Technik und Arbeit

Der Autor gibt einen Überblick über den Stand der neueren industriesoziologischen Forschung seit Mitte der 70er Jahre, die sich mit den Begriffen " Fordismus", und "Regulationsschule"verbindet. Es wird ein neuer Akkumulationsmodus mit den Konturen: forcierte Nutzung mikroelektronischer Technologien in Produktion und Verwaltung, Mobilisierung organisatorischer Ressourcen und erweiterte Nutzung menschlicher Arbeitskraft durch flexible Arbeitsstrukturen und variablen Personaleinsatz konstatiert. Als Ergebnisse werden unter anderem genannt: (1) Es gelang offensichtlich, die neue Techniken in die gegebenen arbeitsorganisatorischen Strukturen einzubauen, wirklich neu in der Massenfertigung ist nur der Arbeitstypus der Prozeßführung an halbautomatisierten Anlagen. Die quantitative Ausweitung dieses Arbeitstypus scheint begrenzt. (2) Neu für den gesamten Bereich der Dienstleistungsorganisation und der Industrieverwaltungen ist ein gesteigertes Kontrollpotential durch Einführung der EDV._(3) Der Aufwand für betriebliche Weiterbildung hat erheblich zugenommen. Zusammen mit erweiterter Aufgabendefinition an den flexiblen Montagelinien ergibt sich daraus ein erhöhtes Nutzungs- und Produktivitätspotential der Arbeitskraft auch auf niedrigem Qualifikationsniveau. Das technische Wissen, das auf die neuen Produktionstechniken zugeschnitten ist, vermitteln selten Impulse, die über das Feld der Arbeitsprozesse hinausreichen. (4) Strukturbestimmend ist die Segmentierung der Arbeitsmärkte: es gibt Rationalisierungsgewinner, -dulder, -opfer und Dauerarbeitslose. Nähe oder Distanz zu den hochtechnisierten Kernprozessen bestimmt die Zugehörigkeit zu den einzelnen Segmenten.Neben dem Management ist auch der Betriebsrat im Besitz von organisatorischen Ressourcen, die er gegenüber den Arbeitslosen, Subkontraktarbeitern und Entlassenen zur Geltung bringt. Hier gibt es eine relative Übereinstimmung zwischen Management und Betriebsrat. (Lo

Rationalisierungsdynamik und Betriebsgemeinschaft: die Rolle der japanischen Betriebsgewerkschaften

In dem Band werden die industriellen Beziehungen in Japan behandelt. Beschrieben wird, wie die japanischen Gewerkschaften den Konjunkturumbruch Mitte der 70er Jahre und den nachfolgenden Rationalisierungsschub problemlos bewältigten. Gefragt wird nach den Gründen der widerstandslosen Anpassung an die geänderten ökonomischen Erfordernisse. Die Fragestellung richtet sich auf die sozialen Prozesse, denen sich die hohe Anpassungsfähigkeit der japanischen Betriebsgewerkschaften verdankt. Vom Management gezielt eingesetzte Strategien zur Sozialintegration und "Vergemeinschaftung" des Kollektivs der gewerkschaftlich organisierten Stammbelegschaften werden dafür als entscheidend angesehen. In diesem Zusamenhang spielen auch spezifisch japanische kulturelle Traditionen eine Rolle. Die Untersuchung bestätigt die These, daß die industriellen Beziehungen Japans sich nicht dem westlichen Modell annähern, sondern sich eher von ihm entfernen und einem eigenen Entwicklungspfad folgen. Ebenso wird plausibel, daß der Übertragung japanischer Managementstrategien nach Westeuropa enge Grenzen gesetzt sind. (ICA2

Proenkephalin, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and estimated glomerular filtration rates in patients with sepsis

Background: Proenkephalin (PENK) has been suggested as a novel biomarker for kidney function. We investigated the diagnostic and prognostic utility of plasma PENK in comparison with neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and estimated glomerular filtration rates (EGFR) in septic patients. Methods: A total of 167 septic patients were enrolled: 99 with sepsis, 37 with septic shock, and 31 with suspected sepsis. PENK and NGAL concentrations were measured and GFR was estimated by using the isotope dilution mass spectrometry traceable-Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study and three Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations: CKD-EPICr, CDK-EPICysC, and CKD-EPICr-CysC. The PENK, NGAL, and EGFR results were compared according to sepsis severity, presence or absence of acute kidney injury (AKI), and clinical outcomes. Results: The PENK, NGAL, and EGFR results were significantly associated with sepsis severity and differed significantly between patients with and without AKI only in the sepsis group (all P<0.05). PENK was superior to NGAL in predicting AKI (P=0.022) and renal replacement therapy (RRT) (P=0.0085). Regardless of the variable GFR category by the different EGFR equations, PENK showed constant and significant associations with all EGFR equations. Unlike NGAL, PENK was not influenced by inflammation and predicted the 30-day mortality. Conclusions: PENK is a highly sensitive and objective biomarker of AKI and RRT and is useful for prognosis prediction in septic patients. With its diagnostic robustness and predictive power for survival, PENK constitutes a promising biomarker in critical care settings including sepsis

Profilbildungsprobleme in der Erwachsenenbildungsforschung

Das Forschungsmemorandum für die Erwachsenen- und Weiterbildung (2000) stellt mit seiner Systematik der zentralen Forschungsfelder und -schwerpunkte einen wichtigen Beitrag dar, die Forschungslandschaft zu strukturieren, mögliche Kooperationen zu fördern und eine Übersicht über die Forschungsleistungen der Disziplin für Forschungsförderer wie für die Öffentlichkeit zu geben. Seit dem Jahr 2007 können sich erwachsenenpädagogische Forschungsprojekte nach der Systematik des Memorandums in eine Datenbank eintragen. Die Beobachtung, dass die Projekte zunehmend mehreren Forschungsfeldern zugeordnet werden, gab den Anlass, dies genauer zu analysieren. Der nun erstmals mögliche Einblick in die Forschungslandschaft bietet die Chance für Differenzierungsvorschläge der vorliegenden Systematik

Pro-atrial natriuretic peptide is a prognostic marker in sepsis, similar to the APACHE II score: an observational study

INTRODUCTION: Additional biomarkers in sepsis are needed to tackle the challenges of determining prognosis and optimizing selection of high-risk patients for application of therapy. In the present study, conducted in a cohort of medical intensive care unit patients, our aim was to compare the prognostic value of mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels with those of other biomarkers and physiological scores. METHODS: Blood samples obtained in a prospective observational study conducted in 101 consecutive critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit were analyzed. The prognostic value of pro-ANP levels was compared with that of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score and with those of various biomarkers (i.e. C-reactive protein, IL-6 and procalcitonin). Mid-regional pro-ANP was detected in EDTA plasma from all patients using a new sandwich immunoassay. RESULTS: On admission, 53 patients had sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock, and 68 had systemic inflammatory response syndrome. The median pro-ANP value in the survivors was 194 pmol/l (range 20–2000 pmol/l), which was significantly lower than in the nonsurvivors (median 853.0 pmol/l, range 100–2000 pmol/l; P < 0.001). On the day of admission, pro-ANP levels, but not levels of other biomarkers, were significantly higher in surviving than in nonsurviving sepsis patients (P = 0.001). In a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for the survival of patients with sepsis, the area under the curve (AUC) for pro-ANP was 0.88, which was significantly greater than the AUCs for procalcitonin and C-reactive protein, and similar to the AUC for the APACHE II score. CONCLUSION: Pro-ANP appears to be a valuable tool for individual risk assessment in sepsis patients and for stratification of high-risk patients in future intervention trials. Further studies are needed to validate our results

Mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin as a prognostic marker in sepsis: an observational study

INTRODUCTION: Measurement of biomarkers is a potential approach to early assessment and prediction of mortality in patients with sepsis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) levels in a cohort of medical intensive care patients and to compare it with other biomarkers and physiological scores. METHOD: We evaluated blood samples from 101 consecutive critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit and from 160 age-matched healthy control individuals. The patients had initially been enrolled in a prospective observational study investigating the prognostic value of endocrine dysfunction in critically ill patients ("PEDCRIP" Study). The prognostic value of MR-proADM levels was compared with those of two physiological scores and of various biomarkers (for example C-reactive Protein, IL-6, procalcitonin). MR-proADM was measured in EDTA plasma from all patients using a new sandwich immunoassay. RESULTS: On admission, 53 patients had sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock, and 48 had systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Median MR-proADM levels on admission (nmol/l [range]) were 1.1 (0.3–3.7) in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, 1.8 (0.4–5.8) in those with sepsis, 2.3 (1.0–17.6) in those with severe sepsis and 4.5 (0.9–21) in patients with septic shock. In healthy control individuals the median MR-proADM was 0.4 (0.21–0.97). On admission, circulating MR-proADM levels in patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock were significantly higher in nonsurvivors (8.5 [0.8–21.0]; P < 0.001) than in survivors (1.7 [0.4–17.6]). In a receiver operating curve analysis of survival of patients with sepsis, the area under the curve (AUC) for MR-proADM was 0.81, which was similar to the AUCs for IL-6, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II. The prognostic value of MR-proADM was independent of the sepsis classification system used. CONCLUSION: MR-proADM may be helpful in individual risk assessment in septic patients

Smooth GaN membranes by polarization-assisted electrochemical etching

III-nitride membranes offer promising perspectives and improved device designs in photonics, electronics, and optomechanics. However, the removal of the growth substrate often leads to a rough membrane surface, which increases scattering losses in optical devices. In this work, we demonstrate membranes with etched surface roughness comparable to that of the as-grown epitaxial material, accomplished by the implementation of a properly designed built-in polarization field near the top of the sacrificial layer from an AlInN interlayer, which is polarization-mismatched to GaN. This leads to a steeper reduction in free carrier density during the electrochemical etching of the sacrificial layer, limiting the etching current and thus causing an abrupter etch stop. As a result, the root mean square roughness is reduced to 0.4nm over 5x5 mu m(2). These smooth membranes open attractive pathways for the fabrication of high-quality optical cavities and waveguides operating in the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions

Impact of tropospheric ozone on terrestrial biodiversity: A literature analysis to identify ozone sensitive taxa

Tropospheric ozone has long been known as highly phytotoxic. However, currently hardly anything is known whether this air pollutant can also pose a threat to the overall biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems. Identifying the relative ozone sensitivities of relevant taxa or species can be a first step in an assessment if biodiversity is at risk from ozone. A literature survey was conducted describing experimental and observational results of exposure of organisms and particularly plant species to ozone at environmentally relevant concentrations. For plants ozone effects considered were vegetative growth (e.g. biomass of shoots, foliage, single leaves, stems, and roots), reproduction (number and biomass of seeds and flowers), species development, and symptoms of visible foliar injury. A total of 474 literature references were evaluated which described such effects. For crop plants 54 species with 350 varieties could be considered, while (semi)natural vegetation was represented by 465 vascular plant species comprising 298 herbaceous and 165 woody plant species. Overall, these ozone studies cover only a small fraction of the entire global flora. About two third of woody and about one half of native herbaceous plant species investigated so far have been described as ozone sensitive in at least one study. Ozone sensitivity is slightly higher with respect to visible leaf injury as compared to growth effects, and herbs and deciduous tree species are more responsive than grasses and coniferous trees. Observational results from field surveys conducted along ozone gradients to assess ecosystem effects of ozone in North America and Europe revealed visible macroscopic leaf injuries for 258 herbaceous species. However, these findings often have not been verified under experimental ozone exposure. Albeit the numbers of ozone studies related to a particular plant family varied considerably, high proportions of ozone sensitive species were found e.g. for the families Myrtaceae, Salicaceae and Onograceae, while low proportions of ozone sensitive species were found e.g. for the families Brassicaceae, Boraginaceae and Plantaginaceae. Intra-specific variations of ozone sensitivity of vascular plants were primarily detected in crop species (e.g. wheat, soybean, snap bean, clover, rice), most often derived from screening studies of cultivars for their relative ozone sensitivity/tolerance to ozone. In some cases intra-specific variation of ozone sensitivity is also true for different populations of woody and herbaceous plant species, which often resulted from temporal or spatial differentiation of the relative ozone susceptibility. Therefore, there is some evidence that ozone pollution in the past has already affected plant selection and modified the genetic pool of ozone sensitive genotypes. Information on direct ozone effects on species other than vascular plants (e.g. ferns, mosses, fungi, algae, vertebrates) is very poor or irrelevant, i.e. ozone sensitivities for these taxa could not be described. This is also true for organisms like microbes, arthropods or insects which have not been tested so far for their responses to direct ambient ozone exposure. However, these organisms may be indirectly impaired by ozone via loss of vitality of the plant system to which they are associated