SOCI430B: Perspectives on Global Citizenship Syllabus 2011-2012

This document details the goals and objectives, curriculum design, structure, and presentation of Perspectives on Global Citizenship – an interdisciplinary and interactive online course.  The course was designed to complement students’ specialized areas of learning, and to challenge students to consider what responsibility they have – within their political, social, cultural and professional contexts – to participate as active global citizens.  It comprises twelve weekly thematic modules, on a Blackboard Vista course management platform, and makes use of Vista communication and collaboration tools.  Themes include:  • Ethics of Global Citizenship  • What is citizenship?  • The Challenge of Global Divisions: Race, Ethnicity, Nation, State  • Challenging Old Conceptions of Citizenship: Diversity and Multiculturalism • The Challenge of Being Informed: Media, Communications and Critical Thinking  • Poverty  • Requirements for a Healthy Society  • Consumerism and Consumer Choices  • Human Impact on the Environment  • Sustainability  • Global Citizenship in Action  Students participate in weekly topical discussions with peers from different disciplines and institutions, and complete four short written assignments over the course of the semester. Assessment is continuous, of both discussion contributions and written work

Histone H1 binding to nucleosome arrays depends on linker DNA length and trajectory

Throughout the genome, nucleosomes often form regular arrays that differ in nucleosome repeat length (NRL), occupancy of linker histone H1 and transcriptional activity. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of human H1-containing tetranucleosome arrays with four physiologically relevant NRLs. The structures show a zig-zag arrangement of nucleosomes, with nucleosomes 1 and 3 forming a stack. H1 binding to stacked nucleosomes depends on the NRL, whereas H1 always binds to the non-stacked nucleosomes 2 and 4. Short NRLs lead to altered trajectories of linker DNA, and these altered trajectories sterically impair H1 binding to the stacked nucleosomes in our structures. As the NRL increases, linker DNA trajectories relax, enabling H1 contacts and binding. Our results provide an explanation for why arrays with short NRLs are depleted of H1 and suited for transcription, whereas arrays with long NRLs show full H1 occupancy and can form transcriptionally silent heterochromatin regions

Near-Threshold eta Meson Production in Proton-Proton Collisions

The production of eta mesons has been measured in the proton-proton interaction close to the reaction threshold using the COSY-11 internal facility at the cooler synchrotron COSY. Total cross sections were determined for eight different excess energies in the range from 0.5 MeV to 5.4 MeV. The energy dependence of the total cross section is well described by the available phase-space volume weighted by FSI factors for the proton-proton and proton-eta pairs.Comment: 9 pages, 1 table, 5 figure

Effects of SR141716A on Cognitive and Depression-Related Behavior in an Animal Model of Premotor Parkinson's Disease

A previous study from our laboratory revealed that moderate nigral dopaminergic degeneration caused emotional and cognitive deficits in rats, paralleling early signs of Parkinson's disease. Recent evidence suggests that the blockade of cannabinoid CB1 receptors might be beneficial to alleviate motor inhibition typical of Parkinson's disease. Here, we investigated whether antagonism of CB1 receptors would improve emotional and cognitive deficits in a rat model of premotor Parkinson's disease. Depression-like behavior and cognition were assessed with the forced swim test and the social recognition test, respectively. Confirming our previous study, rats injected with 6-hydroxydopamine in striatum presented emotional and cognitive alterations which were improved by acute injection of SR141716A. HPLC analysis of monoamine levels demonstrated alterations in the striatum and prefrontal cortex after SR141716A injection. These findings suggest a role for CB1 receptors in the early symptoms caused by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the striatum, as observed in Parkinson's disease

Monitoring of the accelerator beam distributions for internal target facilities

We describe a direct method for monitoring the geometrical dimensions of a synchrotron beam at the target position for internal target installations. The method allows for the observation of the proton beam size as well as the position of the beam relative to the target. As a first demonstration of the technique, we present results obtained by means of the COSY-11 detection system installed at the cooler synchrotron COSY. The influence of the stochastic cooling on the COSY proton beam dimensions is also investigated.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, Submitted to Nucl. Inst. & Meth.

New results on the pd --> 3He eta production near threshold

Measurements on the eta meson production in proton-deuteron collisions have been performed using the COSY-11 facility at COSY Juelich. Here we present preliminary results on total and differential cross sections for the pd --> 3He eta reaction at five excess energies between Q = 5.1 and Q = 40.6 MeV. The obtained angular distributions for the emitted eta mesons in the center of mass system expose a transition from an almost isotropic emission to a highly anisotropic distribution. The extracted total cross sections support a strong eta-3He final state interaction and will be compared with model predictions.Comment: Presented at MESON 2004: 8th International Workshop on Meson Production, Properties and Interactions, Cracow, Poland, 4-8 Jun 2004, 3 pages, Submitted to Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Drift chamber with a c-shaped frame

We present the construction of a planar drift chamber with wires stretched between two arms of a c-shaped aluminium frame. The special shape of the frame allows to extendthe momentum acceptance of the COSY-11 detection system towards lower momenta without suppressing the high momentum particles. The proposed design allows for construction of tracking detectors covering small angles with respect to the beam, which can be installed and removed without dismounting the beam-pipe. For a three-dimensional track reconstruction a computer code was developed using a simple algorithm of hit preselection.Comment: submitted to Nucl. Instr. & Meth

Macroscopic Equations of Motion for Two Phase Flow in Porous Media

The established macroscopic equations of motion for two phase immiscible displacement in porous media are known to be physically incomplete because they do not contain the surface tension and surface areas governing capillary phenomena. Therefore a more general system of macroscopic equations is derived here which incorporates the spatiotemporal variation of interfacial energies. These equations are based on the theory of mixtures in macroscopic continuum mechanics. They include wetting phenomena through surface tensions instead of the traditional use of capillary pressure functions. Relative permeabilities can be identified in this approach which exhibit a complex dependence on the state variables. A capillary pressure function can be identified in equilibrium which shows the qualitative saturation dependence known from experiment. In addition the new equations allow to describe the spatiotemporal changes of residual saturations during immiscible displacement.Comment: 15 pages, Phys. Rev. E (1998), in prin

Threshold hyperon production in proton-proton collisions at COSY-11

Sigma+ hyperon production was measured at the COSY-11 spectrometer via the p p --> n K+ Sigma+ reaction at excess energies of Q = 13 MeV and Q = 60 MeV. These measurements continue systematic hyperon production studies via the p p --> p K+ Lambda/Sigma0 reactions where a strong decrease of the cross section ratio close-to-threshold was observed. In order to verify models developed for the description of the Lambda and Sigma0 production we have performed the measurement on the Sigma+ hyperon and found unexpectedly that the total cross section is by more than one order of magnitude larger than predicted by all anticipated models. After the reconstruction of the kaon and neutron four momenta, the Sigma+ is identified via the missing mass technique. Details of the method and the measurement will be given and discussed in view of theoretical models.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, Phys. Lett. B in print, in the second version a minor editorial changes have been made by a native speaking proofreader and a note in proof has been added with an additional referenc

From lean production to Industrie 4.0: More autonomy for employees?

The article examines the relationship between lean production and Industrie 4.0 focusing on the question of autonomy in the work process. In contrast to the claim made by official Industrie 4.0 concepts that the autonomy of the employees would increase, we see in the current implementation projects a tendency towards greater standardization and control of work. This is in continuity with concepts of lean production, but neglects the participation-oriented elements of lean production such as teamwork and shop-floor-based improvement activities. Our argument is developed by analyzing practical examples from three relevant fields (digital assistance systems, data-based process management, modular assembly). The conclusions of this article also discuss the extent to which the concept of individual autonomy is suitable for the assessment of Industrie 4.0 concepts, given the high levels of interdependence already achieved in production processes