XMCD studies of thin Co films on BaTiO3_3

Different layer thicknesses of Cobalt ranging from 2.6 {\AA} (1.5 ML) up to 55 {\AA} (30.5 ML) deposited on ferroelectric BaTiO$_3$ have been studied regarding their magnetic behavior. The layers have been characterized using XMCD spectroscopy at remanent magnetization. After careful data analysis the magnetic moments of the Cobalt could be determined using the sum rule formalism. There is a sudden and abrupt onset in magnetism starting at thicknesses of 9 {\AA} (5 ML) of Cobalt for measurements at 120 K and of 10 {\AA} (5.5 ML) if measured at room temperature. Initial island growth and subsequent coalescence of Co on BaTiO$_3$ is suggested to explain the sudden onset. In that context, no magnetically dead layers are observed.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Condens. Matte

"Der Weg zur freien Presse in Deutschland"- ein historischer Rückblick

In seinem berühmten Aufsatz "Wissenschaft als Beruf" hat der große Soziologe Max Weber, dem Zeit seines Lebens jeder Gelehrtendünkel fremd war, ohne Vorbehalt anerkannt, daß die Wissenschaft viele ihrer besten Problemstellungen und Erkenntnisse Dilettanten verdankt, die sich vom Fachmann vor allem dadurch unterscheiden, daß ihnen die feste Sicherheit der Arbeitsmethoden fehlt, um ihre Ideen selbst auszuführen. Sie sind, wenn wir Weber folgen, darauf angewiesen, daß der Wissenschaftler ihre Anregungen aufgreift und weiterverfolgt. Wenn der Historiker auf seinem Arbeitsfeld nach einem Beispiel aus jüngerer Zeit für ein geglücktes Umsetzen der Anregungen eines Dilettanten in die Praxis sucht, so drängt sich das Engagement des verstorbenen Bundespräsidenten Gustav Heinemann auf, der mit seiner Forderung, vernachlässigte Bereiche unserer Geschichte aufzuarbeiten, wesentlich zur Errichtung der Erinnerungsstätte für die deutschen Freiheitsbewegungen in Rastatt beitrug. (...) 

Phage Cd2 and Lactic Acid Bacteria, New Strategies in Food Safety and Quality Preservation

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) play a key role in the food industry. They are essential for the production of fermented foods and they can also inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria, since they naturally produce an array of antimicrobial peptides. However, certain species of LAB, such as Carnobacteria, are also associated with food spoilage. As such, the selective control of LAB is an important quest in the food industry. Recently, we is0lated bacteriophage cd2, a phage that selectively kills Carnobacterium divergens. To better understand the potential use of this phage for the biocontrol of C. divergens, we have examined its biochemical and genetic features. Our results indicate that phage cd2 is a virulent phage with an infection cycle of 70 minutes, is fully active across a broad pH range (4-12) and is heat-sensitive (fully inactivated by treated at 60oC). Genome sequencing and analysis shows that the 55 kb genome shares limited homology with several enterococcal phages, and likely encodes ~90 genes. Future work is focused on identifying and studying the mechanisms by which phage cd2 selectively recognizes and kills C. divergens. *Indicates faculty mento

Structure and cation distribution of (Mn0.5Zn0.5)Fe2O4 thin films on SrTiO3(001)

A comprehensive study on growth of ferrimagnetic manganese zinc ferrite (Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4) films on single crystalline strontium titanate(001) (SrTiO3) substrates was carried out. Under the optimized conditions, a thin film with a layer thickness of 200 nm was deposited, and the structural properties were investigated. Contrary to data published in literature, no buffer layer was necessary to achieve epitaxial growth of a poorly lattice-matched layer. This was confirmed for Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4(001) on SrTiO3(001) by x-ray diffraction and the adjoined phi scans, which also revealed a lattice compression of 1.2% of the manganese zinc ferrite film in the out-of-plane direction. Using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the near surface stoichiometry of the film could be shown to agree with the intended one within the uncertainty of the method. X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed an electronic structure close to that published for bulk samples. Additional x-ray magnetic circular dichroism investigations were performed to answer detailed structural questions by a comparison of experimental data with the calculated ones. The calculations took into account ion sites (tetrahedral vs. octahedral coordination) as well as the charge of Fe ions (Fe2+ vs. Fe3+). Contrary to the expectation for a perfect normal spinel that only Fe3þ ions are present in octahedral sites, hints regarding the presence of additional Fe2+ in octahedral sites as well as Fe3+ ions in tetrahedral sites have been obtained. Altogether, the layer could be shown to be mostly in a normal spinel configuration

Operationalizing multimorbidity and autonomy for health services research in aging populations - the OMAHA study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As part of a Berlin-based research consortium on health in old age, the OMAHA (Operationalizing Multimorbidity and Autonomy for Health Services Research in Aging Populations) study aims to develop a conceptual framework and a set of standardized instruments and indicators for continuous monitoring of multimorbidity and associated health care needs in the population 65 years and older.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>OMAHA is a longitudinal epidemiological study including a comprehensive assessment at baseline and at 12-month follow-up as well as brief intermediate telephone interviews at 6 and 18 months. In order to evaluate different sampling procedures and modes of data collection, the study is conducted in two different population-based samples of men and women aged 65 years and older. A geographically defined sample was recruited from an age and sex stratified random sample from the register of residents in Berlin-Mitte (Berlin OMAHA study cohort, n = 299) for assessment by face-to-face interview and examination. A larger nationwide sample (German OMAHA study cohort, n = 730) was recruited for assessment by telephone interview among participants in previous German Telephone Health Surveys. In both cohorts, we successfully applied a multi-dimensional set of instruments to assess multimorbidity, functional disability in daily life, autonomy, quality of life (QoL), health care services utilization, personal and social resources as well as socio-demographic and biographical context variables. Response rates considerably varied between the Berlin and German OMAHA study cohorts (22.8% vs. 59.7%), whereas completeness of follow-up at month 12 was comparably high in both cohorts (82.9% vs. 81.2%).</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The OMAHA study offers a wide spectrum of data concerning health, functioning, social involvement, psychological well-being, and cognitive capacity in community-dwelling older people in Germany. Results from the study will add to methodological and content-specific discourses on human resources for maintaining quality of life and autonomy throughout old age, even in the face of multiple health complaints.</p

The development of the würde + infinitive construction in Early Modern German (1650–1800)

This paper presents a corpus-based analysis of the evolution of the würde + infinitive construction in German during the Early Modern period (1650– 1800), using newly available data from the GerManC-corpus. We demonstrate how this construction occupies a unique position orthogonal to both the tense and mood systems of German through an analysis of the syntax and semantics of würde + infinitive clauses, beginning with Modern Standard German and then subsequently with a historical focus on the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Through both quantitative and qualitative analyses, we examine the contexts in which the construction occurs and see how, as it came to be used more frequently over the period in question, it encroached more and more into contexts which had been the preserve of the synthetic preterite subjunctive, even being used in some where the latter is still the norm in modern German. Thus, by the end of the eighteenth century it had become difficult to identify a clear difference in meaning and use between these forms, and the reasons why the würde + in- finitive construction may be preferred over the synthetic preterite subjunctive are by no means clear. We conclude our discussion with an overview of how the würde + infinitive construction was received in the prescriptive tradition during this key period in the standardization of German, seeing its stigmatization in some contexts in part as an attempt by prescriptive grammarians to establish an explicit and clearly justified role for it in the language

Postmating Female Control: 20 Years of Cryptic Female Choice

Cryptic female choice (CFC) represents postmating intersexual selection arising from female-driven mechanisms at or after mating that bias sperm use and impact male paternity share. Although biologists began to study CFC relatively late, largely spurred by Eberhard's book published 20 years ago, the field has grown rapidly since then. Here, we review empirical progress to show that numerous female processes offer potential for CFC, from mating through to fertilization, although seldom has CFC been clearly demonstrated. We then evaluate functional implications, and argue that, under some conditions, CFC might have repercussions for female fitness, sexual conflict, and intersexual coevolution, with ramifications for related evolutionary phenomena, such as speciation. We conclude by identifying directions for future research in this rapidly growing field

pQCD-based Approach to Parton Production and Equilibration in High-Energy Nuclear Collisions

A pQCD-based model for parton production and equilibration in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions is reviewed. The model combines pQCD processes including initial and final state radiations together with string phenomenology for nonperturbative soft processes. Nuclear effects on the initial parton production, such as multiple parton scattering and nuclear shadowing of parton distribution functions are considered. Comparisons with existing data are made and further tests of the model to constrain model parameters are proposed. With the obtained space-time history of the parton production, evolution of the minijet gas toward a fully equilibrated parton plasma is studied. Direct probes of the early parton dynamics, such as pre-equilibrium photon and dilepton production, open charm production, $J/\psi$ suppressionand jet quenching are also reviewed.Comment: With minor modifications to appear in Physics Report

Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection are often non-specific, and there is no definitive test for the accurate diagnosis of infection. The 'omics' approaches to identifying biomarkers from the host-response to bacterial infection are promising. In this study, lipidomic analysis was carried out with plasma samples obtained from febrile children with confirmed bacterial infection (n = 20) and confirmed viral infection (n = 20). We show for the first time that bacterial and viral infection produces distinct profile in the host lipidome. Some species of glycerophosphoinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine and cholesterol sulfate were higher in the confirmed virus infected group, while some species of fatty acids, glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoserine, lactosylceramide and bilirubin were lower in the confirmed virus infected group when compared with confirmed bacterial infected group. A combination of three lipids achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.911 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.98). This pilot study demonstrates the potential of metabolic biomarkers to assist clinicians in distinguishing bacterial from viral infection in febrile children, to facilitate effective clinical management and to the limit inappropriate use of antibiotics