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Thailand’s power system has been facing an energy transition due to the increasing amount of Renewable Energy (RE) integration, prosumers with self-consumption, and digitalization-based business models in a Local Energy Market (LEM). This paper introduces a decentralized business model and a possible trading platform for electricity trading in Thailand’s Micro-Grid to deal with the power system transformation. This approach is Hybrid P2P, a market structure in which sellers and buyers negotiate on energy exchanging by themselves called Fully P2P trading or through the algorithm on the market platform called Community-based trading. A combination of Auction Mechanism (AM), Bill Sharing (BS), and Traditional Mechanism (TM) is the decentralized price mechanism proposed for the Community-based trading. The approach is validated through a test case in which, during the daytime, the energy import and export of the community are significantly reduced when 75 consumers and 25 PV rooftop prosumers participate in this decentralized trading model. Furthermore, a comparison analysis confirms that the decentralized business model outperforms a centralized approach on community and individual levels.
As productive biofilms are increasingly gaining interest in research, the quantitative monitoring of biofilm formation on- or offline for the process remains a challenge. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a fast and often used method for scanning biofilms, but it has difficulty scanning through more dense optical materials. X-ray microtomography (μCT) can measure biofilms in most geometries but is very time-consuming. By combining both methods for the first time, the weaknesses of both methods could be compensated. The phototrophic cyanobacterium Tolypothrix distorta was cultured in a moving bed photobioreactor inside a biocarrier with a semi-enclosed geometry. An automated workflow was developed to process µCT scans of the biocarriers. This allowed quantification of biomass volume and biofilm-coverage on the biocarrier, both globally and spatially resolved. At the beginning of the cultivation, a growth limitation was detected in the outer region of the carrier, presumably due to shear stress. In the later phase, light limitations could be found inside the biocarrier. µCT data and biofilm thicknesses measured by OCT displayed good correlation. The latter could therefore be used to rapidly measure the biofilm formation in a process. The methods presented here can help gain a deeper understanding of biofilms inside a process and detect any limitations.
Introduction: The use of social marketing strategies to induce the promotion of cognitive health has received little attention in research. The objective of this scoping review is twofold: (i) to identify the social marketing strategies that have been used in recent years to initiate and maintain health-promoting behaviour; (ii) to advance research in this area to inform policy and practice on how to best make use of these strategies to promote cognitive health.
Methods and analysis: We will use the five-stage methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley. Articles in English published since 2010 will be searched in electronic databases (the Cochrane Library, DoPHER, the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, PsycInfo, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus). Quantitative and qualitative study designs as well as reviews will be considered. We will include those articles that report the design, implementation, outcomes and evaluation of programmes and interventions concerning social marketing and/or health promotion and/or promotion of cognitive health. Grey literature will not be searched. Two independent reviewers will assess in detail the abstracts and full text of selected citations against the inclusion criteria. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flowchart for Scoping Reviews will be used to illustrate the process of article selection. We will use a data extraction form, present the results through narrative synthesis and discuss them in relation to the scoping review research questions.
Ethics and dissemination: Ethics approval is not required for conducting this scoping review. The results of the review will be the first step to advance a conceptual framework, which contributes to the development of interventions targeting the promotion of cognitive health. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. They will also be disseminated to key stakeholders in the field of the promotion of cognitive health.
The aim of this work was to develop and evaluate the reinforcement learning algorithm VentAI, which is able to suggest a dynamically optimized mechanical ventilation regime for critically-ill patients. We built, validated and tested its performance on 11,943 events of volume-controlled mechanical ventilation derived from 61,532 distinct ICU admissions and tested it on an independent, secondary dataset (200,859 ICU stays; 25,086 mechanical ventilation events). A patient “data fingerprint” of 44 features was extracted as multidimensional time series in 4-hour time steps. We used a Markov decision process, including a reward system and a Q-learning approach, to find the optimized settings for positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) and ideal body weight-adjusted tidal volume (Vt). The observed outcome was in-hospital or 90-day mortality. VentAI reached a significantly increased estimated performance return of 83.3 (primary dataset) and 84.1 (secondary dataset) compared to physicians’ standard clinical care (51.1). The number of recommended action changes per mechanically ventilated patient constantly exceeded those of the clinicians. VentAI chose 202.9% more frequently ventilation regimes with lower Vt (5–7.5 mL/kg), but 50.8% less for regimes with higher Vt (7.5–10 mL/kg). VentAI recommended 29.3% more frequently PEEP levels of 5–7 cm H2O and 53.6% more frequently PEEP levels of 7–9 cmH2O. VentAI avoided high (>55%) FiO2 values (59.8% decrease), while preferring the range of 50–55% (140.3% increase). In conclusion, VentAI provides reproducible high performance by dynamically choosing an optimized, individualized ventilation strategy and thus might be of benefit for critically ill patients.
Big Data is now poised to mutate decision-making systems. Indeed, the decision is no longer based solely on the structured information that was hitherto collected and stored by the organization, but also on all data not structured outside the corporate straitjacket. The cloud and the information it contains impacts decisions and the industry is witnessing the emergence of business intelligence 3.0. With the growth of the internet, social networks, connected objects and communication information are now more abundant than ever before, along with rapid and substantial growth in their production. In 2012, 2.5 exabytes of data (one exabyte representing a million gigabytes of data) came every day to swell the ranks of big data (McAfee et al., 2012), which should weigh more than 40 zettabytes from 2020 (Valduriez, 2014) for 30 billion connected devices (The Internet Of Nothings, 2014) and 50 billion sensors (Davenport & Soulard, 2014). One of the most critical aspects of all of this information flow is the impact these will have on the way decisions are made. Indeed, in the part of an environment in which data was scarce and difficult to obtain, it was logical to let decision-making be conditioned by the intuition of the experienced decision-maker (Klein, Phillips, Rall, & Peluso, 2007). However, since information and knowledge are now available to everyone, the role of experts and decision-makers is gradually changing. Big data, in particular, makes it possible for analytical and decision-making systems to base their decision-making on global models. However, considering all the dimensions of the situations encountered, it was not until now that these systems were not within the reach of man, but were rationally limited (Simon & Newell, 1971). Big data and however, the processing of unstructured data requires modifying the architecture of decision support systems (DSS) of organizations. This paper is an inventory of developments undergone by aid systems decision-making, under the pressure of big data. Finally, it opens the debate on ethical questions raised by these new technologies, and it is observed that now, data analysis of personal data has become more debatable than in the past.
The integration of genetic algorithms to optimize the networks of value chains could enormously improve the performance of supply chains. For this reason, this paper describes in more detail the application of genetic algorithms in the value chains of the automotive industry. For this purpose, a theoretical model is built up to evaluate whether the application of the model can optimize the value chain. This option is described, analyzed and its restrictions are shown. Instead of looking at the entire network, individual finished goods and their bill of material are used as a basis for optimization, which greatly reduces the complexity of the original problem. The original complexity of the supply chain networks can thus be reduced and considered based on the bill of material.
For a detailed discussion of process mining, the objective of this paper is the analysis of the successful implementation of process mining in the practical fields of supply chain management. The research comprises the investigation of use cases in companies that are already actively using process mining.
Purpose: This research aims to highlight the applicability of process mining in the supply chain management business field.
Research Methodology: In order to examine the applicability of process mining in supply chain management a research study was conducted among experts in this business field. Further, theoretical findings were compared to the results and evaluated.
Results: Process Mining can be applied very well in the SCM area. The advantages that arise primarily reflect significant potential benefits and improved process throughput times. The information that can be gained from the operational areas supported by process mining is suitable for reliable decisions, both in the tactical and strategic areas.
Limitations: The results on the application of process mining show a certain generalization and have to be adapted and adjusted to the respective application case.
Contribution: This study is useful, especially for the purchasing and logistics business area.
A study of industry 4.0 technologies in the John Deere and Company and their impact on company operations is presented in this paper. Deere and Company’s implementation of Industry 4.0 to its factories and its factors was the focus of the research. The literature review with the systematic approach as well as a comprehensive review of current John Deere and Company’s developments is used in the current study. Also, it relied on freely available information on the company website. Public and investor relations have also been used as credible sources of information. An analysis found that adopting industry 4.0 technologies to agriculture manufacturing results in higher quality products, increased productivity, safety, and wider acceptance among stakeholders. This study assumes full implementation of these technologies in all agriculture manufacturing companies, and it also emphasizes up-to-date technologies. Studying this topic can be useful for engineers in mechanical and agricultural fields, managers in business, and marketers.
The aim of the study is to find out how SMEs used Social Media during Corona and how customers received it, to determine what should be continued or avoided by SMEs in the future. In this study, an interpretivist approach was adopted through problem-centred interviews with three SMEs. The second part of the study used an objectivist approach, where an online-based survey with a purpose sampling was conducted. The results were evaluated by means of thematic analysis.The SMEs interviewed considered Social Media essential during Corona. This was due to limited resources and the feeling of being overwhelmed by the situation. For customers a Social Media presence is also considered indispensable, and that the followership is based on the desire for the latest information. However, it also became clear that the survey participants do not believe the information on Social Media and prefer information on the website or at the location itself. No answers could be found about how the experts would answer sans or post Corona. Furthermore, due to anonymisation efforts, it was not possible to clarify the attitude of the survey participants specifically to the individual SMEs.
Sowohl der stationäre Handel als auch die Online Pure Player befinden sich durch die zunehmende Digitalisierung und die Beeinflussung durch die dynamisch veränderten Trends in einem Wandel. Insbesondere wird von der Möbelbranche ein adaptives Verhalten an die vorliegenden Entwicklungen verlangt. Durch die Intensivierung der Markt- und Wettbewerbslandschaften und die Veränderungen des Verbraucherverhaltens bezüglich der verlangten Verschmelzung der Einkaufskanäle wird ein Umdenken gefordert und notwendig. Zusätzlich wird diese Notwendigkeit durch aktuelle Gegebenheiten, wie die Covid-19-Pandemie dringlicher. Die Omnichannel-Strategie und deren Etablierung birgt für die Möbelbranche insbesondere hinsichtlich der logistischen Herausforderungen Gelegenheiten und Bedrohungen. Diese sind zu erkennen, zu nutzen und zu beheben.
Agility and digital trends go hand in hand, but the advantages of digitalization perform a high pressure on the established automotive companies. For years now, automotive groups have no longer been innovation drivers in the industry. This status is reserved for radical companies like Tesla. But is there any chance that conservative companies will reinvent themselves, establish leaner structures and thus regain market dominance and innovation?
E-commerce live streaming - An emerging industry in China and a potential future trend in the world
(2021)
With the widespread use of the Internet, many industries have developed rapidly. The economy based on the Internet poses a significant threat to the traditional economy. Live streaming plus e-commerce, which is acknowledged as the current global economic status, is the result of combing live streaming and various industries through the Internet. E-commerce live streaming is one of the most essential types of online live streaming. In this article, it is defined as the live streaming of the e-commerce platform used by Key Opinion Leaders or product sellers through the built-in live streaming function of the platform to propagate goods, brands, events, etc. to achieve goals of brand exposure and product sales. Compared with the traditional economic model, the combined model of e-commerce and live streaming has its advantages and characteristics. This kind of marketing tool is now prevalent. However, there are many deficiencies in e-commerce live streaming that need to be improved since the development of e-commerce is immature and supervision of Internet use is ongoing.
This study will describe how the robotics industry evolved increasingly and a new phase of advanced robotics has emerged, and the relation between humans and robots in the same workplace. Problems of designing safer robots in human-machine interaction systems are urgent research topics in the field of industrial robotics. Many of the problems in industrial robotics are related not just to technological issues, but also to human-robot collaboration also will be discussed as an effective method to tackle this issue is the invention of Collaborative robots.
Unternehmen verlassen sich bei der Entwicklung von Software und Lösungen häufig auf das Know-How externer Dienstleister. Moderne Arbeits- und Kollaborationsformen verändern gleichzeitig die Entwicklung von Produkten und Dienstleistungen. Wie beeinflussen diese Trends die Zusammenarbeit und Kooperation zwischen Unternehmen und ihren externen agilen Dienstleistern? Ziel dieser wissenschaftlichen Arbeit ist es herauszufinden, welche Schritte unternehmen müssen, um agiles Arbeiten und die Zusammenarbeit mit externen Dienstleistern umzusetzen. Daher wurde anhand einer Fallstudie inklusive einer qualitativen Befragung herausgefunden und aufgezeigt, welche Maßnahmen und Handlungen Unternehmen ergreifen müssen, um das Ziel einer effektiven Umsetzung einer agilen Zusammenarbeit und Kooperation zu erreichen. Drei Kernthemen wurden identifiziert, auf deren Grundlage die Forschungsfragen zu den Maßnahmen beantwortet werden: Erstens, welche Möglichkeiten Unternehmen haben, ein internes agiles Setup zu implementieren, um mit agilen Dienstleistern auf Augenhöhe zusammenzuarbeiten. Zweitens, welche Vertragsvarianten die agile Zusammenarbeit unterstützen und verbessern können und drittens, welche agilen Techniken und Methoden in der agilen Zusammenarbeit eingesetzt werden sollten. Die Ergebnisse der Fallstudien bestätigen die Annahme, dass die drei identifizierten Kernthemen für eine effektive Zusammenarbeit im agilen Umfeld essenziell sind. Während einerseits nachgewiesen wurde, dass sich die Vertragsanforderungen hinsichtlich ihrer Flexibilität und Anpassungsfähigkeit veränderten, wurde andererseits auch nachgewiesen, dass das interne Setup agile Treiber, Techniken und Methoden erfordert, um eine effektive Zusammenarbeit mit agilen Dienstleistern zu ermöglichen. Dieser Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Inhalte innerhalb der drei genannten Kernthemen und gibt Unternehmen zudem Hinweise, wie sie eine Basis für eine effektive Zusammenarbeit schaffen können.
In relation to the fast development of e-commerce and rapid increasing of parcels, urban logistic sector is facing the challenge of sustainability. Especially, last-mile delivery as the last step of goods transport, it connects to customers’ satisfaction, cost efficiency of logistic companies, and more and more public expectations to sustainability of urban logistics. To handle with the complexity of urban logistics conditions, governments and logistics companies should develop a co-operating strategy for sustainability of urban last-mile delivery. This paper is based on data collection from the long-term empirical research and a survey to the e-commerce users in Germany and China to develop a sustainable concept for the urban last-mile delivery. The key to the development of concept is to create a balance among the requirements of customers, the competition abilities of logistics companies and the public interest.
Optimal mental workload plays a key role in driving performance. Thus, driver-assisting systems that automatically adapt to a drivers current mental workload via brain–computer interfacing might greatly contribute to traffic safety. To design economic brain computer interfaces that do not compromise driver comfort, it is necessary to identify brain areas that are most sensitive to mental workload changes. In this study, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy and subjective ratings to measure mental workload in two virtual driving environments with distinct demands. We found that demanding city environments induced both higher subjective workload ratings as well as higher bilateral middle frontal gyrus activation than less demanding country environments. A further analysis with higher spatial resolution revealed a center of activation in the right anterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The area is highly involved in spatial working memory processing. Thus, a main component of drivers’ mental workload in complex surroundings might stem from the fact that large amounts of spatial information about the course of the road as well as other road users has to constantly be upheld, processed and updated. We propose that the right middle frontal gyrus might be a suitable region for the application of powerful small-area brain computer interfaces.
The present work aimed at investigating an extraction protocol based on consecutive steps of isoelectric point (pH ~ 4.25) mediated gum swelling and deproteinisation as an alternative method to produce flaxseed gum extracts of enhanced techno-functional characteristics. The osidic and proximate composition, structure conformation, flow behaviour, dynamic rheological and thermal properties of gums isolated from brown and golden flaxseeds were assessed. Gum extraction under near-to-isoelectric point conditions did not impair the extraction yield, residual protein and ash content, whilst it resulted in minor changes in the sugar composition of the flaxseed gum extracts. The deconvolution of the GPC/SEC chromatographs revealed the presence of four major polysaccharidic populations corresponding to arabinoxylans, rhamnogalacturonan–I and two AX-RG-I composite fractions. The latter appeared to minimise the intra- and interchain polymer non-covalent interactions (hydrogen bonding) leading to a better solvation affinity in water and lyotropic solvents. Golden flaxseed gums exerted higher molecular weight (Mw = 1.34–1.15 × 106 Da) and intrinsic viscosities (6.63–5.13 dL g−1) as well as better thickening and viscoelastic performance than the brown flaxseed gum exemplars. Golden flaxseed gums exhibited a better thermal stability compared to the brown flaxseed counterparts and therefore, they are suitable for product applications involving severe heat treatments.
Cryotropic gelation is one of the most common approaches to design novel hydrogels with multifaceted technological and biological functionalities. In the present paper, we studied the ability of highly galactosyl-substituted galactomannans, i.e. fenugreek and alfalfa gum, to form physically crosslinked hydrogels via cryogenic processing. Cycling of the galactomannan solutions (0.25 to 4% wt) from 25 to −20 to 25 °C induced the physical crosslinking of the galactomannan chains leading to the formation of different cryogel structures, i.e. filamentous aggregates (c* < c < 1%), cellular-like gel networks (1 ≤ c < 4%) or a homogeneously swollen gel (c ≥ 4%), depending on the total biopolymer content. Alfalfa gum-based cryogels exhibited higher elasticity and stiffness, better uniformity of the structure and a lower macropore size than their fenugreek counterparts. The physical blending of alfalfa or fenugreek gum with locust bean gum (2% total biopolymer) led to the reinforcement of the mechanical properties of the cryogels without significantly altering their microstructural aspects.
Understanding and modulating CNS function in physiological as well as pathophysiological contexts remains a significant ambition in research and clinical applications. The investigation of the multifaceted CNS cell types including their interactions and contributions to neural function requires a combination of the state-of-the-art in vivo electrophysiology and imaging techniques. We developed a novel type of liquid crystal polymer (LCP) surface micro-electrode manufactured in three customized designs with up to 16 channels for recording and stimulation of brain activity. All designs include spare central spaces for simultaneous 2P-imaging. Nanoporous platinum-plated contact sites ensure a low impedance and high current transfer. The epidural implantation of the LCP micro-electrodes could be combined with standard cranial window surgery. The epidurally positioned electrodes did not only display long-term biocompatibility, but we also observed an additional stabilization of the underlying CNS tissue. We demonstrate the electrode’s versatility in combination with in vivo 2P-imaging by monitoring anesthesia-awake cycles of transgenic mice with GCaMP3 expression in neurons or astrocytes. Cortical stimulation and simultaneous 2P Ca2+ imaging in neurons or astrocytes highlighted the astrocytes’ integrative character in neuronal activity processing. Furthermore, we confirmed that spontaneous astroglial Ca2+ signals are dampened under anesthesia, while evoked signals in neurons and astrocytes showed stronger dependency on stimulation intensity rather than on various levels of anesthesia. Finally, we show that the electrodes provide recordings of the electrocorticogram (ECoG) with a high signal-to noise ratio and spatial signal differences which help to decipher brain activity states during experimental procedures. Summarizing, the novel LCP surface micro-electrode is a versatile, convenient, and reliable tool to investigate brain function in vivo.
Intraspecific diet specialization, usually driven by resource availability, competition and predation, is common in natural populations. However, the role of parasites on diet specialization of their hosts has rarely been studied. Eye flukes can impair vision ability of their hosts and have been associated with alterations of fish feeding behavior. Here it was assessed whether European perch (Perca fluviatilis) alter their diet composition as a consequence of infection with eye flukes. Young-of-the-year (YOY) perch from temperate Lake Müggelsee (Berlin, Germany) were sampled in two years, eye flukes counted and fish diet was evaluated using both stomach content and stable isotope analyses. Perch diet was dominated by zooplankton and benthic macroinvertebrates. Both methods indicated that with increasing eye fluke infection intensity fish had a more selective diet, feeding mainly on the benthic macroinvertebrate Dikerogammarus villosus, while less intensively infected fish appeared to be generalist feeders showing no preference for any particular prey type. Our results show that infection with eye flukes can indirectly affect interaction of the host with lower trophic levels by altering the diet composition and highlight the underestimated role of parasites in food web studies.
Modeling and executing knowledge-intensive processes (KiPs) are challenging with state-of-the-art approaches, and the specific demands of KiPs are the subject of ongoing research. In this context, little attention has been paid to the ontology-driven combination of data-centric and semantic business process modeling, which finds additional motivation by enabling the division of labor between humans and artificial intelligence. Such approaches have characteristics that could allow support for KiPs based on the inferencing capabilities of reasoners. We confirm this as we show that reasoners can infer the executability of tasks based on a currently researched ontology- and data-driven business process model (ODD-BP model). Further support for KiPs by the proposed inference mechanism results from its ability to infer the relevance of tasks, depending on the extent to which their execution would contribute to process progress. Besides these contributions along with the execution perspective (start-to-end direction), we will also show how our approach can help to reach specific process goals by inferring the relevance of process elements regarding their support to achieve such goals (end-to-start direction). The elements with the most valuable process progress can be identified in the intersection of both, the execution and goal perspective. This paper will introduce this new approach and verifies its practicability with an evaluation of a KiP in the field of emergency call centers.
Purpose: Grounded in the theoretical concepts of utilitarianism and deontology, this paper aims to evaluate the issue of child labour from an ethics perspective. By linking utilitarianism with normative stakeholder theory, relevant stakeholder groups are being identified in order to examine their influence on and role in the occurrence of child labour allowing for a practical reference. The findings may serve companies in particular as a basis for decision-making in the development of their value chains.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The author uses a literature review in order to analyze the findings of existing literature on the topic of child labour in an ethics context, thereby drawing on literature, indexed in Web of Science and Google Scholar by employing forward and backward citation analysis.
Findings: The investigation of child labour in terms of ethics yields conflicting results. From a deontological perspective, child labour can never be ethical and should always be rejected as it is not wanted to become a general law. In contrast, according to a utilitarian sentiment, child labour is ethically justifiable as long as the beneficiaries of the labour are greater in number than the children working or suffering.
Originality/Value: The examination of child labour from the perspective of deontology and utilitarianism in conjunction with normative stakeholder theory constitutes a novelty in the ethics literature. The integration of theoretical findings into a practical business context provides additional value for managers and global supply chain managers.
Objective: The objective of the article highlight the significance of culture in the entrepreneurial landscape and provides entrepreneurs and (project) managers with a guidance tool to overcome previously unconsidered stumbling blocks while operating in the intercultural setting.
Research Design & Methods: The following article was prepared based on a critical study review devoted to existing approaches to intercultural impact in business life and used the archival technique from 1990-2020. The study review reflects on the identification of existing literature gaps in the implementation of a subcultural business environment. It addresses these by designing an appropriate model to bypass the apparent pitfalls of intercultural business communication and co-existence, if possible.
Findings: Culture impacts diverse sets of society and businesses, including entrepreneurship. This article underpins which pitfalls are advisable to consider when encountering the intercultural and entrepreneurship-driven workplace.
Implications & Recommendations: Based on the study review, startups, as well as big corporate companies’ projects of a creational nature, are advised to reconsider their perception and handling of culture applying The Building of Cultural and Entrepreneurial Force.
Contribution & Value Added: The added value of this article is to be found in the solid analysis of cultural essentialism, anti-essentialism, and implications to beware of in the managerial and entrepreneurial context related to The Building of Intercultural and Entrepreneurial Force that intends to ease to co-work of intercultural teams.
This text will explain which role “Green Bonds” play in financing projects and how the green factor is weighted. It will be discussed on how the term “green” can change the price of the bond, if there is a “green premium” and for which group of investors this type of bond is interesting. We will discuss ways to reduce their cost of capital, also considering the risks and on ways on how to improve their conditions. The sustainable and eco-friendly aspects are also highlighted in this text and they might become crucial in future investing, which gives the bond an interesting role.
The dark side of Samsung’s value chain: The human costs of cobalt mining “BLOOD, SWEAT AND COBALT”
(2021)
Samsung has been implicitly linked to human rights abuses and wider social downgrading propagated within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Reports by different studies have shown artisanal cobalt mines (ASM) to exploit child labour and subject workers to perilous conditions. The IT multinational is dependent upon Congolese cobalt as a key element in lithiumion batteries used to produce their array of electronics. However, irresponsible cobalt sourcing practices undertaken by Tier 1 suppliers, Glencore and Huayou, have resulted in ASM operations being incorporated into Samsung’s global value chain, as Tier 2 suppliers. Analysis of the relationships underpinning Samsung’s cobalt value chain theoretical framework, highlights the presence of a relational governance structure, with captive elements among upstream Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. Samsung is thereby reliant upon both Glencore and Huayou to transmit and enforce private codes of conduct down the value chain to expel human rights abuses. In conjunction, the DRC’s weak and unstable institutional environment has facilitated corruption and the improper enforcement of laws across the ASM industry. It is thereby imperative that Samsung takes ownership of the issues present within its value chain, as both Tier 1 suppliers and the Congolese government have failed to ensure responsible cobalt sourcing practices to date. This report recommends that Samsung adopt a holistic action plan, not only utilising their own resources and capabilities, but also those of critical stakeholders including Tier 1 suppliers, NGOs and the DRC and South Korean governments. Most prominently, this report suggests that supply chain transparency can be improved using certificates of origin and blockchain technology. Furthermore, it is recommended that poverty alleviation is targeted as a key measure through “Cobalt for Development”, an action plan designed to instigate both social and economic upgrading within ASM operations and the wider community. By employing a multi-scalar approach and addressing the issues inherent across multiple governance levels, Samsung can ensure a responsible source of cobalt be sustained.
Reasons and potential solution approaches for the shortage of nursing staff in German hospitals
(2021)
The aim of this scientific paper was to find out the reasons for the shortage of nursing staff in German hospitals and to provide potential solution approaches for this shortage. Over the last years, the shortage of nursing staff has become a more and more important topic in the news: Not only due to the increasing amount of missing nurses, but also due to the ageing population in Germany, which leads to an increasing amount of patients in German hospitals. To reach this aim two surveys were done, of which one was for nursing staff only and the other one was for people from all occupational groups with the intention of creating comparative values. The surveys were done from March to April 2019 and were analysed afterwards. After a detailed analysis of the survey results, it can be summarized that the reasons for the shortage of nursing staff in German hospitals are very diverse: Starting with a weak salary, improvable working conditions – for example the shift work and the high amount of physical and psychological stress -, a difficult compatibility of family and job as well as the unattractive image of the job as a nurse in the society. It can be concluded that the solution for the shortage of nursing staff is very difficult. The future will show whether the governmental support will help to make the job as a nurse more attractive – not only for the current nurses, but also for potential future nurses.
Aim: The aim of this scientific paper was to examine important trends and developments influencing the nursing care in order to forecast future opportunities and challenges and how to deal with them in the best possible way.
Background: The Corona-pandemic demonstrated the importance of nursing care in the entire world and had drawn attention to the issue of a well-educated and enough nursing staff. The nursing care will face opportunities and challenges due to current trends and developments, which are important to examine in order to provide the best possible nursing care.
Methods: To reach the above-mentioned aim, intensive research was done by using secondary sources and surveys.
Results/Findings: After a detailed analysis of the research it can be summarized that there are three important topics influencing the nursing care: The demographical development with an increasing life expectancy leading to an increasing amount of old people with a demand for care and decreasing birth rates leading to less working people. Cultural transformation and diversity imply many opportunities because the employment market can fill gaps with foreign workers and the immigrating people can compensate the decreasing birth rates. Nevertheless, it can imply many challenges and potential problems which need to be solved by the society and the immigrating people. Furthermore, the changing gender roles can lead to more men becoming a nurse, which might have a significant impact on the shortage of nursing staff. The third important topic influencing the nursing care is technological trends which can help to decrease physiological stress, by facilitating the nurses’ work and by taking over some work from them.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that the trends and developments influencing the nursing care are very diverse and imply many different opportunities as well as challenges.
E-commerce has been keeping fast increasing worldwide since beginning of the 21st century. Rapid growth of e-commerce & parcel shipping is a booming business. However, how to handle with many hard-to-solve sustainability issues of transport in urban areas, is becoming a serious challenge for urban logistic sector and numerous stakeholders. The sustainability issues contain the problems of air pollution, congestion, and sub-contractors. This paper reported those issues in the context of growth of e-commerce and analyzed their efforts on the sustainable urban logistics development.
Bauprojekte sind in der Regel komplexe Vorhaben. Sie werden mit Hilfe des Projektmanagements und dessen Verfahren, Prozessen und Techniken bewältigt. Dennoch sind deutsche Bauprojekte nicht selten von Kosten- und Terminüberschreitungen betroffen. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, mögliche Optimierungsfelder im Planungs- und Steuerungsprozess eines Unternehmens für Industriebauprojekte zu identifizieren und darauf aufbauende Verbesserungsansätze zu erarbeiten. Um die Ziele verfolgen zu können, wurde eine qualitative Sozialforschung mittels Experteninterviews durchgeführt. Die Expertenaussagen verdeutlichen weiterhin Optimierungspotenzial, sowohl im Planungs- als auch im Steuerungsprozess. Ausgewählte Techniken (hauptsächlich aus dem klassischen Projektmanagement) dienen indessen dazu, die Effektivität und Effizienz des Planungsprozesses zu erhöhen. Innerhalb des Steuerungsprozesses zeigt sich, dass viele Optimierungsbereiche der Steuerung auf den Defiziten der Planung beruhen.
With a radar working in the 24 GHz ISM-band in a frequency modulated continuous wave mode the major vital signs heartbeat and respiration rate are monitored. The observation is hereby contactless with the patient sitting straight up in a distance of 1–2 m to the radar. Radar and sampling platform are components developed internally in the university institution. The communication with the radar is handled with MATLAB via TCP/IP. The signal processing and real-time visualization is developed in MATLAB, too. Cornerstone of this publication are the wavelet packet transformation and a spectral frequency estimation for vital sign calculation. The wavelet transformation allows a fine tuning of frequency subspaces, separating the heartbeat signal from the respiration and more important from noise and other movement. Heartbeat and respiration are monitored independently and compared to parallel recorded ECG-data.
Radar signal processing is a promising tool for vital sign monitoring. For contactless observation of breathing and heart rate a precise measurement of the distance between radar antenna and the patient’s skin is required. This results in the need to detect small movements in the range of 0.5 mm and below. Such small changes in distance are hard to be measured with a limited radar bandwidth when relying on the frequency based range detection alone. In order to enhance the relative distance resolution a precise measurement of the observed signal’s phase is required. Due to radar reflections from surfaces in close proximity to the main area of interest the desired signal of the radar reflection can get superposed. For superposing signals with little separation in frequency domain the main lobes of their discrete Fourier transform (DFT) merge into a single lobe, so that their peaks cannot be differentiated. This paper evaluates a method for reconstructing the phase and amplitude of such superimposed signals.
Multimodal meaning making: The annotation of nonverbal elements in multimodal corpus transcription
(2021)
The article discusses how to integrate annotation for nonverbal elements (NVE) from multimodal raw data as part of a standardized corpus transcription. We argue that it is essential to include multimodal elements when investigating conversational data, and that in order to integrate these elements, a structured approach to complex multimodal data is needed. We discuss how to formulate a structured corpus-suitable standard syntax and taxonomy for nonverbal features such as gesture, facial expressions, and physical stance, and how to integrate it in a corpus. Using corpus examples, the article describes the development of a robust annotation system for spoken language in the corpus of Video-mediated English as a Lingua Franca Conversations (ViMELF 2018) and illustrates how the system can be used for the study of spoken discourse. The system takes into account previous research on multimodality, transcribes salient nonverbal features in a concise manner, and uses a standard syntax. While such an approach introduces a degree of subjectivity through the criteria of salience and conciseness, the system also offers considerable advantages: it is versatile and adaptable, flexible enough to work with a wide range of multimodal data, and it allows both quantitative and qualitative research on the pragmatics of interaction.
Vibroarthrography measures joint sounds caused by sliding of the joint surfaces over each other. and can be affected by joint health, load and type of movement. Since both warm-up and muscle fatigue lead to local changes in the knee joint (e.g., temperature increase, lubrication of the joint, muscle activation), these may impact knee joint sounds. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of warm-up and muscle fatiguing exercise on knee joint sounds during an activity of daily living. Seventeen healthy, physically active volunteers (25.7 ± 2 years, 7 males) performed a control and an intervention session with a wash-out phase of one week. The control session consisted of sitting on a chair, while the intervention session contained a warm-up (walking on a treadmill) followed by a fatiguing exercise (modified sit-to-stand) protocol. Knee sounds were recorded by vibroarthrography (at the medial tibia plateau and at the patella) at three time points in each session during a sit-to-stand movement. The primary outcome was the mean signal amplitude (MSA, dB). Differences between sessions were determined by repeated measures ANOVA with intra-individual pre-post differences for the warm-up and for the muscle fatigue effect. We found a significant difference for MSA at the medial tibia plateau (intervention: mean 1.51 dB, standard deviation 2.51 dB; control: mean -1.28 dB, SD 2.61 dB; F = 9.5; p = .007; η2 = .37) during extension (from sit to stand) after the warm-up. There was no significant difference for any parameter after the muscle fatiguing exercise (p > .05). The increase in MSA may mostly be explained by an increase in internal knee load and joint friction. However, neuromuscular changes may also have played a role. It appears that the muscle fatiguing exercise has no impact on knee joint sounds in young, active, symptom-free participants during sit to stand.
Im Oktober 2019 veröffentlichte die Amerikanische Psychologische Gesellschaft APA die siebte, überarbeitete Auflage ihres Publikationshandbuchs "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association". In diesem Ratgeber werden Ihnen die Grundregeln des enthaltenen Zitierregelwerks vorgestellt, ergänzt um eine Einführung in das Zitieren. Einige wenige Regeln wurden der deutschen Grammatik angepasst (z. B. hinsichtlich Kommasetzung vor "&").
Inhalt:
1. Zitieren: Einleitung
2. Zitieren: Definitionen, Grundregeln und Plagiate
3. Zitiersysteme: Klassifikation
4. Zitiersysteme: APA – ein erster Eindruck
5. Text: Kurzbelege gestalten und platzieren
6. Text: sinngemäße Zitate
7. Text: direkte Zitate
8. Literaturverzeichnis: Inhalt und Sortierung (allgemein)
9. Literaturverzeichnis: Autor-Element (allgemein)
10. Literaturverzeichnis: Datum-Element (allgemein)
11. Literaturverzeichnis: Titel-Element (allgemein)
12. Literaturverzeichnis: Quellen-Informations-Element (allgemein)
13. Literaturverzeichnis: Quellen-DOI/URL-Element (allgemein)
14. Literaturverzeichnis: Schriftwerke
14.1 Periodika (Beiträge in Zeitschriften, Zeitungen etc.)
14.2 Bücher (Fach-, Lehrbücher, Sammel-, Nachschlagewerke u. Ä.)
14.3 Beiträge in Sammel- und Nachschlagewerken
14.4 Berichte und graue Literatur
14.5 Tagungs- und Konferenzbeiträge
14.6 Dissertationen und Abschlussarbeiten
14.7 Rezensionen und Besprechungen (in Periodika oder Blogs)
14.8 Unveröffentlichte und informell veröffentlichte Werke
14.9 Normblätter
14.10 Patentschriften
14.11 Spezial: Juristische Texte
15. Datensätze, Software und Tests
15.1 Datensätze
15.2 Software, mobile Apps, Apparaturen und Ausrüstung
16. Tests, Skalen und Messinstrumente
17. Audiovisuelle Medien
17.1 Audiovisuelle Werke (allgemein)
17.2 Ton-Bild-Werke (Filme etc.)
17.3 Tonwerke (Musikalben etc.)
17.4 Bildwerke (Karten etc.)
18. Online-Medien
18.1 Soziale Medien
18.2 Webseiten und Websites
19. Abbildungszitate gemäß APA
20. Zitiersysteme: APA-Handbuch und -Zitierhilfen
21. Zitiersysteme: Alternativen
22. Extra: Tipps für das Zusammenstellen einer Literaturgrundlage
In der seit 2009 andauernden Niedrigzinsphase ging der Anteil der Kapitaleinkommen am Volkseinkommen zurück. Da sich der Anteil des Faktors Arbeit nicht wesentlich veränderte, gewann der Produktionsfaktor Boden an Bedeutung. In der Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnung spiegelt sich dies jedoch nicht wider, da der Boden dort nicht gesondert ausgewiesen wird. Mithilfe des Henry-George-Theorems wird versucht, eine Methode zu entwickeln, die den Anteil des Faktors Boden quantifiziert. Der explizite Ausweis des Bodeneinkommens in der Volkswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnung könnte dazu beitragen, die Rolle dieses vernachlässigten Faktors zu korrigieren.
Universities, as innovation drivers in science and technology worldwide, should attempt to become carbon-neutral institutions and should lead this transformation. Many universities have picked up the challenge and quantified their carbon footprints; however, up-to-date quantification is limited to use-phase emissions. So far, data on embodied impacts of university campus infrastructure are missing, which prevents us from evaluating their life cycle costs. In this paper, we quantify the embodied impacts of two university campuses of very different sizes and climate zones: the Umwelt-Campus Birkenfeld (UCB), Germany, and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. We also quantify the effects of switching to full renewable energy supply on the carbon footprint of a university campus based on the example of UCB. The embodied impacts amount to 13.7 (UCB) and 26.2 (NTU) kg CO2e/m2•y, respectively, equivalent to 59.2% (UCB), and 29.8% (NTU), respectively, of the building lifecycle impacts. As a consequence, embodied impacts can be dominating; thus, they should be quantified and reported. When adding additional use-phase impacts caused by the universities on top of the building lifecycle impacts (e.g., mobility impacts), both institutions happen to exhibit very similar emissions with 124.5–126.3 kg CO2e/m2•y despite their different sizes, structures, and locations. Embodied impacts comprise 11.0–20.8% of the total impacts at the two universities. In conclusion, efficient reduction in university carbon footprints requires a holistic approach, considering all impacts caused on and by a campus including upstream effects.
Productive biofilms are gaining growing interest in research due to their potential of producing valuable compounds and bioactive substances such as antibiotics. This is supported by recent developments in biofilm photobioreactors that established the controlled phototrophic cultivation of algae and cyanobacteria. Cultivation of biofilms can be challenging due to the need of surfaces for biofilm adhesion. The total production of biomass, and thus production of e.g. bioactive substances, within the bioreactor volume highly depends on the available cultivation surface. To achieve an enlargement of surface area for biofilm photobioreactors, biocarriers can be implemented in the cultivation. Thereby, material properties and design of the biocarriers are important for initial biofilm formation and growth of cyanobacteria. In this study, special biocarriers were designed and additively manufactured to investigate different polymeric materials and surface designs regarding biofilm adhesion of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme (CCAP 1453/33). Properties of 3D-printed materials were characterized by determination of wettability, surface roughness, and density. To evaluate the influence of wettability on biofilm formation, material properties were specifically modified by gas-phase fluorination and biofilm formation was analyzed on biocarriers with basic and optimized geometry in shaking flask cultivation. We found that different polymeric materials revealed no significant differences in wettability and with identical surface design no significant effect on biomass adhesion was observed. However, materials treated with fluorination as well as optimized biocarrier design showed improved wettability and an increase in biomass adhesion per biocarrier surface.
This study introduced an automated long-term fermentation process for fungals grown in pellet form. The goal was to reduce the overgrowth of bioreactor internals and sensors while better rheological properties in the fermentation broth, such as oxygen transfer and mixing time, can be achieved. Because this could not be accomplished with continuous culture and fed-batch fermentation, repeated-batch fermentation was implemented with the help of additional bioreactor internals (“sporulation supports”). This should capture some biomass during fermentation. After harvesting the suspended biomass, intermediate cleaning was performed using a cleaning device. The biomass retained on the sporulation support went through the sporulation phase. The spores were subsequently used as inocula for the next batch. The reason for this approach was that the retained pellets could otherwise cause problems (e.g., overgrowth on sensors) in subsequent batches because the fungus would then show undesirable hyphal growth. Various sporulation supports were tested for sufficient biomass fixation to start the next batch. A reproducible spore concentration within the range of the requirements could be achieved by adjusting the sporulation support (design and construction material), and an intermediate cleaning adapted to this.
Concerning human and environmental health, safe alternatives to synthetic pesticides are urgently needed. Many of the currently used synthetic pesticides are not authorized for application in organic agriculture. In addition, the developed resistances of various pests against classical pesticides necessitate the urgent demand for efficient and safe products with novel modes of action. Botanical pesticides are assumed to be effective against various crop pests, and they are easily biodegradable and available in high quantities and at a reasonable cost. Many of them may act by diverse yet unexplored mechanisms of action. It is therefore surprising that only few plant species have been developed for commercial usage as biopesticides. This article reviews the status of botanical pesticides, especially in Europe and Mediterranean countries, deepening their active principles and mechanisms of action. Moreover, some constraints and challenges in the development of novel biopesticides are highlighted.
1. Among the many concerns for biodiversity in the Anthropocene, recent reports of flying insect loss are particularly alarming, given their importance as pollinators, pest control agents, and as a food source. Few insect monitoring programmes cover the large spatial scales required to provide more generalizable estimates of insect responses to global change drivers.
2. We ask how climate and surrounding habitat affect flying insect biomass using data from the first year of a new monitoring network at 84 locations across Germany comprising a spatial gradient of land cover types from protected to urban and crop areas.
3. Flying insect biomass increased linearly with temperature across Germany. However, the effect of temperature on flying insect biomass flipped to negative in the hot months of June and July when local temperatures most exceeded long-term averages.
4. Land cover explained little variation in insect biomass, but biomass was lowest in forests. Grasslands, pastures, and orchards harboured the highest insect biomass. The date of peak biomass was primarily driven by surrounding land cover, with grasslands especially having earlier insect biomass phenologies.
5. Standardised, large-scale monitoring provides key insights into the underlying processes of insect decline and is pivotal for the development of climate-adapted strategies to promote insect diversity. In a temperate climate region, we find that the positive effects of temperature on flying insect biomass diminish in a German summer at locations where temperatures most exceeded long-term averages. Our results highlight the importance of local adaptation in climate change-driven impacts on insect communities.
Numerous research methods have been developed to detect anomalies in the areas of security and risk analysis. In healthcare, there are numerous use cases where anomaly detection is relevant. For example, early detection of sepsis is one such use case. Early treatment of sepsis is cost effective and reduces the number of hospital days of patients in the ICU. There is no single procedure that is sufficient for sepsis diagnosis, and combinations of approaches are needed. Detecting anomalies in patient time series data could help speed the development of some decisions. However, our algorithm must be viewed as complementary to other approaches based on laboratory values and physician judgments. The focus of this work is to develop a hybrid method for detecting anomalies that occur, for example, in multidimensional medical signals, sensor signals, or other time series in business and nature. The novelty of our approach lies in the extension and combination of existing approaches: Statistics, Self Organizing Maps and Linear Discriminant Analysis in a unique and unprecedented way with the goal of identifying different types of anomalies in real-time measurement data and defining the point where the anomaly occurs. The proposed algorithm not only has the full potential to detect anomalies, but also to find real points where an anomaly starts.
The study traces the development of compulsory vaccination in Germany against the background of political discussion and legislative activities, focusing on the area of tension between state health protection and the right to medical self-determination in the context of constitutional balancing. It is based on the assumption that the right to medical self-determination traditionally dominates state decisions in a democratic constitutional state and that the scope for decision-making is constantly being further contoured in the face of current challenges.
This paper analyzes some of the assumptions in which the varied use of technologies to confront the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and protect people's health has impacted on the fundamental right to the protection of personal data; to do so, it starts from the premise that the use of these technologies cannot mean an affectation to the referred fundamental right, much less an indiscriminate treatment of such data without any minimum control whatsoever.
This paper is structured into two parts, which are closely related: first, the analysis of the parlamentary and governmental measures against the covid-19 pandemic; and second, the future regulatory framework about freedom of movement and other rights in the European area, according to the new European pact on migration and asylum.
Freedom of trade, occupation and profession in times of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa
(2022)
This paper evaluates the freedom of trade, occupation, and profession in South Africa from a Covid-19 pandemic context. It does that by focusing on the pertinent provisions and rights contained in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (the Constitution) and relevant international and regional human rights instruments. It proceeds by discussing the interlinkage between (the freedom of trade, occupation, and profession and other pertinent fundamental) rights, limitation, enforcement, and interpretation of rights. This is followed by some final observations.
Covid-19 outbreak had a huge impact on the economy worldwide as businesses had to close or cease their activities due to the lockdown regulations. The “luckiest” firms were able to operate but under restricted conditions. In order to avoid what certain authors called “bankruptcy epidemic” European countries took economic and fiscal measures to help companies compensate their financial losses. In addition to Government Grants, emergency legislations have been adopted with the aim to adapt insolvency and restructuring procedures to the sanitary situation and specific rules relating to company Law have also been implemented. This paper deals with the measures taken by the state of Luxembourg and gives a brief overview of the legal amendments.
Background: In recent years, the volume of medical knowledge and health data has increased rapidly. For example, the increased availability of electronic health records (EHRs) provides accurate, up-to-date, and complete information about patients at the point of care and enables medical staff to have quick access to patient records for more coordinated and efficient care. With this increase in knowledge, the complexity of accurate, evidence-based medicine tends to grow all the time. Health care workers must deal with an increasing amount of data and documentation. Meanwhile, relevant patient data are frequently overshadowed by a layer of less relevant data, causing medical staff to often miss important values or abnormal trends and their importance to the progression of the patient’s case.
Objective: The goal of this work is to analyze the current laboratory results for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and classify which of these lab values could be abnormal the next time the test is done. Detecting near-future abnormalities can be useful to support clinicians in their decision-making process in the ICU by drawing their attention to the important values and focus on future lab testing, saving them both time and money. Additionally, it will give doctors more time to spend with patients, rather than skimming through a long list of lab values.
Methods: We used Structured Query Language to extract 25 lab values for mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU from the MIMIC-III and eICU data sets. Additionally, we applied time-windowed sampling and holding, and a support vector machine to fill in the missing values in the sparse time series, as well as the Tukey range to detect and delete anomalies. Then, we used the data to train 4 deep learning models for time series classification, as well as a gradient boosting–based algorithm and compared their performance on both data sets.
Results: The models tested in this work (deep neural networks and gradient boosting), combined with the preprocessing pipeline, achieved an accuracy of at least 80% on the multilabel classification task. Moreover, the model based on the multiple convolutional neural network outperformed the other algorithms on both data sets, with the accuracy exceeding 89%.
Conclusions: In this work, we show that using machine learning and deep neural networks to predict near-future abnormalities in lab values can achieve satisfactory results. Our system was trained, validated, and tested on 2 well-known data sets to ensure that our system bridged the reality gap as much as possible. Finally, the model can be used in combination with our preprocessing pipeline on real-life EHRs to improve patients’ diagnosis and treatment.
The concept of Circular Economy (CE) is becoming increasingly important in the pursuit of more sustainable societies. CE strategies are being applied in the sustainable management of a plethora of areas, such as energy, water, food and eco-industrial parks. The present paper focuses on the question of how CE principles can support the sustainable management of water in the agricultural sector around the world, considering different legislative environments, water resources management guidelines, environmental stressors, and CE practices. Considering these practices and circumstances, seven countries were compared: Brazil, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Portugal, and Taiwan. Together, CE experts in the seven countries developed a set of 44 criteria to assess each of these areas. Broader establishment and respect of water resources legislation was found to be strongly correlated with lower agricultural water use. While the application of CE practices was found to not be correlated with lower consumption, this is still novel in most countries. Based on the studied countries, it can be concluded that a global CE agenda has not been reached for water resources. Further application and variety of practices is required to better represent the impact of CE on a national scale, but local success stories could support the wider application of CE in agriculture. The findings and the framework of the study can be applied to other countries in directing CE strategies for more sustainable water use in agriculture. Increasing CE implementation, motivated by legislation and better management can help ensure water security throughout nations.
The number of additive manufacturing methods and materials is growing rapidly, leaving gaps in the knowledge of specific material properties. A relatively recent addition is the metal-filled filament to be printed similarly to the fused filament fabrication (FFF) technology used for plastic materials, but with additional debinding and sintering steps. While tensile, bending, and shear properties of metals manufactured this way have been studied thoroughly, their fatigue properties remain unexplored. Thus, the paper aims to determine the tensile, fatigue, and impact strengths of Markforged 17-4 PH and BASF Ultrafuse 316L stainless steel to answer whether the metal FFF can be used for structural parts safely with the current state of technology. They are compared to two 316L variants manufactured via selective laser melting (SLM) and literature results. For extrusion-based additive manufacturing methods, a significant decrease in tensile and fatigue strength is observed compared to specimens manufactured via SLM. Defects created during the extrusion and by the pathing scheme, causing a rough surface and internal voids to act as local stress risers, handle the strength decrease. The findings cast doubt on whether the metal FFF technique can be safely used for structural components; therefore, further developments are needed to reduce internal material defects.
Geometrieerzeugung von Evolventenzahntrieben: Profilverschobene schrägverzahnte Stirnzahnräder
(2022)
In dieser Arbeit wird die Zahnradgeometrie von Stirnrädern berechnet und formatiert, um sie in ein CAD-Programm zu übertragen. Dabei werden die Konturen der Evolvente und der Trochoide nach den gleichen Regel wie bei der Herstellung durch Wälzfräsen erzeugt. Der Anwender hat die Möglichkeit die Haupteigenschaften wie Modul, Zahnkopfspiel und Eckenverrundung einzugeben. Zusätzlich können auch schrägverzahnte, profilverschobene Stirnräder mit Hochverzahnung und Kopfkürzung erzeugt werden.
Per Datenausgabe werden die Koordinaten gespeichert und durch ein Makro in das CAD-Programm übertragen. Aus den beiden Konturzügen wird der 3D-Körper durch Austragen entlang der Helix erzeugt.
Zur Weiterverarbeitung wird die Zahnradgeometrie nach manueller Tesselierung in ein universales Dateiformat exportiert.
1. Recent reports on insect decline have highlighted the need for long-term data on insect communities towards identifying their trends and drivers.
2. With the launch of many new insect monitoring schemes to investigate insect communities over large spatial and temporal scales, Malaise traps have become one of the most important tools due to the broad spectrum of species collected and reduced capture bias through passive sampling of insects day and night. However, Malaise traps can vary in size, shape, and colour, and it is unknown how these differences affect biomass, species richness, and composition of trap catch, making it difficult to compare results between studies.
3. We compared five Malaise trap types (three variations of the Townes and two variations of the Bartak Malaise trap) to determine their effects on biomass and species richness as identified by metabarcoding.
4. Insect biomass varied by 20%–55%, not strictly following trap size but varying with trap type. Total species richness was 20%–38% higher in the three Townes trap models compared to the Bartak traps. Bartak traps captured lower richness of highly mobile taxa but increased richness of ground-dwelling taxa. The white roofed Townes trap captured a higher richness of pollinators.
5. We find that biomass, total richness, and taxa group specific richness are all sensitive to Malaise trap type. Trap type should be carefully considered and aligned to match monitoring and research questions. Additionally, our estimates of trap type effects can be used to adjust results to facilitate comparisons across studies.
The data presented here contain information on cheating behavior from experiments and general self-reported attitudes related to honesty-related social norms and trust, together with individual-level demographic variables. Our sample included 493 university students in five countries, namely, Germany, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, and Japan. The experiment was monetarily incentivized based on the performance on a matrix task. The participants also answered a survey questionnaire. The dataset is valuable for academic researchers in sociology, psychology, and economics who are interested in honesty, norms, and cultural differences.
Der Automobilhandel befindet sich in einer momentanen Phase des Umbruchs. Der Trend zum Kauferlebnis online, verstärkt durch die Pandemie, und die durch die Dieselproblematik entfachte Diskussion zum Emissionsausstoß und Fahrverboten für Verbrennungsmotoren im Fahrzeugbereich, treibt den Wandel zu elektrischen Antriebstechnologien an. Durch diese Umstellung ergeben sich neue Möglichkeiten für das Fahrzeug im Bereich der Digitalisierung. Die branchenübergreifende Digitalisierung findet sich auch in den neuen Vertriebssystemen der Automobilhersteller wieder. Hierbei ist zudem eine Veränderung der Absatzkanäle zu beobachten. Der Kunde weicht beim Autokauf davon ab, exklusiv zu dem Händler seines Vertrauens zu gehen und sich hier durch den gesamten Verkaufsprozess hinweg betreuen zu lassen. Vielmehr verschieben sich einzelne Teilbereiche in das Internet. So müssen etablierte Prozesse neugestaltet werden, um weiterhin im Markt und im Wettbewerb bestehen zu können.
Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Beantwortung zweier Forschungsfragen. Zum einen soll der Status-Quo der Digitalisierung von Vertriebsinstrumenten im Autohaus untersucht werden. Konkret geht es dabei um die Frage, in welcher Art und Weise die Digitalisierung den Vertrieb beeinflusst und welche Effekte sich daraus ergeben. Zum anderen stellt sich die Frage wie die Digitalisierung in Form des Internets, als Absatzkanal für die Automobilindustrie geeignet ist, und ob derart komplexe Produkte wie ein Neufahrzeug über diesen Kanal abgesetzt werden können. Weiterhin soll betrachtet werden, welche Veränderungen in den Vertriebsstrukturen das beim stationären Autohändler verursacht.
Die Arbeit befasst sich ausschließlich mit der Digitalisierung bei Vertragshändlern mit Volumenzielen im Neuwagen-Bereich. Damit sind die Luxus- oder Premiummarken ausgeschlossen. Außerdem wird im Autohaus in zwei Kundenkategorien unterschieden. Es gibt die Großabnehmer und die Einzelkunden. Die Großabnehmer sind Unternehmen, die durch eine vordefinierte Anzahl an Mindestabnahmen einen besonderen Status und Konditionen genießen. Die Einzelkunden sind private Abnehmer oder gewerbliche Kunden, die die Mindestabnahme nicht erreichen. Die Arbeit beschränkt sich ausschließlich auf die Analyse und Auswirkungen der Veränderungen im Segment der Einzelkunden.
The future of German pharmacy business models with retail clinics as USP against online pharmacies
(2022)
Purpose: This study aims to discuss the chances of in-store pharmacies through in-store health services, e. g. vaccinations or Covid-19 tests, in Germany. As a result, retail clinics could lead to a USP against online pharmacies. Additionally, the study will show how possible retail clinics could look like and how the acceptance in the population is.
Research Methodology: To conduct the survey, Google Forms was used together with MS Excel for the analysis. Various studies were reviewed, and care was taken to work as closely as possible to practice and its figures from e. g. associations, companies, or statista.
Results: The launch of retail clinics could give German stationary pharmacies a new boost and differentiate them from online pharmacies on the market. Pharmaceutical services are in great demand among the population, hopefully, the legal framework will soon be in place, and the proper services will have to be offered to be able to fully generate the large sales potential.
Discussion and Conclusion: The study only points to a general overview of how health services can help store pharmacies in the competition with online pharmacies in Germany. Yet there are also other possible USPs for store pharmacies, which are not concluded in that study. In addition, the legal framework under which pharmacies operate must be analyzed in detail by legal experts to obtain a precise overview of what is possible for pharmacies in the area of pharmaceutical services and retail clinics. The study is useful for pharmacists, business economists in general as well as in health care management.
Implementation strategies of a modern showroom concept for retailers with a wide range of products
(2022)
This paper suggests a new business model based on modern technology for retail. In the age of digitalization, stationary retail is losing market shares to online retail. Therefore, there is an obvious need for change in businesses. The concept developed in this paper combines the strengths of online and stationary retail to benefit stationary retail. In the approach taken in this paper, the basis for change is modern technology. Finding innovative ways to use technologies like NFC, AI, and robotics is regarded as the key factor to sustainable success. As the implementation of modern technologies entails a particular investment, the customers’ opinion on structural changes like these has been included in the consideration. Therefore, a survey has been conducted to find out which level of innovation current customers are willing to accept thus emphasizing the need for certain changes and dissuading specific others. The result of this paper is the modern showroom concept which takes the customers’ opinion into account while implementing the right amount of technology that should pave the way to a sustainable future for stationary retail.
The objective of this study is to allow a better understanding of the role of industry 4.0 technologies, especially filament extrusion technology in the reduction of costs, environmental impact, energy consumption, and the possibility to expand the range of printable materials. The study focuses on the desktop Filament Extruders available in the market now, where these machines are assessed and future possible modifications for these apparatuses are presented. The research leading to the publication of this study consists of a review of the existing literature, in addition, information from different extruders manufacturers’ websites has been used. The study has demonstrated that the extrusion of material at home is still not an exact science, and the process ends up costing the user large sums of money over time. However, there are still limitations to the use of this technology such as the lack of standardized extrusion settings, the necessity of pre-drying the pellets, and the complexity of the extruder cleaning process after each use.
In 2019 at IBM, it was found that there is a strong dependence on a few large banks in bank sales, and the growth targets of the sales division cannot be achieved due to the existing business with these same customers. To counteract this dependency, an NCA-specific sales team for the banking industry was established to support small and medium-sized banks with personal commitment and expertise and to develop them into long-term business partners of IBM. This research focuses on the development of a performance measurement system for NCA-Sales teams. It postulates the hypothesis that more effective and better-suited performance measurement systems can be developed for NCA-Sales of information technology towards financial institutions. Authors use the methodology of expert interviews and Mayrings qualitative content analysis to gain insights into the relevant factors that need to be considered when evaluating the performance of such sales teams. The paper identifies stakeholders, challenges, and goals that should be integrated into a performance measurement system as well as KPIs to measure them. The results are being consolidated into a conceptual sketch for an NCA-sales optimized PMS. The paper distinguishes itself from other research through an approach that gives detailed guidance for the practical implementation of its findings. The research was conducted with professionals in the IT sector; however, all of them were working for the same company, and the data was collected in the short span of one week as it was part of a research. The outcome can be used for further studies on how to effectively measure performance in NCA-Sales teams.
Value-based controlling & international accounting
of Economic Value Added (EVA) – An overview
(2022)
This paper will discuss an important target variable in value-based management: the Economic Value Added (or EVA). EVA is a measure of a company's financial performance based on the residual wealth calculated by deducting its cost of capital from its operting profit, adjusted for taxes on a cash basis. EVA can also be referred to as economic profit, as it attempts to capture the true economic profit of a company. This measure was devised by management consulting firm Stern Value Management, originally incorporated as Stern Stewart & Co. This research will also discuss adjustments and different types of assumptions that are necessary for the calculation as well as how to use them properly to obtain an interpretable result. Paper will explain the formula and which conversions should be considered. It remains to be noted that the EVA concept only leads to small progress from a scientific point of view, but that the clever marketing by Stern & Stewart has initiated a renaissance of the underlying residual profit concept. The paper provides practitioners and academics with a good overview of the demonstrable added value of EVA controlling and, in contrast, also illustrates the weaknesses of the calculation model or the inaccuracy due to interpretation variables, which overall limit the value of EVA as a management key performance indicator. The research includes comprehensive and substantial discussion in the scientific literature on EVA and its interpretation.
Railroads, roads, rivers, and airways are the most common modes of transportation for people and commodities. The cost of different ways of transportation varies according to distance, luxury, size, fragility, and other factors. When the following factors are accounted for, the vehicle might become prohibitively expensive for many individuals. A new means of conveyance has been developed. Elon Musk initially proposed it as the fifth mode of transportation in 2012. For commuters and goods, Hyperloop offers a quick and cost-effective way of transportation. The Hyperloop is essentially a vacuum tube train that transports people or products at incredible speeds while efficiently. Compared to traditional forms of transportation, the Hyperloop is ideal since it is highly energy-efficient, quiet, and self-contained. Increased cargo delivery speeds will be the most evident benefit of this idea to the industry. Hyperloop also has the potential to make a significant contribution to green supply chains. It is a carbon-free form of transportation that has changed inland freight transportation and maritime and air freight transit. It can move freight below, above ground, and under-water. The aim of this paper is to explain this new innovative technology as a development for logistic concepts.
Das Ziel der Bundesregierung von jährlich 400.000 neuen Wohnungen (davon 100.000 mit Sozialbindung) ist gefährdet. Deutschland steht nämlich möglicherweise eine längere Stagflationsphase bevor, die nicht zuletzt durch den Abriss von Lieferketten und den Anstieg der Energiepreise bedingt ist. Investoren von Wohnungen geraten dabei wirtschaftlich in die Zange: Einerseits sind die Möglichkeiten, weitere Mieterhöhungen durchzusetzen, aufgrund sinkender Realeinkommen beschränkt. Auf der anderen Seite explodiert aufgrund steigender Baukosten und Zinsen die Kostenseite. Dies alles dürfte sich auf die Investitionsbereitschaft sehr negativ auswirken, zumal derzeit noch keine Erleichterung in Gestalt eines deutlichen Absinkens der Bodenpreise zu erkennen ist. Letzteres ist allerdings ein Argument für den verstärkten Einsatz von öffentlich ausgegebenen Erbbaurechten, über die auch Sozialbindungen für die gesamte Vertragslaufzeit auferlegt werden können.
Allerdings können u. U. in der sich abzeichnenden wirtschaftlichen Situation durchaus auch Erbbaurechtnehmer mit Bestandsverträgen in Probleme geraten. Die Ursache hierfür sind Anpassungen der Erbbauzinsen, deren Entwicklung an die Inflationsrate gekoppelt ist. Zwar existiert eine gesetzliche Billigkeitsprüfung. Diese setzt in ihrer gegenwärtigen Ausgestaltung aber möglicherweise zu geringe Hürden bei inflationsbedingt starken Erhöhungen der Erbbauzinsen. Diese Hürden könnte einerseits aber erhöht werden, indem neben den Bruttoverdiensten der Arbeitnehmer auf die Kerninflationsrate anstatt der Verbraucherpreissteigerungen Bezug genommen wird. Eine Alternative besteht in der Bezugnahme der Kappungsgrenze auf den Wohnungsmietindex, was allerdings einen Bruch mit der bisherigen wirtschaftlichen Logik der Kappungsgrenze bedeutet.
Bei von der öffentlichen Hand ausgegebenen Erbbaurechten würde sich ebenfalls eine freiwillige Bezugnahme der Anpassung der Erbbauzinsen im Rahmen von Gleitklauseln an der Kerninflationsrate empfehlen.
Die erstmalige Ausgabe von Erbbaurechten durch die öffentliche Hand sollte orientiert an langfristigen Baufinanzierungszinsen erfolgen. Dabei wäre jedoch ein Abschlag mit Blick auf die erwartete (Kern-) Inflation vorzunehmen, die bei Erbbaurechtsverträgen wegen der hier möglichen Wertsicherungsklauseln deutlich weniger auf die Rendite als bei Baufinanzierungen durchschlägt. Die Länder sind hier v. a. dahingehend gefordert, in den Gemeindeordnungen klarzustellen, dass ein derartiges Vorgehen nicht gegen das Gebot der Abgabe von Vermögenswerten zum „vollen Wert“ verstößt.
Ebenfalls vornehmlich den Aufgabenbereich der Länder (aber auch der Gemeinden) betrifft die Notwendigkeit, eine eigenständige Förderkulisse für bezahlbaren Wohnraum über Erbbaurechte aufzustellen, die perspektivisch die gesamte Vertragslaufzeit umfasst. Eine weitere Absenkung der Erbbauzinsen über das oben diskutierte Niveau (Orientierung an inflationsadjustierten langfristigen Baufinanzierungszinsen) stellt i.d.R. nur eine zweitbeste Lösung dar.
While the contribution of renewable energy technologies to the energy system is increasing, so is its level of complexity. In addition to new types of consumer systems, the future system will be characterized by volatile generation plants that will require storage technologies. Furthermore, a solid interconnected system that enables the transit of electrical energy can reduce the need for generation and storage systems. Therefore, appropriate methods are needed to analyze energy production and consumption interactions within different system constellations. Energy system models can help to understand and build these future energy systems. However, although various energy models already exist, none of them can cover all issues related to integrating renewable energy systems. The existing research gap is also reflected in the fact that current models cannot model the entire energy system for very high shares of renewable energies with high temporal resolution (15 min or 1-h steps) and high spatial resolution. Additionally, the low availability of open-source energy models leads to a lack of transparency about exactly how they work. To close this gap, the sector-coupled energy model (UCB-SEnMod) was developed. Its unique features are the modular structure, high flexibility, and applicability, enabling it to model any system constellation and can be easily extended with new functions due to its software design. Due to the software architecture, it is possible to map individual buildings or companies and regions, or even countries. In addition, we plan to make the energy model UCB-SEnMod available as an open-source framework to enable users to understand the functionality and configuration options more easily. This paper presents the methodology of the UCB-SEnMod model. The main components of the model are described in detail, i.e., the energy generation systems, the consumption components in the electricity, heat, and transport sectors, and the possibilities of load balancing.
The purpose of this article is to evaluate optimal expected utility risk measures (OEU) in a risk-constrained portfolio optimization context where the expected portfolio return is maximized. We compare the portfolio optimization with OEU constraint to a portfolio selection model using value at risk as constraint. The former is a coherent risk measure for utility functions with constant relative risk aversion and allows individual specifications to the investor’s risk attitude and time preference. In a case study with three indices, we investigate how these theoretical differences influence the performance of the portfolio selection strategies. A copula approach with univariate ARMA-GARCH models is used in a rolling forecast to simulate monthly future returns and calculate the derived measures for the optimization. The results of this study illustrate that both optimization strategies perform considerably better than an equally weighted portfolio and a buy and hold portfolio. Moreover, our results illustrate that portfolio optimization with OEU constraint experiences individualized effects, e.g., less risk-averse investors lose more portfolio value in the financial crises but outperform their more risk-averse counterparts in bull markets.
Die umlagefinanzierte gesetzliche Rentenversicherung kann angesichts der demografischen Entwicklung eine auskömmliche Versorgung im Alter bald nicht mehr sichern. Indem die Bürger:innen über eine kapitalgedeckte Alterssicherung am Unternehmensvermögen mittelbar beteiligt werden, könnte die Rentenlücke zumindest teilweise geschlossen werden. Das Unternehmensvermögen sollte bei einem neuen Reformanlauf auch vollständig in die Erbschaftsteuer einbezogen werden; dabei darf aber der Fortbestand der Unternehmen nicht gefährdet werden. Die Erbschaftsteuer auf Unternehmensvermögen könnte dabei als Finanzierungsquelle für eine kapitalgedeckte Altersgrundsicherung dienen.
In the single-processor scheduling problem with time restrictions there is one main processor and B resources that are used to execute the jobs. A perfect schedule has no idle times or gaps on the main processor and the makespan is therefore equal to the sum of the processing times. In general, more resources result in smaller makespans, and as it is in practical applications often more economic not to mobilize resources that will be unnecessary and expensive, we investigate in this paper the problem to find the smallest number B of resources that make a perfect schedule possible. We show that the decision version of this problem is NP-complete, derive new structural properties of perfect schedules, and we describe a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MIP) formulation to solve the problem. A large number of computational tests show that (for our randomly chosen problem instances) only B=3 or B=4 resources are sufficient for a perfect schedule.
Decoding the cellular network interaction of neurons and glial cells are important in the development of new therapies for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Electrophysiological in vivo studies in mice will help to understand the highly complex network. In this paper, the optimization of epidural liquid crystal polymer (LCP) electrodes for different platinum electroplating parameters are presented and compared. Constant current and pulsed current electroplating varied in strength and duration was used to decrease the electrode impedance and to increase the charge storage capacity (CSCc). In best cases, both methods generated similar results with an impedance reduction of about 99%. However, electroplating with pulsed currents was less parameter-dependent than the electroplating with constant current. The use of ultrasound was essential to generate platinum coatings without plating defects. Electrode model parameters extracted from the electrode impedance reflected the increase in surface porosity due to the electroplating processes.
Intervention in the form of core-specific stability exercises is evident to improve trunk stability. The purpose was to assess the effect of an additional 6 weeks sensorimotor or resistance training on maximum isokinetic trunk strength and response to sudden dynamic trunk loading (STL) in highly trained adolescent athletes. The study was conducted as a single-blind, 3-armed randomized controlled trial. Twenty-four adolescent athletes (14f/10 m, 16 ± 1 yrs.;178 ± 10 cm; 67 ± 11 kg; training sessions/week 15±5; training h/week 22±8) were randomized into resistance training (RT; n=7), sensorimotor training (SMT; n = 10), and control group (CG; n = 7). Athletes were instructed to perform standardized, center-based training for 6 weeks, two times per week, with a duration of 1 h each session. SMT consisted of four different core-specific sensorimotor exercises using instable surfaces. RT consisted of four trunk strength exercises using strength training machines, as well as an isokinetic dynamometer. All participants in the CG received an unspecific heart frequency controlled, ergometer-based endurance training (50 min at max. heart frequency of 130HF). For each athlete, each training session was documented in an individual training diary (e.g., level of SMT exercise; 1RM for strength exercise, pain). At baseline (M1) and after 6 weeks of intervention (M2), participants’ maximum strength in trunk rotation (ROM:63°) and flexion/extension (ROM:55°) was tested on an isokinetic dynamometer (concentric/eccentric 30°/s). STL was assessed in eccentric (30°/s) mode with additional dynamometer-induced perturbation as a marker of core stability. Peak torque [Nm] was calculated as the main outcome. The primary outcome measurements (trunk rotation/extension peak torque: con, ecc, STL) were statistically analyzed by means of the two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance (α = 0.05). Out of 12 possible sessions, athletes participated between 8 and 9 sessions (SMT: 9 ± 3; RT: 8 ± 3; CG: 8 ± 4). Regarding main outcomes of trunk performance, experimental groups showed no significant pre–post difference for maximum trunk strength testing as well as for perturbation compensation (p > 0.05). It is concluded, that future interventions should exceed 6 weeks duration with at least 2 sessions per week to induce enhanced trunk strength or compensatory response to sudden, high-intensity trunk loading in already highly trained adolescent athletes, regardless of training regime.
In this paper, the mechanical damage behavior is investigated based on the characteristic roughness on the surface and the orientation of superficial structures. The main goal is to explore the surface roughness on mechanically loaded copper conductors as a lifetime indicator. For this purpose, copper conductors are mechanically stressed in accordance with EN 50,396 and then examined metallographically and microscopically. The microstructure examination shows that the roughness is caused by material extrusion and cracks due to work hardening in the surface area. Using confocal microscopy, it is shown for the first time that significant formation of surface roughness takes place over the service life of copper conductors. The roughness increases monotonically, but not linearly with number of cycles, due to internal microstructural processes and can be divided into three sections. First inspections of the conductor surface over lifetime show a correlation between the intensity of structures orientated 45° to the loading direction and the roughness. This phenomenon, already known from microscopic slip lines, is thus also evident in macroscopic roughness formation and is well founded by the research theory on material extrusion along dislocation lines. In summary, a lifetime determination is possible based on its developing roughness which enables the utilization as a sensor element.
Gait analysis is a systematic study of human movement. Combining wearable foot pressure sensors and machine learning (ML) solutions for a high-fidelity body pose tracking from RGB video frames could reveal more insights into gait abnormalities. However, accurate detection of heel strike (HS) and toe-off (TO) events is crucial to compute interpretable gait parameters. In this work, we present an experimental platform to study the timing of gait events using a new wearable foot pressure sensor (ActiSense System, IEE S.A., Luxembourg), and Google’s open-source ML solution MediaPipe Pose. For this purpose, two StereoPi systems were built to capture stereoscopic videos and images in real time. MediaPipe Pose was applied to the synchronized StereoPi cameras, and two algorithms (ALs) were developed to detect HS and TO events for gait and analysis. Preliminary results from a healthy subject walking on a treadmill show a mean relative deviation across all time spans of less than 4% for the ActiSense device and less than 16% for AL2 (33% for AL1) employing MediaPipe Pose on StereoPi videos. Finally, this work offers a platform for the development of sensor- and video-based ALs to automatically identify the timing of gait events in healthy individuals and those with gait disorders.
This paper presents a feasibility study for the production of recycled glycol modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) material for additive manufacturing. Past studies showed a variety of results for the recycling of 3D-printing material, therefore the precise effect on the material properties is not completely clear. For this work, PETG waste of the same grade was recycled once and further processed into 3D printing filament. The study compares three blend ratios between purchased plastic pellets and recycled pellets to determine the degradation effect of one recycling cycle and possible blend ratios to counter these effects. Furthermore, the results include a commercially available filament. The comparison uses the filament diameter, the dimensional accuracy of the printed test specimen and mechanical properties as quality criteria. The study shows that the recycled material has a minor decrease concerning the tensile strength and Young’s modulus.
This scientific paper aimed to examine workplace stressors and factors influencing the Work-Life-Balance of nursing staff to understand potential factors and challenges. The Covid-19-pandemic has only again demonstrated the importance of sufficient and well-educated nursing staff. To ensure this, it is also important to consider the well-being of the nurses, because this influences their job performance, the turnover rate and the number of sick employees. To examine the workplace stressors and the Work-Life-Balance of nursing staff, different theoretical approaches and study findings are taken under consideration to determine their influence on the perceived stress of employees in general and nurses in particular and also the importance of a healthy Work-Life-Balance. The study was conducted by the Declaration of Helsinki and Tokyo. Many different factors make the job as a nurse potentially more stressful than for example administrative occupations. Moreover, there are plenty of difficulties for a healthy Work-Life-Balance for nursing staff and also potential negative effects resulting from a poor Work-Life-Balance or a high amount of workplace stressors. It can be concluded that a solution approach for the workplace stressors and a better Work-Life-Balance can only be reached if the employer and the employees work together to decrease the amount of stress, to offer and learn better mechanisms to cope with stress and to incorporate ways to ensure a better Work-Life-Balance.
Objective: In this article, the methods used to simplify the business modelling and founding of new companies are presented and critically reflected. Furthermore, it is discussed to what extent a specific method is advantageous, disadvantageous, applicable, not applicable, or even contradictory.
Methodology: The theoretical analysis is underpinned by a qualitative interview study asking company founders about applying the methods mentioned above. The work is based on scientific papers and books and is complemented by the data originating from a specially designed study.
Findings: The results conclude that business model founding instruments provide strategic guidelines favouring entrepreneurs, yet they turn out to be minor in its real-life significance as numerous factors rooted in different fields of expertise play in.
Value Added: The added value of this paper is in the elaboration of efficiency bringing and risk-minimizing components of the methods, respectively. Accordingly, managers and entrepreneurs of all industries are intended to be equipped with sufficient information content that eases the decision for or against one of the methods as realistic expectations considering the application are likely to emerge.
Recommendations: The limitations of this study are rooted in the chosen qualitative research since every interviewee is a subject to their individual perception.
Purpose: In this article, the canvas used to simplify business modeling of a platform and its visual depiction are put into the entrepreneurial context, and critically reflected accordingly. Furthermore, it is discussed to what extent the canvas is advantageous, disadvantageous, applicable, not applicable, or even contradictory.
Methodology: The analysis is based on theoretical research. Additionally, qualitative interviews with business founders were conducted.
Results: The results conclude that the canvas employed to ease the business model sharpening process supplies founders with essential aspects to cover, yet they are part of a large set of factors that play in.
Conclusion: The limitations of this study are rooted in the chosen research design based on the conceptual review.
The following paper aims to find out consumers' expectations and attitudes towards the innovation "Metaverse". It will also be explored which role the Meta Group plays in mass adaption and how the company influences consumers' possible use and opinion on the project. These results are connected to the fashion industry, further exploring new types of products and a possible distribution channel. Therefore, this study is useful to developers of Metaverses and AR/VR products, the Meta Group, and fashion companies. The main results of this research are: Meta and the Metaverse are seen as critical, the required technology has not yet reached mainstream use, but interest is present. Digital fashion had participants divided, some not willing to spend any money and some already having spent over 100€, although the Metaverse's influence on future purchases is little. The Metaverse could serve as a new distribution channel for clothing products. To conduct this research Google Forms was used. The research is classified as survey-based. The biggest limitation is the nonexistence of the Metaverse as envisioned by Meta, making it hard for participants to answer some of the questions asked.
Global vernetzte Supply Chains (SC) führen bei den Unternehmen zu geringeren Kosten, aber zugleich erhöhen diese auch die Abhängigkeit ggü. den Lieferanten und die Störanfälligkeit der SCs wird erhöht. In den vergangenen Jahren haben zudem die Unsicherheiten für die SCs stark zugenommen. Treiber waren hier u.a. der Brexit, Handelskonflikte oder auch die Corona-Pandemie. In diesem Zusammenhang steht verstärkt die Entwicklung neuer SC-Strategien im Fokus der Unternehmen. Dabei wird stark auf die Verbesserung der Resilienz der SCs geachtet, um dadurch u.a. die Risiken für die SCs zu reduzieren. Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Auswirkungen steigender Unsicherheiten auf das Design sowie die Resilienz von SCs und hat das Ziel zu ermitteln, ob es Änderungen in der SC bedarf, um auf die Auswirkungen steigender Unsicherheiten zu reagieren und wie die Resilienz zukünftig sichergestellt werden kann (Trade-off zwischen Resilienz und Kosteneffizienz). Im Rahmen der Untersuchung erfolgte eine qualitative Forschung in Form von Experteninterviews, da so u.a. spezifische Meinungen oder auch Begründungen und Einstellungen von bestimmten Personen zu den vorliegenden Thematiken ermittelt werden können. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Kosten weiterhin meist der entscheidende Aspekt sind und es mehr Transparenz, Flexibilität sowie ein besseres Risikomanagement nötig ist. Des Weiteren bedarf es zukünftig u.a. einer größeren Berücksichtigung von Unsicherheiten, eine Erhöhung von Sicherheitsbeständen sowie eine Verringerung der Komplexität der SCs und u.U. mehr Local Sourcing. Es empfiehlt sich eine weitere Untersuchung hinsichtlich der Kosten, die durch Resilienz-Instrumente sowie durch fehlende Resilienz entstehen können, durchzuführen.
This scientific paper aims to collect and analyze various digital technologies connected to pharmacies and Health 4.0. Thus, the goal is to give basic recommendations for actions for pharmacies to remain successful businesses in the digital future of healthcare. While the total health sector is growing continuously, the total number of pharmacies is shrinking. To be able to face the competitive pressure on the pharmaceutical market, pharmacies have to integrate more efficient digital technologies to be able to increase customers’ experience. Hence, the acceptance and attitude of the German society towards digital health solutions are examined using a short survey and a precise questionnaire. After a detailed analysis of the survey results and the questionnaire answered by a pharmacist, specific digital methods and technologies which make sense for pharmacies can be elaborated. As the future of pharmacies is still quite unexplored, while the health market is shifting to more efficient digital solutions, pharmacies have to adapt to current developments fast. Therefore, this paper can serve as a guideline for pharmacies in the rapid changes toward more digital markets.
Die vorliegende Ausarbeitung beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, ob weibliche Führungskräfte aufgrund spezieller Führungskompetenzen auf den langfristigen Unternehmenserfolg einzahlen. Besondere Beachtung findet hierbei der Faktor der Emotionalen Intelligenz. Nach wie vor ist der Anteil weiblicher Führungskräfte auf deutschen Managementebenen auffallend gering. Um ein Verständnis für die Hintergründe dieser Thematik zu entwickeln, werden zunächst die Ursachen geschlechtsbedingter Differenzierungen erläutert. Die wesentlichen Erkenntnisse entstammen dem Bereich der Geschlechterforschung. Im Anschluss werden diese im Kontext der Führung beleuchtet. Ein besonderes Augenmerk liegt auf der Frage, ob und inwiefern sich ein potentieller weiblicher Führungsstil von der als männlich geltenden Führung unterscheidet. Im weiteren Verlauf des Artikels wird das Phänomen der Emotionalen Intelligenz im Detail betrachtet. Dieses gilt im Kontext der Führung seit geraumer Zeit als Erfolgsfaktor. Ob und inwiefern diese Annahme tatsächlich Bestand hat, soll daher zunächst herausgestellt werden. Abschließend wird geprüft, ob es sich bei der Emotionalen Intelligenz um eine vorwiegend weibliche Kompetenz handelt
This research paper discusses how RFID technology could improve current deposit bottle logistic processes in food retailing and which obstacles impede successful implementations. Research Methodology include desk research: Library, EBSCOhost, wiso.net, Google Scholar, Scientific Journals, Statista, SpringerLink. Implementation of RFID is potentially beneficial, but same obstacles remain outlook. To validate the conclusion further studying and practical proof of concept are necessary. Contributions: supply chain management, return logistics, food retail, beverage industry
In recent years, the retail virtual store has become the main trend in social services. More and more people tend to shop in retail virtual stores. With the development of 3D virtual reality, this trend is getting stronger and stronger. Therefore, the development prospect of virtual retail stores has attracted much attention. This paper examines the impact of companies' and users' popularization of helmet gadgets on in-store traffic and analyzes how virtual reality (VR) could enhance the customer experience throughout the shopping trip. A qualitative research design has been used, which also included conversations with both professionals and consumers. Moreover, this paper seeks to break new ground by attempting to use the current literature to help predict future directions and trends for online shopping.
In this paper two simple synthetic aperture radar (SAR) methods are applied on data from a 24 GHz FMCW radar implemented on a linear drive for educational purposes. The data of near and far range measurements are evaluated using two different SAR signal processing algorithms featuring 2D-FFT and frequency back projection (FBP) method (Moreira et al., 2013). A comparison of these two algorithms is performed concerning runtime, image pixel size, azimuth and range resolution. The far range measurements are executed in a range of 60 to 135 m by monitoring cars in a parking lot. The near range measurement from 0 to 5 m are realised in a measuring chamber equipped with absorber foam and nearly ideal targets like corner reflectors. The comparison of 2D-FFT and FBP algorithm shows that both deliver good and similar results for the far range measurements but the runtime of the FBP algorithm is up to 150 times longer as the 2D-FFT runtime. In the near range measurements the FBP algorithm displays a very good azimuth resolution and targets which are very close to each other can be separated easily. In contrast to that the 2D-FFT algorithm has a lower azimuth resolution in the near range, thus targets which are very close to each other, merge together and cannot be separated.
Background: The STarT-MSK-Tool is an adaptation of the well established STarT-Back-Tool, used to risk-stratify patients with a wider range of musculoskeletal presentations.
Objective: To formally translate and cross-culturally adapt the Keele STarT-MSK risk stratification tool into German (STarT-MSKG) and to establish its reliability and validity.
Methods: A formal, multi-step, forward and backward translation approach was used. To assess validity patients aged ≥18 years, with acute, subacute or chronic musculoskeletal presentations in the lumbar spine, hip, knee, shoulder, or neck were included. The prospective cohort was used with initial data collected electronically at the point-of-consultation. Retest and 6-month follow-up questionnaires were sent by email. Test-retest reliability, construct validity, discriminative ability, predictive ability and floor or ceiling effects were analysed using intraclass correlation coefficient, and comparisons with a reference standard (Orebro-Musculoskeletal-Pain-Questionnaire: OMPQ) using correlations, ROC-curves and regression models.
Results: The participants’ (n = 287) mean age was 47 (SD = 15.8) years, 51% were female, with 48.8% at low, 43.6% at medium, and 7.7% at high risk. With ICC = 0.75 (95% CI 0.69; 0.81) test-retest-reliability was good. Construct validity was good with correlations for the STarT-MSKG-Tool against the OMPQ-Tool of rs = 0.74 (95% CI 0.68, 0.79). The ability of the tool [comparison OMPQ] to predict 6-month pain and disability was acceptable with AUC = 0.77 (95% CI 0.71, 0.83) [OMPQ = 0.74] and 0.76 (95% CI 0.69, 0.82) [OMPQ = 0.72] respectively. However, the explained variance (linear/logistic regression) for predicting 6-month pain (21% [OMPQ = 17%]/logistic = 29%) and disability (linear = 20%:[OMPQ = 19%]/logistic = 26%), whilst being comparable to the existing OMPQ reference standard, fell short of the a priori target of ≥30%.
Conclusions: The German version of the STarT-MSK-Tool is a valid instrument for use across multiple musculoskeletal conditions and is availabe for use in clinical practice. Comparison with the OMPQ suggests it is a good alternative.
Context: In the framework of studying cosmic microwave background polarization and characterizing its Galactic foregrounds, the angular power spectrum analysis of the thermal dust polarization map has led to intriguing evidence of an E/B asymmetry and a positive TE correlation. The interpretation of these observations is the subject of theoretical and simulation-driven studies in which the correlation between the density structure of the interstellar medium (ISM) and the magnetic field appears to be a key aspect. In this context, and when the magnetized ISM structures are modeled in three dimensions, dust clouds are generally considered to be filamentary structures only, but both filamentary and sheet-like shapes are supported by observational and theoretical evidence.
Aims: We aim to study the influence of the cloud shape and its connection to the local magnetic field, as well as the influence from the viewing angle, on the angular power spectra measured on thermal dust polarization maps; we specifically focus on the dependence of the E/B power asymmetry and TE correlation.
Methods: To this end, we simulated realistic interstellar clouds with both filament-like and sheet-like shapes using the software ASTERION, which also allowed us to generate synthetic maps of thermal dust polarized emission with an area of 400 square degrees. Then, we computed their polarization power spectra in the multipole range ℓ ϵ [100, 500] and focused on the E/B power asymmetry, quantified through the ℛEB ratio, and the correlation coefficient rTE between Τ and Ε modes. We quantified the dependence of ℛEB and rTE values on the offset angle (between the longest cloud axis and local magnetic field lines) and inclination angle (between the line of sight and the magnetic field) for both types of cloud shapes, either embedded in a regular magnetic field or coupled to a nonregular field to mimic turbulence.
Results: We find that both types of cloud shapes cover the same regions of the (ℛEB, rTE) parameter space. The dependence on the inclination and offset angles is similar for both shapes, although sheet-like structures generally show larger scatter than filamentary structures. In addition to the known dependence on the offset angle, we find a strong dependence of ℛEB and rTE on the inclination angle.
Conclusions: The very fact that filament-like and sheet-like structures may lead to polarization power spectra with similar (ℛEB,rTE) values complicates their interpretation. We argue that interpreting them solely in terms of filament characteristics is risky, and in future analyses, this degeneracy should be accounted for, as should the connection to the magnetic field geometry. Our results based on maps of 400 square degrees clarify that the overall geometrical arrangement of the magnetized ISM surrounding the observer leaves its marks on polarization power spectra.
Background: Stratified care has the potential to be efficient in addressing the physical and psychosocial components of low back pain (LBP) and optimise treatment outcomes essential in low-income countries. This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of physiotherapists and patients in Nigeria towards stratified care for the treatment of LBP, exploring barriers and enablers to implementation.
Methods: A qualitative design with semistructured individual telephone interviews for physiotherapists and patients with LBP comprising research evidence and information on stratified care was adopted. Preceding the interviews, patients completed the Subgroups for Targeted Treatment tool. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed following grounded theory methodology.
Results: Twelve physiotherapists and 13 patients with LBP participated in the study (11 female, mean age 42.8 (SD 11.47) years). Seven key categories emerged: recognising the need for change, acceptance of innovation, resistance to change, adapting practice, patient’s learning journey, trusting the therapist and needing conviction. Physiotherapists perceived stratified care to be a familiar approach based on their background training. The prevalent treatment tradition and the patient expectations were seen as major barriers to implementation of stratified care by the physiotherapists. Patients see themselves as more informed than therapists realise, yet they need conviction through communication and education to cooperate with their therapist using this approach. Viable facilitators were also identified as patients’ trust in the physiotherapist and adaptations in terms of training and modification of the approach to enhance its use.
Conclusion: Key barriers identified are the patients’ treatment expectations and physiotherapists’ adherence to the tradition of practice. Physiotherapists might facilitate implementation of the stratified care by communication, hierarchical implementation and utilisation of patients’ trust. Possibilities to develop a consensus on key strategies to overcome barriers and on utilisation of facilitators should be tested in future research.
Abstract: This paper is about detecting the difference between fully-random and semi-random shuffleing data sets, with the use of unsupervised learning algorithms. Because of the limits of the k-means algorithm alone, a recurrent autoencoder is used for feature extraction to improve the results of k-means. In the next step the autoencoder alone is used for clustering.
Introduction: In the last years, machine learning has been used more and more in different areas and it is also appropriate for for pattern recognition in data. Random data is characterized through the missing of defined patterns. Permutations without repetitions have the highest amount of entropy for a sequence of its length, which is similar to random data according to Andrei Kolmogorov, who states that random data have the highest amount of information and can’t be compressed. Therefore, this paper analyses the difference between random permutations and good shuffled permutations, which have some remaining patterns left. This is done via a recurrent autoencoder.
Der Erbbauzins ist bei kommunalen Erbbaurechten sowohl eine zentrale Stellgröße für die Wirtschaftlichkeit als auch von kommunalwirtschafts- und beihilferechtlicher Relevanz. Er wird zumeist ermittelt, indem ein geeigneter Erbbauzinssatz auf den Bodenwert angelegt wird. Der Erbbauzinssatz sollte dabei marktgerecht sein. Sowohl die Ableitung des Erbbauzinssatzes aus dem Primärmarkt (erstmalige Ausgabe von Erbbaurechten) wie aus dem Sekundärmarkt (Weiterverkäufe) ist aber zumindest bei Erbbaurechten für Mehrfamilienhäuser derzeit kaum sinnvoll zu diesem Zwecke durchzuführen. Auch der Liegenschaftszinssatz ist ungeeignet, da er aus einem Modell für Volleigentum mit einer vollkommen anderen Risiko-/Rendite-Konstellation abgeleitet wird. Daher wird für eine stärkere Anwendung ökonomisch basierter Verfahren plädiert und hierbei ein kapitalmarktorientiertes Mark-to-Model-Verfahren dargestellt. Erste überschlägige Ermittlungen legen zudem die Orientierung an langfristigen Baufinanzierungssätzen als Daumenregel nahe. Regelmäßig dürften von Kommunen für die Ermittlung von marktgerechten Erbbauzinssätzen öffentlich bestellte und vereidigte oder zertifizierte Grundstückssachverständige betraut werden, denen die betreffenden Verfahren jedoch oftmals fremd sind. Auch stellt sich die Frage nach der Zulässigkeit, da sie sich als Best Practice-Verfahren bislang nicht etabliert haben. Daher wäre dem Gesetz- bzw. Verordnungsgeber anzuraten, die Ermittlung marktgerechter Erbbauzinssätze ausdrücklich zu regeln und dabei jenseits von Mark-to-Market-Verfahren weitere geeignete ökonomisch gestützte Methoden wie auch empirisch abgesicherte „Daumenregeln“ zuzulassen.
Background: The extramuscular connective tissue (ECT) has been shown to play a significant role in mechanical force transmission between musculoskeletal structures. Due to this and owing to its tight connection with the underlying muscle, the ECT may be vulnerable to excessive loading. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of eccentric elbow flexor exercise on the morphology of the biceps brachii ECT. In view of the high nociceptive capacity of the ECT, an additional objective was to elucidate the potential relationship between ECT damage and the occurrence of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
Methods: Eleven healthy participants (♂ = 7; 24 ± 2 years) performed fatiguing dumbbell elbow flexor eccentric exercise (EE) for one arm and concentric exercise (CE) for the other arm in random order and with random arm allocation. Before, immediately after and 24–96 h post-exercise, maximal voluntary isometric contraction torque of the elbow flexors (dynamometer), pressure pain (algometer), palpation pain (100 mm visual analog scale), biceps brachii ECT thickness and ECT/muscle mobility during passive movement (both high-resolution ultrasound) were examined.
Results: Palpation pain, suggestive of DOMS, was greater after EE than CE, and maximal voluntary isometric contraction torque decreased greater after EE than CE (p < .05). Relative to CE, EE increased ECT thickness at 48 (+ 17%), 72 (+ 14%) and 96 (+ 15%) hours post-exercise (p < .05). At 96 h post-EE, the increase in ECT thickness correlated with palpation pain (r = .68; p < .05). ECT mobility was not different between conditions, but compared to CE, muscle displacement increased at 24 (+ 31%), 72 (+ 31%) and 96 (+ 41%) hours post-EE (p < .05).
Conclusion: Collectively, these results suggest an involvement of the ECT changes in delayed onset muscle soreness.
Research integrity (RI) has been a focus of society in recent years as a means to create and to keep trust in science. Higher education institutions (HEIs) play a key role in promoting a culture of RI and responsible conduct of research (RCR). The understanding and practice of RI can vary across cultures. This article aims to outline initial insights into university students’ RI mindsets based on five RI facets: understanding, importance, value-action gap, enforcement approaches, and training. A qualitative exploratory cross-cultural study was conducted with participants from Germany and Bulgaria via semi-structured guided group interviews. An explicit transcultural agreement regarding the significance of RI was categorically indicated. Intercultural differences between the two European countries were revealed and discussed in reference to understanding RI, the value-action gap, enforcement approaches, and training preferences.
Background: Improving movement control might be a promising treatment goal during chronic non-specific low back pain (CLBP) rehabilitation. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of a single bout of game-based real-time feedback intervention on trunk movement in patients with CLBP.
Methods: Thirteen CLBP patients (8female;41 ± 16 years;173 ± 10 cm;78 ± 22 kg) were included in this randomized cross-over pilot trial. During one laboratory session (2 h), participants performed three identical measurements on trunk movement all including: first, maximum angle of lateral flexion was assessed. Secondly, a target trunk lateral flexion (angle: 20°) was performed. Main outcome was maximum angle ([°]; MA). Secondary outcomes were deviation [°] from the target angle (angle reproduction; AR) and MA of the secondary movement planes (rotation; extension/flexion) during lateral flexion. The outcomes were assessed by an optical 3D-motion-capture-system (2-segment-trunk-model). The measurements were separated by 12-min of intervention and/or resting (randomly). The intervention involved a sensor-based trunk exergame (guiding an avatar through virtual worlds). After carryover effect-analysis, pre-to-post intervention data were pooled between the two sequences followed by analyses of variances (paired t-test).
Results: No significant change from pre to post intervention for MA or AR for any segment occurred for the main movement plane, lateral flexion (p > .05). The upper trunk segment showed a significant decrease of the MA for trunk extension/flexion from pre to post intervention ((4.4° ± 4.4° (95% CI 7.06–1.75)/3.5° ± 1.29° (95% CI 6.22–0.80); p = 0.02, d = 0.20).
Conclusions: A single bout of game-based real-time feedback intervention lead to changes in the secondary movement planes indicating reduced evasive motion during trunk movement.
Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1-km2 resolution for 0–5 and 5–15 cm soil depth. These maps were created by calculating the difference (i.e. offset) between in situ soil temperature measurements, based on time series from over 1200 1-km2 pixels (summarized from 8519 unique temperature sensors) across all the world's major terrestrial biomes, and coarse-grained air temperature estimates from ERA5-Land (an atmospheric reanalysis by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). We show that mean annual soil temperature differs markedly from the corresponding gridded air temperature, by up to 10°C (mean = 3.0 ± 2.1°C), with substantial variation across biomes and seasons. Over the year, soils in cold and/or dry biomes are substantially warmer (+3.6 ± 2.3°C) than gridded air temperature, whereas soils in warm and humid environments are on average slightly cooler (−0.7 ± 2.3°C). The observed substantial and biome-specific offsets emphasize that the projected impacts of climate and climate change on near-surface biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are inaccurately assessed when air rather than soil temperature is used, especially in cold environments. The global soil-related bioclimatic variables provided here are an important step forward for any application in ecology and related disciplines. Nevertheless, we highlight the need to fill remaining geographic gaps by collecting more in situ measurements of microclimate conditions to further enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of global soil temperature products for ecological applications.
This article discusses ethics in times of pandemic crisis (COVID-19) taking into consideration the sustainability paradigm. Two related ethical approaches are discussed and contrasted. On the one hand, the relational embodied ethics of the commons is discussed in the background of the pandemic of COVID-19. On the other hand, "lifeboat ethics" is interpreted in considering the pandemic situation. The main goal of the article is to compare the two ethical approaches as a way of dealing with our shared predicament in times of a pandemic, a state of exception, and based on that, to additionally derive conclusions about their application in further crises in the Anthropocene, whereby the primacy of sustainability is presumed.
Disconnection in a left-hemispheric temporo-parietal network impairs multiplication fact retrieval
(2023)
Arithmetic fact retrieval has been suggested to recruit a left-lateralized network comprising perisylvian language areas, parietal areas such as the angular gyrus (AG), and non-neocortical structures such as the hippocampus. However, the underlying white matter connectivity of these areas has not been evaluated systematically so far. Using simple multiplication problems, we evaluated how disconnections in parietal brain areas affected arithmetic fact retrieval following stroke. We derived disconnectivity measures by jointly considering data from n = 73 patients with acute unilateral lesions in either hemisphere and a white-matter tractography atlas (HCP-842) using the Lesion Quantification Toolbox (LQT). Whole-brain voxel-based analysis indicated a left-hemispheric cluster of white matter fibers connecting the AG and superior temporal areas to be associated with a fact retrieval deficit. Subsequent analyses of direct gray-to-gray matter disconnections revealed that disconnections of additional left-hemispheric areas (e.g., between the superior temporal gyrus and parietal areas) were significantly associated with the observed fact retrieval deficit. Results imply that disconnections of parietal areas (i.e., the AG) with language-related areas (i.e., superior and middle temporal gyri) seem specifically detrimental to arithmetic fact retrieval. This suggests that arithmetic fact retrieval recruits a widespread left-hemispheric network and emphasizes the relevance of white matter connectivity for number processing.
Species distribution models (SDMs) are key tools in biodiversity and conservation, but assessing their reliability in unsampled locations is difficult, especially where there are sampling biases. We present a spatially-explicit sensitivity analysis for SDMs – SDM profiling – which assesses the leverage that unsampled locations have on the overall model by exploring the interaction between the effect on the variable response curves and the prevalence of the affected environmental conditions. The method adds a ‘pseudo-presence’ and ‘pseudo-absence’ to unsampled locations, re-running the SDM for each, and measuring the difference between the probability surfaces of the original and new SDMs. When the standardised difference values are plotted against each other (a ‘profile plot’), each point's location can be summarized by four leverage measures, calculated as the distances to each corner. We explore several applications: visualization of model certainty; identification of optimal new sampling locations and redundant existing locations; and flagging potentially erroneous occurrence records.
In this paper, the radio frequency (RF) behavior of mechanically stressed coaxial and for the first time also twisted-pair transmission lines is investigated over their service life. The main goal is to enable predictive maintenance for cables in moving applications and avoid preventive replacement. This also reduces the use of high-cost resources. For this purpose, stranded and solid-core variants of coaxial and twisted-pair type cables are mechanically loaded on the two-pulley apparatus according to EN 50396. Their RF transmission (S21) behavior is measured using a vector network analyzer and presented over bending cycles. For the first time, the phase response of mechanically loaded transmission lines is evaluated with respect to their service life. Two significant causes for the increasing attenuation and altered phase response are identified: breakage in foil screen and increasing surface roughness on the copper conductors. The identified causes are supported with literature evidence. Through measurements and theoretical calculations, it is proven that the phase is much more suitable for an assessment of the remaining service life than the amplitude. The findings can be used to implement a cable monitoring system in industrial environments which monitors the lines in-situ and reminds the user to replace them, whenever a certain wear-level is reached.
Background: Stratified care approach involving use of the STarT-Back tool to optimise care for patients with low back pain is gaining widespread attention in western countries. However, adoption and implementation of this approach in low-and-middle-income countries will be restricted by context-specific factors that need to be addressed. This study aimed to develop with physiotherapists, tailored intervention strategies for the implementation of stratified care for patients with low back pain.
Methods: A two-round web-based Delphi survey was conducted among purposively sampled physiotherapists with a minimum of three years of clinical experience, with post-graduation certification or specialists. Thirty statements on barriers and enablers for implementation were extracted from the qualitative phase. Statements were rated by a Delphi panel with additional open-ended feedback. After each Delphi round, participants received feedback which informed their subsequent responses. Additional qualitative feedback were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The criteria for consensus and stability were pre-determined using percentage agreement (≥ 75%), median value (≥ 4), Inter-quartile range (≤ 1), and Wilcoxon matched-pairs test respectively.
Results: Participants in the first round were 139 and 125 of them completed the study, yielding a response rate of 90%. Participants were aged 35.2 (SD6.6) years, and 55 (39.6%) were female. Consensus was achieved in 25/30 statements. Wilcoxon’s test showed stability in responses after the 5 statements failed to reach consensus: ‘translate the STarT-Back Tool to pidgin language’ 71% (p = 0.76), ‘begin implementation with government hospitals’ 63% (p = 0.11), ‘share knowledge with traditional bone setters’ 35% (p = 0.67), ‘get second opinion on clinician’s advice’ 63% (p = 0.24) and ‘carry out online consultations’ 65% (p = 0.41). Four statements strengthened by additional qualitative data achieved the highest consensus: ‘patient education’ (96%), ‘quality improvement appraisals’ (96%), ‘undergraduate training on psychosocial care’ (96%) and ‘patient-clinician communication’ (95%).
Conclusion: There was concordance of opinion that patients should be educated to correct misplaced expectations and proper time for communication is vital to implementation. This communication should be learned at undergraduate level, and for already qualified clinicians, quality improvement appraisals are key to sustained and effective care. These recommendations provide a framework for future research on monitored implementation of stratified care in middle-income countries.