The IMO Reference Data Model: One Solution Fits Most!

In 2019, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) made it mandatory to support the electronic clearance of ships entering foreign ports. In preparation, the IMO Facilitation Committee started to develop a reference data model to harmonise the most important standards for ship clearance. The first version was published in 2020. The model is already extending into other areas of ship-port data exchanges and it is now increasingly seen as a tool to coordinate development of new electronic data exchange standards for ship operations. The lack of such coordination has, up until now, been a significant problem—much better coordination is essential in the relatively small and highly international market that shipping represents.acceptedVersio

Auskunft ist Jazz : Projektbericht zur Erstellung eines Lehrfilms zum Auskunftsinterview in Bibliotheken ; Lehrveranstaltung BBPD1 Projekt Auskunftsinterview des Bachelorstudiengangs Bibliothekswesen im Wintersemester 2013/14 und Sommersemester 2014

„Auskunft ist Jazz – Das bibliothekarische Auskunftsinterview“ wurde als Lehrfilm im Rahmen eines Studienprojekts des Studiengangs Bibliothekswesen der FH Köln im Wintersemester 2013/14 und im Sommersemester 2014 durch eine studentische Arbeitsgruppe unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Hermann Rösch konzipiert und hergestellt. Der hier vorliegende Bericht bietet detaillierte Informationen zur Entstehung und Durchführung des Projekts von der ersten Idee bis zum fertigen Film. Im Anhang werden darüber hinaus unter anderem das Drehbuch und das Storyboard des Films zur Verfügung gestellt. „Auskunft ist Jazz – Das bibliothekarische Auskunftsinterview“ zeigt sämtliche Aspekte des Auskunftsinterviews anhand eines beispielhaften Szenarios, in dem die Schülerin Clarissa auf der Suche nach Informationen für ihre Facharbeit an der Auskunftstheke der Bibliothekarin Nadine begegnet. In jeweils negativen und positiven Varianten werden anhand des folgenden Auskunftsgesprächs die Erzeugung der Grundstimmung zu Anfang, die Ermittlung des Informationsbedarfs mit Hilfe geeigneter Fragetechniken, die gemeinsame Recherche und die Qualitätskontrolle durch das Follow-up zum Abschluss gezeigt. Zwischen den Szenen sorgt ein Moderator erklärend für Orientierung und es werden weitere unterhaltsame und lehrreiche Szenen aus dem bibliothekarischen Alltag gezeigt. Darüber hinaus geht der Film auch auf schwierige Phänomene wie großer Andrang und ungeduldige Nutzer an der Auskunftstheke ein. Sämtliche Aufgaben bei der Planung und Herstellung des Films wurden arbeitsteilig durch ein Drehbuchteam, ein Technikteam und ein Organisationsteam erfüllt. Die Herausforderung für die Mitglieder der verschiedenen Teams bestand neben der Aneignung spezialisierter Fähigkeiten in den jeweiligen Arbeitsbereichen besonders in der Kooperation und Koordination des komplexen Gesamtprojekts. Das Zusammenspiel bei gleichzeitiger Spezialisierung machte den für alle Beteiligten hochinteressanten und lehrreichen Charakter des Projekts aus. Nachdem der Film am 12. Juni 2014 im Rahmen einer Premierenfeier am Institut für Informationswissenschaften der Fachhochschule Köln vorgestellt wurde, steht er nun auf Youtube der Öffentlichkeit zur Verfügung. Zusätzlich zum eigentlichen Lehrfilm wurde noch ein Zusammenschnitt des positiven Interviews im Zusammenhang und eine Checkliste mit den wichtigsten Stichworten zum Auskunftsinterview veröffentlicht. Eingesetzt werden soll der Film in universitärer Lehre sowie bibliothekarischer Aus- und Fortbildung. Alle drei Variationen sind unter einer Creative Commons-Namensnennung-Nicht kommerziell-4.0-International-Lizenz veröffentlicht und stehen somit für die freie und nichtkommerziellen Verwendung zur Verfügung

Modelling a response as a function of high frequency count data: the association between physical activity and fat mass

We present a new statistical modelling approach where the response is a function of high frequency count data. Our application is about investigating the relationship between the health outcome fat mass and physical activity (PA) measured by accelerometer. The accelerometer quantifies the intensity of physical activity as counts per epoch over a given period of time. We use data from the Avon longitudinal study of parents and children (ALSPAC) where accelerometer data is available as a time series of accelerometer counts per minute over seven days for a subset of children. In order to compare accelerometer profiles between individuals and to reduce the high dimension a functional summary of the profiles is used. We use the histogram as a functional summary due to its simplicity, suitability and ease of interpretation. Our model is an extension of generalised regression of scalars on functions or signal regression. It allows also multi-dimensional functional predictors and additive non-linear predictors for metric covariates. The additive multidimensional functional predictors allow investigating specific questions about whether the effect of PA varies over its intensity, by gender, by time of day or by day of the week. The key feature of the model is that it utilises the full profile of measured PA without requiring cut-points defining intensity levels for light, moderate and vigorous activity. We show that the (not necessarily causal) effect of PA is not linear and not constant over the activity intensity. Also, there is little evidence to suggest that the effect of PA intensity varies by gender or whether it happens on weekdays or on weekends

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Mechanical Fatigue Performance of Patient-Specific Polymer Plates in Oncologic Mandible Reconstruction

Mandible defects are conventionally reconstructed using titanium plates. However, titanium causes metallic artifacts which impair radiological imaging. This study aims at evaluating mechanical fatigue of radiolucent fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (f-PEEK), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), and polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) polymer plates for mandible reconstruction. A total of 30 plates (titanium [n = 6], f-PEEK [n = 6], PEEK [n = 6], PEKK [n = 6], PPSU [n = 6]) were implanted in synthetic mandibulectomized polyurethane mandibles. Servo-pneumatic mechanical testing with cyclic application of 30–300 N at 3 Hz was conducted. Bite forces were 70% on the unresected and 30% on the resected side. Total number of cycles was set to 250,000. Testing was aborted in case of plate or screw failure. Axial load to failure was tested with a speed of 1 mm/s. Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn’s post hoc tests were used. Titanium, f-PEEK, and PEEK showed no failure in fatigue testing and PPSU (p < 0.001) failed against titanium, f-PEEK, PEEK, and PEKK. Titanium allowed the highest load to failure compared to f-PEEK (p = 0.049), PEEK (p = 0.008), PEKK (p < 0.001), and PPSU (p = 0.007). f-PEEK, PEEK, and PEKK withstood expected physiological bite force. Although titanium plates provided the highest fatigue strength, f-PEEK and PEEK plates showed no failure over 250,000 chewing cycles indicating sufficient mechanical strength for mandible reconstruction

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor is essential for osteoclastogenic mechanisms in vitro and in vivo mouse model of arthritis

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) enhances activation of leukocytes, endothelial cells and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A MIF promoter polymorphism in RA patients resulted in higher serum MIF concentration and worsens bone erosion; controversially current literature reported an inhibitory role of MIF in osteoclast formation. The controversial suggested that the prease role of MIF and its putative receptor CD74 in osteoclastogenesis and RA bone erosion, mediated by locally formed osteoclasts in response to receptor activator of NF-kappa B ligand (RANKL), is unclear. We reported that in an in vivo K/BxN serum transfer arthritis, reduced clinical and histological arthritis in MIF-/- and CD74(-/-) mice were accompanied by a virtual absence of osteoclasts at the synovium-bone interface and reduced osteoclast-related gene expression. Furthermore, in vitro osteoclast formation and osteoclast-related gene expression were significantly reduced in MIF-/- cells via decreasing RANKL-induced phosphorylation of NF-kappa B-p65 and ERK1/2. This was supported by a similar reduction of osteoclastogenesis observed in CD74(-/-) cells. Furthermore, a MIF blockade reduced RANKL-induced osteoclastogeriesis via deregulating RANKL-mediated NF-kappa B and NFATc1 transcription factor activation. These data indicate that MIF and CD74 facilitate RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis, and suggest that MIF contributes directly to bone erosion, as well as inflammation, in RA. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved