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The vast majority of conventional photovoltaic (PV) module technologies suffer from inactive areas, for example, due to the front contact finger grids or interconnection lines, which are essential for efficient extraction of the photocurrent. Invisibility cloaking by freeform surfaces is a new concept to guide incident light of the entire solar spectrum and all angles of incidence away from these inactive areas to the active areas of the PV modules. In this work, a freeform surface design is incorporated into a standard encapsulation layer of conventionally front glass covered PV modules. For a copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film PV module, a relative improvement in power conversion efficiency of 6.5% is presented, which demonstrates that the entire optical losses of the inactive area can be recovered. The design of the freeform surface is optimized based on rigorous ray-tracing simulations, which further allow discriminating and quantifying the underlying optical effects. Moreover, in order to demonstrate the scalability of the freeform surface cloak, a prototype CIGS thin-film PV module (comprised of nine monolithically interconnected solar cells) exhibiting fully-cloaked interconnection lines is presented.

Background Whipple disease (WD) is a rare disease caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whipplei (TW), which manifestations may range from joint and GI-tract involvement to severe neurological complications. Objectives To present a clinical case of WD with non-erosive seronegative polyarthritis, sacroiliitis, abdominal and CNS involvement, and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome after antibiotic therapy. Methods Case report. Prospective follow-up of the patient E. with WD, who was diagnosed HLA-B27-negative nonerosive seronegative rheumatoid arthritis in 2013. The disease was partially responsive to glucocorticoids with temporary effect to different DMARDs (MTX, leflunomid, etanercept, abatacept, tocilizumab either as monotherapy or in combination). Results A 54 y.o. male patient E. was admitted to the Rheumatological department with complaints of joint swelling, low back pain, weight loss, diarrhoea, headache and low grade fever. Peripheral joint arthritis appeared about 4 years ago with progressive worsening of general condition and development of additional complaints during the past year. From 2013 to 2017 the patient received in-hospital and outpatient treatment because of active seronegative polyarthritis without sufficient effect. On admission: clinical examination and joint ultrasound (US) investigation revealed the signs of polyarthritis. Neurological evaluation showed organic psychiatric disorder with signs of pseudodementia, bradykinesia without focal neurological deficits. Because of both incomplete responsiveness to DMARD-therapy and suspicion of chronic infection or malignant neoplasm, abdominal US and transthoracic echocardiography, gastroscopy, colonoscopy, immunofixation, bone marrow biopsy, chest X-ray and bone scintigraphy, tests for viral hepatitis (B,C), HIV, Lues and QFT-Tb were performed, however without objective evidence of the cause. PET-CT was performed as well, but showed no signs of malignancy or infection. MRI revealed bifrontal brain atrophy, low-grade bilateral sacroiliitis and degenerative changes of the cervical spine. For differential diagnosis PCR stool investigation for TW was performed and was positive. Upon the suspicion of WD duodenoscopy with duodenal biopsy were done. Histological examination showed PAS-positive macrophages, typical for WD. Immunohistochemical analysis also supported the diagnosis. PCR investigation of liquor and synovial fluid from ankle joint for TWi were also positive. Antibiotic treatment using a 2 week course of parenteral Ceftriaxon 2 g/day was initiated. On the third day of the treatment the patient developed immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome with febrile temperature and increased inflammatory markers. The symptoms regressed after additional prednisolon 20 mg/day prescription. Because of organic brain syndrome, administration of Co-trimoxazole was recommended. Under the antibacterial therapy the patient had rapid positive response. PCR stool test in October 2017 didn’t detect TW. Conclusions This presentation emphasises the importance of excluding a rare infection as a cause of atypical inflammatory arthropathy. In patients with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis or axial and peripheral spondyloarthritis, who don’t adequately response to immunosuppression, Whipple disease should be taken into account. Disclosure of Interest None declared

In transformation optics, coordinate transformations are usually mapped onto equivalent (meta-)material parameter distributions. In 2015, we introduced an approach mapping coordinate transformations onto dielectric free-form surfaces. We presented model experiments on cloaking of reflective contact fingers on solar cells. We now report on the fabrication of masters by 3D laser lithography used for soft imprinting. For prototype silicon heterojunction solar cells investigated under 1-sun illumination, we demonstrate the predicted 9% relative efficiency increase. We additionally show that our approach is adaptable to Lambertian sources, thereby cloaking light-emitting diode contacts to achieve spatially homogeneous emission.

In this paper an on-chip device capable of wavelength-selective generation of vortex beams is demonstrated. The device is realized by integrating a spiral phase-plate onto a MEMS tunable Fabry-Perot filter. This vortex-MEMS filter, being capable of functioning simultaneously in wavelength and orbital angular momentum (OAM) domains at around 1550 nm, is considered as a compact, robust and cost-effective solution for simultaneous OAM- and WDM optical communications. Experimental spectra for azimuthal orders 1, 2 and 3 show OAM state purity >92% across 30 nm wavelength range. A demonstration of multi-channel transmission is carried out as a proof of concept.

In this work, detailed energy yield modelling based on experimental data of all-angle invisibility cloaks for solar cell contact fingers is used to underline their high improvement potential under realistic conditions.

We demonstrate an on-chip device capable of wavelength-selective generation of vortex beams, which is realized by a spiral phase plate integrated onto a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) tunable filter. This vortex MEMS filter, being capable of functioning simultaneously in both wavelength and orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) domains at the 1550 nm wavelength regime, is considered as a compact, robust, and cost-effective solution for simultaneous OAM- and wavelength-division multiplexed optical communications. The experimental OAM spectra for azimuthal orders 1, 2, and 3 show an OAM state purity >92% across a wavelength range of more than 30 nm.

Community based housing for people with dementia is gaining importance. In co-operation between the people concerned, their relatives, professionals and volunteers, person-centred care, nursing and guidance can be realised within small units. Questions regarding end of life, dying, grief and the role of palliative care form the basis of the exploratory qualitative study presented here. Coping with end of life, ethical decisions and the relevance of hospice and palliative care in the field are highlighted. The results of the study show that "shared flats for people with dementia" are good places for death and dying. Close relationships, good communication with relatives and highly motivated professionals can be regarded as powerful resources. So far only few co-operations between hospice and palliative care exist. Areas of improvement encompass clinical issues and coping with bereavement.

We discuss invisibility cloaking of metal grid electrodes on Lambertian light emitters by using dielectric free-form surfaces. We show that cloaking can be ideal in geometrical optics for all viewing directions if reflections at the dielectric-air interface are negligible. We also present corresponding white-light proof-of-principle experiments that demonstrate close-to-ideal cloaking for a wide range of viewing angles. Remaining imperfections are analyzed by ray-tracing calculations. The concept can potentially be used to enhance the luminance homogeneity of large-area organic light-emitting diodes.

We present a light-extraction approach allowing for single-pass and omniangle outcoupling of light from light-emitting diodes (LED). By using transformation optics, we perceive a feasible graded-index structure that is a transition from the LED exit facet to a low refractive index region with expanded space that represents air. Apart from the material dispersion of the constituents, our approach is wavelength independent. The suggested extractor is geometrically compact with size parameters comparable to the width of an LED and therefore well adapted for pixelated LEDs. A beam-expanding functionality is possible while fully preserving the outcoupling efficiency by applying index and geometry truncation.

We employ coordinate transformations to design two different optical structures for cloaking of reflective front contacts on solar cells. The cloaking performance is verified in a proof-of-principle experiment and using ray tracing simulations.

Objective Previous studies have shown that the nuclear Ro/SSA autoantigens involved in photosensitive cutaneous lupus manifestations are regulated by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. UVB exposure triggers the release of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) from keratinocytes in the epidermis and from mast cells in the dermis. The present study aimed to characterize the effect of TNFα on messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of the intracellular 52-kd Ro/SSA autoantigen in primary human keratinocytes and to elucidate the TNFα receptor (TNFR) signaling pathways mediating this effect. Methods Expression of 52-kd Ro/SSA mRNA in primary human keratinocytes was investigated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (LightCycler system) using GAPDH as the housekeeping gene. Expression of 52-kd Ro/SSA protein was studied by flow cytometry after staining intracellular protein with IgG purified from an anti–52-kd Ro/SSA–positive serum. TNFR function was assessed by culturing cells in the presence and absence of neutralizing antibodies directed against the TNFR subunits TNFRI and TNFRII. Results TNFα-induced up-regulation of 52-kd Ro/SSA mRNA expression peaked at 4 hours, followed by up-regulation of intracellular 52-kd Ro/SSA protein expression at 24 hours, independently of apoptosis. Between different donors, a high variability of both constitutive expression levels and TNFα-induced changes in 52-kd Ro/SSA mRNA and protein expression was observed. The up-regulatory effect of TNFα on 52-kd Ro/SSA mRNA and protein expression was inhibited by anti-TNFRI antibodies but enhanced by anti-TNFRII antibodies. Conclusion The finding that TNFα up-regulates 52-kd Ro/SSA expression in keratinocytes via TNFRI suggests that it may play a role in the pathogenesis of anti-Ro/SSA–associated cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Background D-Squames®, have gained wide acceptance for assessing skin desquamation. The amount of corneocytes adhering to D-Squames® can be assessed visually by trained observers or by computerized image analysis. Different image analysis algorythms for the evaluation of D-Squames® have been published but have not been compared with each other. It was our aim to develop an image analysis system that does not require an expensive image analysis programming tool but should be optimized for routine tasks of analysing large numbers of samples. A second objective of this study was to compare two published image analysis algorythms and visual grading. Material and Methods The hardware components of the system are a CCD camera connected to a frame grabber card and a light box equipped with fluorescent tubes on two sides that provide a relatively cool, diffuse and even illumination of the sample. The following features were included into the software: generation and identification of bar codes for sample identification; semiautomatic recognition of ROI (region of interest), integration of study design into the analysing process, rapid calculation of desquamation index (DI: integration of the per cent area covered by scales and their thickness distribution) and/or scaling index (SI: distribution of grey values), data storage and export for further analysis. In a first step the system was validated by examining D-Squames covering a wide range of desquamation, by examining different ROI shapes (circle and square), by performing repeat measurements with different positions of the samples and by repeat measurements after re-callibrating the system. In a second step the effect of treatment with different moisturizers was evaluated by the two image analysis parameters DI and SI and compared with hydration measurements (Corneometer®). Results The shape of the ROI showed no influence on the results (variability < 5%). Reproducibility of measurements was satisfactory (COV CDI): 1.7%, COV (SI): 2.6%).There was a good correlation between image analysis results and visual evaluation (means of 3 technicians) (r = 0.986) as well as between the two different image analysis parameters DI and SI (r = 0.971). In the clinical study moisturizer treatment resulted in variable reduction of desquamation that was closely correlated with increase in stratum corneum hydration (r = 0.97). Conclusion Analysing D-Squames® with the image analysis system proved to be reproducible, independent of the shape of ROI, cost effective and fast and easy to operate. It has shown to be a suitable and reliable method for the objective determination of desquamation levels.

This work demonstrates a performance improvement of state-of-the-art silicon solar cells by cloaking their metal contact fingers. The cloaking free-form surfaces are fabricated on silicon heterojunction solar cells using direct laser writing of polymers and subsequent soft imprinting. Cloaking performance is determined experimentally by measuring spatially resolved and angle-resolved current generation and the spectral response of the cell. The short-circuit current density of the cell increases by 7.3%; its power-conversion efficiency is enhanced by 9.3%. Overcompensation of the shadowing loss is found to be caused by improved light-gathering and light-trapping in the polymer layer. The experimental findings are in good agreement to ray-tracing simulations.

Objective The ubiquitously expressed intracellular protein formerly designated p68 has been identified as autoantigen at both the antibody and the T cell level in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods We used 2 independent approaches, Edman degradation and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry, to characterize p68, and we compared its features with those of the endoplasmic reticulum stress protein BiP. Results In synovial sections from RA patients, BiP was highly overexpressed as compared with control sections. Under in vitro stress conditions, BiP was found to translocate to the nucleus and the cell surface. BiP-specific autoantibodies were present in 63% of 400 RA patients, in 7% of 200 patients with other rheumatic diseases, and in none of the healthy subjects. Thus, BiP-specific autoantibodies represent a new diagnostic marker in RA. Furthermore, we found that BiP-specific T cell reactivity was altered in RA. In healthy individuals and patients with other rheumatic diseases, BiP-reactive T cells were undetectable. In RA, overt T cell reactivity to BiP was observed or could be induced by specifically blocking antigen presentation to potentially regulatory T cells. Conclusion Since overexpression of BiP has been shown to decrease the sensitivity of cells to killing by cytotoxic T cells, BiP overexpression and BiP-specific autoimmunity may be involved in the pathogenesis of RA.

Clock and data recovery (CDR) circuits are key electronic components in future optical broadband communication systems. In this paper, we present a 40-Gb/s integrated CDR circuit applying a phase-locked loop technique. The IC has been fabricated in a 50-GHz f/sub T/ self-aligned double-polysilicon bipolar technology using only production-like process steps. The achieved data rate is a record value for silicon and comparable with the best results for this type of circuit realized in SiGe and III-V technologies.

The ELSA RF linac photoinjector has been designed to deliver high-brightness electron beams. The present paper deals with the transverse and longitudinal emittance measurements, at different locations along the ELSA beam line, and the analysis of their variations as a function of the photoinjector parameters: magnetic field generated by the anode focusing lens, bunch charge and pulse duration. While transverse emittance has been already studied in other similar installations, there has been little study of the electron beam longitudinal dynamics. Experimental results are presented and compared to simulation-code expectations. For 2.0 nC, 85 A electron bunches, a normalized rms emittance of 2 π mm mrad and a brightness of 4.5 × 1013 A/(πm rad)2 at the linac exit have been measured as well as less than 10 keV rms energy spread (or less than 0.1% at 16.5 MeV).

By hydrogenation of fluorene 1 using different catalysts, mixtures containing variable amounts of the six possible diastereomers of perhydrofluorene 2 were obtained. The 13C NMR spectra of all diastereomers have been determined in these mixtures whithout previous separation procedures. By molecular mechanics calculations the structures of the preferred conformations were simulated for all diastereomers. The substituent induced 13C NMR chemical shifts in conformers were calculated by using increments for the non-bonding 1,3-synaxial interactions. Three stereochemical increments, combined with the shift values found earlier by Beierbeck and Saunders, were sufficient to calculate the chemical shift differences of conformers empirically. The assignment of relative configurations of the diastereomers was possible by comparison of the empirically calculated and experimental 13C chemical shifts of the clearly distinguishable bridgehead carbons. The difference between calculated and experimentally determined shift values was only 1.3 ppm, averaged over all bridgehead carbons.

A non-isochronous beam transport system can be used to reduce the pulse length of an electron beam with a proper correlation in energy and time. By performing magnetic bunching at relativistic beam energies a high-peak current is achieved while the emittance growth due to space charge forces is minimized. When combined with an rf-gun photocathode injector, magnetic bunching has the potential to produce an electron beam with a low transverse emittance and a high-peak current necessary for efficient free-electron laser operation. The ELSA rf photocathode accelerator beam line contains a 180°, three dipole, non-isochronous bend which has been used to bunch the electron beam. A compression factor of 3 has been achieved in preliminary tests. Pulse length measurements over a range of compression factors can provide the longitudinal emittance using an emittance analysis technique similar to that for the transverse emittance. Experimental results of beam bunching, longitudinal and transverse emittances and a discussion of beam brightness are presented.

Analyses of experimental data and comparison with numerical simulations are presented. Conclusions are drawn from a three year operation for the design of a new cavity for the photo-injector.

Jugendkriminalitat ist ubiquitar und episodisch. Dieser Befund ist inzwischen allgemein anerkannt. Ubiquitat zeigte sich in einer Fulle von Befragungsstudien uber delinquentes Verhalten: Die grose Mehrheit der Jugendlichen berichtete dabei von eigenen Rechtsbruchen. Den episodischen Charakter erkannte man aus diversen Langsschnittstudien, die teils kriminelle Karrieren, teils delinquente Lebenslaufe untersuchten. Man wollte die chronischen Kriminellen identifizieren, fand allerdings uberwiegend Tater, die bald wieder konform geworden waren. Dies hatte Brisanz. Der traditionelle Ansatz der Kriminologie wurde in Frage gestellt. Seit Lombroso die positive Schule der Kriminologie begrundete, glaubte man, Kriminalitat dadurch erklaren zu konnen, dass man eine Trennlinie zwischen Straffalligen und Konformen zieht und etwaige Unterschiede zwischen beiden Gruppen als Kriminalitatsursachen wertet. Wenn allerdings Straftaten nur zeitweilig begangen werden, danach aber nicht mehr, sollte man nicht nach Unterschieden zwischen Menschen, sondern besser nach Unterschieden zwischen Lebensphasen derselben Menschen fragen. Statt der traditionellen inter-individuellen Vergleichsperspektive ist also eine intra-individuelle Fragestellung sinnvoll: nach der sich wandelnden Rolle von Kriminalitat im gesamten Lebensverlauf von Menschen. Zu erklaren ware etwa die Entwicklung von einer - auch abweichendes Verhalten einschliesenden - „Sturm und Drang“ - Phase der Jugend hin zur Lebensweise erwachsener Menschen, die zunehmend auf Vermeidung von Risiken gerichtet ist.

The ELSA free-electron laser has delivered its first FEL photons at a wavelength of about 23 μm. Electron bunches were produced by a 144 MHz photoinjector, accelerated to 16.5 MeV by a 433 MHz linac and transported through a three-dipole U-turn into a 3.2 cm period hybrid undulator.

By hydrogenation of fluorene 1 using different catalysts, mixtures containing variable amounts of the six possible diastereomers of perhydrofluorene 2 were obtained. The 13C NMR spectra of all diastereomers have been determined in these mixtures whithout previous separation procedures. By molecular mechanics calculations the structures of the preferred conformations were simulated for all diastereomers. The substituent induced 13C NMR chemical shifts in conformers were calculated by using increments for the non-bonding 1,3-synaxial interactions. Three stereochemical increments, combined with the shift values found earlier by Beierbeck and Saunders, were sufficient to calculate the chemical shift differences of conformers empirically. The assignment of relative configurations of the diastereomers was possible by comparison of the empirically calculated and experimental 13C chemical shifts of the clearly distinguishable bridgehead carbons. The difference between calculated and experimentally determined shift values was only 1.3 ppm, averaged over all bridgehead carbons.

The relationship between work and crime has been neither empirically nor theoretically settled. Equivocal results do not correspond well with most of the theories employed. This paper suggests a new understanding. Based on the data of the Bremen school-to-work-cohort-study, it looks at the work–crime issue from a life-course perspective. On the one hand, variables measuring aspects of work or unemployment did not show in multivariate analyses significant effects on delinquency. On the other hand, there are interventions by the juvenile or criminal justice system that have an effect on work biography. Selectivity patterns of the criminal justice This paper condenses results of the Bremen school-to-work-study, which lasted 13 years. That longitudinal study was funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the University of Bremen as part of the Special Research Unit 186 ‘‘Status Passages and Risks in the Life Course.’’ In the preparation of this article, I started from a paper, Beate Ehret and myself presented at the ASC annual meeting in Denver in 2003, but revised substantially its theoretical and empirical content. Sociological Theory and Criminological Research: Views from Europe and the United States Sociology of Crime, Law and Deviance, Volume 7, 9–28 Copyright r 2006 by Elsevier Ltd. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved ISSN: 1521-6136/doi:10.1016/S1521-6136(06)07002-3

The residual vacuum pressure of the 144 MHz RF-gun cavity has been improved significantly ( p r ≈ 5 × 10 −10 bar ). However, when running with RF power we still observe a vacuum degradation which is responsible for the limited photocathode lifetime. In the best conditions we have been able to work with a constant 5 nC charge per bunch during two hours. All the FEL components have been tested and we are assembling the machine which should be completed by the end of this year.

A near-infrared FEL experiment (ELSA) based on a 20 MeV rf linac is being constructed at Bruyeres-le-Châtel. To reach high peak power, we have chosen nonstandard technologies, namely: a low-frequency photoinjector (144 MHz), a low-frequency accelerator (433 MHz) and a tunable tapered wiggler. The main components — photoinjector, accelerator chain, photoemitter preparation chamber and wiggler — have been built, and tests are under way on the photoinjector to measure the beam parameters and on the 433 rf generator. In parallel to these developments, numerical studies have been undertaken on FEL simulation and beam dynamics, and some performance predictions are analysed.

It is known that at 37 degrees C plasmin may have two opposite effects on platelets: at high concentrations (greater than 1.5 caseinolytic units [CU]/mL), plasmin activates platelets; at lower concentrations (0.1 to 1.0 CU/mL) it inhibits platelet activation induced by thrombin, collagen, or calcium ionophore A23187. In this study, we report that when lowering the incubation temperature to 22 degrees C, plasmin at low concentrations (0.1 to 0.5 CU/mL) fully activated platelets. When platelets were treated with 0.2 CU/mL of plasmin, lowering the incubation temperature from 37 degrees C to 22 degrees C resulted in an increase in the expression of fibrinogen receptors, in platelet release and aggregation. Thromboxane A2 was not generated by plasmin treatment at either temperature. Ultrastructural studies showed that platelets responded to low-dose plasmin at 37 degrees C by forming pseudopods, centralizing granules without fibrinogen release, whereas at 22 degrees C the same dose of plasmin caused platelet degranulation with the appearance of alpha-granule fibrinogen within the lumen of the surface connected canalicular system. In addition, at 22 degrees C plasmin at doses insufficient to induce platelet aggregation potentiated platelet response to thrombin. Thus, we suggest that plasmin may initiate both activating and inhibitory processes within platelets and that the change of temperature could influence this balance. These results may be of clinical relevance, because the fibrinolytic system was found activated during cardiopulmonary bypass in which the temperature of patient's blood circulation was reduced. This temperature-dependent behavior is also an interesting model for a further study on platelet response to serine proteinases.

Current time domain reflectometry (TDR) equipment suffers from certain limitations [1]. These can be resolved by using a vector network analyser (VNA) system [2]. This paper will highlight the advances and drawbacks of using a VNA for the localization of failures within the signal path of packages or input-/output-stages of chips. Various examples will demonstrate the capabilities. Further improvements by using simulation tools may be possible.

By 1991 a new plant for management of radioactive waste will be erected in the CINR. Thus increased atomic safety and radiation protection will be attained, the economy of waste management and the quality of the conditioned waste will simultaneously be improved. Facilities for volume reduction (evaporation, press compaction, solidification) and conditioning (solidification, packing) will be available for the treatment of radioactive waste. A novel handling technique will ensure safe handling of radioactive waste conditioned for repository. The facilities mentioned above will be installed in a building of about 25000 m3.