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Recently the production of electric cars is increasing worldwide. The main target is to lower the greenhouse gas emissions. Even if an electrified vehicle is locally emission-free the manufacturing of lithium ion batteries are producing significant amounts of CO2. In order to decrease the air pollution governments are considering recycling programs to extend battery life and usage of important raw materials. A new approach to recover LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC) particles while saving the chemical and morphological properties using water was presented by Tim Sieber et al. [1]. With the presented study, we are focusing on the analysis of the effects on the Global Warming Potential (GWP) for the water based recycling process based on a reuse of NMC material in new batteries.
It is possible to reduce the ecological damage of the manufacturing process of Li-Ion battery cells even with little amounts of recovered cathode material that is used for the production of new battery cells. Based on the suggestion that 95% of the NMC cathode material can be recovered by the hydrometallurgical recovery and the reuse of 10% within the production of new batteries a reduction of the GWP by 7% ,can be identified for the cathode materials. For other impact categories such as Acidification Potential (AP), Eutrophication Potential (EP), and Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential (POCP), savings of 10%, 11%, and 8 % can be achieved respectively.
The studied water based recycling process can be quoted as environment-friendly and leads to a reduction of all impact categories by a re-use of 10% recovered NMC material. Based on this knowledge an additional recycling on substance level is recommended.
Fragestellung Klinikaufenthalte werden einerseits mit Gewichtsverlusten und andererseits mit der Entwicklung einer Mangelernährung assoziiert. Häufig bleibt dabei unklar, was bei diesen Gewichtsverlusten genau verloren geht: Körperwasser, Fett- und/oder Muskelgewebe.
Methodik Im vom BMBF geförderten Forschungsprojekt Prävention und Behandlung von Mangelernährung bei geriatrischen Patienten im Krankenhaus wurde anhand einer Gelegenheitsstichprobe untersucht, wie sich die Körperzusammensetzung durch den Klinikaufenthalt verändert. Hierfür wurden bei PatientInnen ≥65 Jahre in den ersten 24 h nach Aufnahme und möglichst kurz vor Entlassung Gewicht, BMI und die Körperzusammensetzung per Bioimpedanzanalyse bestimmt.
Ergebnis Initial konnten 102 PatientInnen bei Aufnahme gemessen werden, 57,8 % (n = 59) sind weiblich. Der mittlere Körperfettanteil liegt bei 29,1 % (SD±10,73), der Muskelanteil bei 28,7 % (SD±5,67) und Gesamtkörperwasser 53,3 % (SD±8,17), der FFMI liegt bei 17,75 kg/m2 (SD±3,05). Gemäß MNA-SF weisen bei Aufnahme 69,6 % (n = 71) ein Mangelernährungsrisiko und 21,6 % (n = 22) eine manifeste Mangelernährung auf, nach ESPEN Kriterien sind 21,6 % (n = 22) mangelernährt. Für 63 PatientInnen (61,8 %) liegt eine Zweiterhebung vor. Zwischen Erst und Zweitmessung liegen 6,51 Tage (SD ±4,75) mit einem mittleren Gewichtsrückgang von - 0,23 kg. Während die Fettmasse tendenziell zunimmt (+0,14 kg), zeigt sich, dass vor allem Muskelmasse (- 1,17 kg) verloren geht, Wasser hingegen nur sehr geringfügig (- 0,12 l). Der Fettfreie Masse Index reduziert sich hierbei um - 0,19 kg/m2. Im Vergleich der Gruppen „Gewichtsverlust“ vs. „kein Gewichtsverlust“ mittels t-Test zeigen sich keine signifikanten Unterschiede bei den initialen Messungen zur Aufnahme. Jedoch sind die PatientInnen mit Gewichtsverlust signifikant älter (80,86 vs. 76,6 Jahre; p 0,034), das Gesamtkörperwasser (- 1,19 l vs. +0,73 l; p 0,011), die fettfreie Masse (- 2,0 kg vs. +0,94 kg; p 0,003) und der Fettfreie Masse Index sinken (- 0,8 kg/m2 vs. +0,3 kg/m2; p 0,003). Die Muskelmasse (- 1,49 kg vs. - 0,91 kg, p 0,056) und Fettmasse (- 0,49 kg vs. +0,64 kg; p 0,203) nehmen stärker ab, allerdings nicht signifikant.
Schlussfolgerung Die These, innerklinische Gewichtsverluste gingen primär auf ausgeschwemmtes Körperwasser zurück, lässt sich nicht halten. Tatsächlich geht deutlich mehr Muskelmasse verloren, wobei selbst PatientInnen ohne Gewichtsverlust im Mittel Muskelmasse verlieren.
Partner oder Konkurrenten? Die Automotive-Branche auf der Suche nach neuen Kooperationsstrategien
(2020)
Die globale Automobilindustrie befindet sich im Umbruch. Elektromobilität, autonomes Fahren, veränderte Kundenbedürfnisse, intelligente Softwaresysteme und hohe Umweltauflagen stellen den Status-quo in Frage. Dazu nimmt die Wertschöpfungstiefe der Automobilhersteller stetig ab. Dies wirkt sich auch direkt auf die Systemlieferanten aus – eine zunehmend wichtige Quelle für Produkt- und Prozessinnovationen.
Die coronabedingte Lage in Krankenhäusern und Altenheimen hatte sich zwischenzeitlich entspannt, jetzt steht das Gesundheitswesen in erhöhter Bereitschaft. Und trotz vielfach beschworener „Systemrelevanz“ führen Stress und Personalmangel im Pflegebereich unvermindert Regie. Wie können die Beschäftigten die psychischen Herausforderungen des Pflegealltags bewältigen, welche Strategien unterstützen ihre Gesundheit? Die Trendinfo-Redaktion sprach mit Prof. Dr. Andrea Chmitorz von der Hochschule Esslingen über Resilienz.
Menschen wachsen lassen!
(2020)
The large gap in political participation between well-educated and wealthy citizens on the one hand and less educated and poorer citizens, on the other hand, has in recent years gained new attention. Several authors argue that unequal participation leads to unequal political representation and responsiveness and results in policy decisions that are tilted against the interests of disadvantaged groups, thus further increasing inequality. This paper takes a different starting point by turning the old question why people do not participate in politics around and asking why people participate. We hypothesize that enduring engagement with politics requires individuals to be resilient in the face of frustration and to possess strong, perhaps even delusional, efficacy beliefs. Using data from the German GESIS Panel we demonstrate positive correlations between individual resilience, internal and external efficacy, and political participation. We conclude by pointing to the possibility that resilience and efficacy beliefs help privileged groups to overcome collective action problems to achieve disproportionate influence on political decisions and point to avenues for further research.
Deep learning approaches can uncover complex patterns in data. In particular, variational autoencoders (VAEs) achieve this by a non-linear mapping of data into a low-dimensional latent space. Motivated by an application to psychological resilience in the Mainz Resilience Project (MARP), which features intermittent longitudinal measurements of stressors and mental health, we propose an approach for individualized, dynamic modeling in this latent space. Specifically, we utilize ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and develop a novel technique for obtaining person-specific ODE parameters even in settings with a rather small number of individuals and observations, incomplete data, and a differing number of observations per individual. This technique allows us to subsequently investigate individual reactions to stimuli, such as the mental health impact of stressors. A potentially large number of baseline characteristics can then be linked to this individual response by regularized regression, e.g., for identifying resilience factors. Thus, our new method provides a way of connecting different kinds of complex longitudinal and baseline measures via individualized, dynamic models. The promising results obtained in the exemplary resilience application indicate that our proposal for dynamic deep learning might also be more generally useful for other application domains.
Resilience has been defined as the maintenance or quick recovery of mental health during and after times of adversity. Such good longer-term mental health outcomes despite adversity presumably result from complex and dynamic processes of adaptation to stressor exposure (‘resilience processes’), which in many cases include changes in individual properties. Measuring resilience and identifying resilience processes in observational studies requires longitudinal designs involving repeated and frequent monitoring of mental health, stressor exposure, and potential adaptations. We here present a generic design solution that is currently employed in two cohort studies, the Mainz Resilience Project (MARP) and the Longitudinal Resilience Assessment (LORA). Both projects focus on resilience to everyday life stressors (i.e., microstressors), but we argue that the design scheme is also suitable for studying resilience to macrostressors, or trauma, and can solve some of the pertinent problems of trauma resilience research. We quantify resilience by indexing the reactivity of individuals’ mental health to stressors during a time interval of several months in a ‘stressor reactivity’ (SR) score, derived using a previously introduced residualization approach. SR scores are regularly re-calculated in sliding time windows, to thus build SR time courses that reflect intra-individual temporal variability in resilience. By linking these time courses to repeated measures of (temporally varying) individual properties, resilience processes can be identified. We finish by a discussion of limitations of our approach and potential future developments.
Resilience is the maintenance and/or quick recovery of mental health during and after periods of adversity. It is conceptualized to result from a dynamic process of successful adaptation to stressors. Up to now, a large number of resilience factors have been proposed, but the mechanisms underlying resilience are not yet understood. To shed light on the complex and time-varying processes of resilience that lead to a positive long-term outcome in the face of adversity, the Longitudinal Resilience Assessment (LORA) study has been established. In this study, 1191 healthy participants are followed up at 3- and 18-month intervals over a course of 4.5 years at two study centers in Germany. Baseline and 18-month visits entail multimodal phenotyping, including the assessment of mental health status, sociodemographic and lifestyle variables, resilience factors, life history, neuropsychological assessments (of proposed resilience mechanisms), and biomaterials (blood for genetic and epigenetic, stool for microbiome, and hair for cortisol analysis). At 3-monthly online assessments, subjects are monitored for subsequent exposure to stressors as well as mental health measures, which allows for a quantitative assessment of stressor-dependent changes in mental health as the main outcome. Descriptive analyses of mental health, number of stressors including major life events, daily hassles, perceived stress, and the ability to recover from stress are here presented for the baseline sample. The LORA study is unique in its design and will pave the way for a better understanding of resilience mechanisms in humans and for further development of interventions to successfully prevent stress-related disorder.
The occurrence of daily hassles is associated with increased subsequent levels of negative affect. Neuroticism has been found to exacerbate this effect. So far, most research used single‐item measures for the assessment of daily hassles or relied on daily diary studies. This study aimed to examine the interrelations of daily hassles, negative affect reactivity, and neuroticism in daily life employing an extensive inventory of daily hassles. Seventy participants (18–30 years; M = 23.9 years, 59% female) completed a 4‐week smartphone‐based ecological momentary assessment study reporting the occurrence and perceived strain of daily hassles as well as negative affect at five semi‐random signals between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Multilevel analyses revealed significant associations between elevated levels of negative affect and higher cumulative daily hassle strain ratings per signal in concurrent and time‐lagged analyses. Contrary to our expectations, there was no moderation by neuroticism on these associations. The results suggest that daily hassles can accumulate in their impact on mood in daily life and exert a prolonged effect on negative affect. The absence of a significant moderation by neuroticism may be interpreted in the light of methodological specifics of this study.
Background: Few data are available on the characteristics of inpatient treatment and subsequent outpatient treatment for depression in Germany. In this study, we aimed to characterize the inpatient and outpatient treatment phases, to determine the rates of readmission and mortality, and to identify risk factors.
Methods: We carried out a descriptive statistical analysis of routine administrative data from a large health-insurance carrier (BARMER). All insurees aged 18 to 65 who were treated in 2015 as inpatients on a psychiatry and psychotherapy service or on a psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy service with a main diagnosis of depression were included in the analysis. Risk factors for readmission and death were determined with the aid of mixed logistic regression.
Results: Of the 22 893 patients whose data were analyzed, 78% had been hospitalized on a psychiatry and psychotherapy service and 22% on a psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy service. The median length of hospital stay was 42 days. Follow-up care in the outpatient setting failed to conform with the recommendations of the pertinent guidelines in 92% of the patients with a main diagnosis of severe depression during hospitalization, and in 50% of those with moderate depression. 21% of the patients were readmitted within a year. The mortality at one year was 961 per 100 000 individuals (adjusted for the age and sex structure of the German population), or 3.4 times the mortality of the population at large. In the regression model, more treatment units during hospitalization and subsequent treatment with psychotherapy were associated with a lower probability of readmission, while longer hospitalization with subsequent pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy was associated with lower mortality.
Conclusion: The recommendations of the national (German) S3 guidelines for the further care of patients who have been hospitalized for depression are inadequately implemented at present in the sectored structures of in- and outpatient care in the German health care system. This patient group has marked excess mortality.
Resilienz bezeichnet die Aufrechterhaltung bzw. rasche Wiederherstellung der psychischen Gesundheit während oder nach stressvollen Lebensumständen. Aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse legen nahe, dass Resilienz dynamisch ist und trainiert werden kann. Obwohl Interventionen zur Stärkung der Resilienz häufig zur Gesundheitsförderung bei verschiedenen Zielgruppen eingesetzt werden, ist deren Effektivität jedoch kaum systematisch untersucht. Diese Übersichtsarbeit beurteilt narrativ die Ergebnisse 4 systematischer Reviews und Metaanalysen zu Resilienzinterventionen bei Erwachsenen und fasst die Evidenz aus den randomisiert-kontrollierten Primärstudien (N=44) zusammen. Insgesamt erzielten die Resilienzinterventionen kleine bis moderate Effekte bzgl. der Steigerung von Resilienz und der Verbesserung der psychischen Gesundheit. Trotz methodischer Schwächen scheinen Resilienzinterventionen wirksam zu sein und könnten somit eine gute Ergänzung zu aktuellen Präventionsmaßnahmen darstellen.
Background: Many existing scales for microstressor assessment do not differentiate between objective (ie, observable) stressor events and stressful cognitions or concerns. They often mix items assessing objective stressor events with items measuring other aspects of stress, such as perceived stressor severity, the evoked stress reaction, or further consequences on health, which may result in spurious associations in studies that include other questionnaires that measure such constructs. Most scales were developed several decades ago; therefore, modern life stressors may not be represented. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) allows for sampling of current behaviors and experiences in real time and in the natural habitat, thereby maximizing the generalization of the findings to real-life situations (ie, ecological validity) and minimizing recall bias. However, it has not been used for the validation of microstressor questionnaires so far.
Objective: The aim is to develop a questionnaire that (1) allows for retrospective assessment of microstressors over one week, (2) focuses on objective (ie, observable) microstressors, (3) includes stressors of modern life, and (4) separates stressor occurrence from perceived stressor severity.
Methods: Cross-sectional (N=108) and longitudinal studies (N=10 and N=70) were conducted to evaluate the Mainz Inventory of Microstressors (MIMIS). In the longitudinal studies, EMA was used to compare stressor data, which was collected five times per day for 7 or 30 days with retrospective reports (end-of-day, end-of-week). Pearson correlations and multilevel modeling were used in the analyses.
Results: High correlations were found between end-of-week, end-of-day, and EMA data for microstressor occurrence (counts) (r≥.69 for comparisons per week, r≥.83 for cumulated data) and for mean perceived microstressor severity (r≥.74 for comparisons per week, r≥.85 for cumulated data). The end-of-week questionnaire predicted the EMA assessments sufficiently (counts: beta=.03, 95% CI .02-.03, P<.001; severity: beta=.73, 95% CI .59-.88, P<.001) and the association did not change significantly over four subsequent weeks.
Conclusions: Our results provide evidence for the ecological validity of the MIMIS questionnaire.
Keywords: daily hassles; ecological momentary assessment; microstressor; validation.
Background
Resilience can be defined as maintaining or regaining mental health during or after significant adversities such as a potentially traumatising event, challenging life circumstances, a critical life transition or physical illness. Healthcare students, such as medical, nursing, psychology and social work students, are exposed to various study‐ and work‐related stressors, the latter particularly during later phases of health professional education. They are at increased risk of developing symptoms of burnout or mental disorders. This population may benefit from resilience‐promoting training programmes.
Objectives:
To assess the effects of interventions to foster resilience in healthcare students, that is, students in training for health professions delivering direct medical care (e.g. medical, nursing, midwifery or paramedic students), and those in training for allied health professions, as distinct from medical care (e.g. psychology, physical therapy or social work students).
Search methods:
We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, 11 other databases and three trial registries from 1990 to June 2019. We checked reference lists and contacted researchers in the field. We updated this search in four key databases in June 2020, but we have not yet incorporated these results.
Selection criteria:
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing any form of psychological intervention to foster resilience, hardiness or post‐traumatic growth versus no intervention, waiting list, usual care, and active or attention control, in adults (18 years and older), who are healthcare students. Primary outcomes were resilience, anxiety, depression, stress or stress perception, and well‐being or quality of life. Secondary outcomes were resilience factors.
Data collection and analysis:
Two review authors independently selected studies, extracted data, assessed risks of bias, and rated the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach (at post‐test only).
Main results:
We included 30 RCTs, of which 24 were set in high‐income countries and six in (upper‐ to lower‐) middle‐income countries. Twenty‐two studies focused solely on healthcare students (1315 participants; number randomised not specified for two studies), including both students in health professions delivering direct medical care and those in allied health professions, such as psychology and physical therapy. Half of the studies were conducted in a university or school setting, including nursing/midwifery students or medical students. Eight studies investigated mixed samples (1365 participants), with healthcare students and participants outside of a health professional study field.
Participants mainly included women (63.3% to 67.3% in mixed samples) from young adulthood (mean age range, if reported: 19.5 to 26.83 years; 19.35 to 38.14 years in mixed samples). Seventeen of the studies investigated group interventions of high training intensity (11 studies; > 12 hours/sessions), that were delivered face‐to‐face (17 studies). Of the included studies, eight compared a resilience training based on mindfulness versus unspecific comparators (e.g. wait‐list).
The studies were funded by different sources (e.g. universities, foundations), or a combination of various sources (four studies). Seven studies did not specify a potential funder, and three studies received no funding support.
Risk of bias was high or unclear, with main flaws in performance, detection, attrition and reporting bias domains.
At post‐intervention, very‐low certainty evidence indicated that, compared to controls, healthcare students receiving resilience training may report higher levels of resilience (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07 to 0.78; 9 studies, 561 participants), lower levels of anxiety (SMD −0.45, 95% CI −0.84 to −0.06; 7 studies, 362 participants), and lower levels of stress or stress perception (SMD −0.28, 95% CI −0.48 to −0.09; 7 studies, 420 participants). Effect sizes varied between small and moderate. There was little or no evidence of any effect of resilience training on depression (SMD −0.20, 95% CI −0.52 to 0.11; 6 studies, 332 participants; very‐low certainty evidence) or well‐being or quality of life (SMD 0.15, 95% CI −0.14 to 0.43; 4 studies, 251 participants; very‐low certainty evidence).
Adverse effects were measured in four studies, but data were only reported for three of them. None of the three studies reported any adverse events occurring during the study (very‐low certainty of evidence).
Authors' conclusions:
For healthcare students, there is very‐low certainty evidence for the effect of resilience training on resilience, anxiety, and stress or stress perception at post‐intervention.
The heterogeneous interventions, the paucity of short‐, medium‐ or long‐term data, and the geographical distribution restricted to high‐income countries limit the generalisability of results. Conclusions should therefore be drawn cautiously. Since the findings suggest positive effects of resilience training for healthcare students with very‐low certainty evidence, high‐quality replications and improved study designs (e.g. a consensus on the definition of resilience, the assessment of individual stressor exposure, more attention controls, and longer follow‐up periods) are clearly needed.
Background
Resilience can be defined as the maintenance or quick recovery of mental health during or after periods of stressor exposure, which may result from a potentially traumatising event, challenging life circumstances, a critical life transition phase, or physical illness. Healthcare professionals, such as nurses, physicians, psychologists and social workers, are exposed to various work‐related stressors (e.g. patient care, time pressure, administration) and are at increased risk of developing mental disorders. This population may benefit from resilience‐promoting training programmes.
Objectives:
To assess the effects of interventions to foster resilience in healthcare professionals, that is, healthcare staff delivering direct medical care (e.g. nurses, physicians, hospital personnel) and allied healthcare staff (e.g. social workers, psychologists).
Search methods:
We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, 11 other databases and three trial registries from 1990 to June 2019. We checked reference lists and contacted researchers in the field. We updated this search in four key databases in June 2020, but we have not yet incorporated these results.
Selection criteria:
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in adults aged 18 years and older who are employed as healthcare professionals, comparing any form of psychological intervention to foster resilience, hardiness or post‐traumatic growth versus no intervention, wait‐list, usual care, active or attention control. Primary outcomes were resilience, anxiety, depression, stress or stress perception and well‐being or quality of life. Secondary outcomes were resilience factors.
Data collection and analysis:
Two review authors independently selected studies, extracted data, assessed risks of bias, and rated the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach (at post‐test only).
Main results:
We included 44 RCTs (high‐income countries: 36). Thirty‐nine studies solely focused on healthcare professionals (6892 participants), including both healthcare staff delivering direct medical care and allied healthcare staff. Four studies investigated mixed samples (1000 participants) with healthcare professionals and participants working outside of the healthcare sector, and one study evaluated training for emergency personnel in general population volunteers (82 participants). The included studies were mainly conducted in a hospital setting and included physicians, nurses and different hospital personnel (37/44 studies).
Participants mainly included women (68%) from young to middle adulthood (mean age range: 27 to 52.4 years). Most studies investigated group interventions (30 studies) of high training intensity (18 studies; > 12 hours/sessions), that were delivered face‐to‐face (29 studies). Of the included studies, 19 compared a resilience training based on combined theoretical foundation (e.g. mindfulness and cognitive‐behavioural therapy) versus unspecific comparators (e.g. wait‐list). The studies were funded by different sources (e.g. hospitals, universities), or a combination of different sources. Fifteen studies did not specify the source of their funding, and one study received no funding support.
Risk of bias was high or unclear for most studies in performance, detection, and attrition bias domains.
At post‐intervention, very‐low certainty evidence indicated that, compared to controls, healthcare professionals receiving resilience training may report higher levels of resilience (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.25 to 0.65; 12 studies, 690 participants), lower levels of depression (SMD −0.29, 95% CI −0.50 to −0.09; 14 studies, 788 participants), and lower levels of stress or stress perception (SMD −0.61, 95% CI −1.07 to −0.15; 17 studies, 997 participants). There was little or no evidence of any effect of resilience training on anxiety (SMD −0.06, 95% CI −0.35 to 0.23; 5 studies, 231 participants; very‐low certainty evidence) or well‐being or quality of life (SMD 0.14, 95% CI −0.01 to 0.30; 13 studies, 1494 participants; very‐low certainty evidence). Effect sizes were small except for resilience and stress reduction (moderate). Data on adverse effects were available for three studies, with none reporting any adverse effects occurring during the study (very‐low certainty evidence).
Authors' conclusions:
For healthcare professionals, there is very‐low certainty evidence that, compared to control, resilience training may result in higher levels of resilience, lower levels of depression, stress or stress perception, and higher levels of certain resilience factors at post‐intervention.
The paucity of medium‐ or long‐term data, heterogeneous interventions and restricted geographical distribution limit the generalisability of our results. Conclusions should therefore be drawn cautiously. The findings suggest positive effects of resilience training for healthcare professionals, but the evidence is very uncertain. There is a clear need for high‐quality replications and improved study designs.
The use of small-scale wind turbines (SSWTs) in private households not only allows for increased renewable energy generation, but also improved grid stability and resilience of individual regions. However, there are strict requirements regarding the efficiency, reliability and electrical safety of SSWTs because of their low power levels, long payback period and the fact that they are installed nearby residential areas. This paper proposes a novel yaw inductive power transfer system, based on multilevel inverter, which mitigates the main disadvantages of SSWTs - slip rings, low voltage energy generation etc. The system utilizes low voltage MOSFETs in multilevel boost-series resonant topology combined with ZVS techniques to maximize efficiency. The operating principle, switching waveforms and behavior of the inverter are described and analyzed. Cell voltage balancing algorithms are presented as well. Two different control techniques for power flow regulation have been introduced and compared. The effectiveness of the proposed solution has been verified by building a 3.3 kW prototype system and comprehensive measuring of its performance. The experimental results show that peak power transfer efficiency reaches 92.5% while converting generator voltage from 60 V DC to grid compatible 400 V DC.
One-dimensional objects as nanowires have been proven to be building blocks in novel applications due to their unique functionalities. In the realm of magnetic materials, iron-oxides form an important class by providing potential solutions in catalysis, magnetic devices, drug delivery, or in the field of sensors. The accurate composition and spatial structure analysis are crucial to describe the mechanical aspects and optimize strategies for the design of multi-component NWs. Atom probe tomography offers a unique analytic characterization tool to map the (re-)distribution of the constituents leading to a deeper insight into NW growth, thermally-assisted kinetics, and related mechanisms. As NW-based devices critically rely on the mechanical properties of NWs, the appropriate mechanical modeling with the resulting material constants is also highly demanded and can open novel ways to potential applications. Here, we report a compositional and structural study of quasi-ceramic one-dimensional objects: α-Fe ⊕ α-FeOOH(goethite) ⊕ Pt and α-Fe ⊕ α-Fe3O4(magnetite) ⊕ Pt core–shell NWs. We provide a theoretical model for the elastic behavior with terms accounting for the geometrical and mechanical nonlinearity, prior and subsequent to thermal treatment. The as-deposited system with a homogeneous distribution of the constituents demonstrates strikingly different structural and elastic features than that of after annealing, as observed by applying atom probe tomography, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, analytic electron microscopy, and a micromanipulator nanoprobe system. During annealing at a temperature of 350 °C for 20 h, (i) compositional partitioning between phases (α-Fe, α-Fe3O4 and in a minority of α-Fe2O3) in diffusional solid–solid phase transformations takes place, (ii) a distinct newly-formed shell formation develops, (iii) the degree of crystallinity increases and (iv) nanosized precipitation of evolving phases is detected leading to a considerable change in the description of the elastic material properties. The as-deposited nanowires already exhibit a significantly large maximum strain (1–8%) and stress (3–13 GPa) in moderately large bending tests, which become even more enhanced after the annealing treatment resulting at a maximum of about 2.5–10.5% and 6–18 GPa, respectively. As a constitutive parameter, the strain-dependent stretch modulus undoubtedly represents changes in the material properties as the deformation progresses.
The theories of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and fuzzy logic both aim to model human thinking. In MCDM, aggregation processes and preference modeling play the central role. This paper suggests a consistent framework for modeling human thinking by using the tools of both fields: fuzzy logical operators as well as aggregation and preference operators. In this framework, aggregation, preference, and the logical operators are described by the same unary generator function. Similarly to the implication being defined as a composition of the disjunction and the negation operator, preference operators were introduced as a composition of the aggregative operator and the negation operator. After a profound examination of the main properties of the preference operator, our main goal is the implementation into neural networks. We show how preference can be modeled by a perceptron, and illustrate the results in practical neural applications.
Most multi-layer neural networks used in deep learning utilize rectified linear neurons. In our previous papers, we showed that if we want to use the exact same activation function for all the neurons, then the rectified linear function is indeed a reasonable choice. However, preliminary analysis shows that for some applications, it is more advantageous to use different activation functions for different neurons – i.e., select a family of activation functions instead, and select the parameters of activation functions of different neurons during training. Specifically, this was shown for a special family of squashing functions that contain rectified linear neurons as a particular case. In this paper, we explain the empirical success of squashing functions by showing that the formulas describing this family follow from natural symmetry requirements.
Interpretable neural networks based on continuous-valued logic and multicriteria decision operators
(2020)
Combining neural networks with continuous logic and multicriteria decision-making tools can reduce the black-box nature of neural models. In this study, we show that nilpotent logical systems offer an appropriate mathematical framework for hybridization of continuous nilpotent logic and neural models, helping to improve the interpretability and safety of machine learning. In our concept, perceptrons model soft inequalities; namely membership functions and continuous logical operators. We design the network architecture before training, using continuous logical operators and multicriteria decision tools with given weights working in the hidden layers. Designing the structure appropriately leads to a drastic reduction in the number of parameters to be learned. The theoretical basis offers a straightforward choice of activation functions (the cutting function or its differentiable approximation, the squashing function), and also suggests an explanation to the great success of the rectified linear unit (ReLU). In this study, we focus on the architecture of a hybrid model and introduce the building blocks for future applications in deep neural networks.
The current study describes analyses of the WINSENT wind energy test sitelocated in complex terrain in Southern Germany by highly resolved numerical simulations.The resolved atmospheric turbulence is simulated with Delayed Detached Eddy Simulations bythe flow solver FLOWer without consideration of the research wind turbines.The mean inflow and wind direction of the analysed time period is provided by precursorsimulations of project partners. The simulation model chain consists of three codes with differenttime scales and resolutions. The model chain provides a data transfer from mesoscale WRFsimulations to OpenFOAM. As a next step OpenFOAM provides inflow data in the valleyof the terrain site for the present FLOWer simulations, the code with the highest resolutionin space and time. The mean velocity field provided by OpenFOAM is superimposed withfluctuations that are based on measurements to obtain the small turbulent scales within theFLOWer simulations, which the previous tools of the model chain can not resolve.Comparisons with the two already installed met masts clarify that the current FLOWersimulations provide an adequate agreement with measured data. The results are verified withthe application of a second simulation, in which a homogeneous velocity profile is superimposedwith turbulence. Thus, comparisons with measured data showed that the benefit of using theinflow data of this model chain is especially evident near the ground.
In this paper, new automated processes for applying the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools ANSYS Fluent and ANSYS CFX to wind modelling in complex terrain are developed with the goal of decreasing the Actual Total Costs (ATC) related to planning wind energy projects. Simulations are carried out at the complex terrain site Stotten in southern Germany using ANSYS Fluent and ANSYS CFX, and the ATCs related to the simulations estimated. The simulation set-up and post-processing effort are identified as having the highest effect on the ATC, and therefore the automated processes focus on reducing the effort of these tasks. Simulations of the same test site are carried out with the new automated processes, and compared to the manual processes as well as to an industry-standard tool, WindSim. The new automated tools are found to reduce the ATC of this case by a factor of 12 for Fluent and seven for CFX, to approximately half the value of WindSim. All three simulations show similar deviations compared to measurements and therefore these results are comparable. It should be noted that these results are highly specific to this case, and the absolute cost-saving values cannot be directly transferred to other cases. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that these new processes have significantly reduced the Actual Total Cost and are likely to have a large effect on the choice of the most cost-effective model for a given wind energy project. On-going work involves quantifying the effect of these cost savings on the choice of most app
Micrometeorological observations from a tower, an eddy-covariance (EC) station and an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) at the WINSENT test-site are used to validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, driven by a mesoscale model. The observation site is characterised by a forested escarpment in a complex terrain. A two-day measurement campaign with a flow almost perpendicular to the escarpment is analysed. The first day is dominated by high wind speeds, while, on the second one, calm wind conditions are present. Despite some minor differences, the flow structure, analysed in terms of horizontal wind speeds, wind direction and inclination angles shows similarities for both days. A real-time strategy is used for the CFD validation with the UAS measurement, where the model follows spatially and temporally the aircraft. This strategy has proved to be successful. Stability indices such as the potential temperature and the bulk Richardson number are calculated to diagnose atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) characteristics up to the highest flight level. The calculated bulk Richardson values indicate a dynamically unstable region behind the escarpment and near the ground for both days. At higher altitudes, the ABL is returning to a near neutral state. The same characteristics are found in the model but only for the first day. The second day, where shear instabilities are more dominant, is not well simulated. UAS proves its great value for sensing the flow over complex terrains at high altitudes and we demonstrate the usefulness of UAS for validating and improving models.
This document specifies a YANG model for TCP on devices that are configured by network management protocols. The YANG model defines a container for all TCP connections and groupings of some of the parameters that can be imported and used in TCP implementations or by other models that need to configure TCP parameters. The model includes definitions from YANG Groupings for TCP Client and TCP Servers (I-D.ietf-netconf-tcp-client-server). The model is NMDA (RFC
8342) compliant.
This document defines three YANG 1.1 [RFC7950] modules to support the configuration of TCP clients and TCP servers, either as standalone or in conjunction with a stack protocol layer specific configuration.
TCP Usage Guidance in the Internet of Things (IoT), draft-ietf-lwig-tcp-constrained-node-networks-13
(2020)
This document provides guidance on how to implement and use the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) in Constrained-Node Networks(CNNs), which are a characteristic of the Internet of Things (IoT).Such environments require a lightweight TCP implementation and may not make use of optional functionality. This document explains a number of known and deployed techniques to simplify a TCP stack as well as corresponding tradeoffs. The objective is to help embedded
developers with decisions on which TCP features to use.
This paper analyzes a principal-agent model with three risk-averse players to investigate incentive provision and optimal team size in a setting with uncertain productivity and team synergies. A principal hires a team of workers and a manager to supervise the team. Workers provide productive effort, whereas the manager exerts effort to reduce measurement noise and productivity risk. We find that moral hazard is a limiting factor for team size and that the risk from uncertain productivity leads to smaller optimal teams, which stands in contrast to previous literature. Furthermore, we show that the manager’s and workers’ compensation increases with team size and that the pay differential between them is higher for larger teams. Our analysis demonstrates that the interdependency between team size and incentive provision makes it essential to coordinate the choice of these design variables.
A number of planetary boundaries, including climate change as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, has already been exceeded. This situation has deleterious consequences for public health. Paradoxically, 4.4% of these emissions are attributable to the healthcare sector. These problems have not been sufficiently acknowledged in health professions curricula. This paper addresses two main issues, humanistic learning and the application of knowledge acquisition to clinical practice. Humanistic learning principles can be used to emphasize learner-centered approaches, including knowledge acquisition and reflection to increase self-awareness. Applying humanistic principles in everyday life and clinical practice can encourage stewardship, assisting students to become agents for change. In terms of knowledge and skills application to clinical practice, an overview of varied and novel approaches of how sustainable education can be integrated at different stages of training across several health care professions is provided. The Health and Environment Adaptive Response Taskforce (HEART) platform as an example of creating empowered learners, the NurSusTOOLKIT, a multi-disciplinary collaboration offering free adaptable educational resources for educators and the Greener Anaesthesia and Sustainability Project (GASP), an example of bridging the transition to clinical practice, are described.
Tagespflege in Bewegung
(2020)
In einem Kooperationsprojekt entstand die Idee zu dem Konzept „Tagespflege in Bewegung – Was geht (noch)?!“ Mithilfe von kreativen Angeboten sollen die Mobilität und Alltagsaktivitäten im Alter gefördert und ein Leben im Quartier ermöglicht werden. Das gelingt am besten durch die Verknüpfung über Sektorengrenzen hinweg.
Power-to-Heat
(2020)
Zum Gelingen der Energiewende wird der Sektorkopplung und damit auch der Power-to-Heat-Technologie eine Notwendigkeit von Seiten der Wissenschaft, Wirtschaft und Politik zugesprochen. Trotzdem werden die Potenziale der Power-to-Heat-Technologie für eine weitere Flexibilisierung der Energieversorgung in Deutschland noch vergleichsweise wenig genutzt. Ziel dieser Veröffentlichung ist es daher, den aktuellen Stand des Ausbaus von Power-to-Heat-Anlagen und vielversprechende Forschungsbemühungen an technischen Entwicklungen aufzuzeigen. Dazu werden die unterschiedlichen Ausprägungen der Power-to-Heat Technologie und Wärmespeicher kurz vorgestellt. Der aktuelle Stand des Ausbaus und noch ungenutze Potenziale werden aufgezeigt.
Die installierte Leistung aller Power-to-Heat-Anlagen in Deutschland hat Ende 2019 die Marke von 1 GW überschritten, dabei handelt es sich hauptsächlich um Anwendungen in Kombination mit Fernwärmenetzen. Entsprechend beschränken sich auch die Wärmespeichertechnologien im Wesentlichen auf drucklos oder druckaufgeladene geschichtete Wasserspeicher mit einer Temperatur bis maximal 200 °C. Seit 2014 ist ein innovativer Zwei-Zonen-Speicher auf dem Markt zu finden. Darauf aufbauend wird die aktuelle Forschung im Bereich Hochtemperaturwärmespeicher und die damit verbundene Möglichkeit Power-to-Heat-to-Power diskutiert. Abrundend werden die aktuelle Gesetzgebung und deren zukünftige Ausgestaltung zum Thema Power-to-Heat, sowie aktuelle Reformvorschläge erörtert. Damit wird auch ein Appell an die Politik gerichtet, die regulatorischen Rahmenbedingungen weiter anzupassen, um Geschäftsmodelle im Bereich Power-to-Heat auf breiter Ebene tragfähig zu machen.
Plötzlich digital!?
(2020)
Negotiations are a relevant and highly complex business skill. Therefore, extensive training is required to become a good negotiator. Such training is offered by universities for their students and by companies for their employees. The present paper designs gamified feedback features in electronic negotiation training and evaluates their potential and their effects. Following a design science research method, feedback mechanisms in electronic negotiation training are derived from literature. An assessment regarding their relevance for e-negotiation training shows a preparation quiz, set and track goals and expert reviews to be the most useful gamified feedback mechanisms. Dedicated mock-ups implementing these feedback mechanisms are designed and evaluated in semi-structured interviews showing their capability to improve relevant negotiation skills, as well as motivation and competence of the learners. Out of the three mock-ups, the interviewees prefer the feedback mechanisms “expert review” and “set and track goals”; both mechanisms provide a competence-confirming learning experience and an autonomous learning experience.
Europäische Sozialpolitik
(2020)
Dieses Lehrbuch vermittelt übersichtlich die Grundlagen der europäischen Sozialpolitik und ihren Kontext. Es wird dargestellt, wie und warum die Europäische Union überhaupt sozialpolitisch agiert – obwohl die Sozialpolitik hauptsächlich Angelegenheit der Mitgliedsstaaten ist. Dabei werden die einzelnen Handlungsfelder wie z.B. die Beschäftigungspolitik, die Gesundheitspolitik sowie die Politik gegen soziale Ausgrenzung und Armut systematisch dargestellt. Die Entwicklung von den Anfängen sozialpolitischen Handelns der Europäischen Union werden ebenso erläutert wie die Akteure und die Instrumente europäischer Sozialpolitik. Abgerundet wird das Buch mit einem Ausblick auf die Zukunft eines sozialen Europas.Zusätzliche Fragen per App: Laden Sie die Springer Nature Flashcards-App kostenlos herunter und nutzen Sie exklusives Zusatzmaterial, um Ihr Wissen zu prüfen.
Bei QUICKSTEP© handelt es sich um ein von der Hochschule Esslingen in der Entwicklung begriffenes Tablet-basiertes Erhebungsinstrument für Kinder –angelehnt an Meier u.a. (2011) und Klein/Landhäußer (2017) im Modus der CAPI- beziehungsweise CASI-Methode (vgl. Meier u.a. 2011; Klein/Landhäußer 2017). Das Akronym QUICKSTEP© steht dabei für Qualitätsanalyse in child care- und Kindertageseinrichtungen mittels standardisierter Erhebungsinstrumentarien aus Kinderperspektive.
In recent years, a number of bidirectional inductive power transfer systems (BD-IPT) suitable for wireless grid integration of electric vehicles have been developed. These developments have been fueled by the enhanced efficiency and spatial tolerance offered by BD-IPT systems. A typical BD-IPT system utilizes two synchronized full-bridge converters operating at fixed duty cycles to drive the primary and secondary magnetic couplers. However, in order to cater for a wide range of loading conditions, additional circuitry is employed at the expense of cost and power density. As an alternative solution, this paper proposes a novel power converter, named a boost active bridge (BAB), to replace the full-bridge converters. The BAB topology caters to a wide range of loading conditions without the need for any extra switching devices. A comprehensive mathematical model that predicts steady-state currents, voltages, and power transfer is presented to highlight the operating principles of the BAB technology. Experimental results obtained from a 3.5-kW prototype show a nearly constant efficiency under all loading conditions, validating the viability of the proposed BAB topology.
Partizipative Forschung
(2020)
In der partizipativen Forschung kommt der Reflexion eine wichtige Bedeutung zu. Gegenstand reflexiver Prozesse sind häufig die Frage nach der Entscheidungsmacht im partizipativen Prozess sowie die Phasen und verschiedenen Schritte des Forschungsprozesses. In diesem Beitrag gehen wir der Frage nach, wie in partizipativen Forschungsprojekten reflektiert wird, wie Forschungsgemeinschaften ihre Erkenntnisse nutzen und sie in den Forschungsprozess integrieren. Dazu nähern wir uns zunächst den Begriffen und dem Verständnis von Reflexion und Reflexivität im Kontext der partizipativen Forschung an. Anschließend stellen wir Ansatzpunkte, Formate und Erfahrungen des Reflektierens in Forschungsgemeinschaften vor. Der Beitrag entwickelte sich aus unserer gemeinsamen Arbeit im Forschungsverbund PartKommPlus. Wir beabsichtigen damit, Reflexion und Reflexivität als methodologische Grundlage partizipativer Forschung weiterzuentwickeln, zu begründen und ihren Mehrwert als eine zusätzliche Erkenntnisquelle sichtbar zu machen.
Wir stellen die visuelle Datenerhebungsmethode Photovoice in der partizipativen Forschung vor und diskutieren ihre Impulse für Veränderungen und ihre möglichen Wirkungen für die Arbeit mit verschiedenen Personengruppen. Anhand on drei Fallbeispielen aus „PartKommPlus – Forschungsverbund für gesunde Kommunen“ berichten wir Erfahrungen aus der gemeinsamen Forschung mit Erwachsenen mit Lernschwierigkeiten und Jugendlichen. Dazu stellen wir die jeweiligen Arbeitsschritte in der Anwendung von Photovoice dar. Beobachtete Wirkungen beschreiben wir nach dem Photovoice-Wirkungsmodell von Catalani und Minkler (2010) in drei Kategorien auf individueller, gemeinschaftlicher und gesellschaftlicher Ebene. Wir diskutieren die Vor- und Nachteile der Methode und erörtern, welchen Beitrag die Methode Photovoice zu dem individuellen Empowerment von Mitforschenden, dem Verstehen gemeinschaftlicher Bedürfnisse und Stärken sowie der Veränderung der sozialen Wirklichkeit über die Einflussnahme auf politische und einflussreiche Akteur*innen leisten kann.
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) ist eine ressourcenorientierte Methode aus dem Bereich der Organisationsentwicklung und wird im anglofonen Sprachraum als eine Methode partizipativer Forschung rezipiert. AI steht für wertschätzende Erkundung: Statt an Defiziten anzusetzen, ermöglicht AI als eine partizipative Forschungsmethode, Stärken in Organisationen, Gemeinschaften oder Netzwerken zu erforschen, aufzudecken und Impulse für Veränderungen zu setzen. Im deutschsprachigen Raum ist AI als Forschungsmethode noch wenig bekannt. Im folgenden Beitrag stellen wir die Anwendung von AI als Methode Partizipativer Gesundheitsforschung exemplarisch an einer Fallstudie vor. Im Rahmen der Fallstudie untersuchten wir – eine Forschungsgemeinschaft mit Mitgliedern aus Wissenschaft und Praxis – ein Netzwerk zur Gesundheitsförderung auf Stadtteilebene. Auf der Basis der Wertehaltung von AI wurde das Design erarbeitet, Interviews mit Fachkräften des Netzwerks durchgeführt und Daten in einem gemeinsam gestalteten Prozess ausgewertet. Schlussfolgerungen aus den Ergebnissen mündeten in die Entwicklung eines Instrumentes zur Beratung von Stadtteilen und Kommunen. Abschließend diskutieren wir in diesem Beitrag Chancen und Grenzen von AI sowie unsere verschiedenen Blickwinkel und Perspektiven innerhalb der Forschungsgemeinschaft auf den Prozess.
Industrie 4.0 und Big Data
(2020)
Coverage Probability of Methods for Steady-State Availability Inference with a Confidence Interval
(2020)
The quality of a repairable system can be described using its availability. Typically, a high degree of availability is demanded by the customer. To analyze the availability of a repairable system, the specification of reliability and maintainability are needed. Usually, they are demonstrated based on limited sample sizes, e.g., by analyzing the failure times of a life time test. The evaluation of the test results yields a mean-value distribution of reliability and maintainability as well as its confidence interval. Consequently, the calculated availability based on these inputs also need to be expressed including a confidence interval.
In this paper, firstly several approaches to calculate the confidence interval of steady-state availability based on reliability and maintainability are presented. Afterwards, a procedure to investigate and evaluate the quality and accuracy of the confidence intervals calculated with the presented methods is shown. Therefore, the coverage probability as the most common indicator is used. Based on an exemplary parameter study which is performed, the accuracy of the confidence intervals determined with the methods is investigated and evaluated in the case of exponentially distributed failure and repair times. Finally, several hints for an effective availability calculation with confidence intervals are given.
Reliability demonstration is performed before a product is released to the market. Often, this demonstration is based on accelerated life testing of samples with limited sample size. Accelerated life testing aims to parameterize a statistical life-stress model. Based on such a model, the reliability demonstration is performed for the stress a product is experiencing during operation. The reliability needs to be inferred with a confidence interval so that the uncertainty, which stems from limited sample data, can be considered. Typically, the load conditions of a field population show a significant variation of stress. A method to consider the comprehensive statistical uncertainty and distribution of stress and life-stress model was recently published. However, this method is limited to applications with constant stress over time. In this paper we present a first approach for a method that is able to consider the distribution of load spectra and statistical lifetime model as well as their uncertainties due to limited sample sizes and allows the consideration of non-constant, i.e. time-varying, stresses for the reliability demonstration. The presented method enables the reliability inference at use condition with confidence interval for cases in which the data consists of accelerated life testing results and a sample of load spectra. The result of an illustrational evaluation is shown and concepts for further extensions of the method are introduced.
This paper focuses on data-driven remaining useful life prediction using ensemble methods for prognostics and health management. An important factor for the performance of an ensemble method is the diversity within the ensemble. An effective neural network ensemble method that emphasizes the generation of diversity is negative correlation learning. It is argued that for both diagnosis and prognosis, the consideration of uncertainties has a substantial added benefit over a simple point estimate. For this reason, a prediction interval is derived for the ensemble method negative correlation learning using the delta method. In the delta method, the neural network is treated as a nonlinear regression model, which is approximated by a Taylor series. A look at the derived formula of the prediction interval, emphasizes that negative correlation learning behaves inversely to a regularization. Furthermore, the formula for a diversity parameter of zero is equal to the prediction interval of the regular multilayer perceptron.
Processing of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) in the injection molding process has a high economic potential. Since there are some fundamental differences compared to classical thermoplastic injection molding, up to now there is a lack of well‐founded knowledge of the process which allows an estimation of the cycle time. Because, in addition to reverse temperature control, LSR processing also involves an irreversible temperature‐ and time‐dependent chemical reaction. In this paper, the complex cross‐linking reaction is first modelled phenomenologically using dynamic differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements and the well‐fitting Kamal‐Sourour model. Afterwards, a temperature and cross‐linking simulation is set up, which reliably simulates the time‐ and travel‐dependent temperature profile and degree of cross‐linking in the mold. Therefore, the released exothermic cross‐linking heat is also taken into account. The simulated temperature values are verified with measurements in the cavity during the injection molding process. The measured values correspond very well with the simulated values at different mold temperatures. It is shown that the influence of the cross‐linking heat on the overall temperature profile in the LSR component during the injection molding process is relatively low. Nevertheless, the model is necessary to determine the degree of cross‐linking ‐ it can be used to calculate the cycle time at which the component of a certain cross‐section can be ejected at a known tool temperature and is fully cross‐linked. With this knowledge, existing processes can be optimized in terms of mold temperature and curing time, but also new components can be calculated economically.
Waste
(2020)
This study investigates how integrated reporting (IR) creates value for investors. It examines how providers of financial capital benefit from an improved firm information environment provided by IR. Specifically, this study investigates the effect of voluntary IR disclosure on analyst earnings forecast accuracy as well as on firm value. To do so, we use an international sample of 167 listed companies that voluntarily publish an integrated report. Our analysis shows no significant effect of a voluntary IR publication on analyst earnings forecast accuracy and no significant effect on firm value. We thus do not find evidence for the fulfillment of IR's promises regarding improved information environment and value creation of voluntary adopters. We conclude that such companies might already have a relatively high level of transparency leading to an absent additional effect of IR disclosure. Positive effects of IR appear to be more relevant in environments where IR is mandatory.
Comparing multidimensional sensor data from vehicle fleets with methods of sequential data mining
(2020)
Reading and understanding large amounts of sensor data from vehicle test drives becomes more and more important. In order to test vehicle components or analyze exhaust emissions in real test drives, the sensor data obtained from these test drives have to be comparable. Otherwise components or exhaust emissions are tested and analyzed under false conditions. The sensor data obtained during test drives are highly multidimensional which makes it even more complicated to identify recurring patterns. We present a process model to compare different test drives according to their sensor data and so give an answer to the question whether or not test drives in different cities, locations and environments are representative to real driving scenarios. The algorithms we use focus on segmentation of the individual multivariate test drive data and on clustering of the segments according to different methods. We present several segmentation and cluster methods and compare which of them is best suited for comparing test drives. The segmentation method we identified as best suited is based on principal component analysis. As cluster methods we examine hierarchical, partitioning and density-based clustering in detail.
The wet-flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) process plays an important role in removing water-soluble flue-gas components such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) and oxidized mercury compounds. Under the reducing environment of the FGD, there is the possibility of re-emission of the already absorbed mercury (Hg) to the gas phase, which may be diminished by the utilization of specific additives. In this study, the effect of two different additives on Hg re-emission from the aqueous phase and Hg partitioning in gypsum and filtrate of a lab-scale wet-limestone FGD is investigated. Furthermore, the behaviour of additives in the presence of different halides is studied. The studied additives are TMT 15® as a sulphidic precipitating agent, which forms non-soluble mercury compounds, and activated lignite (AL) as a carbon-based sorbent, which adsorbs Hg compounds from the aqueous phase. TMT 15® has no significant effect on SO2 absorption; on the other hand, addition of AL improves the SO2-removal efficiency by up to 30%. Using both additives, Hg re-emission is suppressed in all the experimented cases except for AL in the absence of halides, in which Hg re-emission shows no change. Thus, the need to form nucleophilic oxidized mercury compounds in the slurry for the adsorption of oxidized mercury on AL can be concluded. Usage of both additives improves Hg retention in the slurry to different extents. It is shown that, for the additive-free slurries, the Hg-adsorption capacity of the solid fraction of the slurry is the limiting parameter. Moreover, the utilization of both additives results in a significant increase in the Hg concentration of solid fraction. The correlation between redox potential and partitioning of Hg in the slurry is presented by comparing the change in the redox potential of slurries when additives are used.
Optimized production strategy of the major capsid protein HPV 16L1 non-assembly variant in E. coli
(2020)
The capsid of human papillomavirus (HPV) consists of two capsid proteins - the major capsid protein L1 and the minor capsid protein L2. Assembled virus-like particles, which only consist of L1 proteins, are successfully applied as prophylactic vaccines against HPV infections. The capsid subunits are L1-pentamers, which are also reported to protect efficiently against HPV infections in animals.
The recombinant production of L1 has been previously shown in E. coli, yeast, insect cells, plants and mammalian cell culture. Principally, in E. coli-based expression system L1 shows high expression yields but the protein is largely insoluble. In order to overcome this problem reported strategies address fusion proteins and overexpression of bacterial chaperones. However, an insufficient cleavage of the fusion proteins and removal of co-purified chaperones can hamper subsequent down streaming.
We report a significant improvement in the production of soluble L1-pentamers by combining (I) a fusion of a N-terminal SUMO-tag to L1, (II) the heterologous co-expression of the chaperon system GroEL/ES and (III) low expression temperature. The fusion construct was purified in a 2-step protein purification including efficient removal of GroEL/ES and complete removal of the N-terminal SUMO-tag. The expression strategy was transferred to process-controlled high-cell-density fermentation with defined media according to the guidelines of good manufacturing practice. The produced L1 protein is highly pure (>95%), free of DNA (260:280 = 0.5) and pentameric. The production strategy yielded 5.73 mg of purified L1-pentamers per gram dry biomass. The optimized strategy is a suitable alternative for high yield L1-pentamer production and purification as a cheaper process for vaccine production.
In a recent study, Gebauer et al. addressed a fundamental question regarding the effects of mind-body practices (MBPs) on the self. Does the practice of MBPs in accordance with traditional contemplative traditions quiet the ego or is the practice of MBPs associated with increased self-centrality, which breeds self-enhancement bias? Both hypotheses were investigated in two separate studies with a longitudinal design. Study 1 included 93 participants, who regularly practiced yoga, and study 2 contained 162 participants, who regularly practiced loving-kindness meditation. In both studies, trait questionnaires of self-centrality and self-enhancement were taken after the practice of yoga (over the course of 15 weeks) or meditation (over the course of 4 weeks). Findings from both studies showed that participants scored higher on measures of self-enhancement and self-centrality after practicing yoga and meditation as compared with not practicing yoga and meditation. Based on these findings, Gebauer et al. argued that MBPs such as yoga and meditation do not quiet the ego, but instead lead to self-enhancement bias through increased self-centrality. We have concerns about the far-reaching conclusions made by Gebauer et al. regarding the effects of MBPs on the self. The key concerns refer to the conceptualization of the quiet ego and to the assessment of the psychological constructs investigated in this study. Gebauer et al. addressed a timely and important research question, but their far-reaching interpretations should be reconsidered due to conceptual and methodological ambiguities.
Mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed programs such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), or dialectic behavior therapy (DBT) have gained widespread attention over the past few decades. One way of bringing mindfulness programs into clinical practice is via a planned implementation process where empirically validated interventions are disseminated and implemented on a large scale. However, besides this planned process, it can be observed that mindfulness has diffused into current society as well as into psychotherapy practice in an unsystematic way. To date, however, little is known about the proliferation of mindfulness in clinical practice. We investigated a randomly drawn sample of German psychological psychotherapists with regard to their use of mindfulness in clinical practice using a web survey. Additionally, the psychotherapists’ personal mindfulness practice was assessed. The overwhelming majority (82%) of psychotherapists reported using mindfulness practices at least sometimes with their patients. Programs such as MBSR and MBCT are rarely applied. Rather, therapists use individual mindfulness practices in an eclectic way. Our results show that in addition to investigating the implementation of empirically underpinned mindfulness-based programs, mindfulness researchers should also investigate the ways in which mindfulness-based practices have diffused into clinical work with individuals. Guidelines on best practice for this work will support the future integrity of mindfulness programs.
Research suggests that online interventions preventing risky substance use can improve student health. There is an increasing interest in transferring evidence-based online programs into university health promotion practice. However, little is known about how to best tailor the implementation process to capacities and context of individual universities. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of readiness (capacity) of German universities concerning the implementation of evidence-based online programs for risky substance use prevention employing an adapted Community Readiness Assessment (CRA) and to develop tailored action plans for implementation. The CRA involved 43 semi-structured interviews with key persons at 10 German universities. The interviews addressed five dimensions (knowledge of efforts, leadership, community climate, knowledge of the issue, and resources) at nine possible readiness stages (no awareness—ownership) and additional contextual factors. Overall, readiness for implementing online interventions across universities was rather low. Universities readiness levels ranged between the denial stage with a score of 2.1 and the preplanning stage with a score of 4.4. University-specific readiness was very heterogeneous. On the basis of the results of the CRA, universities received feedback and options for training on how to take the necessary steps to increase readiness and to prepare program implementation. The adapted version of the CRA was well suited to inform future implementation of evidence-based online programs for the prevention of risky substance use at participating universities.
Suchthilfe und Suchtprävention sind zentrale Tätigkeitsfelder für Fachkräfte der Sozialen Arbeit. Das Wissen um Suchtgefährdung und der fachliche Umgang mit missbrauchenden und abhängigen Menschen sind angesichts der Risiko-Klientel in vielen Bereichen der Sozialen Arbeit (z.B. der Wohnungslosenhilfe, Jugendhilfe) wesentlicher Bestandteil des Berufsprofils. Das Buch ist angelegt als systematisches Grundlagenwerk zur Sozialen Arbeit in der Suchthilfe und Suchtprävention. Es entfaltet die Theorie und die relevanten Wissensbestände in enger Ausrichtung auf ihre Bedeutung für die Bewältigung beruflicher Anforderungen und stellt die dafür notwendigen Handlungskonzepte anschaulich vor.
Complete book:
Social work as a democratically constituted profession committed to human rights is currently facing cross-border encroachments and attacks by right-wing populist movements and governments. With the Bundestag elections in September 2017, the question of the extent to which right-wing populist forces succeed in influencing the discourse with xenophobic and nationalist arguments arises in Germany too. The authors examine how social work can respond effectively to nationalism, exclusion, de-solidarization and a basic skepticism about science and position itself against this background.
Pauschalablehnungen
(2020)
Der Beitrag umreißt und erörtert wissenschaftliche Konzepte, mit denen demokratiewidrige Positionen pauschaler Ablehnungen von Menschengruppierungen, Weltanschauungen, Religionen und Lebensstilen erfasst und empirisch untersucht werden. Er stellt zentrale Befunde dieser Forschungen vor und benennt die wichtigsten Begünstigungsfaktoren für die Entstehung und Entwicklung entsprechender Orientierungen und Aktivitäten. Als Schlussfolgerung werden aus den Darlegungen Strategien zur Bearbeitung der mit Pauschablehnungen verbundenen Problematiken abgeleitet.
Die Demokratie scheint in Deutschland gefestigt zu sein, gleichzeitig wird sie jedoch von einer nennenswerten Anzahl von Bürgerinnen und Bürgern – auch von Jugendlichen – zunehmend in Frage gestellt. Die Bundesregierung hat auf diesem Hintergrund für den nächsten Kinder- und Jugendbericht das Thema „Förderung demokratischer Bildung im Kindes- und Jugendalter“ vorgesehen. Kurt Möller und Oliver Hohner gehen in ihrem Beitrag der Frage nach, welche Potentiale für Demokratiebildung die Offene Kinder- und Jugendarbeit bietet; auch die Aufsuchende Jugend(sozial)arbeit nehmen sie in den Blick. Die Autoren haben im Herbst 2019 eine Online-Befragung unter Einrichtungen der Offenen Kinder- und Jugendarbeit und Aufsuchenden Jugend(sozial)arbeit durchgeführt. Das Vorgehen, die wichtigsten Ergebnisse und zentrale Schlussfolgerungen daraus stellen sie vor. Abgefragt wurden u.a. die Häufigkeit von Diskussionen über politische Themen in den genannten Arbeitsfeldern, Ausgrenzungen unter Jugendlichen oder die Intensität von Beteiligung und Mitbestimmung der Jugendlichen. Deutlich wird ein erheblicher Bedarf an Aus-, Fort- und Weiterbildung zu solchen Herausforderungen. Die Autoren arbeiten auch Spezifika und Unterschiede zwischen den Arbeitsfeldern der Offenen Kinder- und Jugendarbeit und der Aufsuchenden Jugend(sozial)arbeit heraus.
Heimat-Land
(2020)
Die Nachfrage nach Dienstleistungen von Beratungsgesellschaften verzeichnet einen kontinuierlichen Anstieg. Vor dem Hintergrund des steigenden Wettbewerbsdrucks müssen sich Dienstleister neue Wege in der Kundenbetreuung, -bindung und -akquirierung suchen. Der Weg zum Erfolg geht über die Qualität. Spitzenleistungen im Wettbewerb können nur erbracht werden, wenn Verbesserungen und Innovationen in allen Bereichen der Organisation erfolgen. Ein nachhaltiger, aktueller und zukünftiger Erfolg stellt sich ein, wenn auf allen betrieblichen Ebenen ein Bewusstsein für hohe und stetige Leistungen geschaffen wird.
Ziel des wissenschaftlichen Projekts ist es, eine Einführung in das Thema des Erfolgsfaktors Dienstleistungsqualität im Management eines Dienstleisters und explizit im Beratungssektor aus verschiedenen Betrachtungsweisen zu geben und den Wettbewerbsvorteil durch Dienstleistungsqualität hervorzuheben.
Anhand des EFQM Modells 2020 wird die Konzeptentwicklung zur Integration eines exzellenten Qualitätsmanagements für Beratungsgesellschaften mithilfe ausgewählter Kriterien aus dem Modell dargestellt. So sollen durch einen Führungsrahmen nachhaltig exzellente Ergebnisse bezüglich strategisch und operativer Leistungen in Anlehnung an die Wahrnehmung der Interessengruppen als Ergebnisse erzielt werden, die den Zweck, die Vision, die Strategie in Einbeziehung der Organisationskultur und Führung, mit Hilfe der eingebundenen Interessensgruppen, unter Schaffung von nachhaltigen Nutzen und unter dem Aspekt von Leistungsfähigkeit und Transformation umsetzen.
In einer dynamischen Geschäftswelt werden alle Organisationen mit kontinuierlichen Veränderungen konfrontiert. Das Streben nach Excellence ist für Organisationen ein Erfolgsfaktor, um sich im zunehmenden Verdrängungswettbewerb zu bewähren. Erfolge in allen Organisationsbereichen können nur erzielt werden, wenn Business Excellence als umfassende Ambition und als ganzheitliches, integratives Konzept von allen Akteuren und Interessengruppen einer Organisation verstanden wird. Das EFQM Modell 2020 für Business Excellence der European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) hilft Organisationen ihre Produkt- und Servicequalität zu sichern und ihre zukünftige Entwicklung zu fördern. Das Modell unterstützt die Gefahren im Ecosystem der Organisation zu erkennen und agil, effektiv und effizient damit umzugehen.
Mit dem Einsatz der Software von simcision, wird das EFQM Modell 2020 zur Nutzung in Entwicklungssimulationen abgebildet. Es beinhaltet dabei die von der European Foundation for Quality Management, EFQM, gegebenen Kriterien. Mit dem Modelleinsatz wird der aktuelle Ist-Zustand einer Organisation erfasst. Mit dem System als eine Organisation, mit dem man die jeweilige Organisationsentwicklung simulieren kann, lässt sich ermitteln, welche Maßnahmen ein positives Ergebnis bezogen auf die Excellence erbringen. Grundlage bildet eine allgemeine Version des Modells, das Template. Auf Grundlage des erstellten Template, erfolgt die Erprobung und Simulation an zwei gesonderten Modellen. Die erprobten Unternehmen sind das Industrieunternehmen Lapp Gruppe, Stuttgart und die IT-Beratungsgesellschaft iCONDU GmbH, Ingolstadt. Kennzeichnende Unterlagen zu den Organisationen befinden sich im Anhang. Ganz nach dem Systemgedanken werden die Haupt- und Teilkriterien des EFQM Modells 2020 als Systemelemente mit Beziehungen untereinander eingesetzt.
Um Pauschalablehnungen und Diskriminierungen entgegenzuwirken, braucht Jugendarbeit Verständnis für deren Hintergründe sowie fallbezogene Handlungsfähigkeit. Der Artikel präsentiert dafür Konzepte. Ausgehend von Forschungsbefunden zeigt er auf, wie sich Strategien entwickeln lassen, die an den Lebenswirklichkeiten und Ressourcen von Adressat*innen ansetzen.
Geldanlage im Lebenszyklus-Modell - Einfach zu Ihrer VermögensstrategieDie Behavioral-Finance-Forschung ist sich einig: Stundenlange Aktienanalyse, Fragen nach dem optimalen Markteinstieg und tägliche Kontrolle der Portfolio-Performance sind für Sie als Privatanleger völlig unnötig. Viel wichtiger ist, sich den eigenen Anlagehorizont und die persönliche Risikotoleranz bewusst zu machen, um die optimale Anlagestrategie zu finden.Die hier versammelten Expertinnen und Experten - allesamt renommierte Finanzwirtschaftlerinnen und -wirtschaftler mit Professuren an verschiedenen deutschen Hochschulen - zeigen leicht verständlich, wie ein finanziell sorgenfreies Leben möglich wird. Neueste Forschungserkenntnisse werden zu einer einfach umsetzbaren Vermögensstrategie für alle Lebenslagen verwoben - egal, ob Sie am Anfang oder Ende Ihres Erwerbslebens stehen.
Der Beitrag beschreibt die Diskursgegenstände und die theoretischen und methodischen Forschungsansätze zum Themenbereich ‚Familie und Rechtsextremismus‘ und stellt die darauf bezogenen zentralen Befunde für Deutschland dar. Er geht dabei insbesondere auf Fragen nach der Rolle privater Lebensformen beim biografischen Aufbau, bei der Verfestigung und bei der Distanzierung entsprechender politischer Haltungen ein. Zum Abschluss werden pädagogische Ansätze der Bearbeitung der Problematik, insbesondere auch im Rahmen von Ausstiegshilfen aufgezeigt.
Frei sein? Halt verspüren? Fällt einem das auf dem Lande leichter? Oder kommt es auf die richtige Haltung an? Die Frei-Land-Haltung vielleicht? Dieses Buch klärt auf. Darüber und über das Leben junger Leute auf dem Lande überhaupt. Landeier haben es geschrieben. Über Landeier. Für Landeier. Und solche, die es werden wollen – von jetzt auf gleich oder nie im Leben.
Studierende der Sozialen Arbeit und der Kindheitspädagogik der Hochschule Esslingen sind über zwei Semester hinweg in ländliche Regionen ausgeschwärmt, haben sich dort umgesehen und mit jungen Menschen gesprochen. Darüber, wie sie das Leben auf dem Lande finden. Was sie daran reizt. Was sie daran abstößt. Was sie völlig kalt lässt …
Herausgekommen ist dieses Buch voller authentischer Selbstbeschreibungen junger Leute, die auf dem Lande leben.
The growth and sustainability of a manufacturing company extensively relies on customer satisfaction regarding the quality of its products. An exemplary study on the customer quality claim management of an international manufacturing company determined that one major reason for customer dissatisfaction was the inability to prioritize the reported quality problems. Therefore, the company’s focus was set to enhancing the customer claim resolution process by overcoming the challenges in the prioritization process. Considering the various factors which influence the prioritization process, this study provides a solution by using a unique prioritization technique for the management of customer quality claims. It also focuses on the implementation of the derived solution by providing an explicit evaluation method for each of the prioritization factors.
Innovation und Qualität
(2020)
Predictive control strategies are state of the art in hybrid vehicles today. In this contribution, an optimal control strategy for a 48 V powernet of a heavy-duty long-haul truck is investigated. A holistic approach is presented to control the power supply of actuatable electrified auxiliaries along with the common hybrid-electric driving functions. As a consequence, numerous state-control-combinations have to be calculated. To handle this computational effort the presented method utilizes heuristic information about the driven route. Thereby, the route is segmented into classes of related power demand. Subsequently, Dynamic Programming is applied to solve the optimal control problem. As example for an electrified auxiliary the compressor of the air-condition is chosen. A baseline control strategy for a reactive 48 V system is compared to the optimal solution based on simulations. The features and use cases of the optimal control are discussed. It will be shown that applying the optimal control approach for the 48 V system with knowledge about the whole route results in additional benefit in fuel consumption.
Analyse der Wirksamkeit des Harninkontinenzmanagements in einer geriatrischen Rehabilitationsklinik
(2020)
Hintergrund
Harninkontinenz ist ein weitverbreitetes gesundheitsrelevantes Problem, welches insbesondere im Alter auftritt. Ziel der Studie war es, die Effektivität des Kontinenzmanagements in einer geriatrischen Rehabilitationsklinik in der Routineversorgung zu evaluieren.
Methodik
Es wurde eine prospektive Beobachtungsstudie ohne Kontrollgruppe im Zeitraum vom 07.02.2018 bis zum 07.06.2018 durchgeführt. Alle in die Studie eingeschlossenen Patienten (n = 32) erhielten individualisierte leitliniengerechte Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung ihrer Inkontinenz durch das Kontinenzteam im Rehabilitationszeitraum. Zur Bewertung der Symptomveränderung wurde zum Aufnahmezeitpunkt (T0) und Entlasszeitpunkt (T1) der International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) verwendet. Die Beurteilung der Patientenzufriedenheit erfolgte zum Zeitpunkt T1 mittels des Fragebogens „Benefit, Satisfaction, and Willingness to Continue Treatment“ (BSW).
Ergebnisse
Zwischen T0 und T1 verbesserte sich der Summen-Score des ICIQ-UI SF um durchschnittlich 3,4 Punkte (p = 0,004). Die Verbesserung resultierte v. a. im Bereich der Abnahme der Häufigkeit der Inkontinenzepisoden sowie bei der Reduktion des Harnverlustvolumens. Während zum Zeitpunkt der Aufnahme 9,4 % der Patienten „eine große Menge Harn“ verloren, reduzierte sich der Anteil auf 3,1 % zum Ende der Rehabilitation. Der Anteil der Patienten, die vor der Behandlung mehrmals täglich Urin verloren, reduzierte sich von 68,6 % auf 31,3 %. Von den eingeschlossenen Patienten erhielten 80 % eine leitliniengerechte Behandlung innerhalb des Rehabilitationszeitraums. 64 % der Patienten waren mit der Behandlung zufrieden.
Zusammenfassung
Die leitliniengerechte Behandlung der Inkontinenz bei geriatrischen Patienten führte zu einer Verbesserung der Symptome. Eine hohe Anzahl an Patienten profitierte vom Kontinenzmanagement während des Rehabilitationszeitraums.
