EU-konform und dennoch verschweissbar

Die Recycelvorschriften der EU verlangen nach immer sortenreinerem Papierabfall. Papier wird in Lebensmittelverpackungen verwendet, wo es verschweisst werden muss. Um zwei Papierstreifen miteinander verschweissen zu können, müssen diese mit einem Fremdmaterial beschichtet sein. Das IMPE entwickelte zusammen mit der Firma Tanner & Co. AG eine neuartige Dispersionsbeschichtung für Papier, welche den Vorschriften der EU entspricht und dennoch verschweissbar ist

The Role of Electrocardiographic Markers for Predicting Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke: Data from the BIOSIGNAL Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS P-wave abnormalities in the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) have been associated with a higher risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) as well as atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aimed to assess pre-determined ECG criteria during sinus rhythm in unselected AIS patients and their value for predicting newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (NDAF) after hospital admission. METHODS P-wave alterations were measured on 12-lead ECG on admission in all consecutively enrolled patients without known AF between October 2014 and 2017. The outcome of interest was NDAF, identified by prolonged electrocardiographic monitoring within one year after the index AIS. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression was applied to assess the magnitude and independence of the association between pre-selected ECG markers and NDAF. The discriminatory accuracy was evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and the incremental prognostic value was estimated with the net reclassification index. RESULTS NDAF was detected in 87 (10%) of 856 patients during a follow-up of 365 days. Out of the pre-selected ECG parameters, advanced interatrial block (aIAB) and PR interval in lead II were independently associated with NDAF in univariable regression analysis. Only aIAB remained a significant predictor in multivariable analysis. Adding aIAB to the best-performing multivariable regression model improved the discriminatory accuracy to predict NDAF from an AUC of 0.78 (95%-CI 0.77-0.80) to 0.81 (95%-CI 0.80-0.83, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION aIAB is independently and highly associated with NDAF in patients with AIS, has high inter-rater reliability, and therefore may be helpful to refine diagnostic work-up to search for AF in AIS

Unternehmen, Organisationen und Werte

Der Diskurs um Werte und Werthaltungen ist sowohl innerhalb des wirtschaftlichen und unternehmerischen Kontextes als auch im kirchlichen, theologischen und religionswissenschaftlichen Bereich ein aktuelles, kontrovers diskutiertes Thema. Anliegen des Sammelbandes ist es, eine Brücke zwischen Wissenschaft und Praxis, Betriebswirtschaftslehre, Religionswissenschaft und Theologie, Theorie und Empirie, Unternehmen und kirchlichen Organisationen sowie Lebenswelt und Religion zu schlagen. Der interdisziplinäre Ansatz versucht, durch eine vertiefte Auseinandersetzung mit der Wertethematik sowie durch einen multiperspektivischen Blick die oftmals komplexe wechselseitige Bezogenheit von Wirtschaft, Unternehmen, Werten und Religion differenzierter wahrzunehmen

Photografting of perfluoroalkanes onto polyethylene surfaces via azide/nitrene chemistry

The purpose of this study is to render polyethylene surfaces strongly and permanently hydrophobic. Polyethylene is a common plastic and, because of its inertness, difficult to graft. We chose polyethylene as example because of its ubiquity and model character. As graft chains linear perfluoroalkyl residues (−C4F9, −C6F13, −C8F17 and −C10F21) were chosen, and photografting was selected as grafting method. Photolytically generated nitrenes can insert into carbon–hydrogen bonds and are therefore suited for binding to polyethylene. Hydrophobic photo reactive surface modifiers based on azide/nitrene chemistry are designed, synthesized in high yield and characterized. Four new molecules are described. Water contact angles exceeding 110° were achieved on grafted polyethylene. One problem is to demonstrate that the photografted surface modifiers are bound covalently to the polyethylene. Abrasion tests show that all new molecules, when photografted to polyethylene, have a higher abrasion resistance than a polyethylene surface coated with a long-chain perfluoroalkane. Relative abrasion resitances of 1.4, 2.0, 2.1 and 2.5 compared to the fluoroalkane coating were obtained for the four compounds. An abrasion model using ice is developed. Although all four compounds have the same λmax of 266 nm in acetonitrile solution, their molar extincition coefficients increase from 1.6·104 to 2.2·104 with increasing length of the fluorotelomer chain. Exitonic coupling of the chromophores of the surface modifiers is observed for specific molecules in the neat state. A linear correlation of water contact angle with fluorine surface content, as measured by photoelectron spectroscopy, in grafted polyethylene surfaces is established

Environmental Issues are Health Issues: Making a Case and Setting an Agenda for Environmental Health Psychology

Increasing demands on ecosystems, decreasing biodiversity, and climate change are among the most pressing environmental issues of our time. As changing weather conditions are leading to increased vector-borne diseases and heat- and flood-related deaths, it is entering collective consciousness: environmental issues are human health issues. In public health, the field addressing these issues is known as environmental health. This field addresses both the effects people have on their environment as well as the effects of the environment on people. Psychology, as a discipline concerned with explaining, predicting, and changing behavior has much to contribute to this topic, because human behavior is key in promoting environmental health. To date, however, an integrative view of environmental health in psychology is lacking, hampering urgently needed progress. In this paper, we review how the environment and human health are intertwined, and that much can be gained through a systemic view of environmental health in psychology. Based on a review of the literature, we suggest that psychologists unite efforts to promote an integrative science and practice of environmental health psychology, and jointly address environmental-health related behavior. The research agenda for this field will include integrating behavior change theory and intervention approaches. Thereby, psychology can potentially make an important contribution to sustained environmental health for generations to come

Hydrophilic coatings for vascular medical products

patent submitter:Biotronik AGThe present invention relates to use of a UV-sensitive copolymer and a hydrophilic coating containing the copolymer, for coating a surface of a vascular medical product. The UV-sensitive copolymer comprises repeating units of vinylpyrrolidone, and perfluorophenylazide, wherein the copolymer has a statistical distribution of the repeating units and has a molecular weight of 5,000 to 50,000 g/mol. The invention further relates to a method for coating a surface of a vascular medical product, and the coated vascular medical products obtained

Environmental Issues Are Health Issues

Increasing demands on ecosystems, decreasing biodiversity, and climate change are among the most pressing environmental issues of our time. As changing weather conditions are leading to increased vector-borne diseases and heat- and flood-related deaths, it is entering collective consciousness: environmental issues are human health issues. In public health, the field addressing these issues is known as environmental health. This field addresses both the effects people have on their environment as well as the effects of the environment on people. Psychology, as a discipline concerned with explaining, predicting, and changing behavior has much to contribute to these issues because human behavior is key in promoting environmental health. To date, however, an integrative view of environmental health in psychology is lacking, hampering urgently needed progress. In this paper, we review how the environment and human health are intertwined, and that much can be gained through a systemic view of environmental health in psychology. Based on a review of the literature, we suggest that psychologists unite efforts to promote an integrative science and practice of environmental health psychology, and jointly address environmental-health related behavior. The research agenda for this field will include integrating behavior change theory and intervention approaches. Thereby, psychology can potentially make an important contribution to sustained environmental health for generations to come