Visualization of Climate Factors for Sports Events and Activities–The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Detailed climate information in an easily interpretable form is demanded by the general public, as well as by decision-makers on different planning levels. One example is the group of planners in the field of sports and tourism. A promising approach is the visualization of climate thresholds in a Climate-Tourism/Transfer-Information Scheme (CTIS) for the prevailing local climate conditions. The presented approach is adaptable to specific destinations and target activities and integrates meteorological, as well as recreational, touristic and specific activity-related parameters and thresholds. All parameters are simplified in terms of factors and combined in one individual graph, the CTIS diagram. The detailed information on local climate can be applied by non-experts like tourists intending to attend a sports event. They are able to prepare for different aspects of the local climate by, e.g., selecting appropriate clothing when planning their stay. The example of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is presented and discussed. Results show that heat stress together with sultriness is likely to occur during the scheduled time of the Olympics, while cold stress will most probably not be relevant

Low-dose intranasal versus oral midazolam for routine body MRI of claustrophobic patients

The purpose of this study was to assess prospectively the potential of low-dose intranasal midazolam compared to oral midazolam in claustrophobic patients undergoing routine body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Seventy-two adult claustrophobic patients referred for body MRI were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups (TG1 and TG2). The 36 patients of TG1 received 7.5mg midazolam orally 15min before MRI, whereas the 36 patients of TG2 received one (or, if necessary, two) pumps of a midazolam nasal spray into each nostril immediately prior to MRI (in total, 1 or 2mg). Patients' tolerance, anxiety and sedation were assessed using a questionnaire and a visual analogue scale immediately before and after MRI. Image quality was evaluated using a five-point-scale. In TG1, 18/36 MRI examinations (50%) had to be cancelled, the reduction of anxiety was insufficient in 12/18 remaining patients (67%). In TG2, 35/36 MRI examinations (97%) were completed successfully, without relevant adverse effects. MRI image quality was rated higher among patients of TG2 compared to TG1 (p<0.001). Low-dose intranasal midazolam is an effective and patient-friendly solution to overcome anxiety in claustrophobic patients in a broad spectrum of body MRI. Its anxiolytic effect is superior to that of the orally administrated for

Zugang zu non-formalen Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten der digitalen Kompetenzen für Erwachsene in Österreich.

In dieser multimethodischen, qualitativen Studie werden non-formale Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten der digitalen Kompetenzen für Erwachsene in Österreich beforscht. Entlang der Dimensionen des DigComp 2.2 AT soll das Angebot in diesem Bereich identifiziert werden bzw. eine Agenda für den weiteren Ausbau des Angebots bzw. die weitere Beforschung skizziert werden.In this multimethod qualitative study, non-formal opportunities for further education in the context of digital competences are researched. The focus lies on Austrian adults. Along the dimensions of DigComp 2.2 AT, the offering in this area is to be identified and an agenda for the further expansion of the offering or further research is to be outlined

Life cycle assessment of innovative materials for thermal energy storage in buildings

The politically endorsed reduction of greenhouse gas emissions entails the transformation of thermal energy systems towards renewable energies, especially in the building sector. This comes along with a demand in energy storage, as there is a time offset between energy availability and demand. As sensible heat storages induce major losses and have limited energy density, current water-based solutions are only partially sufficient to meet these demands. Within the project “Speicher-LCA” the environmental performance of a variety of innovative materials available for energy storage in buildings is assessed. The project provides the first extensive comparison of environmental profiles of various thermal energy storage materials, including phase change, thermochemical and sorption materials. The specific performances in the storage cycle are taken into account. All results will be publically accessible through a spreadsheet tool including a comprehensive set of materials, components as well as their integration into different building types. This paper discusses the methodological framework of the study and presents the environmental assessment results for selected materials. It highlights the main challenges in the assessment of innovative storage materials on different system levels which require specific definition of functional units accordingly. The first assessment results on material level for selected phase change (PCM) and thermo-chemical materials (TCM) allow an environmental characterization regarding their potential application in thermal storages. In addition, ranges of required numbers of storage cycles for amortization have been calculated for the non-renewable primary energy demand. For PCMs amortization cycles range between ∼20 to 150 cycles for salt hydrates and up to ∼280 cycles for paraffins. Regarding TCM, energetic amortization of silica gel and zeolite 13x is reached after ∼60 and ∼260 cycles respectively. Since the realization of storage components and systems which can actually be used in real applications will further increase the cycle number required for amortization, these storage materials may thus not be suitable for applications with a low number of cycles over lifetime, such as seasonal storage

Overview of the PALM model system 6.0

In this paper, we describe the PALM model system 6.0. PALM (formerly an abbreviation for Parallelized Large-eddy Simulation Model and now an independent name) is a Fortran-based code and has been applied for studying a variety of atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers for about 20 years. The model is optimized for use on massively parallel computer architectures. This is a follow-up paper to the PALM 4.0 model description in Maronga et al. (2015). During the last years, PALM has been significantly improved and now offers a variety of new components. In particular, much effort was made to enhance the model with components needed for applications in urban environments, like fully interactive land surface and radiation schemes, chemistry, and an indoor model. This paper serves as an overview paper of the PALM 6.0 model system and we describe its current model core. The individual components for urban applications, case studies, validation runs, and issues with suitable input data are presented and discussed in a series of companion papers in this special issue

Dual-function AAV gene therapy reverses late-stage Canavan disease pathology in mice

The leukodystrophy Canavan disease is a fatal white matter disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations of the aspartoacylase-encoding ASPA gene. There are no effective treatments available and experimental gene therapy trials have failed to provide sufficient amelioration from Canavan disease symptoms. Preclinical studies suggest that Canavan disease-like pathology can be addressed by either ASPA gene replacement therapy or by lowering the expression of the N-acetyl-L-aspartate synthesizing enzyme NAT8L. Both approaches individually prevent or even reverse pathological aspects in Canavan disease mice. Here, we combined both strategies and assessed whether intracranial adeno-associated virus-mediated gene delivery to a Canavan disease mouse model at 12 weeks allows for reversal of existing pathology. This was enabled by a single vector dual-function approach. In vitro and in vivo biopotency assessment revealed significant knockdown of neuronal Nat8l paired with robust ectopic aspartoacylase expression. Following nomination of the most efficient cassette designs, we performed proof-of-concept studies in post-symptomatic Aspa-null mice. Late-stage gene therapy resulted in a decrease of brain vacuoles and long-term reversal of all pathological hallmarks, including loss of body weight, locomotor impairments, elevated N-acetyl-L-aspartate levels, astrogliosis, and demyelination. These data suggest feasibility of a dual-function vector combination therapy, directed at replacing aspartoacylase with concomitantly suppressing N-acetyl-L-aspartate production, which holds potential to permanently alleviate Canavan disease symptoms and expands the therapeutic window towards a treatment option for adult subjects

Racial differences in systemic sclerosis disease presentation: a European Scleroderma Trials and Research group study

Objectives. Racial factors play a significant role in SSc. We evaluated differences in SSc presentations between white patients (WP), Asian patients (AP) and black patients (BP) and analysed the effects of geographical locations.Methods. SSc characteristics of patients from the EUSTAR cohort were cross-sectionally compared across racial groups using survival and multiple logistic regression analyses.Results. The study included 9162 WP, 341 AP and 181 BP. AP developed the first non-RP feature faster than WP but slower than BP. AP were less frequently anti-centromere (ACA; odds ratio (OR) = 0.4, P &lt; 0.001) and more frequently anti-topoisomerase-I autoantibodies (ATA) positive (OR = 1.2, P = 0.068), while BP were less likely to be ACA and ATA positive than were WP [OR(ACA) = 0.3, P &lt; 0.001; OR(ATA) = 0.5, P = 0.020]. AP had less often (OR = 0.7, P = 0.06) and BP more often (OR = 2.7, P &lt; 0.001) diffuse skin involvement than had WP.AP and BP were more likely to have pulmonary hypertension [OR(AP) = 2.6, P &lt; 0.001; OR(BP) = 2.7, P = 0.03 vs WP] and a reduced forced vital capacity [OR(AP) = 2.5, P &lt; 0.001; OR(BP) = 2.4, P &lt; 0.004] than were WP. AP more often had an impaired diffusing capacity of the lung than had BP and WP [OR(AP vs BP) = 1.9, P = 0.038; OR(AP vs WP) = 2.4, P &lt; 0.001]. After RP onset, AP and BP had a higher hazard to die than had WP [hazard ratio (HR) (AP) = 1.6, P = 0.011; HR(BP) = 2.1, P &lt; 0.001].Conclusion. Compared with WP, and mostly independent of geographical location, AP have a faster and earlier disease onset with high prevalences of ATA, pulmonary hypertension and forced vital capacity impairment and higher mortality. BP had the fastest disease onset, a high prevalence of diffuse skin involvement and nominally the highest mortality

Search for Physics beyond the Standard Model in Events with Overlapping Photons and Jets

Results are reported from a search for new particles that decay into a photon and two gluons, in events with jets. Novel jet substructure techniques are developed that allow photons to be identified in an environment densely populated with hadrons. The analyzed proton-proton collision data were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in 2016 at root s = 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The spectra of total transverse hadronic energy of candidate events are examined for deviations from the standard model predictions. No statistically significant excess is observed over the expected background. The first cross section limits on new physics processes resulting in such events are set. The results are interpreted as upper limits on the rate of gluino pair production, utilizing a simplified stealth supersymmetry model. The excluded gluino masses extend up to 1.7 TeV, for a neutralino mass of 200 GeV and exceed previous mass constraints set by analyses targeting events with isolated photons.Peer reviewe