scholarly journals Innovations from the “ivory tower”: Wilhelm Barthlott and the paradigm shift in surface science

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 394-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Neinhuis

This article is mainly about borders that have tremendous influence on our daily life, although many of them exist and act mostly unrecognized. In this article the first objective will be to address more generally the relation between university and society or industry, borders within universities, borders in thinking and the huge amount of misunderstandings and losses resulting from these obvious or hidden borders. In the second part and in more detail, the article will highlight the impact of the research conducted by Wilhelm Barthlott throughout his scientific career during which not only one border was removed, shifted or became more penetrable. Among the various fields of interest not mentioned here (e.g., systematics of Cactaceae, diversity and evolution of epiphytes, the unique natural history of isolated rocky outcrops called inselbergs, or the global distribution of biodiversity), plant surfaces and especially the tremendous diversity of minute structures on leaves, fruits, seeds and other parts of plants represent a common thread through 40 years of scientific career of Wilhelm Barthlott. Based on research that was regarded already old-fashioned in the 1970s and 1980s, systematic botany, results and knowledge were accumulated that, some 20 years later, initiated a fundamental turnover in how surfaces were recognized not only in biology, but even more evident in materials science.

MRS Bulletin ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 659-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Hafner ◽  
Christopher Wolverton ◽  
Gerbrand Ceder

The development of modern materials science has led to a growing need to understand the phenomena determining the properties of materials and processes on an atomistic level. The interactions between atoms and electrons are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics; hence, accurate and efficient techniques for solving the basic quantum-mechanical equations for complex many-atom, many-electron systems must be developed. Density functional theory (DFT) marks a decisive breakthrough in these efforts, and in the past decade DFT has had a rapidly growing impact not only on fundamental but also industrial research. This article discusses the fundamental principles of DFT and the highly efficient computational tools that have been developed for its application to complex problems in materials science. Also highlighted are state-of-the-art applications in many areas of materials research, such as structural materials, catalysis and surface science, nanomaterials, and biomaterials and geophysics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-9
Author(s):  
Aleksandr A. Protasov

Based on analysis of F.D. Mordukhai-Boltovskoy’s publications, this paper examines the history of studies of the impact of thermal and nuclear power plants, which were originally performed under the classical “Haeckelian” ecological paradigm: the external effect of technogenic factors on aquatic ecosystems and biota. The decline in interest in the problem was not associated with a decrease in the technogenic impact or changes in the energy industry. However, the paradigm itself is changing in association with the emergence of the concept of a technoecosystem. The cooling ponds of thermal power plants (TPPs) and nuclear power plants (NPPs) can be used as models of climate change, particularly climate warming. The materials obtained in studies of the effects of technogenic temperature rise are still underused by hydrobiologists studying climate change and its potential consequences.


Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meshan Lehmann ◽  
Matthew R. Hilimire ◽  
Lawrence H. Yang ◽  
Bruce G. Link ◽  
Jordan E. DeVylder

Abstract. Background: Self-esteem is a major contributor to risk for repeated suicide attempts. Prior research has shown that awareness of stigma is associated with reduced self-esteem among people with mental illness. No prior studies have examined the association between self-esteem and stereotype awareness among individuals with past suicide attempts. Aims: To understand the relationship between stereotype awareness and self-esteem among young adults who have and have not attempted suicide. Method: Computerized surveys were administered to college students (N = 637). Linear regression analyses were used to test associations between self-esteem and stereotype awareness, attempt history, and their interaction. Results: There was a significant stereotype awareness by attempt interaction (β = –.74, p = .006) in the regression analysis. The interaction was explained by a stronger negative association between stereotype awareness and self-esteem among individuals with past suicide attempts (β = –.50, p = .013) compared with those without attempts (β = –.09, p = .037). Conclusion: Stigma is associated with lower self-esteem within this high-functioning sample of young adults with histories of suicide attempts. Alleviating the impact of stigma at the individual (clinical) or community (public health) levels may improve self-esteem among this high-risk population, which could potentially influence subsequent suicide risk.


Author(s):  
C. Claire Thomson

This chapter traces the early history of state-sponsored informational filmmaking in Denmark, emphasising its organisation as a ‘cooperative’ of organisations and government agencies. After an account of the establishment and early development of the agency Dansk Kulturfilm in the 1930s, the chapter considers two of its earliest productions, both process films documenting the manufacture of bricks and meat products. The broader context of documentary in Denmark is fleshed out with an account of the production and reception of Poul Henningsen’s seminal film Danmark (1935), and the international context is accounted for with an overview of the development of state-supported filmmaking in the UK, Italy and Germany. Developments in the funding and output of Dansk Kulturfilm up to World War II are outlined, followed by an account of the impact of the German Occupation of Denmark on domestic informational film. The establishment of the Danish Government Film Committee or Ministeriernes Filmudvalg kick-started aprofessionalisation of state-sponsored filmmaking, and two wartime public information films are briefly analysed as examples of its early output. The chapter concludes with an account of the relations between the Danish Resistance and an emerging generation of documentarists.


Author(s):  
Arezou Azad

Covering the period from 709 to 871, this chapter traces the initial conversion of Afghanistan from Zoroastrianism and Buddhism to Islam. Highlighting the differential developments in four regions of Afghanistan, it discusses the very earliest history of Afghan Islam both as a religion and as a political system in the form of a caliphate.  The chapter draws on under-utilized sources, such as fourth to eighth century Bactrian documents from Tukharistan and medieval Arabic and Persian histories of Balkh, Herat and Sistan. In so doing, it offers a paradigm shift in the way early Islam is understood by arguing that it did not arrive in Afghanistan as a finished product, but instead grew out of Afghanistan’s multi-religious context. Through fusions with Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, early Abrahamic traditions, and local cult practices, the Islam that resulted was less an Arab Islam that was imported wholesale than a patchwork of various cultural practices.


Author(s):  
Bryan D. Palmer

This article is part of a special Left History series reflecting upon changing currents and boundaries in the practice of left history, and outlining the challenges historians of the left must face in the current tumultuous political climate. This series extends a conversation first convened in a 2006 special edition of Left History (11.1), which asked the question, “what is left history?” In the updated series, contributors were asked a slightly modified question, “what does it mean to write ‘left’ history?” The article charts the impact of major political developments on the field of left history in the last decade, contending that a rising neoliberal and right-wing climate has constructed an environment inhospitable to the discipline’s survival. To remain relevant, Palmer calls for historians of the left to develop a more “open-ended and inclusive” understanding of the left and to push the boundaries of inclusion for a meaningful historical study of the left. To illustrate, Palmer provides a brief materialist history of liquorice to demonstrate the mutability of left history as a historical approach, rather than a set of traditional political concerns.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-24
Author(s):  
Durdona Karimova ◽  

This article discusses the theoretical and practical foundations of the concept of sociolinguistics and the importance of this field in the study of the impact of society on language. It also describes the views of linguists in this regard, the history of the origin and development of the filed, its connection with other disciplines, and explains in detail the sociolinguistic issues with practical examples.In addition, the terms as macro-sociolinguistics and micro-sociolinguistics and sociolinguistic competence are explained.


Author(s):  
Zulpadli Zulpadli

This paper briefly and through theoretical studies will discuss simply the problems formulated, the impact of globalization on Character education in Indonesia, as well as the paradigm of PKN learning and Character education challenges for the younger generation. It is on the ground by the declining awareness and moral values, as well as to increase the values of the characters seen in the young generations. Civic education in Indonesia has been running throughout the history of Indonesian independence, and has gone through various stages and arms, it certainly demands greater hard work of teachers to be able to increase the values of Pancasila and love of the homeland, and practice the character values which is based on the noble values of Indonesian culture into Indonesian youth.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daryl Brian O'Connor

Suicide is a global health issue accounting for at least 800,000 deaths per annum. Numerous models have been proposed that differ in their emphasis on the role of psychological, social, psychiatric and neurobiological factors in explaining suicide risk. Central to many models is a stress-diathesis component which states that suicidal behavior is the result of an interaction between acutely stressful events and a susceptibility to suicidal behavior (a diathesis). This article presents an overview of studies that demonstrate that stress and dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, as measured by cortisol levels, are important additional risk factors for suicide. Evidence for other putative stress-related suicide risk factors including childhood trauma, impaired executive function, impulsivity and disrupted sleep are considered together with the impact of family history of suicide, perinatal and epigenetic influences on suicide risk.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lungwani Muungo

The effectiveness of any biomedical prevention technology relies on both biological efficacy and behavioraladherence. Microbicide trials have been hampered by low adherence, limiting the ability to draw meaningfulconclusions about product effectiveness. Central to this problem may be an inadequate conceptualization of howproduct properties themselves impact user experience and adherence. Our goal is to expand the current microbicidedevelopment framework to include product ‘‘perceptibility,’’ the objective measurement of user sensoryperceptions (i.e., sensations) and experiences of formulation performance during use. For vaginal gels, a setof biophysical properties, including rheological properties and measures of spreading and retention, may criticallyimpact user experiences. Project LINK sought to characterize the user experience in this regard, and tovalidate measures of user sensory perceptions and experiences (USPEs) using four prototype topical vaginal gelformulations designed for pericoital use. Perceptibility scales captured a range of USPEs during the productapplication process (five scales), ambulation after product insertion (six scales), and during sexual activity (eightscales). Comparative statistical analyses provided empirical support for hypothesized relationships between gelproperties, spreading performance, and the user experience. Project LINK provides preliminary evidence for theutility of evaluating USPEs, introducing a paradigm shift in the field of microbicide formulation design. Wepropose that these user sensory perceptions and experiences initiate cognitive processes in users resulting inproduct choice and willingness-to-use. By understanding the impact of USPEs on that process, formulationdevelopment can optimize both drug delivery and adherence.


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