Orthogonal ring patterns

We introduce orthogonal ring patterns consisting of pairs of concentric circles generalizing circle patterns. We show that orthogonal ring patterns are governed by the same equation as circle patterns. For every ring pattern there exists a one parameter family of patterns that interpolates between a circle pattern and its dual. We construct ring pattern analogues of the Doyle spiral, Erf and $z^{\alpha}$ functions. We also derive a variational principle and compute ring patterns based on Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figure

Normen der deutschen Bühnenaussprache in der Fachliteratur des 19. Jahrhunderts

Die deutsche Standardaussprache unterliegt heute relativ festen Normen, die zum großen Teil das Ergebnis langjähriger Bemühungen um eine überregionale Bühnenaussprache insbesondere im 19. Jahrhundert sind. An einer Erforschung historischer Aussprachenormen findet nicht nur die Sprechwissenschaft Interesse, sondern jüngst auch die Musikwissenschaft im Rahmen der historisch informierten Aufführungspraxis. Die Entwicklung der deutschen Standardaussprache ist seit Längerem Gegenstand der Orthoepieforschung der halleschen Sprechwissenschaft, Schwerpunkte waren bislang jedoch das 20. und 21. Jahrhundert. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, Normen der deutschen Bühnenaussprache im 19. Jahrhundert in Form möglichst konkreter phonetischer Merkmale zu rekonstruieren. Dazu wurde eine Auswahl zeitgenössischer Publikationen verschiedener Disziplinen einer Inhaltsanalyse unterzogen, Aussprachenormen mit fachübergreifender Gültigkeit verglichen und konkrete Aussagen zu speziellen Anforderungen der Bühne einbezogen. Die Analyse zeigt, dass viele der damaligen Normen in zahlreichen Merkmalen mit der heutigen Standardaussprache übereinstimmen, besonders auf lautlicher Ebene jedoch mehr oder weniger prägnante Abweichungen zu finden sind. Dazu gehören differenziertere Unterscheidungen von Lauten bei geschriebenem und von E-Vokalen, die durchgehende Verwendung des Zungenspitzen-R und das Fehlen von Elisions- und Assimilationsprozessen. Ausgehend von den Ergebnissen der Literaturanalyse wurden schließlich Überlegungen zur praktischen Anwendbarkeit der Aussprachemerkmale im Rahmen historisch informierter Bühnenprojekte angestellt.The standard German stage pronunciation today is governed by relatively fixed norms, which are largely the result of many years devoted to establishing a supra-regional stage pronunciation, especially in the 19th century. Research into historical pronunciation norms is not only of interest to speech science, but also recently to musicology within the field of historically informed performance practice. The evolution of standard German pronunciation has been the subject of orthoepy research in the speech science department at Halle for some time, but until now the areas of focus have been on the 20th and 21st centuries. The aim of this work was to reconstruct norms of German stage pronunciation in the 19th century using the most specific phonetic traits possible. This involved a content analysis of a selection of contemporary publications from various fields, a comparison of pronunciation norms with interdisciplinary applicability, and the inclusion of explicit statements regarding requirements particular to the stage. The analysis indicates that while many of the norms from that time are consistent with current standard pronunciation in many respects, more or less striking deviations can be found, especially at the phonetic level. These include more differentiated distinctions of sounds in written and of E vowels, the use of apical R throughout, and the absence of elision and assimilation processes. Lastly, based on the results of the literature analysis, considerations were made concerning the practical applicability of the pronunciation traits within the context of historically informed stage projects. (Übersetzung: Jennifer Smyth

CFD model of slot die coating for lithium-ion battery electrodes in 2D and 3D with load balanced dynamic mesh refinement enabled with a local-slip boundary condition in OpenFOAM

Slot die coating is a state-of-the-art process to manufacture lithium-ion battery electrodes with high accuracy and reproducibility, covering a wide range of process conditions and material systems. Common approaches to predict process windows are one-dimensional calculations with a limited expressiveness. A more detailed analysis can be performed using CFD simulations, which are often based on in-house code or closed-source software. In this study, a two-phase CFD model in two and three dimensions was created in OpenFOAM with the intent to provide a method for more detailed investigations of the slot die coating process with open access to source code and files. A custom boundary condition enables the proper description of the wetting behavior in the two-dimensional model. The combination of standard no-slip boundary conditions at the substrate boundary with the volume-of-fluid solution algorithm leads to a method-related air entrainment, which was prevented by allowing local slip at the dynamic wetting line at the upstream meniscus in the two-dimensional model. Additionally, a load-balancing dynamic refinement algorithm was implemented to minimize the computational effort and increase the ease of use of the simulation environment. The simulation was validated by comparing the simulated process limits to experimental observations, showing good agreement. As a result, this model enables detailed analyses regarding the influences of slot die geometries, material properties, and process parameters on the coating stability and wet-film profile

Impact of UVA exposure on psychological parameters and circulating serotonin and melatonin

BACKGROUND: People tend to feel better after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This study was performed to investigate the impact of UVA exposure on psychological and neuroendocrine parameters. METHODS: Fifty-three volunteers were separated into 42 individuals who had UVA exposure and 11 individuals who had no UVA exposure. The UVA-exposed volunteers had irradiation sessions six times in a three-week period. All volunteers completed two questionnaires at baseline (T1) and at the end of the study (T3). For the determination of serotonin and melatonin serum levels of all volunteers blood samples were collected at baseline (T1), after the first UVA exposure (T2), and at the end of the study after the sixth exposure (T3). RESULTS: UVA-exposed volunteers felt significantly more balanced, less nervous, more strengthened, and more satisfied with their appearance at T3. By contrast, the controls did not show significant changes of psychological parameters. In comparison to T1 and T3, serum serotonin was significantly higher and the serum melatonin was significantly lower for the volunteers exposed to UVA at T2. Both, for exposed and non-exposed volunteers serotonin and melatonin levels did not significantly differ at T1 and T3. CONCLUSIONS: It remains obscure, whether the exposure to UVA or other components of the treatment were responsible for the psychological benefits observed. The changes of circulating neuroendocrine mediators found after UVA exposure at T2 may be due to an UVA-induced effect via a cutaneous pathway. Nevertheless, the positive psychological effects observed in our study cannot be attributed to circulating serotonin or melatonin

Pollen allergens do not come alone: pollen associated lipid mediators (PALMS) shift the human immue systems towards a TH2-dominated response

Pollen allergy is characterized by a TH2-biased immune response to pollen-derived allergens. However, pollen-exposed epithelia do not encounter pure allergen but rather a plethora of protein and non-protein substances. We demonstrated that pollen liberate lipids with chemical and functional similarities to leukotriens and prostaglandins - the pollen associated lipid mediators (PALMs). To date, two main groups of PALMs have been characterized: The immunostimulatory PALMs activating innate immune cells such as neutrophils and eosinophils, and the immunomodulatory E1-phytoprostanes blocking IL-12 production of dendritic cells, resulting in the preferential induction of TH2 responses. This article reviews our work in the field of PALMs and their effects on cells of the innate and adoptive immune system. From recent results a general picture starts to emerge in which PALMs (and possibly other pollen-associated substances) may - independently from protein allergens - propagate an overall TH2 favoring micromilieu in pollen exposed tissue of predisposed individuals

Protection against ultraviolet radiation by commercial summer clothing: need for standardised testing and labelling

BACKGROUND: The use of clothing as a means of sun protection has been recommended in recent education campaigns. Contrary to popular opinion, however, some fabrics provide insufficient ultraviolet (UV) protection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We investigated 236 apparel textiles of the spring/summer collections 2000 and 2001. In accordance with the forthcoming European standard the UV protection factor (UPF) of the fabrics was determined spectrophotometrically. RESULTS: Seventy-eight (33%) fabrics had UPF < 15, 45 (19%) had UPF = or > 15 and < 30, and 113 (48%) had UPF = or > 30 (30+). More than 70% of the wool, polyester, and fabric blends, and only less than 30% of the cotton, linen, and viscose fabrics had UPF values of 30+. Fabrics with black, navy-blue, white, green, or beige colours provided most frequently UPF values of 30+. CONCLUSIONS: It is difficult for the sun-aware consumer to choose the 'right' garment, with a third of summer clothing providing insufficient UV protection and only half of the fabrics having UPF 30+, the UPF recommended by the European standard. Therefore, apparel summer fabrics should be measured and labelled in accordance with a standard document

Pollen-associated phytoprostanes inhibit dendritic cell interleukin-12 production and augment T helper type 2 cell polarization

Pollen grains induce allergies in susceptible individuals by release of allergens upon contact with mucosal membranes of the upper respiratory tract. We recently demonstrated that pollen not only function as allergen carriers but also as rich sources of bioactive lipids that attract cells involved in allergic inflammation such as neutrophils and eosinophils. Here we demonstrate that soluble factors from birch (Betula alba L.) pollen activate human dendritic cells (DCs) as documented by phenotypical and functional maturation and altered cytokine production. Betula alba L. aqueous pollen extracts (Bet.-APE) selectively inhibited interleukin (IL)-12 p70 production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or CD40L-activated DC, whereas IL-6, IL-10, and TNFα remained unchanged. Presence of Bet.-APE during DC activation resulted in DC with increased T helper type 2 (Th2) cell and reduced Th1 cell polarizing capacity. Chemical analysis of Bet.-APE revealed the presence of phytoprostanes (dinor isoprostanes) with prostaglandin E1-, F1-, A1-, or B1-ring systems of which only E1-phytoprostanes dose dependently inhibited the LPS-induced IL-12 p70 release and augmented the Th2 cell polarizing capacity of DC. These results suggest that pollen-derived E1-phytoprostanes not only resemble endogenous prostaglandin E2 structurally but also functionally in that they act as regulators that modulate human DC function in a fashion that favors Th2 cell polarization

Histometric data obtained by in vivo confocal laser scanning microscopy in patients with systemic sclerosis

BACKGROUND: It would be a benefit if time-saving, non-invasive methods could give hints for diagnosing systemic sclerosis. To investigate the skin of patients with systemic sclerosis using confocal laser scanning microscopy in vivo and to develop histometric parameters to describe characteristic cutaneous changes of systemic sclerosis observed by this new technique, we conducted an exploratory study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with systemic sclerosis treated with extracorporal photopheresis were compared with 15 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with other disorders also treated with extracorporal photopheresis. All subjects were investigated using confocal laser scanning microscopy in vivo. RESULTS: Micromorphologic characteristics of skin of patients with systemic sclerosis and measuring parameters for melanisation, epidermal hypotrophy, and fibrosis for dislocation of capillaries by collagen deposits in the papillary dermis were evaluated. An interesting finding was an increased thickness of the tissue in the dermal papillae superior to the first dermal papilla vessel. It was also possible to reproduce characteristic histologic features by confocal laser scanning microscopy in vivo. Histometric parameters for fibrosis and vascular features developed in this study showed significant differences in patients with systemic sclerosis compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Although the predominant histopathological features in systemic sclerosis are findings of the reticular dermis and the subcutis, and in histopathological investigation the epidermis seems to remain unaffected by the disease, we have demonstrate some characteristic differences in the epidermis and papillary dermis by confocal laser scanning microscopy in vivo. Some of them have not been described so far. However, to use this technique as a tool for diagnosis and/or staging of systemic sclerosis, further studies are needed investigating the sensitivity and specificity of the histometric parameters developed in this study