Die Auswandererberatungsstelle in Münster

Die Arbeit untersucht die Geschichte der Auswandererberatungsstelle in Münster von ihrer Gründung 1929 bis zu ihrer Schließung 1938. Einen besonderen Schwerpunkt legen die Autoren hierbei auf die Arbeitsweise der Beratungsstelle: Wer wurde hier beraten und wie und mit welchen Zielen liefen diese Beratungen ab? Nicht zuletzt fragt die Arbeit danach, ob jüdische Auswanderer von der Beratungsstelle als Sonderfälle behandelt wurden und wenn ja, ab wann

Electro-purification studies and first measurement of relative permittivity of TMBi

A new type of detector for positron-emission tomography (PET) has been proposed recently, using a heavy organo-metallic liquid - TriMethyl Bismuth (TMBi) - as target material. TMBi is a transparent liquid with the high Z element Bismuth contributing 82% of its mass. 511keV annihilation photons are converted efficiently into photo-electrons within the detector material producing both Cherenkov light and free charge carriers in the liquid. While the optical component enables a fast timing, a charge readout using a segmented anode can provide an accurate position reconstruction and energy determination. The charge measurement requires a high level of purification, as any electronegative contaminants cause signal degradation. In addition to the purity requirements, the reactive nature of TMBi poses many challenges that need to be met until a fully functioning detector for PET applications can be realized. The paper presents an experimental setup that aims to remove electronegative impurities by electrostatic filtering and to characterise the properties of TMBi, e.g. the relative permittivity, for its application as a detector medium for charge read out

Optical constants of beryllium thin layers determined from Mo Be multilayers in spectral range 90 to 134 eV

Mo Be multilayers are promising optical elements for extreme ultraviolet EUV lithography and space optics. Experimentally derived optical constants are necessary for accurate and reliable design of beryllium containing optical coatings. We report optical constants of beryllium derived from synchrotron radiation based reflectivity data of Mo Be multilayers. Results are in good agreement with available data in the literature obtained from the well known absorption measurements of beryllium thin films or foils. We demonstrate synchrotron based at wavelength reflectometry as an accurate and non destructive technique for deriving EUV optical constants for materials that are difficult or unstable to make thin foils for absorption measurement

Direct imaging of the structural change generated by dielectric breakdown in MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions

MgO based magnetic tunnel junctions are prepared to investigate the dielectric breakdown of the tunnel barrier. The breakdown is directly visualized by transmission electron microscopy measurements. The broken tunnel junctions are prepared for the microscopy measurements by focussed ion beam out of the junctions characterized by transport investigations. Consequently, a direct comparison of transport behavior and structure of the intact and broken junctions is obtained. Compared to earlier findings in Alumina based junctions, the MgO barrier shows much more microscopic pinholes after breakdown. This can be explained within a simple model assuming a relationship between the current density at the breakdown and the rate of pinhole formation

Role of TNF-alpha during central sensitization in preclinical studies

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a principal mediator in pro-inflammatory processes that involve necrosis, apoptosis and proliferation. Experimental and clinical evidence demonstrate that peripheral nerve injury results in activation and morphological changes of microglial cells in the spinal cord. These adjustments occur in order to initiate an inflammatory cascade in response to the damage. Between the agents involved in this reaction, TNF-α is recognized as a key player in this process as it not only modulates lesion formation, but also because it is suggested to induce nociceptive signals. Nowadays, even though the function of TNF-α in inflammation and pain production seems to be generally accepted, diverse sources of literature point to different pathways and outcomes. In this review, we systematically searched and reviewed original articles from the past 10 years on animal models of peripheral nervous injury describing TNF-α expression in neural tissue and pain behavior

Comparison of neuropathic pain and neuronal apoptosis following nerve root or spinal nerve compression

Altered dorsal root ganglion (DRG) function is associated with neuropathic pain following spinal nerve injury. However, compression of the cauda equina and dorsal rhizotomy proximal to the DRG do not induce significant pain, whereas in the spinal nerve and peripheral nerve, injury distal to the DRG does induce neuropathic pain. Caspase signaling induces apoptosis, and caspase inhibitors prevent pain-related behavior. The degree of DRG neuronal apoptosis is thought to play a role in pain behavior. We suggest that differences in pain behavior according to the injury sites within the DRG may be related to imbalances in apoptotic injuries. The aim of this study was to determine which compression injury was more painful and to compare behavior with expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in DRG and apoptosis in the DRG following crush injury to the L5 nerve root or L5 spinal nerve. Sprague–Dawley rats received a crush injury to the L5 spinal nerve (distal to the DRG), crush injury to the L5 nerve root (proximal to the DRG), or no crush injury (sham). Mechanical allodynia was determined by the von Frey test. Expression of TNF-alpha was compared among three groups using immunoblot findings. Furthermore, we compared the percentage of neurons injured in the DRG using immunostaining for apoptotic cells and localization of activated caspase 3. Mechanical allodynia was observed in both crush injury groups. The duration of mechanical allodynia in the distal crush group was significantly longer than in the proximal crush group (P < 0.05). TNF-alpha expression was increased in DRG neurons following injury. DRG apoptosis in the distal crush group was significantly higher than in the proximal group at each time point (P < 0.05). This study suggests that spinal nerve crush injuries produce a greater degree of DRG apoptosis than do corresponding nerve root crush injuries, and that the former injuries are associated with longer lasting mechanical allodynia. Thus, differences in the time course of mechanical allodynia might be associated with an imbalance in DRG apoptosis

Hg 5d and 6s: Multichannel quantum-defect analysis of experimental data

Schäfers F, Heckenkamp C, Müller M, Radojevic V, Heinzmann U. Hg 5d and 6s: Multichannel quantum-defect analysis of experimental data. Physical Review, A: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. 1990;42(5):2603-2613.Experimental spin-polarization data for the Hg 6s Cooper minimum and dipole-transition amplitudes and phase-shift differences for photoionization of the Hg 5d and 6s shells (eight channels) in the photon-energy region from the 2D3/2 threshold up to 35 eV (kinetic energies from 0 to 20 eV) are presented and compared with new relativistic random-phase approximation calculations. The data were evaluated from an experimental data set, quantum mechanically complete, consisting of cross-section and photoelectron spin-polarization data. For the 5d subshells the results show strong interchannel coupling between the outgoing p and f continuum channels. The results for Hg 6s could be used for an independent determination of the photoelectron angular distribution parameter [Beta] in the Cooper-minimum region. This region is shown to be perturbed by numerous two-electron excitations, which might be a possible explanation for the controversy on its location