CaCl2 as a Mineralizing Agent in Low-Temperature Recycling of Autoclaved Aerated Concrete: Cl-Immobilization by Formation of Chlorellestadite

The suitability of CaCl2 as a mineralizing agent in the synthesis of a low-temperature C2S-cement clinker from wastes of autoclaved aerated concrete was investigated. As chlorellestadite is a potential host mineral for the immobilization of chlorine, the formation conditions for the highest joint content of chlorellestadite and C2S were studied in samples with different sulfate contents. Oven experiments were conducted at temperatures between 700 and 1200 °C. The samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction in combination with chemical and thermal analysis and Raman spectroscopy. Calculation of the yield of C2S and ellestadite for all samples proves the optimum temperature range for the C2S-ellestadite clinker from 950 to 1000 °C. At lower temperatures, the formation of a carbonate-rich halogenide melt promotes the crystallization of a significant amount of spurrite at the expense of C2S. Ellestadite formation mainly depends on the sulfate content and to a lesser extent on the synthesis temperature. However, at higher temperatures, with ternesite another sulfate coexists in sulfate-rich samples at the expense of ellestadite. In addition, distinct evidence for non-stoichiometry and carbonate substitution in the structure of low-temperature ellestadite was found. Low sulfate content leads to the crystallization of Ca10[Si2O7]3Cl2 at higher temperatures. In all samples treated at temperatures above 1000 °C chlorine loss starts. Its extent decreases with increasing sulfate content

Training researchers with the MOVING platform

The MOVING platform enables its users to improve their information literacy by training how to exploit data and text mining methods in their daily research tasks. In this paper, we show how it can support researchers in various tasks, and we introduce its main features, such as text and video retrieval and processing, advanced visualizations, and the technologies to assist the learning process

Studies on the influence of ochratoxin A administration on Salmonella typhimurium infection in pigs

The aim of the study was to assess whether immunomodulating effects produced by ochratoxin A (OTA) may influence the course of an experimental infection of pigs with Salmonella Typhimurium 27 Nat (STM 27 Nair). 8-week old pigs were administered 50 g OTA per kg body weight per day via feed. Either 7 or 14 days after beginning of OTA application, these pigs and untreated controls were challenged orally with STM 27 Nair. Different systemic immune parameters in blood and OT A concentration in serum and organs were examined. The number of STM 27 Nair was detected in faecal samples of the pigs. Despite high concentrations of OTA in sera and organs, systemic immune parameters were not modified compared with controls. Significant changes in these parameters were induced only by the Salmonella infection. Pigs pretreated with OTA excreted STM 27 Nair in slightly higher (not significant) concentrations than untreated controls. As the immunomodul ating effects produced by OT A after oral administration seem to be considerably lower than the effects induced by a challenge with Salmonella Typhimurium in a high dose, experiments using reduced doses for infection should give further information on the effect on Salmonella shedding

How metal films de-wet substrates - identifying the kinetic pathways and energetic driving forces

We study how single-crystal chromium films of uniform thickness on W(110) substrates are converted to arrays of three-dimensional (3D) Cr islands during annealing. We use low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) to directly observe a kinetic pathway that produces trenches that expose the wetting layer. Adjacent film steps move simultaneously uphill and downhill relative to the staircase of atomic steps on the substrate. This step motion thickens the film regions where steps advance. Where film steps retract, the film thins, eventually exposing the stable wetting layer. Since our analysis shows that thick Cr films have a lattice constant close to bulk Cr, we propose that surface and interface stress provide a possible driving force for the observed morphological instability. Atomistic simulations and analytic elastic models show that surface and interface stress can cause a dependence of film energy on thickness that leads to an instability to simultaneous thinning and thickening. We observe that de-wetting is also initiated at bunches of substrate steps in two other systems, Ag/W(110) and Ag/Ru(0001). We additionally describe how Cr films are converted into patterns of unidirectional stripes as the trenches that expose the wetting layer lengthen along the W[001] direction. Finally, we observe how 3D Cr islands form directly during film growth at elevated temperature. The Cr mesas (wedges) form as Cr film steps advance down the staircase of substrate steps, another example of the critical role that substrate steps play in 3D island formation

Aufbau und Analyse des LTA-Rehaprozessdatenpanels: eine Prozessdatenbasis zur Untersuchung beruflicher Rehabilitation in Trägerschaft der Bundesagentur für Arbeit - Modul 1 des Projekts "Evaluation von Leistungen zur Teilhabe behinderter Menschen am Arbeitsleben"

Der Abschlussbericht zum Projekt "Evaluation von Leistungen zur Teilhabe behinderter Menschen am Arbeitsleben" (LTA) fasst die wichtigsten Arbeiten des Projektmoduls "Fortschreibung bzw. Neuaufbau des LTA-Reha-Prozessdatenpanels (LTA-RehaPro) und Analysen aus dem Prozessdatenpanel (Modul 1)" zusammen. Das Projekt wurde im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Arbeit und Soziales durchgeführt. Ziel des Projektmoduls war zum einen der Aufbau einer Prozessdatengrundlage auf Basis administrativer Daten aus den Geschäftsprozessen der Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA). Zum anderen ist die so entstandene Datenbasis Grundlage für inhaltliche Analysen zum Rehabilitationsprozess. Der Fokus der Daten und der entsprechenden Analysen liegt auf Personen mit gesundheitlichen Einschränkungen und Behinderungen, die eine berufliche Rehabilitation in Kostenträgerschaft der BA anstreben oder absolvieren. Erst- und Wiedereingliederung werden getrennt voneinander betrachtet. Im Rahmen der Analysen wurde der Rehabilitationsprozess einerseits in seiner Gesamtheit betrachtet und andererseits wurden einzelne Prozessschritte untersucht. Im Bereich der beruflichen Ersteingliederung wird der Prozess vom Übergang von der Schule in die berufliche Rehabilitation, über die Teilnahme an Maßnahme(n) bis zum Arbeitsmarkteintritt betrachtet. Dies umfasst ein Prozessmonitoring für die berufliche Ersteingliederung, das auch in Zukunft weitergeführt werden soll. Daneben werden typische Erwerbsverläufe von Rehabilitanden und Rehabilitandinnen nach Ende der Schule identifiziert. Des Weiteren fokussiert eine Analyse über die generelle und spezifische Maßnahmewahl der jungen Personen nach Anerkennung sowie eine weitere Analyse im Besonderen die Personengruppe der psychisch Erkrankten. Für die Untersuchung der letztgenannten Personengruppe werden neben den LTA-RehaPro-Daten auch qualitative Interviews mit jungen Personen der beruflichen Ersteingliederung aus Modul 2 des LTA-Projekts herangezogen. Analog zum Bereich der Ersteingliederung wird auch für die Personen im Bereich der beruflichen Wiedereingliederung erstmalig ein Prozessmonitoring aufgebaut, das den Prozess im Gesamtüberblick betrachtet. Auch dieses Monitoring soll ebenfalls zukünftig weitergeführt werden. Weitere Fokusanalysen untersuchen den Anerkennungsprozess und die damit assoziierte Rolle des Erwerbsstatus, die Maßnahmezuweisung und die Arbeitsmarktübergänge. Insbesondere ihre Übergänge in den Arbeitsmarkt sind dabei differenziert betrachtet worden. So fokussieren einerseits Analysen den Eintritt in Beschäftigung und deren Nachhaltigkeit nach der Teilnahme an Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen. Andererseits identifizieren erste kontrafaktische Analysen Beschäftigungseffekte von Teilnehmenden und Nicht-Teilnehmenden an Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen im Rahmen von Reha (1) bzw. Personen mit und ohne Reha-Status nach Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen (2). Darüber hinaus wird auch der Beschäftigungseffekt von anerkannten und nicht-anerkannten Rehabilitanden und Rehabilitandinnen vergleichend betrachtet. Zu benennende Limitationen hinsichtlich der Daten und Analysen beziehen sich hauptsächlich auf die eingeschränkten Informationen zur gesundheitlichen Situation der Antragstellenden und der Rehabilitanden und Rehabilitandinnen und der daraus resultierenden individuellen beruflichen Möglichkeiten. Festzuhalten ist, dass die LTA-RehaPro-Daten als Vollerhebung von Personen in Kostenträgerschaft der BA, eine reiche und einzigartige Datenquelle zur Untersuchung beruflicher Rehabilitation darstellen. Zwar wird der Rehabilitationsprozess umfassend untersucht. Dennoch ist der Prozess noch nicht erschöpfend betrachtet und die hier durchgeführten Analysen bieten Raum für Anschlussforschung. So konnten erste Fragen beantwortet werden und neue gestellt werden. Die Forschung zum Rehabilitationsprozess soll deshalb auch über den Projektrahmen hinaus weitergeführt werden.The report associated with the project "evaluation of benefits for the labour market participation of people with disabilities (LTA)" financed by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs summarizes the most important results that were identified in the context of the project module "update and re-establishment of the LTA rehaprocess data panel (LTA-RehaPro) and analyses from the process data panel" (modul 1). The module aimed at constructing a process data panel that is based on administrative data coming from business routines of the German Federal Employment Agency (FEA). Furthermore, the data was used to analyse the rehabilitation process. Both data and analyses focus on persons with health limitations and disabilities aiming at or taking-up vocational rehabilitation in the financial responsibility of the FEA. Analyses distinguish young persons in first labour market integration from persons in labour market re-integration. The rehabilitation process is analysed as a whole, as well as in its separate process steps. In the context of young adults in their first labour market integration, studies mainly focus on the whole process from school, over vocational rehabilitation and participation in labour market measures to the transition into the labour market. Thus, within the project a process monitoring was conducted that is to be continued after the project. Furthermore, we identified typical labour market trajectories of rehabilitants after completing school. As a specific focus, the general and specific choice of labour market measures of young adults was analysed, as well as the particular conditions and specific needs of young adults with mental illness within the process of vocational rehabilitation. For the latter study results from the administrative LTA-RehaPro data were combined with findings from qualitative interviews of young adults from modul 2 of the LTA-project. Analogues to young adults, we established a process monitoring to examine the entire vocational rehabilitation process of adults in labour market re-integration that will be continued after the end of the project, as well. Focussing on specific process steps, further studies cover the acceptance process and the associated role of the labour market status, the general and specific allocation to labour market measures and the transition into the labour market. Particularly, the labour market transition was focussed in greater detail. On the one hand, one study considers the transition into employment, as well as the sustainability of employment for rehabilitants completing further training measures. On the other hand, first counterfactual analyses identify employment effects for participants and non-participants in further training measures within the context of vocational rehabilitation (1) and for participants in further training with and without a rehabilitation status (2). Furthermore, employment effects of accepted and non-accepted persons after applying for vocational rehabilitation are compared. The data and analyses are somehow limited in their scope. Thus, the main restriction regards limited health related data on accepted and non-accepted applicants for vocational rehabilitation. This is particularly relevant for health limitations regarding individual occupational opportunities. The LTA-RehaPro data - as a full sample of persons in the financial responsibility of the FEA - constitutes a rich and comprehensive data source in order to examine vocational rehabilitation. Though, the rehabilitation process is broadly analysed, there are still aspects that have not been dealt with exhaustively and that encourage follow-up research. First questions are answered, new ones are posed. Therefore, research is continued beyond the context of the LTA project

MOVING: A User-Centric Platform for Online Literacy Training and Learning

Part of the Progress in IS book series (PROIS)In this paper, we present an overview of the MOVING platform, a user-driven approach that enables young researchers, decision makers, and public administrators to use machine learning and data mining tools to search, organize, and manage large-scale information sources on the web such as scientific publications, videos of research talks, and social media. In order to provide a concise overview of the platform, we focus on its front end, which is the MOVING web application. By presenting the main components of the web application, we illustrate what functionalities and capabilities the platform offer its end-users, rather than delving into the data analysis and machine learning technologies that make these functionalities possible

Research inventory of child health: A report on roadmaps for the future of child health research in Europe

RICHE was the response to a call under HEALTH-2009-3.3-5, with the title of 'European child health research platform'. The call text asked us to “address the diversity and fragmentation in child health research in Europe in an inclusive multidisciplinary way, identifying existing research programmes in Member States, recent advances and identification of gaps to explore road maps for the future of child health research in Europe”. Project structure A consortium, with a final total of 23 partners, and two associate (i.e. unfunded) partners, responded to this call. We designed a project with a linear structure, where the main focus of activity moved from work on the Inventory, and Indicators and Measurement, in Year 1, to work on Gaps in Year 2, finishing with the preparation of the Roadmap in year 3. The final 6 months (Year 4) were largely dissemination. The Platform, which is instantiated in our website, supported all of the other parts,, and was a focus for communication and dissemination throughout the project. Each workpackage focused on a specific area of work, but each fed into its successors, and all leaders and partners worked closely together. Each group produced a number of technical reports and other outputs. The final output was a Roadmap for future investment in European child health research. This has been widely disseminated, and has fed at Commission level and National level into the Horizon 2020 call preparation process. RICHE Roadmap The RICHE Roadmap is based upon a sound, scientific evidence base, which we had gathered as part of our earlier work. The project prepared an inventory of child health research and of measurements and indicators of child health in Europe (WP1 and WP2) . This was collated using a web platform – which can be found at www.childhealthresearch.eu. In addition to this exercise, a formal study of the gaps in child health research was undertaken by carrying out surveys and interviews of researchers and research users across Europe (WP3). This allowed our initial views on the research gaps to be refined and corrected by an iterative process, involving, both project partners, and the wider scientific community, so seeking grounding and validation for this key phase. These results formed the basis for the RICHE Roadmap. The Roadmap is based on a life-course perspective. It covers the important phases of a child’s development, including maternal health, and pregnancy, through to adolescence and the protective and risk factors, and health services encountered throughout childhood and adolescence as he or she moves towards adulthood. RICHE looked upstream to identify where more work needed to be done to prevent avoidable physical and mental ill-health, disability and death in the population of European children aged 0-18 years. This shows how the many influences and outcomes of children’s health are interrelated; a pattern reflected in the Roadmap. The work necessarily involved a series of value judgements, especially on setting priorities, because there are no objective and unconditionally valid answers to the question “Is there enough research on this topic?”, nor to the question “Is this a topic of significance?”. Nevertheless, the RICHE Roadmap uses an inclusive and transparent process to explain the recommendations it made, and the subjects it chose, making our values, and the reasons for judgements as explicit as possible. The report is organised into broad subject areas, that reflect the key ‘gaps’ in knowledge about children and young people, or about particular aspects of their lifestyle and health. These key areas, and selected findings within each area, are briefly summarised here. Life Course and Lifestyle This section focuses on children as they age, and recognises the importance of continuing to research how factors before conception, during gestation and in the very early years of life can affect present and future health. The challenges that children face as they grow up are also highlighted – these can be created because of policy decisions that fail to take account of children and young people’s lives or because of the pervasive influences of individual circumstances that act ask protective or risk factors for children’s actions. The concept of resilience in childhood is also highlighted, and how research needs to focus on this important and powerful means of improving children’s lives. A key issue, throughout the life course, is mental health and well-being. Fostering well-being in children from birth, and throughout childhood will provide numerous individual and societal benefits. It deserves a greater research focus. Socio-economic and Cultural Factors The socio-economic and cultural environment in which a child is born and grows up has a potent effect on a child’s health and well-being. Inequity and inequalities in health, between and within nations depending on socio-economic circumstances, are known to affect health outcomes. Those in the poorest areas have worse health, and shorter lives than those in the wealthiest areas. Other groups are at risk of marginalisation from health services and from opportunities that can maximise their health. These include migrant children where the question is how best to support their integration into their new societies and communities, while retaining their individual identity; children in the state care system have poor health and social outcomes, so improving these, by focused research is important for the future health of these children; children from minority population groups, in particular those who travel across nations, such as the Roma, need to have focused attention, to ensure that their health outcomes begin to match those of the general European child population. Social and Community Networks The main influences on children and young people are their immediate family and community networks. This extends from the influence of the family as a warm and nurturing environment in which to grow up – and conversely a place of the most profound danger and threat if such a family environment is toxic; to the wider influence of school, and finally the broader community. Becoming engaged and involved in community life is beneficial for the entire population, not just for the children and young people directly involved. It is an aspect of children and young people’s experience that is important for well-being and social inclusion. Environment The term 'environment' covers several different concepts, and the RICHE Roadmap describes the physical, virtual and also the perceived environment – all of which interlink in children’s lives, and have a profound effect on their health and development. These include the physical environment, the virtual (digital) environment, physical safety, including injury prevention, and protection form crime, anti-social behaviour and violence (both as perpetrators and victims). Complex Health Issues The majority of children in Europe are healthy, and ill-health is not a characteristic of this population as it is in, for example, an ageing population. However, there are certain health issues that affect children, and as such can blight an entire lifetime. Our Roadmap does not cover clinical issues, but takes a population perspective. There are certain disorders that have a population-wide effect and are prevalent enough in the child population to warrant particular attention from a public health viewpoint. Four specific areas of concern were identified – overweight and obesity, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, and neuro-developmental disorders. Health Services The main research needs of the health services focuses on the prevention of poor health. Comparing health services across Europe and evaluating the means of conveying health promotion messages are important directions for health research to investigate. Indicators need developing which reflect the effect of preventive actions, particularly among younger children. Vulnerable populations, such as those in deprived communities, need to have health prevention services particularly targeted. There is little systematic evaluation of such interventions, which compromises the development of new interventions and their implementation. Those who do not access services and those who need particular attention can be identified. Public Health Infrastructure Health surveillance is essential so that health needs can be identified and addressed effectively for the benefit of the child population. Yet, many existing sources of data are neither analysed, nor made available in a child-centric way. Children need to be made more visible in the data so that they can have more effective health promotion and health care on a population level. Specific examples include work on autism and morbidity due to injury. Europe also needs to establish proper measures and indicators of children’s health and children’s lives. We cannot act properly without first identifying and measuring the problem. Electronic health records are an emerging technology that has great potential, both for research, and for improved access to care. They need to be developed and investigated further to encourage their use across the European Union. Improving Research Capacity It is necessary to ensure that there are enough resources, both to do research, and to make use of the research findings. To sustain research activity, specialist training for junior child health researchers is needed, as are sufficient resources to maintain a critical mass of researchers and provide attractive career paths for them. Children and young people as subjects of research need to continue to be safeguarded by a consistently ethical framework, and information collected about children needs to be accurate, comprehensive and used intelligently so that interventions and services can be correctly directed. Using the roadmap The roadmap is a complex document, addressed to a number of different stakeholders. One key group are those who make decision bout research finding priorities. We have disseminated the roadmap widely at EU level, to reach into the process of priority setting for Horizon 2020. This has been done thought National Contact Points in each partner country, through relevant NGO's, and by sending copes to and meeting with relevant parts of the European Commission. Readers using the roadmap will most likely use it in two ways, first to make a general case for investment in Child Health Research, and secondly to target that investment, by considering the questions we have identified, and reviewing our justifications for these choices. We do not expect our work to determine future investments in child health, but we are confident that using our work would lead to better decisions overall. Conclusions Our core value is to put children first in our work. We take the rights of the child seriously, and we are conscious that many children do not have the opportunity to exercise the right to health and healthcare that European children they ought to have. The topics in this Roadmap are pragmatic in that they are researchable (within the grasp of presently available research methods and resources) and that are likely to have a significant effect on the lives of European children. This will go a considerable distance in improving the health and well-being of European children who may not have benefited from Europe’s good fortune up until this point. At the very least, the RICHE Roadmap aims to begin a serious conversation across Europe about the need for research to focus on children and how this will ultimately benefit all members of the European population. There is a need for children to become substantially more visible in European society. At present many children’s lives are invisible to health surveillance and to research. Sometimes they are submerged with their families, as in the case of Roma or for children of illegal and undocumented immigrant families. Even in well-documented societies, children’s circumstances are invisible as data are collected from the perspective of economically active adults, or households. Therefore, an overarching recommendation in this road map is the establishment of a European Child Health Observatory with a simple remit to make European Children, and their lives, health and attainment of rights more visible. We also recommend continuing and extending the discussion to the edge of existing child health boundaries, to address topics such as the effects on children’s health of urban design and architecture, fiscal policy (which can affect many health issues), welfare, or health effects of immigration policy. The RICHE Roadmap hopes to point the way in which children can be fully recognised and respected as forming a valuable population and whose health and well-being contributes to the health of our present and future European society

Photoacoustic Techniques for Trace Gas Sensing Based on Semiconductor Laser Sources

The paper provides an overview on the use of photoacoustic sensors based on semiconductor laser sources for the detection of trace gases. We review the results obtained using standard, differential and quartz enhanced photoacoustic techniques