Verlauf und Ergebnisse der Spitzbergen-Expedition von Kurt Wegener und Max Robitzsch, 1912/1913

Journal entries and photographic documents from the estate of Max Robitzsch still convey insights into the 1912/13 Spitsbergen expedition today. Based on meteorological readings conscientiously taken and recorded, we now have at our disposal valuable data which we can use for climatological assessments. Robitzsch was the first to depict the geophysical circumstances affecting the temporal and vertical air temperature courses under arctic conditions. If the regional differences and the various average time intervals are neglected, the comparison of climatologically adjusted monthly averages for Ebeltoft Harbour in the period from 1912 to 1916 and Ny-Alesund between 1994 and 2005 reveal a rise in temperature of 3.4 °C. Robitzsch made several endeavours to arrive at a summary depiction of the meteorological conditions of northwestern Spitsbergen. Due in part to Hergesell’s reservations regarding the overall results, and in part to World War II as well as Max Robitzsch’s imprisonment and premature death, he never attained this goal

Study of Whey Protein Adsorption under Turbulent Flow

Reducing fouling in heat exchangers during treatment of milk products is one of the great challenges in the dairy industry. One approach to mitigate fouling is to alter the surface characteristics of the heat exchangers making them less prone to protein adsorption. On this background the European project MODSTEEL was established to study the use of new modified stainless steel surfaces to control fouling of milk components. This part of the project focuses on the adsorption of b-lactoglobulin (b-Lg) from a whey protein solution on unmodified and modified 316 2R stainless steel surfaces by in situ ellipsometry under well-defined flow conditions, in the turbulent regime. The effects of temperature, flow rate and surface modification, including SiF3+ and MoS2 ion implantation, DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) sputtering, and DLC-PlasmaCVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition), were investigated. The amount of protein adsorbed is discussed in relation to the thermal stability of b-Lg, surface properties and hydrodynamic conditions

THERMO-MECHANICAL INVESTIGATION OF PACKED BEDS FOR THE LARGE-SCALE STORAGE OF HIGH TEMPERATURE HEAT

ABSTRACT Thermal storage systems are central elements of various types of power plants operated from renewable and conventional energy sources. Where gaseous heat transfer media are used, a regenerator-type heat storage based on a packed bed inventory is a particularly cost-effective solution. However, suitable design tools that cover the thermo-mechanical aspects of such a design are still missing today. As a basis for such a tool, this contribution presents a novel approach to investigate the thermo-mechanical behaviour of such a storage under thermocyclic operation. The relevant relations are formulated on the basis of the discrete element method (DEM). Results of simulation runs determine the temporal and spatial displacements and acting forces for the individual bodies. Coupling the equations to a simplified thermal model allows to investigate the thermo-mechanical behaviour. Initial results for a thermocyclic operation using simplified assumptions are presented. BACKGROUND Thermal energy storages for the high temperature range are central components for power plants driven from renewable energy: Heat storage allows solar thermal power plants to continuously operate beyond sunshine duration. In fossil CHP power plants they increase the operational flexibility and thus improve the revenue situation. Industrial waste heat use and electricity storage based on Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storages (ACAES) are further examples. An increasing interest in these technologies calls for large-scale storage solutions in a temperature range between 500-1000°C with storage capacities up to 3GWh for discharge durations between 4 and 12h. In many applications the heat is transferred by gaseous heat transfer media, such as air or flue gas. Here, a direct contact between the heat transfer fluid and storage inventory is a particularly cost-effective design solution. Installations of these socalled regenerator-type heat storages have been used in the steel and glass industry for many decades. The storage inventory is stacked from ceramic bricks. To reach the cost targets for power plant applications, regenerators based on a packed bed inventory are a promising option. They offer a large specific heat transfer area and high heat transfer rates, as well as the potential to reduced investment costs, especially for natural stones as an inventory material

Dyslipidemia in primary care – prevalence, recognition, treatment and control: data from the German Metabolic and Cardiovascular Risk Project (GEMCAS)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Current guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) define low thresholds for the diagnosis of dyslipidemia using total cholesterol (TC) and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) to guide treatment. Although being mainly a prevention tool, its thresholds are difficult to meet in clinical practice, especially primary care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a nationwide study with 1,511 primary care physicians and 35,869 patients we determined the prevalence of dyslipidemia, its recognition, treatment, and control rates. Diagnosis of dyslipidemia was based on TC and LDL-C. Basic descriptive statistics and prevalence rate ratios, as well as 95% confidence intervals were calculated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Dyslipidemia was highly frequent in primary care (76% overall). 48.6% of male and 39.9% of female patients with dyslipidemia was diagnosed by the physicians. Life style intervention did however control dyslipidemia in about 10% of patients only. A higher proportion (34.1% of male and 26.7% female) was controlled when receiving pharmacotherapy. The chance to be diagnosed and subsequently controlled using pharmacotherapy was higher in male (PRR 1.15; 95%CI 1.12–1.17), in patients with concomitant cardiovascular risk factors, in patients with hypertension (PRR 1.20; 95%CI 1.05–1.37) and cardiovascular disease (PRR 1.46; 95%CI 1.29–1.64), previous myocardial infarction (PRR 1.32; 95%CI 1.19–1.47), and if patients knew to be hypertensive (PRR 1.18; 95%CI 1.04–1.34) or knew about their prior myocardial infarction (PRR 1.17; 95%CI 1.23–1.53).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Thresholds of the ESC seem to be difficult to meet. A simple call for more aggressive treatment or higher patient compliance is apparently not enough to enhance the proportion of controlled patients. A shift towards a multifactorial treatment considering lifestyle interventions and pharmacotherapy to reduce weight and lipids may be the only way in a population where just to be normal is certainly not ideal.</p