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Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome of patients with collagenous colitis 10 years after the diagnosis. Patients and methods In 1989/1990, 65 patients were diagnosed to have collagenous colitis. Initially and after an interval of ten years these patients were asked to complete a questionnaire including onset and duration of diarrhea, stool frequency and consistency, other gastrointestinal symptoms including weight loss, drug history, treatment response and concomitant diseases. Results Questionnaires from 47 patients (72.3 %) (female 40; mean age 68 years, range 41 - 95 years) were available for analysis. After a follow-up of ten years, 11 patients (23.4 %) had persistent diarrhea with no change of frequency and consistency compared to baseline. Four patients (8.5 %) showed a reduction of diarrhea frequency of at least 50 %. Diarrhea was resolved in 23 patients (48.9 %) during the follow-up period. Of those, 20 patients received anti-inflammatory treatment. After a complete resolution of diarrhea during the long-term follow-up, 9 patients (19.2 %) showed recurrence of diarrheal symptoms. None of the patients developed any malignancies of the GI-tract. Conclusion The long-term outcome of CC is benign with a resolution of diarrhea in up to 50 % of patients receiving anti-inflammatory treatment. About 30 % of patients may experience persistent diarrhea even 10 years after diagnosis. Our data confirm that CC is a chronic disorder with a variable course of symptoms during a long-term follow-up.

Depressionen Depressionen sind haufige Erkrankungen und gehoren schon heute zu den Hauptursachen fur den Verlust an qualitatsberei− nigten Lebensjahren, QALYs. Nach einer Analyse der WHO und der Weltbank aus dem Jahr 1996 [1] wird die Depression bis ins Jahr 2020 vomderzeitigen Platz 4 auf Platz 2 vorrucken. Auch die COPD wird nach dieser Analyse einen groseren Stellenwert er− halten. Sie ist derzeit auf Platz 12 der Hauptursachen fur verlore− ne Lebensjahre und wird nach den Prognosen auf Platz 5 aufru− cken.

We report the rare case of a 55-year-old female with massive eosinophilic myocarditis and severe, however reversible, impairment of left ventricular function. The patient presented with reduced physical condition, progressive dyspnea on exertion and peripheral edema. The white blood count revealed a leukocytosis and markedly elevated peripheral blood eosinophilics (48.8%). An endomyocardial biopsy demonstrated massive myocardial infiltration with eosinophilic granulocytes and necrosis. The symptoms and laboratory parameters indicate the presence of a hypereosinophilic syndrome. The differential diagnosis of a Churg-Strauss syndrome is discussed. Medical heart failure treatment according to international guidelines and an immunosuppressive treatment with prednisolone (Decortin H) 1.5 mg/kgBW) were initiated. This therapy led to a dramatic reduction of the eosinophilic granulocyte count and normalization of the peripheral blood count, which correlated with a significant improvement of clinical symptoms. Consistently, an increase of left-ventricular function was observed. Upon successive dose reduction to a maintenance dosage of 10 mg prednisolone, the patient's clinical status and peripheral blood count remained stable.

Structure and fracture behaviour of long glass fibre (LGF) reinforced polypropylene (LGF PP) composites including calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) as a filler were studied. Fibre orientation, fibre length distribution and mechanical properties of LGF PP/CaCO 3 hybrid composites, as well as the crystallinity changes of polypropylene upon filler addition are reported. Furthermore, an acoustic emission (AE) analysis was applied to the fracture mechanical test, in order to get information about the fracture modes during the loading. It was found out that the filler addition had little effect on the fibre orientation and crystallisation behaviour of LGF PP, but the average fibre length decreased. AE analysis showed that the addition of filler caused early stage debonding of the LGFs, when the samples were subjected to low speed tensile loading (1 mm/min). These observations may explain the changes of the mechanical properties of LGF PP upon filler addition.

Introduction: There is a growing demand for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Western societies. This trend has lead to the gradual integration of CAM courses into medical school curricula. The aim of this study was to survey key decision makers at German medical schools with regard to their views on CAM and to examine the extent to which CAM has already been integrated in the German medical school system. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 753 clinic and institute directors at German medical schools. Results: A total of 500 questionnaires (66%) were returned. 39% of respondents had a positive opinion of CAM, 27% had a neutral opinion and 31% had a negative opinion. 3% of respondents were unsure. The CAM therapies viewed most positively were osteopathy (52%), acupuncture (48%), and naturopathy (41%). Most respondents were in favor of integrating CAM into the medical system. However, a larger percentage favored its use in research (61%) and teaching (59%) rather than in the treatment of patients (58%). Only 191 respondents (38%) indicated that CAM treatment methods had been integrated into the curriculum of their respective medical schools. In these schools, CAM was mainly used in patient treatment (35%), followed by research (22%) and education (21%). Conclusions: Our data show that the majority of respondents were in favor of integrating CAM into medical school curricula. However, at the time of our survey, only a small percentage of medical schools had actually put this into practice. The reasons for this discrepancy are unclear and should be further investigated. Hintergrund: Die Inanspruchnahme von Naturheilverfahren und Komplementärmedizin (complementary and alternative medicine, CAM) steigt in den westlichen Industrienationen. Dieser Trend fördert die Integration von Lehrinhalten von Naturheilverfahren und Komplementärmedizin an den medizinischen Hochschulen. Ziel der Umfragestudie war es, die Meinung von Entscheidungsträgern an den medizinischen Hochschulen Deutschlands bezüglich Naturheilverfahren und Komplementärmedizin zu erfragen und den Stand der Integration von CAM in die medizinischen Hochschulen zu dokumentieren. Material und Methoden: Ein Fragebogen wurde an insgesamt 753 Klinikdirektoren und ausgewählte Institutsleiter an medizinischen Hochschulen in Deutschland verschickt. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt wurden 500 Fragebögen (66%) zurückgesandt. 39% der Antwortenden hatten eine positive Meinung zu CAM, wohingegen 27% eine neutrale und 31% eine ablehnende persönliche Meinung hatten (3% unklar). Osteopathie (52%), Akupunktur (48%) und Naturheilverfahren (41%) waren die am häufigsten positiv eingeschätzten Therapieverfahren. Die meisten Antwortenden sprachen sich für die Integration von CAM in Forschung (61%), Lehre (59%) und Patientenversorgung (58%) an den medizinischen Hochschulen aus. 38% der Antwortenden gaben an, dass CAM in ihre universitären Kliniken bzw. Institute integriert wurden, wobei der Fokus auf der Patientenversorgung (35%), gefolgt von Forschung (22%) und Lehre (21%) lag. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Studienergebnisse zeigen, dass sich die Mehrzahl der Antwortenden für eine Integration von CAM an den medizinischen Hochschulen ausspricht. Allerdings wurde dies bisher nur zu einem sehr geringen Prozentsatz in die Praxis umgesetzt. Die Gründe für diesen Widerspruch sind unklar und sollten weiter erforscht werden.

Cellular space-charge electrets have recently emerged as a new class of materials for electromechanical devices, offering chances for a wide range of applications and challenges for materials optimization. However, many fundamental and applied aspects of the physics of these novel materials are not yet explored. Here we summarize our present understanding of the (quasi)-piezo- and -pyroelectricity in such materials. In contrast to the dipole-density piezoelectricity in ferroelectric polymers, the piezoelectric-like response of cellular polymers is intrinsic, with positive d/sub 33/ and negative d/sub 31/ and d/sub 32/ piezoelectric-like coefficients. Similarities with ferroelectric materials are outlined, especially switching of "polarization" and (quasi)-piezoelectricity. First steps towards patterned charging of cellular polymers are reported, an immediate consequence of the possibility for "polarization"-switchingin cellular materials. The results on cellular space-charge electrets suggest that well-known electret devices like microphones may be seen in a new light. Examples include dielectric and electromechanical hysteresis loops obtained with a commercially available electret microphone. In view of the results, cellular polymers may henceforth be called "ferroelectrets" and their material behavior "ferroelectretic". From an applied point of view, the performance of a Fresnel zone plate for focussing ultrasound is shown. Such a device may pave the way for a simple tool in nondestructive materials inspection, and demonstrates the large potential of cellular polymers for applications.

The mechanical behaviour of long discontinuous glass fibre (LGF) reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites filled with talc or calcium carbonate fillers was studied. Sample specimens were processed by injection moulding, after which tensile and impact properties were analysed. In addition, scanning electron microscopy was used to analyse the morphology of the fracture surfaces. The results showed that the use of talc as a hybrid filler in LGF reinforced PP leads to a better tensile strength and toughness than in a corresponding hybrid composite based on calcium carbonate. Furthermore, it was observed that the matrix had a dominant role at low fibre content, whereas at high fibre loading, the effect of fibres was more evident.

We report on the deposition of parylene-like films by plasma polymerization, starting from the sublimation of the di-para-xylylene precursor. The experiments were performed in a 13.56 MHz RF plasma set-up consisting of a tubular reactor with external electrodes. Deposition rates in the range of 4–250 nm min−1 were obtained. Depending on the RF power and precursor mass flow values, layers with various morphology and composition can be obtained, ranging from rough semi-crystalline to smooth amorphous and from polymer-like to hydrogenated carbon-like films. The electrical properties of the layers studied by means of dielectric spectroscopy and charge stability measurements correlate to the structural film properties.

Content Management ist ein Begriff, der seit uber 20 Jahren gelaufig ist. Content Management hat jedoch im Laufe der technischen Entwicklung vielseitige Bedeutung bekommen und wird in unterschiedlichen Auspragungen in allen Bereichen der elektronischen Datenverarbeitung und Datenverwaltung eingesetzt. Nach einer Begriffsdefinition von Content Management und einer Ubersicht der wichtigsten Anwendungsgebiete werden in dem Beitrag unter dem Aspekt „interaktive Video-Services uber Internet“ neue Anforderungen an Content Management-Systeme aufgezeigt. IP-Multimedia-Anwendungen, wie beispielsweise Video On Demand-Services, stellen aber auch neue Anforderungen an die bestehende Netzwerkinfrastruktur der Telekommunikations- und Internet Service Provider. Am Beispiel Video On Demand uber ADSL wird die gesamte Funktionskette, von der Contentbereitstellung, der technischen Aufbereitung, dem Transport der Daten uber geeignete Content Delivery Networks bis hin zur Darstellung der Daten auf verschiedensten Endgeraten, dargestellt.

The magnet system of the collider consists of superconducting dipole, quadrupole and correction magnets for guiding and focusing the beams through the regular arcs of the machine lattice as well as into collision at the six interaction points. It is designed to allow operation in the energy range 30–100 GeV/ u . Operation with either equal or unequal ion species in the colliding beams is possible, imposing a ratio of up to 2.5:1 in the magnetic fields of the two rings. There are 1740 superconducting magnets in the machine. They were designed to meet stringent requirements on field quality, reproducibility, and long-term reliability while being inexpensive to produce. Wherever feasible, production of magnets and components was carried out in industry, always with build-to-print designs. After several years of operation, no magnet has failed and the magnet system has proven reliable and functional.

Sociologist Andrew M. Lindner explores the increasing popularity of the research tool of content analysis and how innovation has given rise to new opportunities and new concerns.

Tumors of the diaphragm are rare and caused by there special localisation difficult to diagnose. We describe the case of a 31 year old man with a choristoma of the left diaphragmal crux where the localisation and genesis could only be cleared through lateral thoracotomy. Nor the CT guided puncture or the laparoscopy-although sufficient samples for the pathology could be gained-allowed the right diagnose. The importance of good diagnostic approach to select the right operative procedure-in this case the anterolateral thoracotomy-is described.

At the Paul Scherrer Institute a new synchrotron light source is currently under construction, the Swiss Light Source (SLS), which will be operational in summer 2001. Among the first beamlines is a high brightness, micro-focusing protein crystallography beamline. It will be equipped with a pixel detector, which has several features of interest for the next generation of protein crystallography detectors. The point spread function and the effect of charge sharing was measured with a prototype detector in a test experiment at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble. The concepts of the SLS pixel detector is presented as well as test results from radiation hard prototype chips.

for surgical activity recognition that is capable of identifying known activities and distinguish them from unknown activities is developed and implemented. As these activities are spatio-temporally correlated, we use a procedure-centered description in order to extract eight perceptually characteristic features that capture the three-dimensional structures of the surgical activities. RESULTS: The method was validated using 96 expert annotated samples for various surgical activities, extracted from 6 Robotassisted Radical Prostatectomies (RARP). High (512xn) dimensional feature vectors were extracted frame-wise from activity sequences in RARP. These sequences are warped non-linearly in the time domain to determine the closest sub-sequence match in the surgical procedure using Dynamic Time Warping (DTW). Similar activities tend to cluster within the same region of a multidimensional space in which the axes are the perceptual properties. Closeness between high-dimensional sequences was determined by their Manhattan distance metric (L1 norm). Our results demonstrate that actions of the same activity generate a lower score when compared to activities of a different nature (Figure). CONCLUSIONS: Automated activity sequence recognition during RAS paves the way for surgeon-independent procedures.

A 0.5-mm-thick cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor pixel sensor with 1024 pixels has been bump-bonded onto a two-dimensional (2-D) single photon counting pixel read out chip (MPEC 2.1) using a special gold-stud technique. The pixel size is 200 /spl times/ 200 /spl mu/m/sup 2/, the active area is 6.4 /spl times/ 6.4 mm/sup 2/. The successful operation of this high-Z imaging pixel device is demonstrated. Noise and threshold dispersion as well as the imaging performance are reported.

For the protein crystallography beamlime of the Swiss Light Source (SLS), which will be operational in summer 2001, the PILATUS detector ( PI xe L A ppara TU s for the S LS) is currently being built. The goal of the PILATUS project is a hybrid pixel system with a size of 40×40 cm 2 having 2000×2000 pixels. The detector will be operated in single photon counting mode for 12 keV X-rays. The prototype pixel read-out chip has a noise of 75 e − with sensor, a low threshold dispersion and a maximum count rate of 1 MHz/pixel. Due to the expected radiation dose in operation at the beamline, the chip is designed in radiation hard DMILL technology.

Hybrid pixel detectors for medical X-ray imaging applications with Si and GaAs sensors are compared. Both sensor types are bump-bonded onto the MPEC single photon counting pixel read out chip. The image homogeneity and count rate of the two assemblies are compared. For the GaAs assembly the active layer thickness and charge collection efficiency have been measured.

Centella asiatica is a medicinal plant that has been in use since prehistoric times. Its active constituents include pentacyclic triterpene derivatives. Studies have been conducted in particular to investigate the madecassosides and asiaticosides. In common with most traditional phytotherapeutic agents, Centella asiatica is used in folk medicine to treat a wide range of indications. In contrast to other medicinal plants, however, Centella asiatica has been subjected to quite extensive experimental and clinical investigations. Studies done in accordance with standardized scientific criteria have shown it to have a positive effect in the treatment of venous insufficiency and striae gravidarum. Centella asiatica also appears to be effective in the treatment of wound healing disturbances. At the present time, clinical studies aimed at investigating the sedative, analgesic, antidepressive, antimicrobial, antiviral and immunomodulatory effects that have been demonstrated experimentally, are still lacking. However, the therapeutic potential of this plant in terms of its efficacy and versatility is such that further detailed research would appear worthwhile.

Es wird uber einen 13 Jahre alten Jungen berichtet, der 15 Tage nach Knochenmarktransplantation unter parenteraler Ernahrung ohne Vitamine eine auf Bikarbonat- und TRIS-Gaben refraktare lebensbedrohliche Laktatazidose mit Multiorganversagen entwickelte. Die Gabe von 100 mg Thiamin (Vitamin B1) i. v. fuhrte in wenigen Stunden zur klinischen Besserung und zum Verschwinden der Azidose. Schlussfolgerung. Bei parenteral ernahrten Patienten ist bei unklarer Laktatazidose ein Vitamin-B1-Mangel in der Differenzialdiagnose zu berucksichtigen und ein entsprechender Therapieversuch empfehlenswert.

Synchrotron beam measurements were performed with a single-photon-counting pixel detector to investigate the influence of threshold settings on charge sharing. Improvement of image homogeneity by adjusting the threshold of each pixel individually was demonstrated. With a flat-field correction, the homogeneity could be improved. A measurement of the point spread function is reported.

A method allowing single photon counting with an additional energy information without increasing the radiation dose is presented. On a pixel chip an energy window has been realised by introducing a second discriminator with a separate counter in every pixel. Both discriminators have an independent threshold voltage and can be adjusted individually. Measurements on the noise behavior, threshold variation and threshold settings are presented.

The preparation and characterization of novel piezoelectric and pyroelectric electrets is discussed with respect to their electret properties. Charged heterogeneous electrets, like closed-cell microporous polypropylene (pp) foams and 'soft-hard' fluoropolymer hybrids are shown to yield large quasi-static and dynamic piezoelectric responses, indistinguishable from true piezoelectricity. Piezoelectric coefficients comparable to that of ceramic counterparts have been achieved. For the investigation of the piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties of the electret materials, the thermal-pulse technique has been extended towards temperature-dependent investigations and measurements on planar, cylindrical or spherical samples. The potential of the thermal-pulse technique not only for the measurement of electric-field and polarization distributions, but also for acoustical, electromechanical and pyroelectric properties is outlined.

Benign familial neonatal convulsions (BFNC) is a rare dominantly inherited epileptic syndrome characterized by frequent brief seizures within the first days of life. The disease is caused by mutations in one of two recently identified voltage-gated potassium channel genes, KCNQ2 or KCNQ3. Here, we describe a four-generation BFNC family carrying a novel mutation within the distal, unconserved C-terminal domain of KCNQ2, a 1-bp deletion, 2513delG, in codon 838 predicting substitution of the last seven and extension by another 56 amino acids. Three family members suffering from febrile but not from neonatal convulsions do not carry the mutation, confirming that febrile convulsions and BFNC are of different pathogenesis. Functional expression of the mutant channel in Xenopus oocytes revealed a reduction of the potassium current to 5% of the wild-type current, but the voltage sensitivity and kinetics were not significantly changed. To find out whether the loss of the last seven amino acids or the C-terminal extension because of 2513delG causes the phenotype, a second, artificial mutation was constructed yielding a stop codon at position 838. This truncation increased the potassium current by twofold compared with the wild type, indicating that the pathological extension produces the phenotype, and suggesting an important role of the distal, unconserved C-terminal domain of this channel. Our results indicate that BFNC is caused by a decreased potassium current impairing repolarization of the neuronal cell membrane, which results in hyperexcitability of the central nervous system.

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS A 31-year-old woman presented in the 25th week of pregnancy with ankle and pretibial oedema and increasing dyspnoea, ultimately in class IV (New York Heart Association classification). There were fine rales on auscultation and dullness on palpation over both lung bases. The heart rate was regular at 110/min. The first heart sound was very loud, and there was a mitral opening snap and a loud diastolic murmur maximal, over the cardiac apex. INVESTIGATIONS The ECG showed sinus rhythm at a rate of 110/min, left axis deviation, incomplete right bundle branch block and P biatriale, but no other abnormalities. Echocardiography revealed biatrial enlargement and an enlarged right ventricle as well as pulmonary systolic hypertension of 100 mm Hg. Doppler sonography demonstrated severe mitral stenosis with a calculated mitral opening area of 0.9 cm2. DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND COURSE The symptoms improved only slightly under conservative drug treatment. The mitral valve changes, as noted sonographically, met the criteria for percutaneous transluminal balloon mitral valvoplasty (PTBMV), which was successfully performed. Afterwards the mitral opening area was 2.6 cm2 and pulmonary artery pressure gradually became normal. She was delivered without complication of a healthy child in the 39th week of pregnancy. CONCLUSION PTBLMV is a relatively low-risk treatment in pregnant women with symptomatic mitral stenosis.

Results obtained with a (photon) counting pixel imaging chip connected to a silicon pixel sensor using the bump and flip-chip technology are presented. The performance of the chip electronics is characterized by an average equivalent noise charge (ENC) below 135 e and a threshold spread of less than 35 e after individual threshold adjust, both measured with a sensor attached. First results on the imaging performance are also reported.

The photocatalytic activity of a novel anatase titanium dioxide powder, namely Sachtleben Hombikat UV 100, has been investigated and compared with that of a well-studied material (i.e., Degussa P25). Laboratory experiments using dichloroacetate (DCA) as the model pollutant have been carried out showing a very high photonic efficiency (ζ) reaching almost unity at low-light intensities. The effect of pH, substrate concentration, catalyst concentration, and addition of various inorganic salts has been thoroughly investigated. The inhibiting effect of anions such as chloride, nitrate, sulphate, and phosphate was completely reversible upon washing the catalyst powder with pure water or diluted base, respectively. The overall photonic efficiency of the DCA degradation was found to decrease with increasing illumination intensity. Various kinetic and mechanistic models are proposed to explain this effect as well as the results of the other experiments. Implications of these laboratory results for “real world” applications, e.g., for the design of appropriate photoreactors, are discussed.

Bob1 (Obf-1 or OCA-B) is a 34-kDa transcriptional coactivator encoded by the Pou2af1 gene that is essential for normal B-cell development and immune responses in mice. During lymphocyte activation, Bob1 protein levels dramatically increase independently of mRNA levels, suggesting that the stability of Bob1 is regulated. We used a fluorescent protein-based reporter system to analyze protein stability in response to genetic and physiological perturbations and show that, while Bob1 degradation is proteasome mediated, it does not require ubiquitination of Bob1. Furthermore, degradation of Bob1 in B cells appears to be largely independent of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Siah. We propose a novel mechanism of Bob1 turnover in B cells, whereby an acidic region in the C terminus of Bob1 regulates the activity of degron signals elsewhere in the protein. Changes that make the C terminus more acidic, including tyrosine phosphorylation-mimetic mutations, stabilize the instable murine Bob1 protein, indicating that B cells may regulate Bob1 stability and activity via signaling pathways. Finally, we show that expressing a stable Bob1 mutant in B cells suppresses cell proliferation and induces changes in surface marker expression commonly seen during B-cell differentiation.

Anxiety and depression are debilitating and commonly co-occurring in young adolescents, yet few interventions are designed to treat both disorder classes together. Initial efficacy is presented of a school-based transdiagnostic group behavioral activation therapy (GBAT) that emphasizes anti-avoidance in vivo exposure. Youth (N = 35; ages 12–14; 50.9% male) were randomly assigned to either GBAT (n = 21) or WL (n = 14) after completing a double-gated screening process. Multi-reporter, multi-domain outcomes were assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and four-month follow-up (FU). GBAT was associated with greater posttreatment remission rates than WL in principal diagnosis (57.1% vs. 28.6%; X 1 2 = 2.76, p = .09) and secondary diagnosis (70.6% vs. 10%; X 1 2 = 9.26, p = .003), and greater improvement in Clinical Global Impairment – Severity ratings, B = −1.10 (0.42), p = .01. Symptom outcomes were not significantly different at posttreatment. GBAT produced greater posttreatment behavioral activation (large effect size) and fewer negative thoughts (medium effect), two transdiagnostic processes, both at the trend level. Most outcomes showed linear improvement from pretreatment to FU that did not differ depending on initial condition assignment. Sample size was small, but GBAT is a promising transdiagnostic intervention for youth anxiety and unipolar mood disorders that can feasibly and acceptably be applied in school settings.

The relaxation time spectrum in blends of architecturally different polymers with strongly disperse time scales has been investigated by their time-dependent small angle neutron scattering signal after a fast uniaxial step strain. Model-hyperbranched dendrimeric polymers of second generation, dilutely dispersed within linear homopolymer matrices, acted like sensitive probes for structurally, though not firmly, established features of the tube model for bidisperse melts. We showed that the equilibration time of the linear matrix determines the size of the fluctuations that the outer and inner arms experience. Within a random phase approximation (RPA) treatment, which accounts for the different degrees of freedom inherent to the broad time scales, the observed loss of anisotropy with time was described in terms of two parameters only, namely the tube diameter and the fraction of relaxed arms of the minority component. The scattering data reveal details of mechanisms, which cannot be extracted from but determine the macroscopic flow properties. At intermediate times, a tube relaxation process was detected. At long times, the dynamic dilution model is confirmed. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Two different photocatalysts, namely Hombikat UV100 (Sachtleben Chemie) and P25 (Degussa) have been used in batch experiments to compare their ability to degrade the toxic components of a biologically pretreated landfill leachate. A strong adsorption of the pollutant molecules was observed for both TiO 2 -powders, with a maximum of almost 70% TOC reduction for Hombikat UV100, making it almost impossible to draw a quantitative comparison of the degradation with the two catalysts in the batch system. The photocatalytic activity of Hombikat UV100 was also tested using a thin-film fixed-bed reactor (TFFBR) configuration under artificial solar UV-irradiation. Here the catalyst was fixed onto a glass-plate to avoid separation of the catalyst and water after the treatment. The highest degradation rate was observed at pH 5, using a moderately diluted waste water. In good agreement with the degradation rate's pH dependency adsorption measurements showed a maximum adsorption of the organic pollutants onto Hombikat UV100 TiO 2 at pH 5. Photonic efficiencies (ζ) based on the amount of incident irradiation have been calculated for the experiments, ζ could be increased by a reduction of the light intensity. While the addition of H 2 O 2 had an inhibiting effect (at pH 7), the presence of Na 2 S 2 O 8 led to a dark reaction. Studies performed under continuous recirculating conditions showed that even undiluted waste-water streams can, in principle, be degraded completely.

Conventional Raman and incident circular polarization Raman optical activity (ROA) spectra are presented for the lattice vibrations of enantiomorphic pairs of optically active cubic crystals NaBrO3 and NaCIO3 in depolarized right-angle scattering (65-145 cm−1) and unpolarized backscattering (55-200 cm−1). Since enantiomorphic cubic crystals are also piezoelectric owing to the lack of a centre of inversion, the degeneracy of their triply degenerate polar (infrared and Raman active) F phonons is partially lifted because of long-range dipole-dipole interactions. Therefore, non-degenerate longitudinal and doubly degenerate transverse optical phonons can be separately observed in the ROA spectra.

The absorption spectra of ZnS:Ni and ZnSe:Ni were measured at 100 K under hydrostatic pressure up to 10 GPa. Two kinds of optical transition were investigated: (i) the d-d transitions between crystal field levels of Ni2+ in the tetrahedral field of the host lattice and (ii) a charge transfer band that occurs when an electron is transferred from the valence band to the Ni2+ ion. The pressure dependence of the crystal field parameter Dq and of the Racah parameter B were determined and a revised assignment of the d-d transitions was obtained. The charge transfer can be considered as a deep-acceptor transition. In this case the Ni acceptor level may be used as an energy reference, which enabled us to determine the hydrostatic deformation potential of the valence band.

The Double Chooz experiment presents an indication of reactor electron antineutrino disappearance consistent with neutrino oscillations. An observed-to-predicted ratio of events of 0.944±0.016(stat)±0.040(syst) was obtained in 101 days of running at the Chooz nuclear power plant in France, with two 4.25 GW(th) reactors. The results were obtained from a single 10 m(3) fiducial volume detector located 1050 m from the two reactor cores. The reactor antineutrino flux prediction used the Bugey4 flux measurement after correction for differences in core composition. The deficit can be interpreted as an indication of a nonzero value of the still unmeasured neutrino mixing parameter sin(2)2θ(13). Analyzing both the rate of the prompt positrons and their energy spectrum, we find sin(2)2θ(13)=0.086±0.041(stat)±0.030(syst), or, at 90% C.L., 0.017sin(2)2θ(13)0.16.

Scope Banana fruit has become an important cause of fruit allergy in the recent years. Among the five registered IUIS allergens, Mus a 1 and Mus a 2 have been characterized in detail. In this study, molecular characterization and evaluation of the allergenic properties of β-1,3-glucanase from banana (Musa acuminata), denoted as Mus a 5, were performed Methods and results The gene of Mus a 5 was cloned and sequenced. The obtained cDNA revealed a novel Mus a 5 isoform with an open reading frame encoding a protein of 340 amino acids comprising a putative signal peptide of 28 amino acid residues. By MALDI-TOF analysis Mus a 5 isolated from banana fruit revealed a molecular mass of 33451±67Da. Two Mus a 5 isoforms (pI 7.7 and 8.0) were detected by 2D immunoblot with an identical N-terminal sequence. By mass fingerprint, 76 and 83% of the primary structure was confirmed for the two mature Mus a 5 isoforms, respectively. IgE reactivity to Mus a 5 was found in 74% of patients sensitized to banana fruit. Upregulation of basophil activation markers CD63 and CD203c was achieved with Mus a 5 in a concentration-dependent manner Conclusion Mus a 5 is a functional allergen and a candidate for the component-resolved allergy diagnosis of banana allergy. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

In automotive designs, low cost and low weight are major requirements. A benchmark analysis revealed high pressure hydrogen storage (pressures up to 70 MPa) to be the most technically and commercially viable solution. Structural materials play an important role in commercialization of such a technology. The use of Cr–Ni austenitic stainless steels, ferritic steels and aluminium alloys is reviewed. Testing methodologies for the qualification of materials is discussed in the context of hydrogen diffusion and solubility in each material. To utilize the huge innovation potential of both original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers, a widely accepted test standard for the qualification of materials for use in high purity/high pressure H2 applications, especially under S–N fatigue load, is urgently needed. Consequently, a robust fatigue design model covering the influence of gaseous high pressure hydrogen is required to reduce weight and cost in automotive designs without compromising safety.