Encounters with haunted industrial workplaces and emotions of loss: class-related senses of place within the memories of metalworkers

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.This article is about the relevance of social class within emotional geography. Based on life history interviews with former metalworkers in Bavaria, it analyses their identity-related sense of place and the feelings of loss they experience when encountering their former places of work. By concentrating on the perspective of those who have worked on industrial sites, and their encounters with those sites, now transformed, this article focuses on a specific identity-related emotion experienced by working-class people, which is often underestimated. Recollections of common experiences linked to the workplace may seem haunting in the form of memories of body routines within a place ballet, or of former buildings and walls. Workers describe how, when they visit their former workplace, they have to confront this haunting from the past; and it is through these haunting experiences that their class identity takes on a new but often painful existence.EU/FP7/613245/EU/Patterns of Resilience during Socioeconomic Crises among Households in Europe/RESCu

Neighbourhoods and immigrants: from fears of transformation to welcoming diversity

Neighbourhoods are dynamic social entities and that character is evident when they are faced with immigration. Lars Meier (HAWK) analyses the differences between neighbourhood responses to immigrants, which range from welcoming immigration to a blasé attitude, to fears of the unknown. In this blog, he explains the differences between these types of neighbourhood reactions with the help of sociological perspectives on nostalgia, power relations and reserved urban citizens

The importance of absence in the present: practices of remembrance and the contestation of absences

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.What is missing, where and for whom? And how does that which is absent relate to the things and people that are present? This special issue of cultural geographies demonstrates the relevance of absence in its social and spatial dimensions. By focusing on that which does not claim physical presence, that which is missing or hiding, this issue demonstrates how an in-depth examination of the phenomenon of absence can provide stimulating vectors of analysis

"Consumerist predators"? Emerging lifestyles between McDonaldization and sustainability perspectives ; the case of highly qualified employees (HQEs) in India

"In industrializing countries new groups of consumers with remarkable purchasing power are emerging. Representing a 'new middle class' they are seen as a carrier and promoter of a so-called 'western way of life' beyond the OECD countries. They are presented as having a consumerist predator lifestyle which stands in conflict with the requirements for a sustainable future. Furthermore, they are imputed a profound lack of a sense of responsibility towards society. However, such a 'civil society spirit' is a core prerequisite for coping with the challenge of changing existing lifestyles to insure a more sustainable future. Based upon data from a survey this paper demonstrates that these assumptions are flawed and constitute a misleading perception of the so-called new middle class and their potential role as contributor to and even promoter of a more sustainable future in industrializing countries. The situation is contradictory: on one hand they are clearly the most relevant agents of spreading non-sustainable lifestyles, predominantly confined to the OECD countries in the past. On the other hand relevant parts of them do acknowledge social responsibilities beyond the traditional ambit of their families, and they also acknowledge responsibilities to contribute to a more sustainable future. Thus, comparing the middle class of industrializing countries to those of the (post)industrializing countries, the most interesting question is not whether sustainability is explicitly an issue or not. It seems far more interesting to ask: what are the specific profiles of attitudes and everyday practices of particular groups of the 'new middle class' in particular countries, and are these conducive to a more sustainable future in terms of both social and ecological responsibility? In pursuit of this our case study focuses on HQEs in India." (author's abstract

Nuclear resonant surface diffraction

Nuclear resonant x-ray diffraction in grazing incidence geometry is used to determine the lateral magnetic configuration in a one-dimensional lattice of ferromagnetic nanostripes. During magnetic reversal, strong nuclear superstructure diffraction peaks appear in addition to the electronic ones due to an antiferromagnetic order in the nanostripe lattice. We show that the analysis of the angular distribution of the resonantly diffracted x-rays together with the time-dependence of the coherently diffracted nuclear signal reveals surface spin structures with very high sensitivity. This novel scattering technique provides a unique access to laterally correlated spin configurations in magnetically ordered nanostructures and, in perspective, also to their dynamics

Ortseffekte oder Bourdieu und die Ausrufung des Ghettos. Kommentar zu Loïc Wacquants „Mit Bourdieu in die Stadt“

Ebenso wie Pierre Bourdieu ist sein Schüler Loïc Wacquant einer der selten gewordenen Intellektuellen, die ihre Profession, die Soziologie, nutzen um soziale Ungleichheiten und gesellschaftliche Machtverhältnisse nicht nur zu analysieren, sondern auch versuchen, damit auf öffentliche Debatten zu einzuwirken. Daher ist Wacquants Aufsatz nicht nur als eine interessante Diskussion der Frage, ob Bourdieus Werk in der Stadtsoziologie angemessen und korrekt verwendet werde, zu verstehen. Der in dem Text formulierte Appell, Bourdieus Arbeit auch innerhalb der Stadtsoziologie stärker anzuwenden, ist – vor dem Hintergrund zunehmender sozialer Ungleichheit, Armut, Marginalisierung und einem Aufschwung des Rechtspopulismus – eine Forderung nach einer soziologischen Betrachtung dieser Probleme in der Stadt. Was kann nun also das Werk von Pierre Bourdieu zur Analyse der heutigen sozialen Probleme in der Stadt in Deutschland beitragen

Spin precession mapping at ferromagnetic resonance via nuclear resonant scattering

We probe the spin dynamics in a thin magnetic film at ferromagnetic resonance by nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation at the 14.4 keV resonance of $^{57}$Fe. The precession of the magnetization leads to an apparent reduction of the magnetic hyperfine field acting at the $^{57}$Fe nuclei. The spin dynamics is described in a stochastic relaxation model adapted to the ferromagnetic resonance theory by Smit and Beljers to model the decay of the excited nuclear state. From the fits of the measured data the shape of the precession cone of the spins is determined. Our results open a new perspective to determine magnetization dynamics in layered structures with very high depth resolution by employing ultrathin isotopic probe layers

Mesoscale distribution patterns of diatoms in surface sediments as tracers of coastal upwelling of the Galician shelf (NW Iberian Peninsula)

Diatom distribution on continental shelf sediments from the upwelling area off Galicia (NW Iberian Peninsula) has been determined in 78 surface sediment samples. Three well defined biofacies with a close relationship to upwelling influence along the coast have been distinguished from both the absolute diatom abundances in the sediments and assemblage diatom composition based on multivariate statistics: Rias Baixas and the shelf areas south and north to Cape Finisterre. Chaetoceros resting spores as well as highest absolute diatom content in the sediments are recorded in the highly productive Rias Baixas where most of the primary production is due to intense upwelling phenomena. The western shelf, south of Cape Finisterre. is characterized by Thalassionema nitzschioides and Thalassiosira cf. leptopus. Both taxa reflect a minor influence of upwelling conditions and productivity related to more persistent nutrient input due to coastal outwelling rather than upwelling. Minor and patchy upwelling conditions as well as lower productivity in the northern shelf are characterized by the lowest absolute diatom content in the sediments and the important increase in relative abundance of the resistant Paralia sulcata. Caution must be taken in the interpretation of Paralia sulcata dominated biofacies in downcore studies since a juxtaposition of discontinuous upwelling conditions and dissolution effects may be the factors responsible for the relative increase on the taxon in the sediments. The obtained results show the extent and limitations of fossil diatom distribution in surface sediments as tracers of regional coastal upwelling conditions in continental shelves where the existence of extensive areas of relict sediments and transported diatoms may mask the present-day upwelling signal of the photic zone.This work was supported by the European Union in the framework of the MAST programme, contract no. MAS2-CT93-0069 (Ocean Margin Exchange, OMEX). It is also a contribution to projects XUGA10307B93 (Xunta de Guliciu) and APC-950010 (Direccibn General de Znvestigacibn Cien tljica y Ticnica)Peer reviewe

Impact of clopidogrel in coronary artery bypass grafting

Objective: Clopidogrel has become the standard of care to prevent thrombotic complications following cardiological interventions, in particular intracoronary stenting. In addition, patients with aspirin intolerance and those with carotid and peripheral vascular disease are also increasingly treated with clopidogrel. Platelet inhibition may become a concern for hemostasis in patients treated with clopidogrel who need emergency and undelayed surgery. Methods: We prospectively analyzed the intra- and postoperative outcome of 505 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG and compared two groups: those with clopidogrel exposure until 72 h prior to surgery (n=136) with those without exposition to clopidogrel (n=369). Patients undergoing emergency surgery because of failed PTCA and cardiogenic shock, associated valvular surgery, redo-CABG, and those with additional platelet IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor exposure were excluded. Patients who received aspirin and/or heparin treatment prior to surgery were not excluded. Results: Patients who received clopidogrel had a higher prevalence of angina class III or IV (67 vs 39%, P<0.01), received more often revascularization within 48 h (41 vs 14%, P=0.02), and had received more frequently stenting (57 vs 13%). Chest tube drainage was significantly increased during the first 24 h following CABG in the group of patients who had clopidogrel treatment (1485 vs 780 ml, P=0.003) These patients also required more transfusion of platelets and fresh frozen plasma. Overall re-exploration rate because of bleeding was significantly higher in the clopidogrel group (5.9 vs 1.2%, P<0.01). Platelets transfused before chest closure had a beneficial effect on preservation of the hemostasis. Conclusions: Clopidogrel exposure 3 days or less prior to CABG surgery significantly increases the risk of postoperative bleeding, the need for perioperative transfusion and the incidence of re-exploration. Surgery should be performed using standard heparinization and anti-fibrinolytic strategies but aggressive correction of platelets dysfunction is required before chest closur