A Classification of Money Laundering Incidents

Money laundering is typically described as a three-stage process, including the placement, layering, and integration of criminal assets. However, the precision of the so-called three-stage model is doubtful, with significant shortcomings in the theoretical foundation, empirical support, and research practice. Previous research has failed to trigger a scientific debate about the numerous manifestations of money laundering going beyond the three-stage model. This thesis introduces a new conceptual framework in which money laundering incidents comprise properties from crime events and their immediate environment. The conceptual framework was developed in an iterative process between data and crime science theory. Original data was gathered using a quantitative approach to content analysis applied to 180 full judgment transcripts from the Court of Appeal and Administrative Court of England and Wales (1997- 2017). In a series of studies, the money laundering properties outlined in court transcripts were identified, conceptualised, and refined from the crime science perspective. In the last step, money laundering incidents were classified based on the hierarchical clustering of information from court records. The classification of money laundering incidents shows little resemblance with the standard three-stage model and offers a new viewpoint on how money laundering works. The novel approach enables researchers and practitioners to consider a broader range of properties, improving the examination and prevention of money laundering

Cryoprobe biopsy increases the diagnostic yield in endobronchial tumor lesions

ObjectiveForceps biopsy is the standard method to obtain specimens in endoscopically visible lesions. It is common to combine forceps biopsy with cytology methods to increase the diagnostic yield. Although the flexible cryoprobe has been established for bronchoscopic interventions in malignant stenosis, the obtained biopsies, called “cryobiopsies,” have not been investigated in a large cohort of patients. The aim of this feasibility study was to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic yield and safety of cryobiopsy and forceps biopsy.MethodsDuring a 6-year period, 296 patients with visible endoluminal tumor lesions were included in the study at the bronchoscopy unit of a university hospital. In the first consecutively conducted 55 cases, both techniques, forceps biopsy and cryobiopsy, were applied simultaneously. Pathologic and quantitative image analyses were performed to evaluate the size and quality of the obtained specimens. We evaluated the safety and diagnostic yield to describe the feasibility of cryobiopsy.ResultsComparative analysis of the first conducted and randomly assigned 55 cases revealed a significantly higher diagnostic yield for cryobiopsy compared with forceps biopsy (89.1% vs 65.5%, P < .05). In this cohort, quantitative image analysis showed significantly larger biopsies regarding size and artifact-free tissue sections for cryobiopsy compared with forceps biopsy (P < .0001). The overall diagnostic yield of cryobiopsy was 89.5%. Mild bleeding occurred in 11 cases (3.7%), moderate bleeding occurred in 3 cases (1.0%), and severe bleeding occurred in 1 case (0.3%).ConclusionCryobiopsy is safe and increases the diagnostic yield in endobronchial tumor lesions. The method also is feasible under routine conditions

Real-time Prediction of COVID-19 related Mortality using Electronic Health Records

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging respiratory disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with rapid human-to-human transmission and a high case fatality rate particularly in older patients. Due to the exponential growth of infections, many healthcare systems across the world are under pressure to care for increasing amounts of at-risk patients. Given the high number of infected patients, identifying patients with the highest mortality risk early is critical to enable effective intervention and optimal prioritisation of care. Here, we present the COVID-19 Early Warning System (CovEWS), a clinical risk scoring system for assessing COVID-19 related mortality risk. CovEWS provides continuous real-time risk scores for individual patients with clinically meaningful predictive performance up to 192 hours (8 days) in advance, and is automatically derived from patients' electronic health records (EHRs) using machine learning. We trained and evaluated CovEWS using de-identified data from a cohort of 66430 COVID-19 positive patients seen at over 69 healthcare institutions in the United States (US), Australia, Malaysia and India amounting to an aggregated total of over 2863 years of patient observation time. On an external test cohort of 5005 patients, CovEWS predicts COVID-19 related mortality from $78.8\%$ ($95\%$ confidence interval [CI]: $76.0$, $84.7\%$) to $69.4\%$ ($95\%$ CI: $57.6, 75.2\%$) specificity at a sensitivity greater than $95\%$ between respectively 1 and 192 hours prior to observed mortality events - significantly outperforming existing generic and COVID-19 specific clinical risk scores. CovEWS could enable clinicians to intervene at an earlier stage, and may therefore help in preventing or mitigating COVID-19 related mortality

Functional Analysis of Components Manufactured by a Sheet-Bulk Metal Forming Process

Due to rising demands regarding the functionality and load-bearing capacity of functional components such as synchronizer rings in gear systems, conventional forming operations are reaching their limits with respect to formability and efficiency. One way to meet these challenges is the application of the innovative process class of sheet-bulk metal forming (SBMF). By applying bulk forming operations to sheet metal, the advantages of both process classes can be combined, thus realizing an optimized part weight and an adapted load-bearing capacity. Different approaches to manufacturing relevant part geometries were presented and evaluated regarding the process properties and applicability. In this contribution, a self-learning engineering workbench was used to provide geometry-based data regarding a novel component geometry with circumferential involute gearing manufactured in an SBMF process combination of deep drawing and upsetting. Within the comprehensive investigations, the mechanical and geometrical properties of the part were analyzed. Moreover, the manufactured components were compared regarding the increased fatigue strength in cyclic load tests. With the gained experimental and numerical data, the workbench was used for the first time to generate the desired component as a CAD model, as well as to derive design guidelines referring to the investigated properties and fatigue behavior

Технологическая подготовка производства изготовления детали "Ступица" на станках с ЧПУ

В данной выпускной квалификационной работе рассмотриваются вопросы технологической подготовки производства детали "Ступица".ТПП включает в себя анализ технологичности, выбор способа получения заготовки, расчет припусков на обработку детали, проектирование технологического процесса, выбор технологического оснащения, кроме того был произведен расчет технико-экономических показателей технологического процесса и социальная ответственность на производстве.In this final qualification work, the issues of technological preparation for the production of the “Hub” part are considered. The TPP includes an analysis of manufacturability, a choice of the method for producing the workpiece, calculation of allowances for processing the part, design of the technological process, the choice of technological equipment, in addition, the calculation of technical and economic indicators technological process and social responsibility in the workplace