Der Neoliberale Reformdiskurs in Polen und der Tschechoslowakei/Tschechien in den frühen 1990ern

In den frühen 1990ern kam es unter anderem in Polen und in der Tschechoslowakei zur umfassenden Transformation des politischen, wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Systems, nämlich zur Transformation in kapitalistische Demokratien. Der Fokus dieser Diplomarbeit liegt dabei darauf wirtschaftswissenschaftliche und ideologische Fragen mit der Darstellung der Reformpraxis und einer Diskursanalyse zentraler Akteure, zu verbinden. Gemeinsam dienen diese Teilbereiche des Themas zur Darstellung des Reformdiskurses im Rahmen des Rechtsruckes in Wirtschaftswissenschaft und -politik ab den 1980ern. Einige der wesentlichen Unterschiede zwischen den beiden bearbeiteten Fallbeispielen, betreffen die vergleichsweise konfliktreiche Austragung ideologischer Differenzen zu Beginn der Reformen in der tschechoslowakischen Innenpolitik, im Gegensatz zum sofortigen Start der polnischen Reformen im Zeichen der „Schocktherapie“ und der hohen Instabilität der dortigen Transformation. Zentrale Elemente der tschechoslowakischen Transformation waren die vergleichsweise starke sozialpolitische Komponente, sowie die rapide Coupon-Privatisierung. Auf polnischer Seite hatte man es dagegen mit hoher Arbeitslosigkeit und starkem Widerstand gegen die Privatisierung, als wichtige Konfliktthemen, zu tun. In der Rhetorik und Argumentation der beiden zentralen Reformpolitiker, Václav Klaus und Leszek Balcerowicz, ist die neoklassische Grundierung klar sichtbar, wobei das Gesamtpaket jedoch, je nach dem jeweiligen Reformkontext, eine eigene Prägung aufweist. Rhetorik und Argumentation spiegeln dabei nur bis zu einem gewissen Grad die länderspezifischen Reformprogramme wider, bei Klaus ist diese Kluft jedoch signifikanter und ist gegen Ende des untersuchten Zeitraumes eine zunehmende Konvergenz zwischen Rhetorik und Praxis feststellbar. Die wirtschaftliche Transformation und Anpassung an das vorherrschende Paradigma der Marktdemokratie ist inzwischen erfolgreich beendet, wenn man Maßstäbe wie Wirtschaftswachstum und Anpassung an „Normalität“ als „Erfolg“ gelten lassen will

Beamline Simulation for the NNBAR Experiment at the European Spallation Source

The HIBEAM and NNBAR experiments are a proposed fundamental science experiments at the European Spallation Source, performing high precision searches for neutron conversions in several baryon number violating (BNV) channels. For simulations of the NNBAR beamline, a new sampling method has been developed. The method is based on probability density evaluation and duct source biasing and enables the simulations of the entire NNBAR beamline with high statistics while also preserving correlations of the neutron tracks

Proton inelastic scattering reveals deformation in 8He

A measurement of proton inelastic scattering of 8He at 8.25A MeV at TRIUMF shows a resonance at 3.54(6) MeV with a width of 0.89(11) MeV. The energy of the state is in good agreement with coupled cluster and no-core shell model with continuum calculations, with the latter successfully describing the measured resonance width as well. Its differential cross section analyzed with phenomenological collective excitation form factor and microscopic coupled reaction channels framework consistently reveals a large deformation parameter = 0.40(3), consistent with no-core shell model predictions of a large neutron deformation. This deformed double-closed shell at the neutron drip-line opens a new paradigm.Oficina de Física Nuclear, Departamento de Energía de los EE. UU. DE-FG02-96ER40963 y DE-SC0018223Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España y Fondos FEDER de la U. E. FIS2017-88410-PUnión Europea. Programa Horizonte 2020, subvención n.º 654002

A symptom-related monitoring program following pulmonary embolism for the early detection of CTEPH: a prospective observational registry study

Background Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a long-term complication following an acute pulmonary embolism (PE). It is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages which is concerning as delayed treatment has important implications for favourable clinical outcome. Performing a follow-up examination of patients diagnosed with acute PE regardless of persisting symptoms and using all available technical procedures would be both cost-intensive and possibly ineffective. Focusing diagnostic procedures therefore on only symptomatic patients may be a practical approach for detecting relevant CTEPH. This study aimed to evaluate if a follow-up program for patients with acute PE based on telephone monitoring of symptoms and further examination of only symptomatic patients could detect CTEPH. In addition, we investigated the role of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) as a diagnostic tool. Methods In a prospective cohort study all consecutive patients with newly diagnosed PE (n=170, 76 males, 94 females within 26 months) were recruited according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were contacted via telephone and asked to answer standardized questions relating to symptoms. At the time of the final analysis 130 patients had been contacted. Symptomatic patients underwent a structured evaluation with echocardiography, CPET and complete work-up for CTEPH. Results 37.7%, 25.5% and 29.3% of the patients reported symptoms after three, six, and twelve months respectively. Subsequent clinical evaluation of these symptomatic patients saw 20.4%, 11.5% and 18.8% of patients at the respective three, six and twelve months time points having an echocardiography suggesting pulmonary hypertension (PH). CTEPH with pathological imaging and a mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) ≥ 25 mm Hg at rest was confirmed in eight subjects. Three subjects with mismatch perfusion defects showed an exercise induced increase of PAP without increasing pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP). Two subjects with pulmonary hypertension at rest and one with an exercise induced increase of mPAP with normal PAOP showed perfusion defects without echocardiographic signs of PH but a suspicious CPET. Conclusion A follow-up program based on telephone monitoring of symptoms and further structured evaluation of symptomatic subjects can detect patients with CTEPH. CPET may serve as a complementary diagnostic tool

Intelligente Vernetzung zur autonomen Fräsbearbeitung von Strukturbauteilen - Ergebnisbericht des BMBF Verbundprojektes TensorMill

Digitalisierte Prozesse können zukünftig zu einer intelligenten Fertigung beitragen, um den Herausforderungen einer intelligent vernetzten, autonomen Fertigung von sicherheitsrelevanten Integralbauteilen zu begegnen. Die Herausforderungen hierbei liegen insbesondere in der Aufzeichnung und Extraktion von nutzerrelevanten Daten zur Steigerung der Produktivität bei der Fertigung von sicherheitsrelevanten Integralbauteilen für die Luft- und Raumfahrtbranche. An diesem Punkt hat das Verbundforschungsprojekt „TensorMill“ angesetzt. Ziel des Projekts war es, die Produktivität in der spanenden Fertigung sicherheitsrelevanter Integralbauteile durch die Entwicklung und den Aufbau einer intelligent, vernetzten, autonomen Fertigung zu erhöhen und die Prozesssicherheit zu verbessern. Die intelligente Fertigung soll dabei in der Lage sein, auf möglichst viele Situationen im Fertigungsprozess mit Hilfe von künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) zu reagieren. Für die Implementierung der KI-basierten Lösungen sind im Projekt fortschrittliche Methoden und Vorgehensweisen entstanden, welche es ermöglichen, die Daten von Produktionsmitteln in einer einfachen Form nutzbar zu machen, damit diese einen Mehrwert für Hersteller und Anwender bringen. Die aufbereiteten Daten dienten schließlich der Umsetzung von KI-basierten Lösungen zur prozessparallelen Qualitätsprognose und Werkzeugzustandserkennung. Darüber hinaus wurde ein entwickeltes cyber-physisches Spannsystem entwickelt, um neuartige Ansätze zur Abdrängungskompensation und Echtzeitbewertung der Prozessstabilität zu erforschen

Fasting indices of glucose-insulin-metabolism across life span and prediction of glycemic deterioration in children with obesity from new diagnostic cut-offs

Background: Fasting indices of glucose-insulin-metabolism are an easy and affordable tool to assess insulin resistance. We aimed to establish reference ranges for fasting insulin indices that reflect age-dependent variation over the entire life span and subsequently test their clinical application regarding the prediction of glycemic deterioration in children. Methods: We calculated age- and puberty-dependent reference values for HOMA-IR, HOMA2-IR, HOMA-β, McAuley index, fasting insulin, and fasting glucose from 6994 observations of 5512 non-obese healthy subjects aged 5–80 years. Applying those references, we determined the prevalence of insulin resistance among 2538 subjects with obesity. Furthermore, we investigated the intraindividual stability and the predictive values for future dysglycemia of these fasting indices in 516 children and adolescents with obesity up to 19 years of follow-up. We validated the results in three independent cohorts. Findings: There was a strong age-dependent variation of all indices throughout the life span, including prolonged recovery of pubertal insulin resistance and a subsequent continuous increase throughout adulthood. Already from age 5 years onwards, &gt;40% of children with obesity presented with elevated parameters of insulin resistance. Applying newly developed reference ranges, insulin resistance among children with obesity doubled the risk for future glycemic deterioration (HOMA-IR HR 1.88 (95% CI 1.1–3.21)), fasting insulin HR 1.89 (95% CI 1.11–3.23). In contrast, fasting glucose alone was not predictive for emerging dysglycemia in children with obesity (HR 1.03 (95% CI 0.62–1.71)). The new insulin-based thresholds were superior to fasting glucose and HbA1c in detecting children eventually manifesting with dysglycemia in prospective analyses. Interpretation: The variation of fasting glucose-insulin-metabolism across the life span necessitates age-specific reference ranges. The improved prediction of future glycemic deterioration by indices based on fasting insulin beyond simple glucose measures alone could help to stratify risk characteristics of children with obesity in order to guide patient-tailored prevention and intervention approaches. Funding: German Research Foundation (DFG)—through SFB 1052, project number 209933838, subproject C5; Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany; European Union– European Regional Development Fund; Free State of Saxony. The German Diabetes Association, the CarbHealth consortium (01EA1908B). EU-IMI2-Consortium SOPHIA (grant agreement No 875534), German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), grant number 82DZD14E03.</p

Efficacy and Toxicity of Different Chemotherapy Protocols for Concurrent Chemoradiation in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer—A Secondary Analysis of the PET Plan Trial

(1) Background: The optimal chemotherapy (CHT) regimen for concurrent chemoradiation (cCRT) is not well defined. In this secondary analysis of the international randomized PET-Plan trial, we evaluate the efficacy of different CHT. (2) Methods: Patients with inoperable NSCLC were randomized at a 1:1 ratio regarding the target volume definition and received isotoxically dose-escalated cCRT using cisplatin 80 mg/m2 (day 1, 22) and vinorelbin 15 mg/m2 (day 1, 8, 22, 29) (P1) or cisplatin 20 mg/m2 (day 1–5, 29–33) and vinorelbin 12.5 mg/m2 (day 1, 8, 15, 29, 36, 43) (P2) or carboplatin AUC1 (day 1–5, 29–33) and vinorelbin 12.5 mg/m2 (day 1, 8, 15, 29, 36, 43) (P3) or other CHT at the treating physician’s discretion. (3) Results: Between 05/2009 and 11/2016, 205 patients were randomized and 172 included in the per-protocol analysis. Patients treated in P1 or P2 had a better overall survival (OS) compared to P3 (p = 0.015, p = 0.01, respectively). Patients treated with carboplatin had a worse OS compared to cisplatin (HR 1.78, p = 0.03), but the difference did not remain significant after adjusting for age, ECOG, cardiac function creatinine and completeness of CHT. (4) Conclusions: Carboplatin doublets show no significant difference compared to cisplatin, after adjusting for possibly relevant factors, probably due to existing selection bias

Statistical upscaling of ecosystem CO2 fluxes across the terrestrial tundra and boreal domain: Regional patterns and uncertainties

The regional variability in tundra and boreal carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes can be high, complicating efforts to quantify sink-source patterns across the entire region. Statistical models are increasingly used to predict (i.e., upscale) CO2 fluxes across large spatial domains, but the reliability of different modeling techniques, each with different specifications and assumptions, has not been assessed in detail. Here, we compile eddy covariance and chamber measurements of annual and growing season CO2 fluxes of gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) during 1990-2015 from 148 terrestrial high-latitude (i.e., tundra and boreal) sites to analyze the spatial patterns and drivers of CO2 fluxes and test the accuracy and uncertainty of different statistical models. CO2 fluxes were upscaled at relatively high spatial resolution (1 km(2)) across the high-latitude region using five commonly used statistical models and their ensemble, that is, the median of all five models, using climatic, vegetation, and soil predictors. We found the performance of machine learning and ensemble predictions to outperform traditional regression methods. We also found the predictive performance of NEE-focused models to be low, relative to models predicting GPP and ER. Our data compilation and ensemble predictions showed that CO2 sink strength was larger in the boreal biome (observed and predicted average annual NEE -46 and -29 g C m(-2) yr(-1), respectively) compared to tundra (average annual NEE +10 and -2 g C m(-2) yr(-1)). This pattern was associated with large spatial variability, reflecting local heterogeneity in soil organic carbon stocks, climate, and vegetation productivity. The terrestrial ecosystem CO2 budget, estimated using the annual NEE ensemble prediction, suggests the high-latitude region was on average an annual CO2 sink during 1990-2015, although uncertainty remains high

Diverse mechanisms in proton knockout reactions from the Borromean nucleus 17Ne

Nucleon knockout experiments using beryllium or carbon targets reveal a strong dependence of the quenching factors, i.e., the ratio (R s) of theoretical to the experimental spectroscopic factors (C 2S), on the proton-neutron asymmetry in the nucleus under study. However, this dependence is greatly reduced when a hydrogen target is used. To understand this phenomenon, exclusive 1H (17Ne , 2p16F) and inclusive 12C(17Ne,2p16F)X , 12C (17Ne , 16F) X as well as 1H (17Ne , 16F) X (X-denotes undetected reaction products) reactions with 16F in the ground and excited states were analysed. The longitudinal momentum distribution of 16F and the correlations between the detached protons were studied. In the case of the carbon target, there is a significant deviation from the predictions of the eikonal model. The eikonal approximation was used to extract spectroscopic factor values C 2S . The experimental C 2S value obtained with C target is markedly lower than that for H target. This is interpreted as rescattering due to simultaneous nucleon knockout from both reaction partners, 17Ne and 12C