Income Mobility in Old Age in Britain and Germany

The increases in human longevity in recent decades and the trends for early retirement have posed new challenges for policy makers, and require a holistic understanding of the processes that influence the economic resources of older people. This paper contributes to this knowledge by examining the income mobility experienced by older people living in Britain and Germany during the 1990s, and by identifying personal attributes and life-course events that influenced its direction and likelihood. The analysis uses the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) panel data. The comparative perspective yields insights about the different income experience of older people in the two markedly different welfare regimes. Results show that old-age income mobility is more pronounced in Britain than in Germany, and that in both countries its occurrence is particularly associated with changes in living arrangements, in the employment status of the co-resident family members and with widowhood among women. Unemployment during working life is also associated with significant negative later life income mobility. Among those on low incomes, a high share of income from an earnings-related pension had a significant and positive effect in both countries. One policy implication is the need to strengthen the social safety net, to safeguard against downward income mobility in old age, particularly among widows. Policy incentives are required to encourage flexible living arrangements in old age, as well as a greater protection from unemployment during working life, more so in Germany than in Britain.income mobility, old age, pensions, Britain and Germany

Radiation characteristics of a coaxial waveguide with eccentric inner conductor for application in hyperthermia and microwave reflex therapy

This paper examines the radiation characteristics of a contact emitter conceived for application in hyperthermia and microwave reflex therapy. It is important to analyse the distribution of power density in the near field area, as the radiator's therapeutic sphere of activity is localized here. The contact emitter is a coaxial radiator with an eccentric course of the inner conductor. According to Huygens principle, a theoretical view of the near field radiation characteristics is made by determining the equivalent current densities in the emitter aperture. It is shown that by an eccentric shift of the inner conductor, an almost isotropic near field radiation pattern and power density can be achieved. For this, the electromagnetic field in the emitter aperture is determined by using a Bipolar coordinate system. This calculation considers only the fundamental TEM mode of the contact emitter. Besides the theoretical results near and far fields are simulated using the programme system Ansoft HFSS

Network insensitivity to parameter noise via adversarial regularization

Neuromorphic neural network processors, in the form of compute-in-memory crossbar arrays of memristors, or in the form of subthreshold analog and mixed-signal ASICs, promise enormous advantages in compute density and energy efficiency for NN-based ML tasks. However, these technologies are prone to computational non-idealities, due to process variation and intrinsic device physics. This degrades the task performance of networks deployed to the processor, by introducing parameter noise into the deployed model. While it is possible to calibrate each device, or train networks individually for each processor, these approaches are expensive and impractical for commercial deployment. Alternative methods are therefore needed to train networks that are inherently robust against parameter variation, as a consequence of network architecture and parameters. We present a new adversarial network optimisation algorithm that attacks network parameters during training, and promotes robust performance during inference in the face of parameter variation. Our approach introduces a regularization term penalising the susceptibility of a network to weight perturbation. We compare against previous approaches for producing parameter insensitivity such as dropout, weight smoothing and introducing parameter noise during training. We show that our approach produces models that are more robust to targeted parameter variation, and equally robust to random parameter variation. Our approach finds minima in flatter locations in the weight-loss landscape compared with other approaches, highlighting that the networks found by our technique are less sensitive to parameter perturbation. Our work provides an approach to deploy neural network architectures to inference devices that suffer from computational non-idealities, with minimal loss of performance. ..

Traveling Wave Fronts and Localized Traveling Wave Convection in Binary Fluid Mixtures

Nonlinear fronts between spatially extended traveling wave convection (TW) and quiescent fluid and spatially localized traveling waves (LTWs) are investigated in quantitative detail in the bistable regime of binary fluid mixtures heated from below. A finite-difference method is used to solve the full hydrodynamic field equations in a vertical cross section of the layer perpendicular to the convection roll axes. Results are presented for ethanol-water parameters with several strongly negative separation ratios where TW solutions bifurcate subcritically. Fronts and LTWs are compared with each other and similarities and differences are elucidated. Phase propagation out of the quiescent fluid into the convective structure entails a unique selection of the latter while fronts and interfaces where the phase moves into the quiescent state behave differently. Interpretations of various experimental observations are suggested.Comment: 46 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Comparative evaluation of the My5-FU™ immunoassay and LC-MS/MS in monitoring the 5-fluorouracil plasma levels in cancer patients

Background: Chemotherapies of solid tumors commonly include 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). With standard doses of 5-FU, substantial inter-patient variability has been observed in exposure levels and treatment response. Recently, improved outcomes in colorectal cancer patients due to pharmacokinetically guided 5-FU dosing were reported. We aimed at establishing a rapid and sensitive method for monitoring 5-FU plasma levels in cancer patients in our routine clinical practice. Methods: Performance of the Saladax My5-FU™ immunoassay was evaluated on the Roche Cobas® Integra 800 analyzer. Subsequently, 5-FU concentrations of 247 clinical plasma samples obtained with this assay were compared to the results obtained by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and other commonly used clinical analyzers (Olympus AU400, Roche Cobas c6000, and Thermo Fisher CDx90). Results: The My-FU assay was successfully validated on the Cobas Integra 800 analyzer in terms of linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, interference, sample carryover, and dilution integrity. Method comparison between the Cobas Integra 800 and LC-MS/MS revealed a proportional bias of 7% towards higher values measured with the My5-FU assay. However, when the Cobas Integra 800 was compared to three other clinical analyzers in addition to LC-MS/MS including 50 samples representing the typical clinical range of 5-FU plasma concentrations, only a small proportional bias (≤1.6%) and a constant bias below the limit of detection was observed. Conclusions: The My5-FU assay demonstrated robust and highly comparable performance on different analyzers. Therefore, the assay is suitable for monitoring 5-FU plasma levels in routine clinical practice and may contribute to improved efficacy and safety of commonly used 5-FU-based chemotherapie

Nonsurgical cleaning potential of deep-threaded implants and titanium particle release: A novel in vitro tissue model

OBJECTIVES To measure the efficiency of three cleaning modalities on two implant designs with similar diameters but different thread depths as well as the presence of titanium particles. METHODS Sixty dyed implants (30 × 4.8 apically tapered (ATAP) and 30 × 5.0 fully tapered (FTAP)) were fixed in plastic models. The horizontal bone defects were surrounded with porcine soft tissue. Three instrumentation modalities were used to clean for 150 s: Curette (CUR), ultrasonic scaler (US), and air powder waterjet device (APWJ) with erythritol powder. Afterward, implants were photographed and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images were taken. Titanium in the soft tissues was quantified in dissolved samples and histologically confirmed. RESULTS For ATAP and FTAP implants, the percentage of the cleaned surface was 26.4 ± 3.0 and 17.1 ± 2.4% for CUR, 33.7 ± 3.8% and 28.1 ± 2.3% for US, and 45.5 ± 4.1% and 24.7 ± 3.8% for APWJ, respectively. SEM images showed significant implant surface changes, especially after instrumentation with CUR and US, whereas APWJ had little to no effect. Most titanium residues were found after cleaning ATAP implants with CUR (152.0 ± 75.5), followed by US (89.5 ± 73.8) and APWJ (0.3 ± 0.8). For the FTAP implants, respective values accounted for 129.5 ± 58.6 μg and 67.0 ± 14.4 μg for CUR and US, respectively. No titanium residues were detected on ATAP with APWJ. CONCLUSION Based on in vitro data, erythritol-powered APWJ still appears to be the most efficient and gentle cleaning method. All three instruments, however, were found to have unprocessed areas depending on different implant designs, hence, clinical relevance for non-surgical approaches remains challenging and warrants further improvement

Influence of boundaries on pattern selection in through-flow

The problem of pattern selection in absolutely unstable open flow systems is investigated by considering the example of Rayleigh-B\'{e}nard convection. The spatiotemporal structure of convection rolls propagating downstream in an externally imposed flow is determined for six different inlet/outlet boundary conditions. Results are obtained by numerical simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations and by comparison with the corresponding Ginzburg-Landau amplitude equation. A unique selection process is observed being a function of the control parameters and the boundary conditions but independent of the history and the system length. The problem can be formulated in terms of a nonlinear eigen/boundary value problem where the frequency of the propagating pattern is the eigenvalue. PACS: 47.54.+r, 47.20.Bp, 47.27.Te, 47.20.KyComment: 8 pages, 5 Postscript figures, Physica D 97, 253-263 (1996

Quantitative evaluation of aortic valve regurgitation in 4D flow cardiac magnetic resonance: at which level should we measure?

PURPOSE To find the best level to measure aortic flow for quantification of aortic regurgitation (AR) in 4D flow CMR. METHODS In 27 congenital heart disease patients with AR (67% male, 31 ± 16 years) two blinded observers measured antegrade, retrograde, net aortic flow volumes and regurgitant fractions at 6 levels in 4D flow: (1) below the aortic valve (AV), (2) at the AV, (3) at the aortic sinus, (4) at the sinotubular junction, (5) at the level of the pulmonary arteries (PA) and (6) below the brachiocephalic trunk. 2D phase contrast (2DPC) sequences were acquired at the level of PA. All patients received prior transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with AR severity grading according to a recommended multiparametric approach. RESULTS After assigning 2DPC measurements into AR grading, agreement between TTE AR grading and 2DPC was good (κ = 0.88). In 4D flow, antegrade flow was similar between the six levels (p = 0.87). Net flow was higher at level 1-2 than at levels 3-6 (p < 0.05). Retrograde flow and regurgitant fraction at level 1-2 were lower compared to levels 3-6 (p < 0.05). Reproducibility (inter-reader agreement: ICC 0.993, 95% CI 0.986-0.99; intra-reader agreement: ICC 0.982, 95%CI 0.943-0.994) as well as measurement agreement between 4D flow and 2DPC (ICC 0.994; 95%CI 0.989 - 0.998) was best at the level of PA. CONCLUSION For estimating severity of AR in 4D flow, best reproducibility along with best agreement with 2DPC measurements can be expected at the level of PA. Measurements at AV or below AV might underestimate AR

Myocardial Deformation in Fontan Patients Assessed by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Feature Tracking: Correlation with Function, Clinical Course, and Biomarkers

Cardiac MR (CMR) is a standard modality for assessing ventricular function of single ventricles. CMR feature-tracking (CMR-FT) is a novel application enabling strain measurement on cine MR images and is used in patients with congenital heart diseases. We sought to assess the feasibility of CMR-FT in Fontan patients and analyze the correlation between CMR-FT strain values and conventional CMR volumetric parameters, clinical findings, and biomarkers. Global circumferential (GCS) and longitudinal (GLS) strain were retrospectively measured by CMR-FT on Steady-State Free Precession cine images. Data regarding post-operative course at Fontan operation, and medication, exercise capacity, invasive hemodynamics, and blood biomarkers at a time interval ± 6 months from CMR were collected. Forty-seven patients underwent CMR 11 ± 6 years after the Fontan operation; age at CMR was 15 ± 7 years. End-diastolic volume (EDV) of the SV was 93 ± 37 ml/m2, end-systolic volume (ESV) was 46 ± 23 ml/m2, and ejection fraction (EF) was 51 ± 11%. Twenty (42%) patients had a single right ventricle (SRV). In single left ventricle (SLV), GCS was higher (p < 0.001), but GLS was lower (p = 0.04) than in SRV. GCS correlated positively with EDV (p = 0.005), ESV (p < 0.001), and EF (p ≤ 0.0001). GLS correlated positively with EF (p = 0.002), but not with ventricular volumes. Impaired GCS correlated with decreased ventricular function (p = 0.03) and atrioventricular valve regurgitation (p = 0.04) at echocardiography, direct atriopulmonary connection (p = 0.02), post-operative complications (p = 0.05), and presence of a rudimentary ventricle (p = 0.01). A reduced GCS was associated with increased NT-pro-BNP (p = 0.05). Myocardial deformation can be measured by CMR-FT in Fontan patients. SLVs have higher GCS, but lower GLS than SRVs. GCS correlates with ventricular volumes and EF, whereas GLS correlates with EF only. Myocardial deformation shows a relationship with several clinical parameters and NT-pro-BNP. Keywords: Biomarkers; CMR; CMR-FT; Fontan; Strai