Stable annual scheduling of medical residents using prioritized multiple training schedules to combat operational uncertainty

For educational purposes, medical residents often have to pass through many departments, which place different requirements on them. They are informed about the upcoming departments by an annual training schedule which keeps the individual departments’ service level as constant as possible. Due to poor planning and uncertain events, deviations in the schedule can occur. These deviations affect the service level in the departments, as well as the training progress and satisfaction of the residents. This article analyzes the impact of priorities on residents’ annual planning based on department assignments to combat uncertainty that might result in departmental changes. We present a novel two-stage formulation that combines residents’ tactical planning with duty and daily scheduling’s operational level. We determine an analytical bound for the problem that is superior to the LP bound. Additionally, we approximate a bound based on the solution approach using the objective value of the deterministic solution of an instance and the absences in each scenario. In a computational study, we analyze the performance of various bounds, our solution approach, and the effects of additional priorities in residents’ annual planning. We show that additional priorities can significantly reduce the number of unexpected department assignments. Finally, we derive a practical number of priorities from the results

Critical psychoanalytic social psychology in the German speaking countries

Winter S, Brunner M, Lohl J, Schwietrig M. Critical psychoanalytic social psychology in the German speaking countries. Annual Review for critical psychology. 2013;10:419-468.The article traces the main stages of the history of psychoanalytic social psychology in German speaking countries. Beginning with Freud, it illuminates the Freudomarxists, Critical theory, the developments during the 1960ies and 70ies and of ethnopsychoanalysis, followed by an illustration of central topics of psychoanalytic social psychology (in- and exclusion, authoritarism and right-wing extremism, as well as the aftermath of the National Socialism and the fields of subject and gender). Reflections on a psychoanalytic-oriented empirical social research complete the text

Impact of symbolic product design on brand evaluations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of symbolic product information (symbolic product design) on consumers’ perceived brand evaluations. In an experimental setting, the authors consider as key factors the congruence between symbolic product design and product category, the level of product involvement as well as brand strength. Design/methodology/approach – In an experiment of 490 participants, consumers are confronted to different symbolic product designs connotations. Based on the cognitive process model “SARA” (selective activation, reconstruction and anchoring), the authors examined how symbolic product design associations are used as heuristics in the working memory when making brand judgement. Findings – The results show that product design associations are used in consumers’ information processing as anchor for brand evaluations. This effect is stronger if symbolic design associations are incongruent to the product category because of consumers’ deeper elaboration process. Furthermore, the impact of symbolic product design is higher for weak compared to strong brands. Research limitations/implications – This research supports the cognitive process model “SARA” being an appropriate foundation explaining the effects of symbolic product design. Further research should extend this experiment, using a field study in a more realistic setting and/or a choice situation between different alternative product designs at the point of sale. Furthermore, the consumers’ elaboration process should be manipulated differently, e.g. in a mental load condition. Practical implications – Symbolic product design is important to enhance brand association networks in the consumers’ mind, particularly if the brand is weak. Marketers should use incongruent symbolic product information to differentiate from competitors who use “stereotype” product designs. Originality/value – Research about product design in the marketing discipline is still limited. The authors analyse the impact of symbolic product design on brand evaluations in an experimental setting of 490 respondents in four product categories. The findings support that consumers use product design as heuristics to evaluate brands

Enantiomerically Pure Tetravalent Neptunium Amidinates: Synthesis and Characterization

The synthesis of a tetravalent neptunium amidinate [NpCl((S )‐PEBA)$_{3}$] (1 ) ((S )‐PEBA=(S ,S )‐N ,N′‐bis‐(1‐phenylethyl)‐benzamidinate) is reported. This complex represents the first structurally characterized enantiopure transuranic compound. Reactivity studies with halide/pseudohalides yielding [NpX((S )‐PEBA)$_{3}$] (X=F (2 ), Br (3 ), N3 (4 )) have shown that the chirality‐at‐metal is preserved for all compounds in the solid state. Furthermore, they represent an unprecedented example of a structurally characterized metal–organic Np complex featuring a Np−Br (3 ) bond. In addition, 4 is the only reported tetravalent transuranic azide. All compounds were additionally characterized in solution using para‐magnetic NMR spectroscopy showing an expected C$_{3}$‐symmetry at low temperatures

New insights into solvent-induced structural changes of C-13 labelled metal-organic frameworks by solid state NMR

Selective C-13-labelling of carboxylate carbons in the linker molecules of flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) makes solid-state NMR spectroscopy very powerful to investigate solvent-induced local structural changes as demonstrated by C-13 and H-1 NMR spectroscopy on the pillared layer MOF DUT-8(Ni). Selective identification of polar solvent-node interactions becomes feasible

Growth in infants, children and adolescents with unilateral and bilateral cerebral palsy

To compare growth patterns during infancy, childhood and adolescence in children with unilateral and bilateral cerebral palsy (CP) phenotype and to assess the association with gross motor impairment, dysphagia and gestational age. We retrospectively studied 389 children with CP from a single center population in Munich, Germany. 1536 measurements of height and weight were tabulated and z-scored from 6 to 180 months of age. Generalized linear mixed model were used to examine the association between growth, GMFCS, dysphagia and gestational age by CP phenotype. Children with unilateral CP tend to grow similarly to their typically developed peers. In the main effect model, bilateral CP phenotype was significantly associated with decreased mean z-scores for height (β [95% CI] − 0.953 [− 1.145, − 0.761], p < 0.001), weight (− 0.999 [− 1.176, − 0.807], p < 0.001) and BMI (β [95% CI] − 0.437 [− 0.799, − 0.075]), compared with unilateral CP phenotype. This association remained significant in the interaction models. The height-for-age z-scores, weight-for-age decreased z-scores and BMI-for-age z-scores of children with bilateral CP and GMFCS III–V or dysphagia decreased more significantly than those of children with unilateral CP. Preterm birth was not significantly associated with decreased growth in height, weight and BMI. Reduced growth in children with bilateral CP was strongly associated with moderate to severe impairment in gross motor function (GMFCS III–V) and dysphagia.Fil: Ruiz Brunner, María de Las Mercedes. Hauner Children’s Hospital; Alemania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Cuestas, Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud; Argentina. Gobierno de la Provincia de Cordoba. Hospital Misericordia Nuevo Siglo; ArgentinaFil: Heinen, Florian. Hauner Children’s Hospital; AlemaniaFil: Schroeder, Andreas Sebastian. Hauner Children’s Hospital; Alemani

Impact of Defects and Crystal Size on Negative Gas Adsorption in DUT-49 Analyzed by in Situ ¹²⁹Xe NMR Spectroscopy

The origin of crystal-size-dependent adsorption behavior of flexible metal-organic frameworks is increasingly studied. In this contribution, we probe the solid-fluid interactions of DUT-49 crystals of different size by in situ 129Xe NMR spectroscopy at 200 K. With decreasing size of the crystals, the average solid-fluid interactions are found to decrease reflected by a decrease in chemical shift of adsorbed xenon from 230 to 200 ppm, explaining the lack of adsorption-induced transitions for smaller crystals. However, recent studies propose that these results can also originate from the presence of lattice defects. To investigate the influence of defects on the adsorption behavior of DUT-49, we synthesized a series of samples with tailored defect concentrations and characterized them by in situ 129Xe NMR. In comparison to the results obtained for crystals with different size, we find pronounced changes of the adsorption behavior and influence of the chemical shift only for very high concentrations of defects, which further emphasizes the important role of particle size phenomena