Der Verdacht der Simulation

The Suspicion of Simulation. A Psychiatric Case History between Appropriation and Disciplinary Action at the End of the 19th Century. This case history explores how the question of agency was dealt with historically in two developing, normative orders of deviant behaviour. Examining the institutional career of the supposed adulterer, marriage swindler, and craft baker, we can trace the different observation regimes and systems of knowledge acquisition in the prison and in psychiatry. In both institutions there was talk of simulated madness; the explanations, however, were different. For the prison doctors and civil servants, the baker was a criminal; his deviant behaviour was a matter of consciously planned-out deception. For the examining psychiatrist, on the other hand, he was mentally ill and could not be held responsible for his own behaviour.     

Diamantartige Kohlenstoffschichten steigern die Effizienz

Diamond‐like carbon thin films enhance efficiency — laser arc deposition of ta‐C Rising prices for fossil fuels as well as the increasing effects of the climate change due to the emission of greenhouse gases reveal the necessity of saving energy. Low friction coatings have an enormous potential in saving energy. Carbon based coatings — named as DLC coatings — are especially well suited for low friction coatings. In particular hydrogen‐free tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta‐C) coatings are of great interest due to their extraordinary low wear properties. In addition they show excellent low friction properties and especially in combination with specific lubricants the so‐called super low friction effect. For the deposition of ta‐C coatings PVD methods have to be applied instead of CVD methods as it is the case for conventional DLC coatings. We have developed a deposition method which is based on a pulsed arc steered by a laser (Laser‐Arc). This allows us to use large cathodes resulting in a high long‐term stability. Furthermore, the carbon plasma source can be combined with a filtering unit removing almost all droplets and particles, which usually are characteristic for an arc process. The resulting Laser‐Arc source allows for the deposition of smooth and virtually defect‐free ta‐C coatings with a competitive deposition rate.     

On the Cooling Rate-Microstructure Relationship in Molten Metal Gas Atomization

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Gas atomization is the most used powder production technique since it provides good control on particles shape, surface oxidation and dimension. It is a...     

Antioxidant capacity and total phenolics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyphostemma digitatum</Emphasis> before and after processing: use of different assays

In the framework of standardisation of new healthy food sources, this paper aimed to study the total phenolics and the antioxidant power of Cyphostemma digitatum (Vitaceae) in water and ethanol extracts, using 96-well micro plates with BMG FLUOstar Optima micro plate reader. Total phenolics by Folin–Ciocalteu method in the water extracts were significantly lower after processing, decreasing from 1.41 ± 0.06 g GAE/100 g in the raw leaves to 0.80 ± 0.08 g GAE/100 g in the processed sample; the ethanol extract revealed the same trend with higher values, decreasing from 1.95 ± 0.03 to 1.56 ± 0.12 g GAE/100 g. The antioxidant capacity was elucidated by four methods: TEAC, DPPH, FRAP and ORAC. No or very weak correlations were found between antioxidant assays and total phenolics; this confirms that the antioxidant capacity could be attributed to other molecules. The ORAC assay proved to be more powerful than the other assays; it showed 103.3 ± 2.5 mmol/100 g Trolox equivalents in the raw leaves ethanol extract and 91.9 ± 3.0 mmol/100 g in the processed sample. ORAC assay showed the opposite for the water extract where the antioxidant capacity increased from 16.7 ± 0.2 to 41.7 ± 2.7 mmol/100 g Trolox equivalents after processing, which could be attributed to new water-soluble compounds generated in the consumed form.     

Redox processes in pressurised smoked salmon studied by resonance Raman spectroscopy

Non-thermal food preservation technology is based on the application of high pressures up to 600 MPa. Here we report a resonance Raman (RR) spectroscopic analysis of smoked salmon meat after high pressure processing. High quality spectra, which can be obtained even from packed salmon without spectral interference of the packing foil, allow determining pressure-dependent irreversible changes of the main RR-active components of salmon meat, astaxanthin and myoglobin/haemoglobin. High pressure-treatment causes a decrease of the relative RR intensities of astaxanthin as probed with 514 nm excitation which is in line with a slight attenuation of the originally intense red colour of the salmon meat. 413-nm excited RR spectra indicate a heterogeneous broadening of astaxanthin bands accompanied by the formation of deoxy-myoglobin or deoxy-haemoglobin. The results suggest that pressure-treatment facilitates the oxidative degradation of astaxanthin coupled to the reduction of metmyoglobin (methaemoglobin).     

Predictive model for inactivation of Campylobacter spp. by heat and high hydrostatic pressure

Campylobacter represents one of the leading causes of foodborne enteritis. Poultry and its products frequently transmit the pathogen. The objective of the present study was to model predictively the short-term inactivation of Campylobacter in a ready-to-eat poultry product to develop an economic high-pressure treatment. We inactivated baroresistant strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, grown to stationary phase on nutrient agar and inoculated in poultry meat slurry, by heat and high hydrostatic pressure. Incubation at ambient pressure at 70 degrees C for 1 min and at 450 MPa at 15 degrees C for 30 s inactivated more than 6 log CFU of this foodborne pathogen per ml of poultry meat slurry. Thermal and pressure inactivation kinetics of C. coli and C. jejuni in poultry meat slurry were accurately described by a first-order kinetic model. A mathematical model was developed from 10 to 65 degrees C and from ambient to 500 MPa that predicts the reduction in numbers of Campylobacter in response to the combination of temperature, pressure, and treatment time. We suggest the high-pressure treatment of foods to avoid health risks caused by Campylobacter. The nonthermal short-term treatment of the examined food model system represents a successful step to an economic high-pressure procedure.     

Male pheromone of swift moth,Hepialus hecta L. (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae)

(R)-6-Ethyl-2-methyl-2,3-dihydro-4H-pyran-4-one, (1R,3S,5R)-3-ethyl-1,8-dimethyl-2,9-dioxabicyclo[3.3. 1]non-7-ene, and (1R,3S,5R)-3-ethyl-1,8-dimethyl-2,9-dioxabicyclo[3.3.1]non-7-en-6-one represent the main components in the male pheromone of the swift moth,Hepialus hecta. The amounts of the three components were 40, 5, and 5 g per male, respectively. Structure elucidation of the compounds was based on spectroscopic data as compared to synthetic reference samples. The absolute configurations were determined by gas chromatography on chiral stationary phases; optically active samples served as reference compounds. Electrophysiological and behavioral experiments with natural material and synthetic samples clearly showed the three heterocyclic compounds to act as pheromones. (E, E)--Farnesene represents the main component of the scent secretion of maleHepialus humuli.     

Anti-Inflammatory Characteristics of Local Anesthetics: Inhibition of TNF-α Secretion of Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Leucocytes in Human Blood Samples

Background. Local anesthetics (LAs) have potent anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammatory down-regulation is crucial in diseases with overactive immune reactions, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and chronic inflammation. We investigated the influence of four LAs, procaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine, and bupivacaine, on the reduction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) secretion in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated human leucocytes. Methods. Blood samples of 28 individuals were stimulated with LPS. The reduction of TNF-α production by each of the four LAs added (0.5 mg/mL) was measured and correlated with biometric variables. A response was defined as reduction to <85% of initial levels. Results. All four LAs down-regulated the TNF-α secretion in 44–61%: Bupivacaine (44.4%), lidocaine (61.5%), mepivacaine (44.4%), and procaine (50% of the individuals, “responders”). The TNF-α secretion was reduced to 67.4, 68.0, 63.6, and 67.1% of the initial values in responders. The effects in both patients and healthy persons were the same. Interindividual responses to LAs were not correlated with the duration or type of complaints, basal TNF-α serum level, sex, BMI, or age of responders. Conclusions. Four clinically relevant LAs (amid-LA and ester-LA) attenuate the inflammatory response provoked by LPS. They are potential candidates for drug repositioning in treating overactive immune reactions and chronic inflammation.     

Harmonization of renewable electricity feed-in laws in the European Union

This paper focuses on the harmonization of feed-in laws in the European Union as a support mechanism for the promotion of renewable electricity. In particular, it proposes a methodology for harmonization based on a feed-in law with a modular and transparent premium for renewable electricity producers. This premium considers technology costs, some grid services, political incentives and national priorities. The proposed approach includes flexibility mechanisms to update and revise premiums, to avoid windfall profits for producers, and to share technology innovation benefits with electricity consumers while maintaining incentives for innovation. Our approach is based on the review of the main features of the German and Spanish feed-in laws, and takes into account other necessary considerations for harmonization, such as grid access, funding, definitions and standards, ownership of rights derived from renewables, and exceptions for small non-commercial producers and energy-intensive industries.     

Looking out to look in: inspiration from social sciences for construction management research

In reaction to the recent call for critical debate in the field of construction management research, I argue that we should embrace the richness of adjacent fields of study in order to dynamically develop our own and face the plethora of contemporary societal challenges that exist in our industry. I introduce the concepts of other-than-rational thinking in decision-making and multiplicity in management responses as examples of inspirational sources from social sciences that would contribute to truly understanding the driving forces of construction management processes. I connect these concepts to contemporary studies in construction management and share my experiences with several positive collaborative approaches in conducting construction management research.