COPYRIGHT UNCHAINED: HOW BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY CAN CHANGE THE ADMINISTRATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTED WORKS

Blockchain technology is mainly discussed in connection with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. However, blockchain is a multipurpose technology with many other potential applications. This article analyzes how blockchain technology can be used in relation to copyright, especially the administration and distribution of copyright protected works. It also examines the questions and challenges that may arise from such use

Numerical modeling in timber engineering – moisture transport and quasi-brittle failure

With the rising popularity of timber structures and the increasing complexity of timber engineering projects, the need for numerical simulation tools specific to this building material is gaining rapidly in importance. in particular, moisture transport processes and the quasi-brittle failure behavior, both difficult to describe, present major challenges and are of great relevance in practical construction. For these reasons, this article presents numerical modeling concepts for predicting moisture gradients, estimating effective stiffness and strength, and numerically identifying potential cracking mechanisms in wooden components. These concepts are validated through experimental test programs, and the associated challenges are addressed. selected results ultimately demonstrate the capabilities and relevance of such methods for timber engineering

Zum sorbischen Schulwesen in Deutschland unter besonderer Darstellung der aktuellen Situation im Freistaat Sachsen

Die Nutzung der sorbischen Sprache im täglichen Leben, im Elternhaus und in der Schule ist von herausragender Bedeutung für den Erhalt des sorbischen Volkes. Sie ist zugleich das wichtigste Kriterium für die ethnische Zugehörigkeit. Schulen, in denen Sorbisch Unterrichtssprache ist, existieren nur noch in dem Gebiet, in dem Sorbisch Umgangssprache ist. Derzeit nimmt die Zahl der in sorbischer Unterrichtssprache lernenden Schüler kontinuierlich ab. Gründe sind u.a. gesunkene Geburtenzahlen und Migration. Auf Initiative des Sorbischen Schulvereins wurde ein innovatives Sprachvermittlungsprogramm in den Kindertagesstätten gestartet. Das sog. Witaj-Programm strebt an, dass sich wieder mehr Eltern im deutsch-sorbischen Siedlungsgebiet dafür entscheiden, ihre Kinder später zum Sorbischunterricht bzw. in die zweisprachigen Schulen zu schicken.. Schulen mit Sorbisch als Unterrichtssprache oder als Zweit- und Fremdsprache werden bedarfsgerecht und in zumutbarer Entfernung angeboten, sie haben grundsätzlich die gleichen Bildungs- und Erziehungsziele als auch Abschlüsse wie die sonstigen Grund- und Mittelschulen sowie Gymnasien im Freistaat Sachsen. Neben dem obligatorischem Unterricht bieten die Sorbischen Schulen vor allem spezielle außerschulische Aktivitäten auf kulturellem Gebiet an. Eine Chance zum Erhalt und zur Revitalisierung der Sorbischen Sprache wird in der gemeinsamen zweisprachigen Unterrichtung beider Schülergruppen in ausgewählten Fächern gesehen. Die wissenschaftliche Begleitung dieses Projektes wurde vom Sächsischen Kultusministerium dem Comenius-Institut übertragen, wo Mitglieder des Sorbischen Schulvereins und Mitarbeiter des Regionalschulamtes Bautzen an wesentlicher Stelle mitarbeiten. Zu erwarten ist mittelfristig, dass trotz sinkender Schülerzahlen alle Sorbischen Grundschulen und das Sorbische Gymnasium in Bautzen fortgeführt werden.It is of primary importance for the survival of the Sorb people that the Sorbian language is spoken in every day life, at home and in school. It is equally the most important criterion for ethic affiliation. Schools in which the Sorbian language is used in teaching only exist in areas in which Sorbian is a colloquial language. At the moment, the number of students currently receiving teaching in Sorbian is dropping continually. The reasons for this include a drop in the birth rate and migration. The Sorb School Association has now introduced an innovative language-teaching programme to use Sorbian in kindergartens. The so-called Witaj Programme is targeted at encouraging greater numbers of parents in German-Sorb settlement areas to send their children to Sorbian classes or to bilingual schools. There are sufficient numbers of schools in which Sorbian is offered as a teaching language or as a second or foreign language in a suitable manner and at a reasonable travelling distance; they have the same education and social objectives as other primary, secondary and grammar schools in the Free State of Saxony. In addition to obligatory teaching, the Sorb schools offer special extracurricular activities, especially in a cultural sense. The joint and bilingual teaching of both student groups in certain subjects is believed to be an opportunity to preserve and revitalise the Sorbian language. The Saxon Ministry of Culture and Education transferred academic support for this project to the Comenius Institute, as members of the Sorb School Association and the Regional Education Authorities Bautzen hold key positions in this organisation. We can expect in the medium-term that the Sorb primary schools and Sorb Grammar School in Bautzen will continue to exist, despite the drop in student numbers

Electromagnetic actuator of a gentle pump mechanism for blood transport

The maximum operation time in blood pump applications is limited by blood damage caused by mechanical stress within the pump. To overcome this limitation, a new pumping principle is introduced. It is based on wave propagation inside a flexible tube in combination with positive displacement. The tube stimulation is generated by an electromagnetic actuator. In contrast to common roller pumps, it is possible to achieve a pumping operation without a complete tube occlusion. This ensures gentle pumping without damaging the blood cells. Our measurement of the pump curve and the trajectory of the shock head confirms the pumping operation without complete tube occlusion

Regulation of stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 after central and peripheral nerve lesions

BACKGROUND: Interruption of mature axons activates a cascade of events in neuronal cell bodies which leads to various outcomes from functional regeneration in the PNS to the failure of any significant regeneration in the CNS. One factor which seems to play an important role in the molecular programs after axotomy is the stearoyl Coenzyme A-desaturase-1 (SCD-1). This enzyme is needed for the conversion of stearate into oleate. Beside its role in membrane synthesis, oleate could act as a neurotrophic factor, involved in signal transduction pathways via activation of protein kinases C. RESULTS: In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry demonstrated a strong up-regulation of SCD at mRNA and protein level in regenerating neurons of the rat facial nucleus whereas non-regenerating Clarke's and Red nucleus neurons did not show an induction of this gene. CONCLUSION: This differential expression points to a functionally significant role for the SCD-1 in the process of regeneration

Identification of regeneration-associated genes after central and peripheral nerve injury in the adult rat

BACKGROUND: It is well known that neurons of the peripheral nervous system have the capacity to regenerate a severed axon leading to functional recovery, whereas neurons of the central nervous system do not regenerate successfully after injury. The underlying molecular programs initiated by axotomized peripheral and central nervous system neurons are not yet fully understood. RESULTS: To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the process of regeneration in the nervous system, differential display polymerase chain reaction has been used to identify differentially expressed genes following axotomy of peripheral and central nerve fibers. For this purpose, axotomy induced changes of regenerating facial nucleus neurons, and non-regenerating red nucleus and Clarke's nucleus neurons have been analyzed in an intra-animal side-to-side comparison. One hundred and thirty five gene fragments have been isolated, of which 69 correspond to known genes encoding for a number of different functional classes of proteins such as transcription factors, signaling molecules, homeobox-genes, receptors and proteins involved in metabolism. Sixty gene fragments correspond to genomic mouse sequences without known function. In situ-hybridization has been used to confirm differential expression and to analyze the cellular localization of these gene fragments. Twenty one genes (~15%) have been demonstrated to be differentially expressed. CONCLUSIONS: The detailed analysis of differentially expressed genes in different lesion paradigms provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the process of regeneration and may lead to the identification of genes which play key roles in functional repair of central nervous tissues

Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers. These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30 to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components. The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy -- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Measurement of the Radiation Energy in the Radio Signal of Extensive Air Showers as a Universal Estimator of Cosmic-Ray Energy

We measure the energy emitted by extensive air showers in the form of radio emission in the frequency range from 30 to 80 MHz. Exploiting the accurate energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory, we obtain a radiation energy of 15.8 \pm 0.7 (stat) \pm 6.7 (sys) MeV for cosmic rays with an energy of 1 EeV arriving perpendicularly to a geomagnetic field of 0.24 G, scaling quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy. A comparison with predictions from state-of-the-art first-principle calculations shows agreement with our measurement. The radiation energy provides direct access to the calorimetric energy in the electromagnetic cascade of extensive air showers. Comparison with our result thus allows the direct calibration of any cosmic-ray radio detector against the well-established energy scale of the Pierre Auger Observatory.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DOI. Supplemental material in the ancillary file