Assessment of the Tribological Performance of Electrospun Lignin Nanofibrous Web-Thickened Bio-Based Greases in a Nanotribometer.

The tribological performance of novel bio-based lubricating greases thickened with electrospun lignin nanostructures was investigated in a nanotribometer using a steel-steel ball-on-disc configuration. The impact of electrospun nanofibrous network morphology on friction and wear is explored in this work. Different lignin nanostructures were obtained with electrospinning using ethylcellulose or PVP as co-spinning polymers and subsequently used as thickeners in castor oil at concentrations of 10-30% wt.

Accidents, diseases and health complaints among seafarers on German-flagged container ships.

Background: For seafarers on the high seas health hazards are various and due to the setting also specific. The spectrum of job-related health impairments and accidents is mainly influenced by the maritime characteristics. The aim of this study is to assess the kind of accidents and the frequency of diseases and health complaints among seafarers on German container ships by evaluating medical log books.

Approximation of circle number π by spread-plating Escherichia coli.

Ideally, microbial spread plating results in randomly distributed colonies on the agar surface. This can be seen as a Monte Carlo simulation and enables probabilistic approximation of circle number π. We perform π approximation in a microbiology undergraduate course to awaken the students' ambition for a good spread plating technique.

Emergence and assessment of interpersonal experience and behavior in a nonverbal, generative, game-like paradigm.

Dominance, hostility and autonomy are interpersonal phenomena that emerge from the complex dyadic interplay of two individuals reciprocally influencing each other. Assessing the complexity of interpersonal interactions usually involves its reduction, for example with self-report and observer-rated measures informed by the structural analysis of social behavior (SASB). In contrast, letting individuals generate a complex stream of interpersonal experience and behavior from moment to moment is an empirical approach not yet usual in interpersonal theory.

Exploring job demands and resources in psychotherapists treating displaced people-A scoping review.

: Little is known about the occupational health of psychotherapists treating displaced people. Therefore, the literature was explored regarding job demands, job resources, as well as work- and health-related outcomes. The Job Demands-Job Resources model (JD-R model) according to Bakker and Demerouti served as theoretical framework.

Case Report: Plasticity in Central Sensory Finger Representation and Touch Perception After Microsurgical Reconstruction of Infraclavicular Brachial Plexus Injury.

After brachial plexus injury (BPI), early microsurgery aims at facilitating reconnection of the severed peripheral nerves with their orphan muscles and sensory receptors and thereby reestablishing communication with the brain. In order to investigate this sensory recovery, here we combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and tactile psychophysics in a patient who suffered a sharp, incomplete amputation of the dominant hand at the axilla level. To determine somatosensory detection and discomfort thresholds as well as sensory accuracy for fingers of both the intact and affected hand, we used electrotactile stimulation in the framework of a mislocalization test.

Balancing social and economic factors - explorative qualitative analysis of working conditions of supervisors in German social firms.

Background: Social firms are companies on the general labour market which provide employment to people with severe disabilities. In this setting different job resources are offered for its employees, including social support or flexibility in terms of working hours, tasks or pace of work. However, to date, only limited evidence exists on the work and health situation of supervisors in social firms.

The accessibility of data on environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals - are environmental risk assessments information on emissions with respect to international and European environmental information law?

In the pharmaceutical sector, the right of access to environmental information is in most cases not feasible as the authorisation holders refer to commercially/industrial confidential information (CCI). However, CCI can not refuse access to environmental risk assessments (ERAs) if ERAs are to be classified as information on emissions. Pharmaceuticals inevitably enter the environment as a consequence of their intended use.

Visualizing risks in cancer communication: A systematic review of computer-supported visual aids.

Objective: Health websites are becoming important sources for cancer information. Lay users, patients and carers seek support for critical decisions, but they are prone to common biases when quantitative information is presented. Graphical representations of risk data can facilitate comprehension, and interactive visualizations are popular.

Application of a fuzzy logic control system for continuous anaerobic digestion of low buffered, acidic energy crops as mono-substrate.

A fuzzy logic control (FLC) system was developed at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) for operation of biogas reactors running on energy crops. Three commercially available measuring parameters, namely pH, the methane (CH4) content, and the specific gas production rate (spec. GPR = m(3)/kg VS/day) were included.