With respect to mental health disorders, there are cultural and migration-related differences in the personal experience and the way of dealing with them. However, the association between migration experiences and the development and the continuation of mental health disorders respectively, remain unclear. Epidemiological studies on mental health disorders of migrants rarely exist, even though such information is decisive for the appropriate medical care of this target group. We therefore conducted a cross-sectional survey regarding mental health of immigrants in Germany attending in non-health specific counseling agencies of welfare associations. Besides somatization symptoms (Beschwerdeliste (BL)) and symptoms of mental disorders (depression: patients’ health questionnaire (PHQ-D); anxiety: GAD-7; hazardous alcohol consumption: AUDIT), data on the social and occupational situation, as well as on the migration background was acquired. Data of n= 506 immigrants (55.5% female) were analyzed (age: 54.7 ± 12.4). The immigrants stems from the states of the former Soviet Union (n= 196), Turkey (n= 77), Italy (n= 95) and Spain (n= 67). Overall, 27.1% show evidence for a somatization disorder, 15.8% for a depressive disorder and 23.1% for increased anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 5). 16.0% of the respondents show evidence of hazardous alcohol consumption. The study provides empirically profound information about the mental health of immigrants, who attend non-health specific counseling agencies. The analysis, subject to the migration status and socio-demographic factors, allows the development of measures of the enhancement of health care for this group regarding mental health.

To detect eating disorders and risky eating behaviour in early stages, screening tests are used. In order to examine as many adolescents as possible, these tests should be economic, i. e. as short as possible but at the same time they should fulfil the psychometric quality criteria. We compared the German version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26D) and the German version of the SCOFF test (which contains only five Yes-no questions) in a sample of 425 twelve year old girls and 382 boys from Thuringia, Germany. Although the EAT-26D reached higher psychometric properties, the SCOFF has been proved as a useful screening tool with a test-retest reliability of rtt = .73 and a maximum accuracy of 82% (area under the ROC curve). In reference to the EAT-26D (20 point cut-off) the sensitivity of the SCOFF was 78%, specificity 75%, positive predictive value 28%, and the negative predictive value, which is more relevant for screenings, was 96%. The construct validity reached r = .52.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.

In 2005 we obtained very precise interferometric measurements of the pole-on rapid rotator Vega (A0 V) with the longest baselines of the Center for High Angular Angular Resolution (CHARA) Array and the Fiber Linked Unit for Optical Recombination (FLUOR). For the analysis of these data, we developed a code for mapping sophisticated PHOENIX model atmospheres on to the surface of rotationally distorted stars described by a Roche-von Zeipel formalism. Given a set of input parameters for a star or binary pair, this code predicts the interferometric visibility, spectral energy distribution and high-resolution line spectrum expected for the system. For the gravity-darkened Vega, our model provides a very good match to the K-band interferometric data, a good match to the spectral energy distribution – except below 160 nm – and a rather poor match to weak lines in the high dispersion spectrum where the model appears overly gravity darkened. In 2006, we used the CHARA Array and FLUOR to obtain high precision measurements of the massive, non-eclipsing, double-line spectroscopic binary Spica, a 4-day period system where both components are gravity darkened rapid rotators. These data supplement recent data obtained with the Sydney University Stellar Interferometer (SUSI). Our study follows the classic 1971 study by Herbison-Evans et al. who resolved Spica as a binary with the Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer (NSII). We will report on our progress modeling the new interferometric and archival spectroscopic data, with the goal towards better constraining the apsidal constant.

The substitution sites of Pb and Dy dopants in the cuprate-type high temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2Ca1Cu2O $_{8+\delta}$ are determined by a direct comparison of the angle-scanned X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) patterns. We demonstrate the power of XPD as a fingerprinting tool and conclude that Pb occupies Bi sites and Dy the Ca sites. The presence of the incommensurate lattice modulation is not visible in XPD, probably due to a Pb-induced, reduced modulation amplitude.

Microstructure studies of ultra-thin BaTiO3 thin films (2-10 nm thick) show nano-domains having a width as small as one unit cell. Only 180° nano-domains are formed in multi-domains structures. The domain-boundaries are formed at {001} twin boundaries. Most of the domains are oriented in parallel to the film plane but out-of-plane orientations are also observed. The films exhibit ferroelectric behavior characterized by a polarization hysteresis loop and a relatively fast switching time. A remnant polarization of about 0.5 μC/cm2 and coercive field of 2.7 V/cm were measured in parallel to the film plane. Temperature-dependent measurements show two peaks of the dielectric constant at about 60°C and 115°C. These peaks are attributed to two transition temperatures associated with the orientation of the nano-domains relative to the film plane and stress.

Co/Pt thin film multilayers with strong perpendicular anisotropy and out-of-plane coercivities of 5-11 kOe were magnetically altered in areas of local ion beam interaction. The ion irradiations were performed by ion projection through silicon stencil masks fabricated by silicon on insulator (SOI) membrane technology. The ion projector at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology (ISiT) was operated at 73 keV ion energy and with a 8.7- fold demagnification. After exposure to 3 × 1014Ar+/ cm2 magnetic islands smaller than 100 nm in diameter were resolved in the Co/Pt multilayersby means of magnetic force microscopy. The impact of different ion species (He+, Ar+ and Xe+) and ion energies (10 – 200 keV) on the multilayer structure was evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations. The ballistic interface intermixing was used to predict magnetic coercivity changes for various irradiation conditions. The simulations revealed that with 73 keV Ar+ and Xe+ ions the irradiation dose could be reduced by a factor of 100 and 400 respectively in comparison to 73 keV He+which was verified in the experiments. X-ray reflectivity measurements confirmed that the Co/Pt superlattice structure is slightly weakened during the irradiation and that the surface smoothness of the media is preserved. Using the Ion Projection Process Development Tool (PDT) at IMS-Vienna concentric data tracks including head positioning servo informations were patterned onto a 1” IBM microdrive™ glass disk which was coated with Co/Pt multilayers. In a single exposure step several tracks within an exposure field of 17 mm in diameter were structured by 2 × 1015He+/ cm2 at 45 keV using a 4- fold demagnification set-up.