Stoichiometry determination of chalcogenide superlattices by means of X-ray diffraction and its limits

In this paper we explore the potential of stoichiometry determination for chalcogenide superlattices, promising candidates for next-generation phase-change memory, via X-ray diffraction. To this end, a set of epitaxial GeTe/Sb2Te3 superlattice samples with varying layer thicknesses is sputter-deposited. Kinematical scattering theory is employed to link the average composition with the diffraction features. The observed lattice constants of the superlattice reference unit cell follow Vegard's law, enabling a straight-forward and non-destructive stoichiometry determination.Comment: physica status solidi (RRL) - Rapid Research Letters (2019

Infiltrationsverhalten gehemmt durchlässiger Waldböden in Abhängigkeit der Durchwurzelungstiefe

Wurzelsysteme von Bäumen beeinflussen das für die Infiltration entscheidende Porensystem in tiefer liegenden staunassen Horizonten erheblich. Mittels Beregnungsversuchen und Wurzelauszählungen an einem Gradienten von Pseudogleyprofilen zwischen zwei Bäumen konnte ein erster Zusammenhang zwischen der Durchwurzelungstiefe und der Stauschichttiefe erkannt werden: Obwohl eine inhomogene Verteilung der Stauschichttiefe vorliegt verläuft die maximale Durchwurzelungstiefe der Grobwurzeln nahezu parallel

Emergency hospital admissions and three-year survival of adults with and without cardiovascular surgery for congenital cardiac disease

AbstractObjective:This study determined the quantity and nature of emergencies leading to unscheduled hospital admissions of adults with congenital cardiac disease and their mid-term survival.ResultsDuring 1 year, 429 adults with congenital cardiac diseases were admitted 571 times, and 124 admissions (22%) of 95 patients (22%) were emergency admissions. Fifteen of the 95 patients were seen for the first time in 1 of the participating centers. The underlying anomalies were Fallot's tetralogy and pulmonary atresia (n = 26/7), univentricular heart after Fontan procedure (n = 25), atrial septal defect (n = 18), Eisenmenger syndrome (n = 12), complete transposition (n = 11), and others (n = 25). Indications for admission were cardiovascular complications (n = 103; 83%) (arrhythmia, cardiac failure, syncope, pacemaker problems, pericardial tamponade, and sudden death), infections (n = 8, 6%) (endocarditis, pacemaker infection, pneumonia, and cerebral abscess), acute chest pain (n = 7; 6%), and acute abdominal pain (n = 4; 3%). All patients required immediate emergency care, and 16 patients (17%) required urgent cardiovascular or abdominal surgery. Six patients died during the hospital stay. During a follow-up of 2.9 years (SD 0.8), 16 (18%) of the discharged patients died, and 2 additional patients underwent heart or heart-lung transplantation.ConclusionAdults with congenital cardiac disease often experience serious emergency situations with a high in-hospital and mid-term post-hospital mortality. Care given by physicians with special expertise is important in this specific group of patients

Workshop on PIDs within NFDI: Report of the Working Group “Persistent Identifiers (PID)” of the Section Common Infrastructures of the NFDI

In order to gain an overview of the current state of the discussion on PIDs and for the identification of use cases for the initiation phase of a PID service within the NFDI basic services, the working group Persistent Identifier of the Section Common Infrastructures of the NFDI hosted an online workshop in January 2023. In the course of the workshop, members of nine different NFDI consortia presented the current application of PIDs in their consortia

Swabian MOSES 2021: An interdisciplinary field campaign for investigating convective storms and their event chains

The Neckar Valley and the Swabian Jura in southwest Germany comprise a hotspot for severe convective storms, causing tens of millions of euros in damage each year. Possible reasons for the high frequency of thunderstorms and the associated event chain across compartments were investigated in detail during the hydro-meteorological field campaign Swabian MOSES carried out between May and September 2021. Researchers from various disciplines established more than 25 temporary ground-based stations equipped with state-of-the-art in situ and remote sensing observation systems, such as lidars, dual-polarization X- and C-band Doppler weather radars, radiosondes including stratospheric balloons, an aerosol cloud chamber, masts to measure vertical fluxes, autosamplers for water probes in rivers, and networks of disdrometers, soil moisture, and hail sensors. These fixed-site observations were supplemented by mobile observation systems, such as a research aircraft with scanning Doppler lidar, a cosmic ray neutron sensing rover, and a storm chasing team launching swarmsondes in the vicinity of hailstorms. Seven Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs) were conducted on a total of 21 operating days. An exceptionally high number of convective events, including both unorganized and organized thunderstorms such as multicells or supercells, occurred during the study period. This paper gives an overview of the Swabian MOSES (Modular Observation Solutions for Earth Systems) field campaign, briefly describes the observation strategy, and presents observational highlights for two IOPs

A −436C>A Polymorphism in the Human FAS Gene Promoter Associated with Severe Childhood Malaria

Human genetics and immune responses are considered to critically influence the outcome of malaria infections including life-threatening syndromes caused by Plasmodium falciparum. An important role in immune regulation is assigned to the apoptosis-signaling cell surface receptor CD95 (Fas, APO-1), encoded by the gene FAS. Here, a candidate-gene association study including variant discovery at the FAS gene locus was carried out in a case-control group comprising 1,195 pediatric cases of severe falciparum malaria and 769 unaffected controls from a region highly endemic for malaria in Ghana, West Africa. We found the A allele of c.−436C>A (rs9658676) located in the promoter region of FAS to be significantly associated with protection from severe childhood malaria (odds ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.58–0.88, pempirical = 0.02) and confirmed this finding in a replication group of 1,412 additional severe malaria cases and 2,659 community controls from the same geographic area. The combined analysis resulted in an odds ratio of 0.71 (95% confidence interval 0.62–0.80, p = 1.8×10−7, n = 6035). The association applied to c.−436AA homozygotes (odds ratio 0.47, 95% confidence interval 0.36–0.60) and to a lesser extent to c.−436AC heterozygotes (odds ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval 0.63–0.84), and also to all phenotypic subgroups studied, including severe malaria anemia, cerebral malaria, and other malaria complications. Quantitative FACS analyses assessing CD95 surface expression of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of naïve donors showed a significantly higher proportion of CD69+CD95+ cells among persons homozygous for the protective A allele compared to AC heterozygotes and CC homozygotes, indicating a functional role of the associated CD95 variant, possibly in supporting lymphocyte apoptosis

Dreißig Jahre Fakultät Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften an der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (1977 bis 2007)

Anlass zur Vorlage der Festschrift ist das dreißigjährige Bestehen der Fakultät Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften (SpLit) der Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg (1977–2007). Sie soll die Entwicklung, die die Fakultät seit ihrer Gründung genommen hat, möglichst knapp und sachlich dokumentieren. Sie hat daher den Charakter einer Leistungsbilanz, sie bietet streckenweise Materialien zu einer Chronik der Fakultät, sie verschweigt aber auch nicht ihre „Geburtsfehler“ in Gestalt mangelnder Ressourcen. In einer Zeit des Umbruchs, nämlich der bevorstehenden Verschmelzung mit der Fakultät Geschichts- und Geowissenschaften (GGeo) zu einer Fakultät Geistes- und Kulturwissenschaften (GuK), soll diese Selbstdarstellung der Fakultät ihr Profil und ihre Identität bis zu ihrer zum 1.10.2007 zu Ende gegangenen selbständigen Existenz erkennbar machen. Die Druckauflage wurde vom Dekanat der Fakultät herausgegeben