Fachkonzeptionelle Spezifikation von Virtuellen Rathäusern: Ein Konzept zur Unterstützung der Implementierung

Kommunalverwaltungen bedienen sich des Mediums Internet, um Bürgern und Wirtschaft zu jeder Zeit und an jedem Ort die Möglichkeit zu bieten, Informations-, Kommunikations- und Transaktionsdienstleistungen der Verwaltung in Anspruch nehmen zu können. Bevor Verwaltungsdienstleistungen vollständig digital und medienbruchfrei sowohl bei der externen Inanspruchnahme als auch bei der internen Bearbeitung durchgeführt werden können, sollte den Anspruchsgruppen zunächst in adäquater Weise qualitativ hochwertige Informationen und Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten zu den Verwaltungsdienstleistungen zur Verfügung gestellt werden. Das 'Virtuelle Rathaus' ist probates Mittel zur Erreichung dieser Zielsetzung. Die Studie 'Virtuelles Rathaus Münsterland 2004' hat gezeigt, dass bei den derzeitigen Realisierungen im Münsterland einige Leistungslücken erkennbar sind. So fehlt es z. B. an einheitlichen und intuitiv verständlichen Navigationskonzepten, an strukturierten und einheitlichen Dienstleistungsbeschreibungen und an einem umfangreicheren Angebot. Weiterhin wurde festegestellt, dass gerade kleine und mittlere Verwaltungen keinerlei Konzepte und informationstechnische Unterstützung für die Realisierung des Virtuellen Rathauses besitzen. Dieser Status quo motivierte umfangreiche E-Government Projekttätigkeit im Münsterland. Das Projektseminar 'ProService', des Lehrstuhls für Wirtschaftsinformatik und Informationsmanagement der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster, hat in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Kreis Warendorf und dem Kommunalrechenzentrum citeq, eine umfassende Anforderungsanalyse in Bezug auf das Virtuelle Rathaus durchgeführt. Basierend auf den ermittelten Anforderungen wird in diesem Dokument ein produktunabhängiges Fachkonzept vorgestellt

Future Research and Developments on Reuse and Recycling of Steelmaking By-Products

In the steel sector, sustainable management of by-products is a key challenge to preserve natural resources and achieve the zero waste goal. In this paper, the main trends of future research and development on reuse and recycling of by-products of the steel industry are presented in the form of a roadmap, which is the outcome of a dissemination project funded by the European Union based on the analysis of the most relevant and recent European projects concerning reuse and recycling of by-products from the steel production cycle. In particular, the developed roadmap highlights the most important topics of future research activities and challenges related to reuse and recycling of by-products from the existing or alternative steelmaking routes. A time horizon of 10 years has been considered, taking into account the European Commission targets to achieve carbon neutrality in a circular economy context. In addition, current technological trends derived from past and ongoing research projects are analysed. Research needs are based on the main categories of by-products and residual materials. Due to the different pathways to reduce CO2 emissions, each category is divided into subcategories considering both current and novel process routes targeting decarbonization of steel production. This work identifies the most urgent and demanding research directions for the coming years based on a survey targeting the steel companies, services providers of the steel industry and research organizations active in the field

Towards a Lining Integrated Active Structural Acoustic Control System

For future aircraft counter-rotating open rotor (CROR) engines are a promising technology to reduce their CO2 footprint. Since the contribution of CROR engines to the cabin noise is higher than for jet engines, new strategies for the reduction of noise transmissions for frequency bands below 500 Hz are necessary. Active structural acoustic control (ASAC) systems are capable to reduce sound transmission of lining structures in this bandwidth. Sensors measure the vibrations of the lining to estimate its sound emission into the cabin. Based on these signals a controller calculates force signals for actuators on the lining. The actuator forces change the vibration behaviour of the lining in order to reduce its sound emission. For the realization of such a system in a real aircraft, manufacturing and maintenance issues have to be addressed. Within work package 3 of the EU project ACASIAS an aircraft lining with an integrated ASAC system is developed. The size of the lining is app. 1300 x 1690 mm2 (W x H) and it is simply curved. The radius of 2980 mm makes it relevant for a twin-aisle aircraft like the Airbus A350. The focus of research activities lies on the integration of components and the industrial manufacturing process of the lining. The components to be integrated are sensors, actuators and the corresponding wiring. A concept is proposed where each actuator and sensor is encapsulated in a kind of insert. The inserts smoothly integrate into the manufacturing process of the lining while they protect the actuators and sensors from humidity, dust, etc. The maintenance aspect is covered by the option to change each actuator or sensor upon insert level. The integrated wiring of the lining is left unaffected during an actuator or sensor replacement since connectors in each insert allow a nearly tool-free assembly/disassembly. In this paper the progress of work package 3 is presented at a detailed design review (DDR) stage. Finally, the lining will be manufactured and equipped with a full ASAC system. Experiments will be conducted in the acoustic transmission loss facility at the DLR

Comprehensive evaluation of genetic variation in S100A7 suggests an association with the occurrence of allergic rhinitis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>S100A7 is a calcium-binding protein with chemotactic and antimicrobial properties. S100A7 protein levels are decreased in nasal lavage fluid from individuals with ongoing allergic rhinitis, suggesting a role for S100A7 in allergic airway inflammation. The aims of this study were to describe genetic variation in <it>S100A7 </it>and search for associations between this variation and allergic rhinitis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Peripheral blood was collected from 184 atopic patients with a history of pollen-induced allergic rhinitis and 378 non-atopic individuals, all of Swedish origin. DNA was extracted and the <it>S100A7 </it>gene was resequenced in a subset of 47 randomly selected atopic individuals. Nine polymorphisms were genotyped in 184 atopic and 378 non-atopic individuals and subsequently investigated for associations with allergic rhinitis as well as skin prick test results. Haplotypes were estimated and compared in the two groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirteen polymorphisms were identified in <it>S100A7</it>, of which 7 were previously undescribed. rs3014837 (G/C), which gives rise to an Asp → Glu amino acid shift, had significantly increased minor allele frequency in atopic individuals. The major haplotype, containing the major allele at all sites, was more common in non-atopic individuals, while the haplotype containing the minor allele at rs3014837 was equally more common among the atopic individuals. Additionally, heterozygotes at this site had significantly higher scores in skin prick tests for 9 out of 11 tested allergens, compared to homozygotes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first study describing genetic variation, associated with allergy, in <it>S100A7</it>. The results indicate that rs3014837 is linked to allergic rhinitis in our Swedish population and render S100A7 a strong candidate for further investigations regarding its role in allergic inflammation.</p

Psoriasin (S100A7) expression is altered during skin tumorigenesis

BACKGROUND: Psoriasin (S100A7) expression has previously been associated with psoriasiform hyperplasia as well as with tumor progression in breast cancer. Its expression profile for different stages of skin lesions is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between psoriasin (S100A7) and tumor progression in skin. METHODS: Psoriasin was assessed by immunohistochemistry and levels of expression determined by semi-quantitative scoring in skin biopsies from 50 patients. The cohort included normal skin, actinic keratosis, squamous carcinoma in-situ, invasive squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. RESULTS: In normal skin, psoriasin was rarely detected in epidermis but was expressed in underlying adnexae. In abnormal epidermis psoriasin was frequently expressed in abnormal keratinocytes in actinic keratosis, in-situ and invasive squamous cell carcinoma, but was rarely observed in the basal epidermal layer or in superficial or invasive basal cell carcinoma. The highest levels of expression were seen within squamous carcinoma in-situ. Significantly reduced levels of expression were observed in both unmatched (p = 0.0001) and matched (p < 0.004) invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Psoriasin expression within abnormal squamous lesions correlated with mitotic count (r = 0.54, p = 0.0036), however no significant relation was found with the intensity of dermal inflammatory cell infiltrates assessed within each pathology. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that altered psoriasin expression occurs in abnormal epidermis and that downregulation may be related to the onset of invasion in squamous cell carcinoma in skin

Seismic risk assessment for developing countries : Pakistan as a case study

Modern Earthquake Risk Assessment (ERA) methods usually require seismo-tectonic information for Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) that may not be readily available in developing countries. To bypass this drawback, this paper presents a practical event-based PSHA method that uses instrumental seismicity, available historical seismicity, as well as limited information on geology and tectonic setting. Historical seismicity is integrated with instrumental seismicity to determine the long-term hazard. The tectonic setting is included by assigning seismic source zones associated with known major faults. Monte Carlo simulations are used to generate earthquake catalogues with randomized key hazard parameters. A case study region in Pakistan is selected to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. The results indicate that the proposed method produces seismic hazard maps consistent with previous studies, thus being suitable for generating such maps in regions where limited data are available. The PSHA procedure is developed as an integral part of an ERA framework named EQRAM. The framework is also used to determine seismic risk in terms of annual losses for the study region

Development and Psychometric Validation of the Pandemic-Related Traumatic Stress Scale for Children and Adults

To assess the public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, investigators from the National Institutes of Health Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) research program developed the Pandemic-Related Traumatic Stress Scale (PTSS). Based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) acute stress disorder symptom criteria, the PTSS is designed for adolescent (13–21 years) and adult self-report and caregiver-report on 3–12-year-olds. To evaluate psychometric properties, we used PTSS data collected between April 2020 and August 2021 from non-pregnant adult caregivers (n = 11,483), pregnant/postpartum individuals (n = 1,656), adolescents (n = 1,795), and caregivers reporting on 3–12-year-olds (n = 2,896). We used Mokken scale analysis to examine unidimensionality and reliability, Pearson correlations to evaluate relationships with other relevant variables, and analyses of variance to identify regional, age, and sex differences. Mokken analysis resulted in a moderately strong, unidimensional scale that retained nine of the original 10 items. We detected small to moderate positive associations with depression, anxiety, and general stress, and negative associations with life satisfaction. Adult caregivers had the highest PTSS scores, followed by adolescents, pregnant/postpartum individuals, and children. Caregivers of younger children, females, and older youth had higher PTSS scores compared to caregivers of older children, males, and younger youth, respectively