Non-linear stochastic dynamics of a cable-mass system with finite bending stiffness via the equivalent linearization technique

The non-linear stochastic dynamic behaviour of a high-rise vertical transportation system modelled as a concentrated mass and a cable with finite bending stiffness is considered. The slow time scale is defined and lateral cable displacements coupled with transverse motions are expanded in terms of approximating functions. The excitation of the high-rise building is assumed in the form of a narrow-band mean-square process equivalent to the harmonic process. The equivalent linearization technique is used to replace the original non-linear system with a linear approximation whose coefficients are determined from minimization of the mean-square equation difference between both systems

Der Arbeitsmarkt in Ost- und Westdeutschland: Offene Stellen, Personalsuche und Besetzungswege

Mehr als zwanzig Jahre nach der Wiedervereinigung sind die Arbeitsmärkte in West- und Ostdeutschland immer noch sehr verschieden. Auf Basis einer jährlichen Betriebsbefragung zum gesamtwirtschaftlichen Stellenangebot werden die beiden Arbeitsmärkte insbesondere im Hinblick auf offene Stellen und betriebliche Stellenbesetzungsstrategien untersucht und verglichen. In Deutschland konnten die Betriebe im Jahr 2011 insgesamt 5,4 Mio. offene Stellen erfolgreich besetzen. Dabei kamen auf eine sofort zu besetzende offene Stelle im Osten mehr als doppelt so viele Arbeitslose wie im Westen. Es werden aber auch parallele Entwicklungen und Annäherungen zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschland beobachtet, etwa bei der Dauer der Stellenbesetzungsprozesse

METHOD FOR MULCHING AN AGRICULTURAL SOIL BED USING A BIODEGRADABLE PROTEIN MATERIAL AND A MULCHED AGRICULTURAL CROP GROWING PLOT PRODUCED THEREBY

A method is provided for mulching an agricultural Soil bed using a biodegradable protein mulch material. The method includes the preparation of a film forming Solution of a film forming protein material. The film forming protein Solution is then sprayed directly onto a Surface of an agricultural Soil bed. The solution dries to form a thin film of protein material on the Surface of the agricultural Soil bed. The protein material may comprise a plant protein, a milk protein, an animal protein, a whey protein, casein, an egg protein or gelatin. Following a harvest, the mulch material, which is biodegradable, may simply be plowed under

Die schulbezogene Anstrengungsvermeidung als maladaptive Strategie des selbstregulierten Lernens : ein multidimensionales Konstrukt an der Schnittstelle zwischen Kinder- und Jugendhilfe und Schule

Background. School achievement is determined by a series of cognitive and non-cognitive factors. In addition to general cognitive abilities, strategies of self-regulated learning play an essential role in School success. Children and adolescents who are not able to regulate their learning process have difficulties to meet the school earning requirements and will increasingly be affected by school failure. Frustrating learning experiences may manifest in school-based effort avoidance. Children and adolescents try to avoid the learning effort in order to scape the associated negative emotions. School-based effort avoidance is associated with poor school performance and can be considered as a maladaptive strategy of self-regulated learning. In particular, children and adolescents from child welfare services are at risk of developing such an avoidance. Aim. The aim of the present study is to analyze the construct school-based effort avoidance . This includes the question how school-based effort is associated to other child-centred variables. It also examines the role school-based effort avoidance plays in school performance. Furthermore, given the example of school-based effort avoidance, it should be examined who was the most valid source of information in child welfare services. Methods. A questionnaire especially developed for this research project was used in a cross-sectional design to record school-based effort avoidance. It does not map school-based effort avoidance one-dimensionally but in a multidimensional profile. This makes it possible to examine the construct school-based effort avoidance in a differentiated manner. This differentiation is necessary to identify specific relationships with other constructs in order to be able to implement very concrete individual-oriented training and intervention measures. Assistance adapted to the specific and individual needs of the child or adolescent is crucial for a successful implementation of child welfare services. This Dissertation contains the findings of four publications, each relating to different random samples (ages 9 to 16) from the general population and child welfare services. Results. The results show that school-based effort avoidance is primarily related to externalizing behavioral problems (child welfare Services sample), but also to learning emotions, such as school phobia (general population sample). The school-based effort avoidance can even mediate the relationship between individual scales of school phobia and grades in mathematics and German. Therefore, school phobia only affects school grades when it leads to avoidance behavior. The results of the interrater Agreement on the example of school-based effort avoidance confirms only a small association between the different sources of information, whereas the agreement between the adults was higher than the agreement between the children and the adult raters (child welfare services sample). Conclusions. The present study highlights the impact of school-based effort avoidance on school success. Accordingly it should be identified as early as possible so that the appropriate training measures to reduce school-based effort-avoidance can be initiated and implemented at an early stage before the behavior manifests itself stronger. This is particularly important when it comes to children and adolescent from child welfare services, who are often subjected to enormous multiple loads. In future longitudinal studies the reciprocal contexts between school-based effort avoidance, behavioral problems, school phobia and school grades should also be considered

“When in Rome”: identifying social norms using coordination games

Previous research in economics, social psychology, and sociology has produced compelling evidence that social norms influence behavior. In this paper we apply the Krupka and Weber (2013) norm elicitation procedure and present U.S. and non-U.S. born subjects with two scenarios for which tipping and punctuality norms are known to vary across countries. We elicit shared beliefs by having subjects match appropriateness ratings of different actions (such as arriving late or on time) to another randomly selected participant from the same university or to a participant who is born in the same country. We also elicit personal beliefs without the matching task. We test whether the responses from the coordination task can be interpreted as social norms by comparing responses from the coordination game with actual social norms (as identified using independent materials such as tipping guides for travelers). We compare responses elicited with the matching tasks to those elicited without the matching task to test whether the coordination device itself is essential for identifying social norms. We find that appropriateness ratings for different actions vary with the reference group in the matching task. Further, the ratings obtained from the matching task vary in a manner consistent with the actual social norms of that reference group. Thus, we find that shared beliefs correspond more closely to externally validated social norms compared to personal beliefs. Second, we highlight the importance that reference groups (for the coordination task) can play

Masters of Resilience: The Impact of Internal Communication in International Technology Companies

Today's dynamic and unpredictable VUCA world raises the question of how organizations can react to sudden changes in the most resilient way. This paper examines the contribution of internal communication as a management function to building individual resilience and its impact on the organizational level. The literature review reveals a prevailing theoretical focus within the current state of research, further entailing a lack of empirical work on the contribution of internal communication to strengthening resilience. In order to fill this gap, twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with internal communication experts from international technology companies. The findings confirm the contribution of internal communication to value creation by building resilience potential as an intangible success factor in an increasingly volatile market. Additionally, hypotheses for further quantitative testing are provided. The associated new understanding of the role of employees calls for a reorientation of internal communication itself

The relation between school phobia, school apathy, effort avoidance and grades in Mathematics and German

Die Studie hat den Zusammenhang zwischen Schulangst/Schulunlust, der schulbezogenen Anstrengungsvermeidung und den Schulnoten in Mathematik und Deutsch untersucht. Dabei wurde überprüft, ob der Zusammenhang zwischen Schulangst bzw. Schulunlust auf der einen Seite und den Schulnoten auf der anderen Seite über die schulbezogene Anstrengungsvermeidung mediiert wird. Die Ergebnisse belegen, dass der Zusammenhang zwischen Prüfungsangst und der Mathematiknote bzw. Manifester Angst und der Deutschnote für Jungen vollständig über die schulbezogene Anstrengungsvermeidung mediiert wird. Der Befund konnte durch eine nonparametrische Bootstrapping-Methode abgesichert werden. Für Mädchen erklären sowohl die Schulangst als auch die schulbezogene Anstrengungsvermeidung die Mathematiknote in ähnlichem Maße. Für Schulunlust konnten keine vergleichbaren Zusammenhänge mit der Anstrengungsvermeidung und den Schulnoten bestätigt werden. Die Ergebnisse lassen vermuten, dass sich eine Schulangst bei Jungen ohne ein Vermeidungsverhalten nicht negativ auf die Mathematiknote auswirkt, während bei Mädchen bereits ein negativer Einfluss von Prüfungsangst auf die Mathematiknote besteht. Darüber hinaus deuten sie darauf hin, dass ein Motivationstraining und eine angstreduzierende Lernumgebung dazu beitragen können, die Schulnoten von Schülerinnen und Schülern zu steigern. Die Ergebnisse sind relevant, da wenig darüber bekannt ist, welche Prozesse den Zusammenhang zwischen Schulangst und Schulnoten bestimmen. (DIPF/Orig.)The study investigated the relation between school phobia/school apathy, school-related effort avoidance and school grades in mathematics and German. In this context, it was examined whether the relation between school phobia or school apathy, on the one hand, and school grades, on the other, could be mediated by school-based effort avoidance. Results confirmed that, for boys, the relation between exam nerves and school grades in mathematics and between manifest phobia and school grades in German was fully mediated by school-related effort avoidance. These results could be confirmed by non-parametric bootstrapping. As for girls, the grades in mathematics are to a similar degree explained by both school phobia and school-based effort avoidance. With regard to school apathy, no comparable links between effort avoidance and school grades could be confirmed. These results indicate that boys\u27 grades in mathematics are not negatively affected by school phobia without avoidance behavior, whereas for girls exam nerves alone already have a negative impact on their grades in mathematics. Moreover, results suggest that motivational training and a learning environment designed to reduce fear may help improve the school grades achieved by students. These results are relevant as little is known about the processes that determine the relation between school phobia and school grades. (DIPF/Orig.

Leczenie zachowawcze zespołu bocznego przyparcia rzepki = Conservative treatment of excessive lateral pressure syndrome

Strojek Katarzyna, Witkowska Agnieszka, Radzimińska Agnieszka, Kaźmierczak Urszula, Piekorz Zuzanna, Bułatowicz Irena, Goch Aleksander, Zukow Walery. Analiza przyczyn i konsekwencji upadków u chorych z zespołem Parkinsona = Analysis of the causes and consequences of falls in patients with Parkinson's syndrome. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2015;5(5):548-555. ISSN 2391-8306. DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.38788http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/2015%3B5%285%29%3A548-555http://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/works/685831Formerly Journal of Health Sciences. ISSN 1429-9623 / 2300-665X. Archives 2011–2014http://journal.rsw.edu.pl/index.php/JHS/issue/archive Deklaracja.Specyfika i zawartość merytoryczna czasopisma nie ulega zmianie.Zgodnie z informacją MNiSW z dnia 2 czerwca 2014 r., że w roku 2014 nie będzie przeprowadzana ocena czasopism naukowych; czasopismo o zmienionym tytule otrzymuje tyle samo punktów co na wykazie czasopism naukowych z dnia 31 grudnia 2014 r.The journal has had 5 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland parametric evaluation. Part B item 1089. (31.12.2014).© The Author (s) 2015;This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland and Radom University in Radom, PolandOpen Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercialuse, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.Received: 10.04.2015. Revised 15.05.2015. Accepted: 31.05.2015. Analiza przyczyn i konsekwencji upadków u chorych z zespołem ParkinsonaAnalysis of the causes and consequences of falls in patients with Parkinson's syndrome Katarzyna Strojek1, Agnieszka Witkowska1, Agnieszka Radzimińska1, Urszula Kaźmierczak1, Zuzanna Piekorz1, Irena Bułatowicz1, Aleksander Goch1,Walery Zukow2 1. Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu Collegium Medicum w Bydgoszczy, Katedra Fizjoterapii, Bydgoszcz, Polska2. Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego w Bydgoszczy, Bydgoszcz, Polska Adres do korespondencji:dr n. med. Katarzyna StrojekUniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w ToruniuCollegium Medicum im. Ludwika Rydygiera w BydgoszczyKatedra Fizjoterapiiul. Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 9, 85-094 Bydgoszcze-mail: [email protected] Streszczenie Choroba Parkinsona jest jednym z najczęściej występujących schorzeń ośrodkowego układu nerwowego. Oprócz najbardziej charakterystycznych objawów choroby Parkinsona, należy zwrócić uwagę na towarzyszący im ogromny problem, jakim są upadki.W przypadku pacjentów cierpiących na chorobę Parkinsona nabierają one szczególnego znaczenia, ponieważ choroba zwiększa ryzyko upadków aż 10-krotnie. Celem pracy była analiza przyczyn i konsekwencji upadków u pacjentów z chorobą Parkinsona, należących do Stowarzyszenia Osób Niepełnosprawnych „Akson” w Bydgoszczy.W wyniku przeprowadzonych badań stwierdzono, że główną przyczyną upadków u pacjentów z chorobą Parkinsona są czynniki środowiskowe. Natomiast najczęstszymi konsekwencjami upadków w badanej grupie są: uszkodzenie powłok skórnych, złamanie kości w obrębie nadgarstka, przedramienia, szyjki kości udowej. Na ryzyko upadków wpływa czas trwania choroby Parkinsona oraz wiek chorego. Abstract Parkinson's disease is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system. In addition to most characteristic symptoms of Parkinson's disease, you should pay attention to the accompanying huge problem, which they are falling.In patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and also important, because the disease increases the risk of falls to 10-fold. The aim of the study was to analyze the causes and consequences of falls in patients with Parkinson's disease, belonging to the Association of People with Disabilities "Axon" in Bydgoszcz.The results showed that the main cause of falls in patients with Parkinson's disease are environmental factors. In contrast, the most common consequences of falls in the study group are: skin lacerations, fractures within the wrist, forearm, hip fractures. At the risk of falls affected by Parkinson's disease duration and age of the patient. Słowa kluczowe: upadek; zespół Parkinsona.Keywords: fall; Parkinson syndrome

Optimal loading dose of meropenem before continuous infusion in critically ill patients: a simulation study

The aim of this study was to investigate optimal loading doses prior to continuous infusion of meropenem in critically ill patients. A previously published and successfully evaluated pharmacokinetic model of critically ill patients was used for stochastic simulations of virtual patients. Maintenance doses administered as continuous infusion of 1.5-6~g/24~h with preceding loading doses (administered as 30~min infusion) of 0.15-2~g were investigated. In addition to the examination of the influence of individual covariates, a best-case and worst-case scenario were simulated. Dosing regimens were considered adequate if the 5th percentile of the concentration-time profile did not drop at any time below four times the S/I breakpoint (= 2~mg/L) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa according to the EUCAST definition. Low albumin concentrations, high body weight and high creatinine clearances increased the required loading dose. A maximum loading dose of 0.33~g resulted in sufficient plasma concentrations when only one covariate showed extreme values. If all three covariates showed extreme values (= worst-case scenario), a loading dose of 0.5~g was necessary. Higher loading doses did not lead to further improvements of target attainment. We recommend the administration of a loading dose of 0.5~g meropenem over 30~min immediately followed by continuous infusion

Non-Linear Response of Cable-Mass-Spring System in High-Rise Buildings under Stochastic Seismic Excitation

In high-rise buildings, earthquake ground motions induce bending deformation of the host structure. Large dynamic displacements at the top of the building can be observed which in turn lead to the excitation of the cables/ropes within lift installations. In this paper, the stochastic dynamics of a cable with a spring-damper and a mass system deployed in a tall cantilever structure under earthquake excitation is considered. The non-linear system is developed to describe lateral displacements of a vertical cable with a concentrated mass attached at its lower end. The system is moving slowly in the vertical direction. The horizontal displacements of the main mass are constrained by a spring-viscous damping element. The earthquake ground motions are modelled as a filtered Gaussian white noise stochastic process. The equivalent linearization technique is then used to replace the original non-linear system with a linear one with the coefficients determined by utilising the minimization of the mean-square error between both systems. Mean values, variances and covariances of particular random state variables have been obtained by using the numerical calculation. The received results were compared with the deterministic response of the system to the harmonic process and were verified against results obtained by Monte Carlo simulation