bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health-Related Quality of Life in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study
Authors: Shinohara M.M. , Mahurin H.M. , Tarabadkar E. , Hippe D.S. , Lachance K. , Kim E.J. , Loggers E.T.
Published: May 2021

Background

Patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) often have indolent but symptomatic disease.

Objective

Assessment of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with CTCL.

Methods

Cross-sectional survey study. HRQoL was measured by Skindex-16 and FACT-G.

Results

A total of 372 responses were received; 80 incomplete/ineligible responses were excluded. A majority of respondents identified as white (87%; 250/288) and female (67%; 193/286) with a mean age of 57 ± 14 years. Most patients had early-stage (IA–IIA) (74%; 162/203) mycosis fungoides (87%; 241/279). There were 33 (12%; 33/279) patients with Sézary syndrome. Mean itch score (visual analogue scale; VAS) was 3.2 ± 2.8, overall; 2.7 ± 2.6 for early, and 4.2 ± 2.9 for advanced disease (p = 0.008). Thirty-eight percent (108/284) and 24% (69/284) reported head/neck and groin/genital involvement, respectively.

Overall HRQoL was 46 ± 27 (Skindex-16) and 71 ± 19 (FACT-G), with worse HRQoL for patients with advanced versus early disease (Skindex-16: 67 vs. 40; p=<0.001, FACT-G: 62 vs. 76; p = 0.001). Predictors of worse HRQoL included head/neck, hand/foot or groin/genital involvement, younger age and spending >15 min daily treating CTCL.

Limitations

Include anonymous survey methodology, underrepresentation of certain CTCL subtypes and non-white respondents.

Conclusions

Patients with CTCL, particularly those with advanced disease or involvement of the head/neck, acral or groin/genital sites, experience significant impact on HRQoL.
Culture and son preference: Evidence from immigrants to the United States
Authors: Jergins William
Published: May 2021

This paper extends the existing literature on son preference using an epidemiological approach to determine which cultural beliefs contribute most to son preference. We measure son preference by the increased fertility response due to a first‐born female child. The coefficient giving the increase in the fertility response to a first‐born female associated with a change in the equity index grows by over 50% when religious variables are included. We believe this highlights the importance of controlling for multiple cultural factors which may be correlated across home countries. The analysis shows that the major cultural determinants of son preference are gender economic inequities, while measures of women's relative educational and political standing are largely irrelevant. Across the distribution of economic equity on our sample, the fertility response to a first‐born female change from a 6.5% increase to a 1.6% decrease in the average number of children per household.
Annealing‐Free, High‐Performance Perovskite Solar Cells by Controlling Crystallization via Guanidinium Cation Doping
Authors: Dong Hang , Pang Shangzheng , He Fengqin , Yang Haifeng , Zhu Weidong , Chen Dazheng , Xi He , Zhang Jincheng , Hao Yue , Zhang Chunfu
Published: May 2021

One of the urgent key points to realize the commercialization of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with robust and excellent performance is the fabrication of high‐quality perovskite film. Nevertheless, a traditional thermal annealing (TA) technology is always necessary for a high crystallization perovskite film, and previous reports have suggested that TA could induce heterogeneous nucleation which is inconducive for the formation of smooth and uniform perovskite film, as well as time and cost consuming. Herein, an approach for the annealing‐free high‐quality perovskite film via the introduction of guanidinium iodine (GAI) is proposed. The organic molecule guanidinium (GA+) has a large ionic radius, and this could control the crystallizing rate of annealing‐free perovskite film. Ultimately, a perovskite film with larger grain size and lower defect density is acquired through doping 0.10 mol mL−1 GAI in the precursor solution. Moreover, the fabrication of the electron transfer layer and hole transfer layer is further realized at room temperature. Thus, all room temperature, annealing‐free high‐performance PSCs are demonstrated. Notably, a GAI‐doped device with an outstanding power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.25% is obtained, much higher than 16.78% of the pristine device.
Evaporation Deposition Strategies for All‐Inorganic CsPb(I1–xBrx)3Perovskite Solar Cells: Recent Advances and Perspectives
Authors: Ullah Saad , Wang Jiaming , Yang Peixin , Liu Linlin , Li Yuqiao , Rehman Atta-Ur , Yang Shi-E. , Xia Tianyu , Guo Haizhong , Chen Yongsheng
Published: May 2021

The preparation route has striking impacts on the morphology and photovoltaic performance of the solar cells, and the development of a feasible preparation strategy to make such a technology applicable to industry is of utmost significance. Compared with solution processing, the vapor deposition strategy has been demonstrated as an effective way to fabricate compact and uniform perovskite thin films with excellent versatility and controllability. While the vast majority of literature emphasizes solution processing as the deposition method for perovskite solar cells (PSCs), vapor‐deposited PSCs are closing the performance gap with numerous research reports of efficiencies above 20%. Thus, an in‐time review is critical to summarize the fundamentals of vapor‐based deposition strategies to evaluate their real potential and put challenges into perspective. Herein, various vapor deposition routes for the preparation of all‐inorganic perovskite films and solar cells are thoroughly addressed. Moreover, the critical factors such as deposition temperature, film thickness, substrate temperature, and annealing conditions that impact the film quality and photovoltaic performance of the perovskite are reviewed. In the end, conclusion and future possibilities of the vapor deposition processes are presented, which will offer constructive guidance for the large‐scale fabrication of solar cells.
In Situ Monitoring and Dissolution Limit of Carbon Dissolution in Hot Metal
Authors: Sun Minmin , Pang Keliang , Zhang Jianliang , Li Kejiang , Li Hongtao
Published: May 2021

Isothermal and nonisothermal experiments are conducted to characterize the dissolution processes of carbonaceous materials into iron. The nonisothermal process shows that the dissolution of graphite into iron is mainly divided into solid‐phase and liquid‐phase dissolution. The carbon dissolution into solid iron accelerates the phase transition and melting of iron. Isothermal experiments indicate that the dissolution process is divided into three stages: rapid carburizing (0−60 min), slow carburizing (60−180 min), and dissolution equilibrium (180−360 min). In addition, the dissolution behavior of different carbon materials is compared and analyzed. The disorder of carbon matrix and the existence of ash are important factors that influence the carbon dissolution kinetics and dissolution limit. Pores provide a location for ash migration under high temperature so that it does not aggregate at the iron−carbon interface. In addition, the irregular interconnected pores also provide a larger reaction contact area for carburizing.
Computational design of two‐dimensional magnetic materials
Authors: Miao Naihua , Sun Zhimei
Published: May 2021

As a long‐standing research topic in materials physics and chemistry, magnetic materials have been receiving increasing attention for their applications in spintronic devices, such as spin field‐effect transistor and data‐storage memory. Two‐dimensional (2D) magnets are a family of emerging magnetic materials with atomically thin thickness, which can be easily integrated into heterostructural devices, providing incredible possibility for understanding 2D magnetism and great potential for applications in future ultrathin spintronic devices. Recent effort from theory, simulations and experiments has made notable progress on 2D magnets and devices, especially on 2D van der Waals materials and heterojunctions. Here theoretical advances using physical models and computational approaches on the study of new 2D magnets and devices are briefly summarized and possible directions for future investigation are extensively discussed, which may inspire growing interest on the development and applications of 2D magnets and spintronic devices.

This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Computational Materials Science

Electronic Structure Theory > Density Functional Theory
Bayesian modeling of multivariate time series of counts
Authors: Soyer Refik , Zhang Di
Published: May 2021

In this article, we present an overview of recent advances in Bayesian modeling and analysis of multivariate time series of counts. We discuss basic modeling strategies including integer valued autoregressive processes, multivariate Poisson time series and dynamic latent factor models. In so doing, we make a connection with univariate modeling frameworks such as dynamic generalized models, Poisson state space models with gamma evolution and present Bayesian approaches that extend these frameworks to multivariate setting. During our development, recent Bayesian approaches to the analysis of integer valued autoregressive processes and multivariate Poisson models are highlighted and concepts such as “decouple/recouple” and “common random environment” are presented. The role that these concepts play in Bayesian modeling and analysis of multivariate time series are discussed. Computational issues associated with Bayesian inference and forecasting from these models are also considered.

This article is categorized under:

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Bayesian Methods and Theory

Statistical Models > Time Series Models
Internalizing psychopathology and all‐cause mortality: a comparison of transdiagnostic vs. diagnosis‐based risk prediction
Authors: Kim Hyunsik , Turiano Nicholas A. , Forbes Miriam K. , Kotov Roman , Krueger Robert F. , Eaton Nicholas R. ,   HiTOP Utility Workgroup
Published: May 2021

Previous studies have documented the utility of a transdiagnostic internalizing factor in predicting important future outcomes (e.g., subsequent mental disorder diagnoses). To date, however, no study has investigated whether an internalizing factor predicts mortality risk. Also, while pre­vious studies of mortality risk have emphasized its associations with particular internalizing disorders, no study has assessed how the transdiagnostic internalizing factor vs. disorder‐specific variance differently predict that risk. The primary aims of this study were to explore: a) whether the internalizing factor predicts mortality risk, b) whether particular internalizing psychopathologies uniquely predict mortality risk over and beyond the transdiagnostic internalizing factor, and c) whether there is a significant interaction of internalizing with self‐reported health in the prediction of mortality risk. We utilized a large national sample of American adults from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), a longitudinal study that examined midlife development of individuals across multiple waves between 1995 and 2015. Data were analyzed for the 6,329 participants who completed the phone interview and self‐administered questionnaire in MIDUS 1 (1995‐1996) and were then followed up until October 31, 2015 or until death. To investigate the association between internalizing and mortality risk, we used the semi‐parametric proportional hazards Cox model, where survival time was regressed on a latent internalizing factor. Overall findings indicate that a transdiagnostic internalizing factor significantly predicts mortality risk over a 20‐year period (hazard ratio, HR=1.12, 95% CI: 1.05‐1.16, p<0.01) and that internalizing outperforms disorder‐specific variance (e.g., depression‐specific variance) in the prediction of that risk. Further, there was a significant interaction between transdiagnostic internalizing and self‐reported health, whereby internalizing psychopathology had a specific association with early death for individuals with excellent self‐reported health condition (HR=1.50, 95% CI: 1.17‐1.84, p<0.05). This highlights the clinical utility of using the transdiagnostic internalizing factor for prediction of an important future outcome, and supports the argument that internalizing psychopathology can be a meaningful liability to explore in public health practice.
On the importance of proper kernel normalization procedure in nonlocal integral continuum modeling of nanobeams
Authors: Anjomshoa Amin , Hassani Behrooz
Published: May 2021

Increasing the bending analysis accuracy of nanobeams employing the nonlocal integral (NI) models is the subject of this paper. It is shown in this study that if the kernel of the NI model is not properly normalized, the natural boundary conditions will be violated and the deflections will be noticeably overestimated. Two kernel normalization procedures, borrowed from other disciplines, are rigorously examined and their influence on the nanobeam deflections is studied in detail. It is shown that one of these procedures, which has recently been used for the analysis of nanobeams, causes the NI model to show both softening and hardening behaviors with unexpected convergence to the classical continuum model for very large nonlocal parameters. This surprising behavior, makes the NI model incapable of being calibrated in some cases and may lead to two distinct calibrated nonlocal parameters which is confusing. This is confirmed here via a comparison with atomistic models. The other normalization scheme shows a consistent softening behavior without such shortcomings and therefore is proposed here for bending analysis of nanobeams. Effect of kernel function distribution, as a representative of interatomic cohesive forces, and edge support condition on the maximum deflection of normalized nonlocal nanobeam model is also thoroughly investigated. Moreover, the effect of surface energy is also investigated via a combined model.
Dust Storm Satellite Images
Authors: Al-Obed Meshari , Uddin Sief , Ramadhan Ashraf
Published: May 2021

DATA of Aerosol Robotic Network (Aeronet) stations and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) were obtained to get valuable and reliable information about the occurrence of dust events. In addition to Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) provide informative and long dust events record.

To analyze the dust time series, monthly, annual and seasonal linear trends are applied to the dust time series. This is achieved by summing the total number of dusty hours for each month and then the total number of dusty days for the month is calculated.

Dust trend analysis includes; annual, winter, spring, summer and autumn with the rate of change.

Dust frequency of seasons in days/season before and after sorting in a descending manner from 1984 to 2013.

Satelliteimagesuse for PM2.5 Estimation and concentrations

Remote sensing-based measurements

Calibration of Field and Laboratory Equipment.

Particle concentrations in different size ranges and the total suspended particulate matter in the air in Kuwait.

Dust deposition rates were monitored and analyzed in Kuwait at the northern ArabianGulf to estimate quantities of fallen dust within major eight dust trajectories in the ArabianGulf.

Kuwait is surrounded by five major sources of dust rather than intermediate dust source areas that are listed.

Satelliteimages from 2000 to 2010 were used to identify major dust trajectories within seven major deserts in the world.
Dust Particle Size and Statistical Parameters
Authors: Al-Dousari Noor , Ahmed Modi , Al-Dousari Ali , Al-Daihani Musaad , Al-Elaj Murahib
Published: May 2021

Grain ‘size’ can be specified and measured in several different ways. All methods of grain size determination have blemishes, and the choice of the most appropriate method is governed by the nature of the sample and the use to which the data are placed. Four main methods are currently used for size analysis of sands: (a) sieving; (b) settling tube analysis; (c) electro-optical methods, including Coulter Counter analysis and laser granulometry; and (d) computerized image analysis. The classification of the particle size distribution of Kuwait dust was mapped according to the parameters proposed by Folk And Ward (1957) which were widely used for quantitative comparisons between natural grain size distribution and the lognormal distribution that shows better sorted sediments have lower values of σ1. Maps of the distribution of dust in Kuwait were obtained that included: fine sand (F.S.), Coarse sand (C.S), Medium Sand (M.S), Very Fine Sane (V.F.S), Very Coarse Silt (V.C.Silt), Coarse Silt (C.Silt), Medium Silt (M.Silt), Fine Silt (F.Silt), Very Fine Silt (V.F.Silt), in addition to that, the deposition percentage of Clay, Sand, mud (silt plus clay) and silt were provided.
Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP)
Authors: Al-Dousari Ali , Al-Mutawaa Fatin , Al-Mansour Hanan , Mandekar Badreya
Published: May 2021

The crushed powder from defined dust particlesize fractions was analyzed using inductively coupled spectrometry plasma (ICP) for major and trace elements.

The ICP was used for the determination of concentrations of trace elements and six major elements: (Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, and K) and five minor elements (Ba, Cr, V, Ti, and Pb). They are quoted in part per million (ppm).

Maps showing high and low concentrations of ICPamong Kuwait.
Deposited Rates of Radionuclides
Authors: Aba Abdulaziz , Ismaeel Anfal , Al-Boloushi Aisha , Al-Shammari Hanadi , Al-Boloushi Omar
Published: May 2021

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Radionuclides in Dust Fallout.

The depositional fluxes of the natural radionuclides (40K, 210Pb, and 7Be) and the man-made radionuclides (137Cs) have been calculated using efficiency calibrated ultra-low background gamma spectrometry in nine sampling sites covering Kuwait.

Maps showing high and low concentrations of radionuclides distribution among Kuwait.
Spectro Absorption
Authors: Al-Awadhi Safaa , Al-Shemali Mustafa
Published: May 2021

Ultraviolet–visible UV-VIS. Varian Bio Cary 100 UV–VIS instrument was used for measuring the spectrum of dust samples.

The certified materials according to Lab sphere SRS. 99–020 were used and the dust samples were placed in a cuvette (10 mm) and placed on the diffuse reflectance accessory.

Measurement was done with respect to the reference. The UV–VIS spectra cover the regions from 900 to 190 nm which includes the near-infrared region, visible light regions, and ultraviolet regions.

The FT-IR data shows the different chemical content of dust in the scanning of what possible compounds can be found in dust particles for required further analysis.

The dust absorption of the light spectrum in Kuwait was revealed in maps according to seasons showing higher and lower concentrations of light absorption of ultraviolet, violet, blue, cyan, green, yellow, orange, red, infrared.
Economic Accounts and Financial Systems
Authors: Bindseil Ulrich , Fotia Alessio
Published: May 2021

This chapter introduces the system of accounts of the main sectors of the economy (households; non-financial corporations, the government; banks, and the central bank), describing how these sectors are interrelated through financial claims and liabilities. A financial system, consisting of commercial banks and the central bank, manages flows of funds originating from households, without these flows causing a need for the real sectors to liquidate illiquid real assets. The basic types of assets and liabilities are: real goods, gold, banknotes, deposits, bonds, loans, and equity. We explain how the shortcomings of both IOU and commodity-money based financial systems can be solved via establishing a central bank. A central bank is defined here by its balance sheet and central bank money is the central bank’s basic liability. Both monetary policy implementation and lender of last resort issues relate to liquidity flows within balance sheets. Understanding the logic of basic financial flows is therefore the basis for understanding central banking.
The Case of Formula E
Authors: Næss Hans Erik , Tjønndal Anne
Published: May 2021

Calls for research and practices with regard to sport management innovation are plenty. In this chapter we introduce why the electric racing world championship Formula E can be a relevant case study for a model of sport management innovation. Besides introducing our fivefold perspective on innovation (organizational, technological, commercial, social and community-based), the basics of Formula E and our approach to theoretical modelling, the chapter explains how the rest of the book is structured.
Der Umgang mit Notfallklassifikationen – Wo stehen wir?
Authors: Brosin A. , Kropp P. , Reuter D. A. , Janda M.
Published: May 2021

Hintergrund

Ziel der vorliegenden Studie ist eine aktuelle Standortbestimmung im Hinblick auf die Umsetzung der Empfehlungen zur Klassifikation von Notfalloperationen, welche von den Verbänden BDA/DGAI, BDC/DGCH und VOPM im Jahr 2016 veröffentlicht wurden.

Methodik

In Anlehnung an die gemeinsamen Empfehlungen der Fachverbände wurden mithilfe eines Online-Fragebogens verschiedene organisatorische Aspekte der operativen Notfallversorgung untersucht. Hierzu wurden bundesweit OP-Manager/‑Koordinatoren an operativ tätigen Kliniken mit einer Mindestanzahl von 200 Betten befragt.

Ergebnisse

An der Umfrage beteiligten sich 274 der 550 angeschriebenen Kliniken (49,8 %). Die Empfehlungen werden aktuell in 70,7 % der Häuser umgesetzt. Die Auffassung, dass die Notfallklassifizierung die zeitgerechte Notfallversorgung von Patienten verbessert, teilt eine Mehrheit von 78,2 % der OP-Verantwortlichen. 33,6 % sind allerdings auch der Ansicht, dass die definierten Zeitintervalle zur Umsetzung der Notfälle die Möglichkeit einer subjektiven Auslegung bieten. Zusätzliche hausinterne Empfehlungen zu den am häufigsten auftretenden Notfallindikationen würden 80,1 % als hilfreich erachten; in 39,1 % der Häuser sind diese bereits implementiert. 65,2 % der Krankenhäuser halten für die Versorgung von Notfällen keine zusätzliche Notfallkapazität vor, 30,1 % arbeiten hingegen mit definierten Konzepten zur Sicherstellung der bedarfsgerechten Verfügbarkeit von Saalkapazitäten.

Schlussfolgerung

Die Empfehlungen zur Notfallklassifikation sind über alle Versorgungsstufen hinweg in der klinischen Realität Deutschlands angekommen und werden von der großen Mehrheit der OP-Verantwortlichen als hilfreiches Instrument in der OP-Koordination erachtet. Zusätzliche, indikationsbezogene Empfehlungen zur Klassifizierung der am häufigsten auftretenden Notfalleingriffe werden mehrheitlich befürwortet. Das Vorhalten eines definierten Notfallsaales ist entgegen bisherigen Annahmen in der deutschen Krankenhauslandschaft nahezu die Ausnahme.
Geometrical deviation of end-of-life parts as a consequence of reshaping by single point incremental forming
Authors: Zaheer Omer , Ingarao Giuseppe , Pirrotta Antonina , Fratini Livan
Published: May 2021

Putting in place circular economy strategies is an urgent challenge to face. In this scenario, manufacturing processes play a relevant role as efficient material reuse enabler. Scientists have to make an effort either to find new process or to rethink old process to reprocess end-of-life (EoL) component to recover both material and functions. In this paper, single point incremental forming (SPIF) process is used for reshaping sheet metal EoL components. The entire process chain was replicated including both deep drawing process (to imitate the end-of-life component) as well as SPIF operations (to obtain the reshaped components). The geometrical deviation as a consequence of SPIF operations was studied; two different SPIF directions (named inwards and outwards) were analyzed. A wide experimental campaign along with statistical analyses was developed to analyze effects of some geometrical parameters on the observed geometrical deviation. The results are promising as limited distortions were observed and sound components were obtained in all the analyzed process configurations. Despite that, some research is still needed to better standardize the reshaping process and bring it closer to an industrial applicability.
Uptake of biosimilar trastuzumab in Denmark compared with other European countries: a comparative study and discussion of factors influencing implementation and uptake of biosimilars
Authors: Azuz Samuel , Newton Max , Bartels Dorthe , Poulsen Birgitte Klindt
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The aim of this study was to describe the implementation and uptake of biosimilar trastuzumab in Denmark compared with other European countries.

Methods

European data for usage of trastuzumab was supplied by IQVIA™, using the MIDAS® dataset. A comparison was performed based on market share estimated in sales volume. A separate comparison was undertaken between countries with a full two-fold switch between different biosimilars. Data was collected spanning the time from first registered sales of biosimilar trastuzumab until the 1st quarter of 2020.

Results

Denmark had the fastest and most thorough uptake of biosimilar trastuzumab compared with other EU countries. After 3 months, the market share of biosimilar trastuzumab had increased to 90% while the second fastest country had a 50% market share after 3 months. Only two other countries had undergone a full second switch between biosimilars, Hungary and Norway. All of the three countries made near complete switches between biosimilars while only Denmark had reduced the use of biooriginator below 10%.

Conclusion

The implementation of biosimilar trastuzumab in Denmark was rapid and achieved high overall uptake compared with other EU countries. The switch from one biosimilar to another was also achieved quickly and thoroughly. We believe that the rapid dissemination of information and involvement of all stakeholders — administrators, pharmacies, prescribers, nurses, and patients — constitute the backbone of the Danish success. A similar strategy is recommend for biosimilar implementation in other countries.
$$\epsilon \kappa $$-Curves: controlled local curvature extrema
Authors: Miura Kenjiro T. , Gobithaasan R. U. , Salvi Péter , Wang Dan , Sekine Tadatoshi , Usuki Shin , Inoguchi Jun-ichi , Kajiwara Kenji
Published: May 2021

The $$\kappa $$
κ
-curve is a recently published interpolating spline which consists of quadratic Bézier segments passing through input points at the loci of local curvature extrema. We extend this representation to control the magnitudes of local maximum curvature in a new scheme called extended- or $$\epsilon \kappa $$

ϵ
κ

-curves.$$\kappa $$
κ
-curves have been implemented as the curvature tool in Adobe Illustrator® and Photoshop® and are highly valued by professional designers. However, because of the limited degrees of freedom of quadratic Bézier curves, it provides no control over the curvature distribution. We propose new methods that enable the modification of local curvature at the interpolation points by degree elevation of the Bernstein basis as well as application of generalized trigonometric basis functions. By using $$\epsilon \kappa $$

ϵ
κ

-curves, designers acquire much more ability to produce a variety of expressions, as illustrated by our examples.
Fachkräfteentwicklung in der Rheumatologie
Authors: Kuhlmann Ellen , Bruns Luzia , Hoeper Kirsten , Witte Torsten , Ernst Diana , Jablonka Alexandra
Published: May 2021

Hintergrund und Fragestellung

Fachkräftemangel in der Rheumatologie in Deutschland ist als Versorgungsproblem erkannt. Die Gesundheitspolitik hat mit neuen Planungszielen reagiert, aber es fehlen effektive Interventionsstrategien. Ziel dieser Studie ist ein systematischer berufsstruktureller Überblick, um die Grundlage für Interventionen zu verbessern und Möglichkeiten für ein effektives Fachkräftemanagement aufzuzeigen.

Methode

Die WHO National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA) dienen als konzeptioneller Rahmen. Ausgewählt werden 4 Indikatoren: Personalbestand, Arbeitsmarktbewegungen, Komposition und Weiterbildung. Die Exploration von Entwicklungstrends stützt sich auf vergleichende Analysen von Altersgruppen und Zeitreihen. Die Erhebung nutzt öffentliche Statistiken und andere Sekundärliteratur; die Auswertung erfolgt deskriptiv.

Ergebnisse

In Deutschland sind 1076 Ärzt*innen mit einer Facharztqualifikation oder Schwerpunktbezeichnung in der internistischen Rheumatologie ärztlich tätig. Die absolute Zahl verdoppelte sich seit 2000 deutlich (91 %), aber mit einem demografischen Bias. Im Zeitraum 2000 bis 2019 stieg die Zahl der über 50-Jährigen deutlich, aber die der unter 50-Jährigen nur um 9 %; seit 2010 sind die Zahlen in der Gruppe 40 bis 50 Jahre rückläufig. Im Jahr 2019 waren mehr Rheumatolog*innen im Rentenalter als unter 40-Jährige ärztlich tätig. Seit 2015 schwächt sich der steigende Trend insgesamt ab, aber am stärksten im Krankenhaussektor; die Weiterbildungen lassen keine konstante Steigerung erkennen.

Schlussfolgerungen

Berufsstrukturelle Trends zeigen, dass die gesundheitspolitischen Planziele mit den verfügbaren Humanressourcen nicht zu erreichen sind. Gefordert ist ein besseres Fachkräftemanagement, insbesondere durch Innovation der Weiterbildung, Aufgabenverschiebung und verbesserte Geschlechtergerechtigkeit.
Effects of normobaric hypoxic endurance training on fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis: a randomized prospective pilot study
Authors: Zrzavy Tobias , Pfitzner Anna , Flachenecker Peter , Rommer Paulus , Zettl Uwe Klaus
Published: May 2021

Background

Fatigue is one of the most frequent symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), causing a major impact on quality-of-life. Non-pharmacological intervention strategies involve physical activity, which has been shown to reduce fatigue. Training under normobaric hypoxic conditions is thought to improve the response to endurance training and may, therefore, have an additional benefit over normoxic training conditions in MS patients.

Objective

To compare the effects of endurance training under hypoxic and normoxic conditions on fatigue, mobility and spasticity in patients with MS during inpatient rehabilitation.

Methods

Thirty-nine patients with MS were assigned within a randomized prospective longitudinal pilot study to (1) a routine clinical rehabilitation program, (2) a routine clinical rehabilitation program + normoxic endurance training and (3) a routine clinical rehabilitation program + hypoxic endurance training for 14 days. Fatigue (WEIMuS and MFIS), spasticity (MSSS-88) and walking endurance (6MinWT) were assessed at days 0, 7 and 14.

Results

Fatigue scores improved significantly in all groups, but these improvements were reached faster in the groups which additionally received endurance training (normoxic p = 0.004; hypoxic p = 0.002). Spasticity scores were significantly lower in endurance training groups at the end of the study compared to baseline (normoxic p = 0.048, hypoxic p = 0.012), while only the hypoxic group increased significantly in 6MinWT (p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that endurance training provides substantial benefit to neurological rehabilitation programs. Endurance training under hypoxic conditions could positively influence walking endurance within a 2-week training intervention and warrants further investigations.
Impact of high temperatures on aluminoceladonite studied by Mössbauer, Raman, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
Authors: Kądziołka-Gaweł Mariola , Czaja Maria , Dulski Mateusz , Krzykawski Tomasz , Szubka Magdalena
Published: May 2021

Mössbauer, Raman, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies were used to examine the effects of temperature on the structure of two aluminoceladonite samples. The process of oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ ions started at about 350 °C for the sample richer in Al and at 300 °C for the sample somewhat lower Al-content. Mössbauer results show that this process may be associated with dehydroxylation or even initiate it. The first stage of dehydroxylation takes place at a temperature > 350 °C when the adjacent OH groups are replaced with a single residual oxygen atom. Up to ~500 °C, Fe ions do not migrate from cis-octahedra to trans-octahedra sites, but the coordination number of polyhedra changes from six to five. This temperature can be treated as the second stage of dehydroxylation. The temperature dependence on the integral intensity ratio between bands centered at ~590 and 705 cm−1 (I590/I705) clearly reflects the temperature at which six-coordinated polyhedra are transformed into five-coordinated polyhedra. X-ray photoelectron spectra obtained in the region of the Si2p, Al2p, Fe2p, K2p and O1s core levels, highlighted a route to identify the position of Si, Al, K and Fe cations in a structure of layered silicates with temperature. All the measurements show that the sample with a higher aluminum content and a lower iron content in octahedral sites starts to undergo a structural reorganization at a relatively higher temperature than the less aluminum-rich sample does. This suggests that iron may perform an important role in the initiation of the dehydroxylation of aluminoceladonites.
Potential of Alnus acuminata based agroforestry for carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services in Rwanda
Authors: Cyamweshi Athanase R. , Kuyah Shem , Mukuralinda Athanase , Muthuri Catherine W.
Published: May 2021

Alnus acuminata Kunth. (alnus) is widely used in agroforestry systems across the globe and is believed to provide multiple ecosystem services; however, evidence is lacking in agroforestry literature to support the perceived benefits, particularly in Rwanda. To understand carbon sequestration potential and other benefits of alnus, a household survey, tree inventory and destructive sampling were conducted in north-western Rwanda. Over 75% of the respondents had alnus trees in their farms. The trees provide stakes for climbing beans, firewood and timber. They also improve soil fertility and control soil erosion. Farmers had between 130 and 161 alnus trees per hectare with an average height of 7.7 ± 0.59 m and diameter at breast height of 16.3 ± 1.39 cm. The largest biomass proportion was found in stems (70.5%) while branches and leaves stock about 16.5 and 13% of the total biomass, respectively. At farm level, aboveground biomass of alnus trees was estimated to be 27.2 ± 0.7 Mg ha−1 representing 13.6 Mg of carbon (C) per hectare. Biomass carbon increased with tree size, from 7.1 ± 0.2 Mg C ha−1 in 3 years old trees to 34.4 ± 2.2 Mg C ha−1 in 10 years old trees. The converse was observed with elevation; biomass carbon decreased with increasing elevation from 21.4 ± 1.29 Mg C ha−1 at low (2011–2110 m) to 9.6 ± 0.75 Mg C ha−1 in the high elevation (> 2510 m). In conclusion, alnus agroforestry significantly contributes to carbon sequestration, although the magnitude of these benefits varies with tree age and elevation. Planting alnus trees on farms can meet local needs for stakes for climbing beans, wood and soil fertility improvement, as well as the global need for regulation of climate change.
A society ill-equipped to deal with the effects of climate change on cultural heritage and landscape: a qualitative assessment of planning practices in transport infrastructure
Authors: Antonson Hans , Buckland Philip , Nyqvist Roger
Published: May 2021

This paper provides insights into the handling of climate change issues related to cultural heritage at different government decision levels dealing with physical planning, and in particular roads. Data are derived from a qualitative analysis of official reports and interviews with local and regional planners in three Swedish regions with contrasting climates. The theoretical lens of Institutional Interplay is applied to an analysis grouped into six themes: Climate threats to cultural heritage, Adaptation measures, Preparedness, Institutional preconditions, Institutional interplay, and Challenges. The results suggest that despite a strong environmental reputation internationally, Sweden is not particularly well prepared for dealing with future climate change impacts on cultural heritage and landscape. The lack of national standards and standardised methods risks regional and sectoral variation in the treatment of similar tasks, a problem which deficiencies in knowledge and continuing education are perpetuating. The degree to which discussions and cooperation occur between divisions within the same authority, between authorities, and in national networks varies considerably. Routines and criteria for prioritisation of cultural heritage mitigation, essential under conditions of limited resources, have yet to have been implemented. We conclude with five recommendations for improving the planning process with respect to climate change risks to cultural heritage.
Semantic and syntactic information for neural machine translation
Authors: Armengol-Estapé Jordi , Costa-jussà Marta R.
Published: May 2021

Introducing factors such as linguistic features has long been proposed in machine translation to improve the quality of translations. More recently, factored machine translation has proven to still be useful in the case of sequence-to-sequence systems. In this work, we investigate whether this gains hold in the case of the state-of-the-art architecture in neural machine translation, the Transformer, instead of recurrent architectures. We propose a new model, the Factored Transformer, to introduce an arbitrary number of word features in the source sequence in an attentional system. Specifically, we suggest two variants depending on the level at which the features are injected. Moreover, we suggest two combination mechanisms for the word features and words themselves. We experiment both with classical linguistic features and semantic features extracted from a linked data database, and with two low-resource datasets. With the best-found configuration, we show improvements of 0.8 BLEU over the baseline Transformer in the IWSLT German-to-English task. Moreover, we experiment with the more challenging FLoRes English-to-Nepali benchmark, which includes both low-resource and very distant languages, and obtain an improvement of 1.2 BLEU. These improvements are achieved with linguistic and not with semantic information.
Contending with Spiritual Reductionism: Demons, Shame, and Dividualising Experiences Among Evangelical Christians with Mental Distress
Authors: Lloyd Christopher E. M.
Published: May 2021

The belief that mental distress is caused by demons, sin, or generational curses is commonplace among many evangelical Christian communities. These beliefs may have positive or negative effects for individuals and groups. Phenomenological descriptions of these experiences and the subjective meanings associated with them, however, remain somewhat neglected in the literature. The current study employed semi-structured interviews with eight evangelical Christians in order to idiographically explore their experiences of mental distress in relation to their faith and wider communities. Through an interpretative phenomenological analysis, two superordinate themes were constructed: negative spiritualisation and negotiating the dialectic between faith and the lived experience of mental distress. Participants variously experienced a climate of negative spiritualisation, whereby their mental distress was demonised and dismissed, and they were further discouraged from seeking help in secular institutions and environments. Participants often considered such dismissals of their mental distress as unhelpful and stigmatising and experienced heightened feelings of shame and suffering as a result. Such discouragement also contributed to the process of othering and relational disconnection. Alongside a rejection of church teachings, which exclusively spiritualised psychological distress, participants negotiated a nuanced personal synthesis of faith, theology, and distress, which assumed a localised and idiographic significance. This synthesis included advocating for the uptake of aetiological accounts, which contextualised mental distress in terms of the whole person and resisted de-politicised, dichotomised, and individualistic narratives. Results are discussed in relation to a broad range of literature in the field, while further research suggestions are provided.
Elucidating the Onset of Plasticity in Sliding Contacts Using Differential Computational Orientation Tomography
Authors: Eder S. J. , Grützmacher P. G. , Rodríguez Ripoll M. , Belak J. F.
Published: May 2021

Depending on the mechanical and thermal energy introduced to a dry sliding interface, the near-surface regions of the mated bodies may undergo plastic deformation. In this work, we use large-scale molecular dynamics simulations to generate “differential computational orientation tomographs” (dCOT) and thus highlight changes to the microstructure near tribological FCC alloy surfaces, allowing us to detect subtle differences in lattice orientation and small distances in grain boundary migration. The analysis approach compares computationally generated orientation tomographs with their undeformed counterparts via a simple image analysis filter. We use our visualization method to discuss the acting microstructural mechanisms in a load- and time-resolved fashion, focusing on sliding conditions that lead to twinning, partial lattice rotation, and grain boundary-dominated processes. Extracting and laterally averaging the color saturation value of the generated tomographs allows us to produce quantitative time- and depth-resolved maps that give a good overview of the progress and severity of near-surface deformation. Corresponding maps of the lateral standard deviation in the color saturation show evidence of homogenization processes occurring in the tribologically loaded microstructure, frequently leading to the formation of a well-defined separation between deformed and undeformed regions. When integrated into a computational materials engineering framework, our approach could help optimize material design for tribological and other deformation problems.

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Mitigating Demographic Bias in Facial Datasets with Style-Based Multi-attribute Transfer
Authors: Georgopoulos Markos , Oldfield James , Nicolaou Mihalis A. , Panagakis Yannis , Pantic Maja
Published: May 2021

Deep learning has catalysed progress in tasks such as face recognition and analysis, leading to a quick integration of technological solutions in multiple layers of our society. While such systems have proven to be accurate by standard evaluation metrics and benchmarks, a surge of work has recently exposed the demographic bias that such algorithms exhibit–highlighting that accuracy does not entail fairness. Clearly, deploying biased systems under real-world settings can have grave consequences for affected populations. Indeed, learning methods are prone to inheriting, or even amplifying the bias present in a training set, manifested by uneven representation across demographic groups. In facial datasets, this particularly relates to attributes such as skin tone, gender, and age. In this work, we address the problem of mitigating bias in facial datasets by data augmentation. We propose a multi-attribute framework that can successfully transfer complex, multi-scale facial patterns even if these belong to underrepresented groups in the training set. This is achieved by relaxing the rigid dependence on a single attribute label, and further introducing a tensor-based mixing structure that captures multiplicative interactions between attributes in a multilinear fashion. We evaluate our method with an extensive set of qualitative and quantitative experiments on several datasets, with rigorous comparisons to state-of-the-art methods. We find that the proposed framework can successfully mitigate dataset bias, as evinced by extensive evaluations on established diversity metrics, while significantly improving fairness metrics such as equality of opportunity.
Quantitative analysis of fine dust particles on moss surfaces under laboratory conditions using the example of Brachythecium rutabulum
Authors: Vanicela Bilitis Désirée , Nebel Martin , Stephan Marielle , Riethmüller Christoph , Gresser Götz Theo
Published: May 2021

The identification of a model organism for investigations of fine dust deposits on moss leaflets was presented. An optical method with SEM enabled the quantitative detection of fine dust particles in two orders of magnitude. Selection criteria were developed with which further moss species can be identified in order to quantify the number of fine dust particles on moss surfaces using the presented method. Among the five moss species examined, B. rutabulum had proven to be the most suitable model organism for the method presented here. The number of fine dust particles on the moss surface of B. rutabulum was documented during 4 weeks of cultivation in the laboratory using SEM images and a counting method. The fine dust particles were recorded in the order of 10 μm–0.3 μm, divided into two size classes and counted. Under laboratory conditions, the number of particles of the fine fraction 2.4 μm–0.3 μm decreased significantly.
Constraining emission estimates of carbon monoxide using a perturbed emissions ensemble with observations: a focus on Beijing
Authors: Yuan Le , Popoola Olalekan A.M. , Hood Christina , Carruthers David , Jones Roderic L. , Liu Huan , Lv Zhaofeng , Zhang Qiang , Archibald Alexander T.
Published: May 2021

The reliability of air quality simulations has a strong dependence on the input emissions inventories, which are associated with various sources of uncertainties, particularly in regions undergoing rapid emission changes where inventories can be ‘out of date’ almost as soon as they are compiled. This work provides a new methodology for updating emissions inventories by source sector using air quality ensemble simulations and observations from a dense monitoring network. It is adopted to determine the short-term trends in carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, an important pollutant and precursor to tropospheric ozone, in a study area centred around Beijing following the implementation of clean air policies. We sample the uncertainties associated with using an a priori emissions inventory for the year 2013 in air quality simulations of 2016, using an atmospheric dispersion model combined with a perturbed emissions ensemble (PEE), which is constructed based on expert-elicited uncertainty ranges for individual source sectors in the inventory. By comparing the simulation outputs with observational constraints, we are able to constrain the emissions of key source sectors relative to those in the a priori emissions inventory. From 2013 to 2016, we find a 44–88% reduction in the transport sector emissions (0.92–4.4×105 Mg in 2016) and a minimum 61% decrease in residential sector emissions (<3.5×105 Mg in 2016) within the study area. We also provide evidence that the night-time fraction of traffic sources in 2016 was higher than that in the 2013 emissions inventory. This study shows the applicability of PEEs and high-resolution observations in providing timely updates of emission estimates by source sector.