How the brain responds to the destruction of money.

Is our attitude to money like that to any other tool even though its use is symbolic and is not implemented in its physical structure? Knowledge of the functional use of concrete tools, such as hammers or screwdrivers, has been associated with activation of a left hemisphere network including the posterior temporal cortex, supramarginal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and lateral precuneus. Here we demonstrate that observing bank notes being cut up or torn, a critical violation of their function, elicits activation within the same temporo-parietal network. Moreover, this activation is the greater the higher the value of the banknote. This lends plausibility to a genuinely psychological interpretation of the explanation of money as a tool for parametrically symbolizing exchange. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beitr?ge zur Analytik von Farbstoffen

Zusammenfassung Durch Verteilung des Lippenstiftmaterials zwischen N,N,-Dimethyl-formamid (DMF) und Petroläther lassen sich Wachse, Paraffine und Fette von den Farbstoffen abtrennen. Nach Verdünnung der DMF-Phase mit Wasser werden die Farbstoffe an Polyamid-pulver adsorbiert und nach alkalischer Elution mit Hilfe der DC identifiziert.

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Contributions to the Analysis of DyesXIII. Detection and identification of synthetic dyes in lipsticks

Summary A procedure has been described for the separation, enrichment, isolation and identification of synthetic dyes in lipsticks. By distribution between N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) and petrol ether, the wages, paraffines and fats are extracted from the petrol ether while the dyes stay in the phase of DMF. After delution with water the dyes are adsorbed on polyamide-powder, deluted and identified by TLC.

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Den Herren Professoren Dr. H. Druckrey, Dr. B. Eistert und Dr. 0. Neunhoeffer danken wir für ihre wohlwollenden Hinweise und Ratschläge, der Farbstoffkommission der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft für die Bereitstellung von Forschungsmitteln.     

EMDialog: bringing information visualization into the museum

Digital information displays are becoming more common in public spaces such as museums, galleries, and libraries. However, the public nature of these locations requires special considerations concerning the design of information visualization in terms of visual representations and interaction techniques. We discuss the potential for, and challenges of, information visualization in the museum context based on our practical experience with EMDialog, an interactive information presentation that was part of the Emily Carr exhibition at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. EMDialog visualizes the diverse and multi-faceted discourse about this Canadian artist with the goal to both inform and provoke discussion. It provides a visual exploration environment that offers interplay between two integrated visualizations, one for information access along temporal, and the other along contextual dimensions. We describe the results of an observational study we conducted at the museum that revealed the different ways visitors approached and interacted with EMDialog, as well as how they perceived this form of information presentation in the museum context. Our results include the need to present information in a manner sufficiently attractive to draw attention and the importance of rewarding passive observation as well as both short- and longer term information exploration.     

Gedächtnis-Enhancement. Wie erstrebenswert wäre ein grenzenloses Gedächtnis?

Definition of the problem Not to be able to remember is a hindrance to almost every part of our daily life. Conversely, one may assume that being able to remember more than an average person must improve the ability to efficiently achieve one’s aims and to lead a satisfactory and successful life. Nonetheless, as is shown by the experience of people who have an increased capacity to remember by nature, this is true only to a limited extent. Therefore, how are we to understand the nature and ethical relevance of an increased memory’s drawbacks from a theoretical perspective? Arguments It is argued that philosophical concepts of the memory as information storage are ill-suited to explain and anticipate some of the obstacles experienced by those who possess a naturally increased capacity to remember. With reference to the approaches of Ricoeur and Nietzsche, it is shown that philosophical theories emphasizing the role of remembering in the process of developing a normatively informed self-understanding can embed and predict these experiences more smoothly. Conclusion As a consequence, since this ability is at the core of what it means to be a person, potential impediments to this ability possess universal ethical relevance. They ought to be taken account of in the evaluation of memory enhancement procedures.     

Technology diffusion and energy intensity in US commercial buildings

This paper analyzes the 1992 and 2003 US Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey microdata files to show the extent to which certain heating, cooling, lighting, and window technologies are entering use, and the resulting impacts on the intensity of energy use. Excepting the case of fluorescent lights, no technology dominates the entire market but instead each conquers a specific niche. Most of the buildings in which these technologies are installed do not have lower-than-average energy intensity, measured as annual energy use per square meter of floor space. The exceptional technology that does measurably correlate with reduced energy intensity is daylighting. These results suggest that technologies are adopted to serve comfort or quality objectives rather than to save energy, or that buildings’ users confound the designers’ intentions. Decision makers thus should improve operating and maintenance practices, invest in building commissioning, and rely more heavily on passive design features to save energy.