Radiation protection at CERN

This paper gives a brief overview of the general principles of radiation protection legislation; explains radiological quantities and units, including some basic facts about radioactivity and the biological effects of radiation; and gives an overview of the classification of radiological areas at CERN, radiation fields at high-energy accelerators, and the radiation monitoring system used at CERN. A short section addresses the ALARA approach used at CERN.Comment: 22 pages, contribution to the CAS - CERN Accelerator School: Course on High Power Hadron Machines; 24 May - 2 Jun 2011, Bilbao, Spai

Das psychische Erbe der Menschheit: Forschungsstand und empirische Studien zum Archetypenkonzept C.G. Jungs

Zusammenfassung: Der Archetypenbegriff, das zentrale Konzept der Analytischen Psychologie, wird in seiner historischen Entwicklung und seinem Stellenwert für Theorie und Praxis ausführlich dargestellt. Angefangen von C.G. Jungs Definitionen des Archetyps bis hin zum heutigen Stand der Diskussion werden verschiedene Konzeptualisierungen auf biologischer, entwicklungspsychologischer und kulturtheoretischer Grundlage vorgestellt. Dabei zeigt sich zum einen, dass es empirische Belege für psychologische Archetypen zum Beispiel in den Neurowissenschaften, der entwicklungspsychologischen sowie der anthropologischen Forschung gibt, zum anderen aber auch, dass die klassische Konzeption einer Vererbung von komplexen symbolischen Mustern vor dem Hintergrund neuerer Erkenntnisse der Humangenetik, insbesondere der Epigenetik, nicht aufrechterhalten werden kann. Die prominenten Lösungsversuche dieses Problems aus der gegenwärtigen Analytischen Psychologie werden diskutiert, insbesondere emergenz- und systemtheoretische Argumentationen. Schließlich werden verschiedene empirische, teilweise experimentelle Studien aus der Analytischen Psychologie, unter anderem der Autoren selbst, vorgestellt, die die Hypothese der Existenz von Archetypen bzw. eines kollektiven (unbewussten) Gedächtnisses bestätigen. Insgesamt gibt der Beitrag einen Überblick über den Stand der Fachdiskussion zum Archetypenkonzept für eine Leserschaft über den engeren Bereich der Analytischen Psychologie hinaus

Impact of On-Farm Interventions against CTX-Resistant Escherichia coli on the Contamination of Carcasses before and during an Experimental Slaughter

Cefotaxime (CTX)-resistant Enterobacteriaceae are still an ongoing challenge in human and veterinary health. High prevalence of these resistant bacteria is detected in broiler chickens and the prevention of their dissemination along the production pyramid is of major concern. The impact of certain on-farm interventions on the external bacterial contamination of broiler chickens, as well as their influence on single processing steps and (cross-) contamination, have not yet been evaluated. Therefore, we investigated breast skin swab samples of broiler chickens before and during slaughter at an experimental slaughter facility. Broiler chickens were previously challenged with CTX-resistant Escherichia coli strains in a seeder-bird model and subjected to none (control group (CG)) or four different on-farm interventions: drinking water supplementation based on organic acids (DW), slow growing breed Rowan × Ranger (RR), reduced stocking density (25 kg/sqm) and competitive exclusion with Enterobacteriales strain IHIT36098(CE). Chickens of RR, 25 kg/sqm, and CE showed significant reductions of the external contamination compared to CG. The evaluation of a visual scoring system indicated that wet and dirty broiler chickens are more likely a vehicle for the dissemination of CTX-resistant and total Enterobacteriaceae into the slaughterhouses and contribute to higher rates of (cross-) contamination during processing

Airborne bacterial emission fluxes from manure-fertilized agricultural soil

This is the first study to quantify the dependence on wind velocity of airborne bacterial emission fluxes from soil. It demonstrates that manure bacteria get aerosolized from fertilized soil more easily than soil bacteria, and it applies bacterial genomic sequencing for the first time to trace environmental faecal contamination back to its source in the chicken barn. We report quantitative, airborne emission fluxes of bacteria during and following the fertilization of agricultural soil with manure from broiler chickens. During the fertilization process, the concentration of airborne bacteria culturable on blood agar medium increased more than 600 000-fold, and 1 m3 of air carried 2.9 × 105 viable enterococci, i.e. indicators of faecal contamination which had been undetectable in background air samples. Trajectory modelling suggested that atmospheric residence times and dispersion pathways were dependent on the time of day at which fertilization was performed. Measurements in a wind tunnel indicated that airborne bacterial emission fluxes from freshly fertilized soil under local climatic conditions on average were 100-fold higher than a previous estimate of average emissions from land. Faecal bacteria collected from soil and dust up to seven weeks after fertilization could be traced to their origins in the poultry barn by genomic sequencing. Comparative analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences from manure, soil and dust showed that manure bacteria got aerosolized preferably, likely due to their attachment to low-density manure particles. Our data show that fertilization with manure may cause substantial increases of bacterial emissions from agricultural land. After mechanical incorporation of manure into soil, however, the associated risk of airborne infection is low

Recognizing the Importance of Dysphagia: Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones in the Twenty-First Century

Altres ajuts: This paper results from an international interdisciplinary and interprofessional expert meeting generously supported by the BANSS-Foundation, Biedenkopf an der Lahn, Germany

“A very orderly retreat”: Democratic transition in East Germany, 1989-90

East Germany's 1989-90 democratisation is among the best known of East European transitions, but does not lend itself to comparative analysis, due to the singular way in which political reform and democratic consolidation were subsumed by Germany's unification process. Yet aspects of East Germany's democratisation have proved amenable to comparative approaches. This article reviews the comparative literature that refers to East Germany, and finds a schism between those who designate East Germany's transition “regime collapse” and others who contend that it exemplifies “transition through extrication”. It inquires into the merits of each position and finds in favour of the latter. Drawing on primary and secondary literature, as well as archival and interview sources, it portrays a communist elite that was, to a large extent, prepared to adapt to changing circumstances and capable of learning from “reference states” such as Poland. Although East Germany was the Soviet state in which the positions of existing elites were most threatened by democratic transition, here too a surprising number succeeded in maintaining their position while filing across the bridge to market society. A concluding section outlines the alchemy through which their bureaucratic power was transmuted into property and influence in the “new Germany”

Chitinase 3-like 1: prognostic biomarker in clinically isolated syndromes

Prognostic molecular biomarkers for the conversion of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to multiple sclerosis (MS) are lacking. In a prospective longitudinal study of 813 individuals with CIS, Cantó et al. validate elevated CSF levels of chitinase 3-like 1 as a biomarker for conversion to MS and development of disabilit

The German National Registry of Primary Immunodeficiencies (2012-2017)

Introduction: The German PID-NET registry was founded in 2009, serving as the first national registry of patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PID) in Germany. It is part of the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) registry. The primary purpose of the registry is to gather data on the epidemiology, diagnostic delay, diagnosis, and treatment of PIDs. Methods: Clinical and laboratory data was collected from 2,453 patients from 36 German PID centres in an online registry. Data was analysed with the software Stata® and Excel. Results: The minimum prevalence of PID in Germany is 2.72 per 100,000 inhabitants. Among patients aged 1–25, there was a clear predominance of males. The median age of living patients ranged between 7 and 40 years, depending on the respective PID. Predominantly antibody disorders were the most prevalent group with 57% of all 2,453 PID patients (including 728 CVID patients). A gene defect was identified in 36% of patients. Familial cases were observed in 21% of patients. The age of onset for presenting symptoms ranged from birth to late adulthood (range 0–88 years). Presenting symptoms comprised infections (74%) and immune dysregulation (22%). Ninety-three patients were diagnosed without prior clinical symptoms. Regarding the general and clinical diagnostic delay, no PID had undergone a slight decrease within the last decade. However, both, SCID and hyper IgE- syndrome showed a substantial improvement in shortening the time between onset of symptoms and genetic diagnosis. Regarding treatment, 49% of all patients received immunoglobulin G (IgG) substitution (70%—subcutaneous; 29%—intravenous; 1%—unknown). Three-hundred patients underwent at least one hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Five patients had gene therapy. Conclusion: The German PID-NET registry is a precious tool for physicians, researchers, the pharmaceutical industry, politicians, and ultimately the patients, for whom the outcomes will eventually lead to a more timely diagnosis and better treatment

Differences in dream content and structure between Japanese and Western dreams

This qualitative study of patients’ dreams in analytical psychotherapy using the method of Structural Dream Analysis investigated whether culture and culturally shaped mentalities have an influence on the content and structure of dreams. To investigate whether there are systematic differences between Western and Japanese dreams a German sample of 11 cases with 140 dreams was compared with a sample of 13 Japanese cases with 168 dreams. There were statistically significant differences found in the distribution of dream patterns as well as typical motifs characteristic for the two samples. These differences in the dreams reflect the typical differences in the mentalities of Germany (emphasizing individuality, autonomy and a strong ego identity) versus Japan (emphasizing sociality, harmony and cooperation with others). This is interpreted as speaking for an influence of culture and mentalities on the content and structure of dreams, as well as providing additional support for the continuity hypothesis of dreaming and waking life

Analysis of a Middle Mississippi Structure at the Denmark Site (40MD85)

Originally thought to be a vacant ceremonial center, magnetometer surveys and subsequent excavations have demonstrated that the Denmark site in Madison County, Tennessee is a town-size settlement. Targeted excavation based upon this magnetometry data revealed what is now referred to as Structure . After analyzing function, construction, and location, Structure 1 has been hypothesized to be a residence, one building within a cluster of buildings, possibly representing ane xtended family compound. Excavations confirm that Structure 1 is of wall trench construction, however determining its above ground architecture has been problematic. Structure 1 has also been found to be similar to contemporaneous buildings at other sites in the western Tennessee region. While household archaeology and settlement patterning have been studied throughout the prehistoric southeastern United States information is minimal in the western Tennessee area at the town and household scales. Structure 1 provides much needed insight into the settlement of this region