Lichtgedanken 04

S C HW E R P U N K T 60 No fear on the dentist’s chair During a meta study, researchers from the University Hos- pital Jena investigated the efficacy of various non-medical interventions against stress and anxiety related to dental treatments. They came to the conclusion that detailed information, music, relaxation, and distraction all work against light to medium dental-related anxiety. Hypnosis proved to be the most effective treatment (DOI:10.1016/j. jdent.2017.11.005.). »We were surprised by the fact that almost all of the interventions had been effective in re- ducing the psychological stress«, explains psychologist PD Dr Jenny Rosendahl, who led the study. The authors want to use their findings to encourage dentists to utilize non-medical measures in addition to standard treatments for tense and anxious patients.   vdG A safer gallop Kinesiologists have found an answer to the question why humans break into a gallop, i.e. gain momentum with one leg and pull the other along behind, for example when moving quickly downstairs (DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172114). »Galloping provides a greater stability and requires less control«, explains Dr Roy Müller. This is because the leg that touches the ground first is the only one that make ad- justments to guarantee stability. This single-sided move- ment does not have a negative effect on stability—quite the opposite: »We applied our observations to a model and discovered that the selected adjustments make the entire system more robust.« There is, however, one disadvantage to this way of mov- ing: the gallop is too strenuous for adults over long peri- ods, as it requires more energy and puts more strain on the knees.  sh Fossa Carolina was never finished The study by researchers from Leipzig, Hildesheim, Jena, Kiel, Berlin, and Munich proves that the canal Fossa Caro­ lina (»Karlsgraben«) in Middle Franconia (top photo: oak posts on the embankment) was never finished (DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2017.12.021). Over 1,000 years ago, Frank- ish King Charlemagne wanted to build a canal linking the Rhine to the Danube. The construction began in 792/793 AD, but the ambitious project became a victim of tech- nical problems. The researchers conducted investigations on a stretch of at least 700 metres between the remains of the canal in the town of Graben and the river of Altmühl. There they found no signs of a navigable canal. Thus, they concluded that the construction remained unfinished. Inspite of this discovery, the researchers believe that the Fossa Carolina represents an enormous engineering feat from the Early Middle Ages.  PR Illuminated nanocomponents Physicists have developed a method for measuring active nanoscale components, for example those built into chips, diodes or transistors in mobile phones, and computers (DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aao4044). They can use it to retrieve information about the compos- ition of the elements, their oxidation state, and about in- ternal electric fields—all this while the component is act- ive. The test method is based on the interaction between a very fine X-ray and the material itself, as Prof. Dr Carsten Ronning explains (on the photo on the right, next to Dr Andreas Johannes, who carried out the experiment). The X-ray induces an electric current into the material. At the same time, the energized material emits a characteristic ra- diation spectrum, which is then analysed.  sh