Challenging the Conceptual Limits in Health Psychology:Using the Concept of Conduct of Life to Study People’s Health Activities from a Social and Subjective Perspective

This contribution explores the connection between health and subjectivity. Up until recently a marginally discussed topic in health theories, recent critical research in health psychology introduces notions of subjectivity to theories of health. These notions can be linked to phenomenology, embodied subjectivity, and psychosocial theories that have moved away from a partial, internal understanding of subjectivity. These recent theories tend to define subjectivity as a coherence of concrete, embodied and situated subjectivity that extends capabilities and activities towards a world of social relations. The article at hand shows that embodied and situated subjectivity is a basic function of health that sustains the qualities of human life. To comprehend health as a subjective practice in human lives, we need an understanding of people’s subjective participation in their everyday social lives. Hence, I will argue for the concept of conduct of life as an important concept for health psychology. The concept of conduct of life enables an analysis of how people conduct their activities and of their access to life possibilities, within social settings and societal power systems. The concept can be used to analyse the connection between subjectivity and health in the cultural and social relations by which people actually live

Chemical behavior of nickel sulfide in soda-lime-silica glass melts

Nickel sulfide formation from nickel-containing steel residuals in the glass batch has been assumed for quite some time. Melting trials were carried out with a soda-lime-silica glass batch containing steel particles with 20 % nickel. By this the above assumption was shown to be true and the exact cascade of the reaction of the metals with the sulfate of the glass melt could be pointed out. Five steps can be distinguished: sweating out the less noble elements (chromium, manganese, carbon); formation of a mixed iron nickel sulfide phase in equilibrium with the remaining iron nickel alloy; enrichment of nickel in the alloy and the sulfide phase, until complete elimination of iron; sulfidation of the remaining pure nickel and formation of a nickel-rich sulfide; oxidation to NiS. The reaction cascade found experimentally is confirmed by the authors' own thermodynamic calculations. Literature data show that nickel sulfides containing more sulfur than the 1:1 composition are not stable in the glass melt and decompose in a small "explosion". The exact composition of an NiS stone found in glass depends on its individual temperature/time history. It consists mainly of (Ni,Fe)S, which may transform to millerite. If the former sulfide melt still contains a nickel excess, the crystalline stone may also contain minor parts of other NiySx phases such as Ni9S8 or Ni7S6

The Problem(s) of Constituting the Demos:A (Set of) Solution(s)

When collective decisions should be made democratically, which people form the relevant demos? Many theorists think this question is an embarrassment to democratic theory: (1) because any decision about who forms the demos must be made democratically by the right demos, which itself must be democratically constituted and so on ad infinitum; and (2) because neither the concept of democracy, nor (3) our reasons for caring about democracy, determine who should form the demos. Having distinguished between these three versions of the demos problem, we argue that each of them can be solved

The Problem(s) of Constituting the Demos:A (Set of) Solution(s)

When collective decisions should be made democratically, which people form the relevant demos? Many theorists think this question is an embarrassment to democratic theory: (1) because any decision about who forms the demos must be made democratically by the right demos, which itself must be democratically constituted and so on ad infinitum; and (2) because neither the concept of democracy, nor (3) our reasons for caring about democracy, determine who should form the demos. Having distinguished between these three versions of the demos problem, we argue that each of them can be solved

Nanoparticle Counts Emissions of Trucks: EURO 3 with and without DPF Compared to EURO 4 and EURO 5

Investigations of emissions from three modern HD vehicles (HDV) were carried out on a chassis-dynamometer. One of the vehicles uses PM-Kat and is certified according to EURO4. The second one is EURO5 compliant and uses SCR. The third one is was a EURO3 HDV, which was tested with and without VERT-certified DPF. The investigation focussed on solid particles in the mobility size range of 10-400nm. The instruments were SMPS, NanoMet, PASS and ELPI. Sampling conformed to PMP for SMPS and NanoMet, PASS and ELPI were used with FPS-dilution. Metallic emissions were measured using ICP-MS. Also measured were inherent secondary emissions, especially NO2 and NH3. Compared to EURO3 without DPF a moderate curtailment of nanoparticle emissions was observed for the majority of operating points for EURO4 with PM-Kat and EURO5 with SCR. However, at full load the EURO5 engine emitted higher concentrations than a EURO3 engine without DPF. A stochastic particle release was observed from the PM-Kat of the EURO4 engine. Its penetration scatter was very much dependant on the soot burden and the testing history. Compared to a EURO3 engine with a DPF conforming to VERT criteria, both modern engines EURO4 and EURO5 emitted 100-500 times more nanoparticles. Very good results of the gaseous emissions – a significant reduction of NOx – showed the EURO5 engine. There were no deleterious effects observed due to the SCR. The concentrations of NH3 and N2O remained close to the detection limit. However, the EURO4 engine emitted rather high concentrations of NO2 at about half load range. Emissions of Vanadium with EURO5 and Platinum with EURO4 were low in both cases, even below detection limit

Nickel sulphide: new results to optimise the heat soak test for thermally toughened building glasses

The spontaneous failure of tempered facade glazings has been known as a security and reputation problem of these beautiful parts of the surface of modern buildings since the late fifties. By kinetic investigations on synthetic nickel sulphides and by statistical analysis of the breakage of heat soak test ovens it is shown that this problem can be solved. If the test is done in a right and careful way, at temperatures of (290 ± 10) °C, holding time need not be longer than 2 to 3 h to fulfil the implicit requirements of the German Standard (DIN 18516). On the other hand, literature data show that it should be possible to further shorten this holding time if it were possible to heat up faster and more homogeneously the glass to be tested