studied 19 patients diagnosed with cancer in childhood or adolescence who underwent thyroidectomy and supplemental therapy with I-131. We also recruited a control group of healthy subjects with the same demographic parameters. All patients were subjected to a scintigraphy examination of the salivary glands, and were also asked to complete a questionnaire in order to assess their overall quality of life. In addition, a more specific questionnaire for patients with head and neck cancer was also given to all study participants. Results: The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the salivary glands showed functional deficits with greater involvement of the parotid gland for volume, concentration and excretion. The right submandibular gland showed significant changes for volume in the patient group. The questionnaires made it possible to observe significant differences between the patient and control groups for symptoms such as thick saliva, dry mouth and speech problems. Conclusion: In spite of being very effective and widely used, iodine radionuclide therapy is correlated with a lower quality of life in young people.