Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care: Germany

Provides an overview of evidence-based policy making in the German healthcare system. Focuses on the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, which evaluates comparative effectiveness of drugs and medical services for decisions on coverage

SO LONG AS WE STILL LIVE: POLISH EFFORTS IN ESTABLISHING A MILITARY RECRUITMENT CENTER IN NORTH AMERICA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

Following their retreat to Great Britain in 1940, the Polish government and its military sought out fresh reserves to reinforce their depleted armed forces. With mainland Europe being overrun by the enemy, the Poles turned to the prospect of recruiting from the Polish émigré community on the American continent (Polonia). A generation earlier, over 20,000 Polish-Americans had enlisted to fight for the liberation of their homeland in the Blue Army. Seeking to recreate this success, the Poles established a recruitment center in Windsor, Ontario and a training camp in Owen Sound, Ontario. Despite their efforts, by 1942, the Poles only managed to attract just over 800 recruits to their military. The lack of recruits can be linked to several factors such as the Polish government’s mistreatment of Polish-American veterans from the First World War, a changing and more North Americanized youth within the Polonia, and a lack of cultural awareness on the part of the Polish government in terms of what North American Poles prioritized

Chimera states and the interplay between initial conditions and non-local coupling

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in Chaos 27, 033110 (2017) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4977866.Chimera states are complex spatio-temporal patterns that consist of coexisting domains of coherent and incoherent dynamics. We study chimera states in a network of non-locally coupled Stuart-Landau oscillators. We investigate the impact of initial conditions in combination with non-local coupling. Based on an analytical argument, we show how the coupling phase and the coupling strength are linked to the occurrence of chimera states, flipped profiles of the mean phase velocity, and the transition from a phase- to an amplitude-mediated chimera state. Chimera states are an example of intriguing partial synchronization patterns appearing in networks of identical oscillators with symmetric coupling scheme. They exhibit a hybrid structure combining coexisting spatial domains of coherent (synchronized) and incoherent (desynchronized) dynamics and were first reported for the model of phase oscillators. Recent studies have demonstrated the emergence of chimera states in a variety of topologies and for different types of individual dynamics. In this paper, the interplay between initial conditions and non-local coupling is studied. We show that, based on an analytical argument incorporating the initial conditions and the range of non-local coupling, the occurrence of phase chimeras can be seen as caused by a phase lag in the coupling. Considering the dynamics of chimera states, our argument shows how “flipped” profiles of the mean phase velocities can be explained by a change of sign of the coupling phase. By this, one can either choose a concave (“upside”) profile of the mean phase velocities or a “flipped” one. Extending our reasoning, we show that this argument intuitively explains the transition from a phase- to an amplitude-mediated chimera state as a result of increasing coupling strength.DFG, 163436311, SFB 910: Kontrolle selbstorganisierender nichtlinearer Systeme: Theoretische Methoden und Anwendungskonzept

Power amplification in an isolated muscle-tendon unit is load dependent

During rapid movements, tendons can act like springs, temporarily storing work done by muscles and then releasing it to power body movements. For some activities, such as frog jumping, energy is released from tendon much more rapidly than it is stored, thus amplifying muscle power output. The period during which energy is loaded into a tendon by muscle work may be aided by a catch mechanism that restricts motion, but theoretical studies indicate that power can be amplified in a muscle–tendon load system even in the absence of a catch. To explore the limits of power amplification with and without a catch, we studied the bullfrog plantaris muscle–tendon during in vitro contractions. A novel servomotor controller allowed us to measure muscle–tendon unit (MTU) mechanical behavior during contractions against a variety of simulated inertial-gravitational loads, ranging from zero to 1× the peak isometric force of the muscle. Power output of the MTU system was load dependent and power amplification occurred only at intermediate loads, reaching ∼1.3× the peak isotonic power output of the muscle. With a simulated anatomical catch mechanism in place, the highest power amplification occurred at the lowest loads, with a maximum amplification of more than 4× peak isotonic muscle power. At higher loads, the benefits of a catch for MTU performance diminished sharply, suggesting that power amplification >2.5× may come at the expense of net mechanical work delivered to the load

Magnification by Galaxy Group Dark Matter Halos

We report on the detection of gravitational lensing magnification by a population of galaxy groups, at a significance level of 4.9 sigma. Using X-ray selected groups in the COSMOS 1.64 deg^2 field, and high-redshift Lyman break galaxies as sources, we measure a lensing-induced angular cross-correlation between the samples. After satisfying consistency checks that demonstrate we have indeed detected a magnification signal, and are not suffering from contamination by physical overlap of samples, we proceed to implement an optimally weighted cross-correlation function to further boost the signal to noise of the measurement. Interpreting this optimally weighted measurement allows us to study properties of the lensing groups. We model the full distribution of group masses using a composite-halo approach, considering both the singular isothermal sphere and Navarro-Frenk-White profiles, and find our best fit values to be consistent with those recovered using the weak-lensing shear technique. We argue that future weak-lensing studies will need to incorporate magnification along with shear, both to reduce residual systematics and to make full use of all available source information, in an effort to maximize scientific yield of the observations.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Accepted by Ap

Impact of diabetic nephropathy on pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of insulin in type 1 diabetic patients

WSTĘP. Celem pracy jest ilościowa ocena parametrów farmakodynamicznych i farmakokinetycznych krótkodziałającej insuliny ludzkiej i insuliny lispro u chorych na cukrzycę typu 1 z i/lub bez jawnej nefropatii cukrzycowej. MATERIAŁ I METODY. Badanie przeprowadzone metodą podwójnie ślepej próby miało charakter krzyżowy. Stosując technikę klamry euglikemicznej (5 mmol/l), oceniano odpowiedź metaboliczną na podskórne wstrzyknięcia insuliny krótkodziałającej i lispro (0,2 j./kg) u 12 chorych z cukrzycą typu 1 i jawną nefropatią cukrzycową (białkomocz > 500 mg/24 h i/lub stężenie kreatyniny w surowicy > 1,5 mg/dl, grupa NP) oraz u 12 chorych na cukrzycę typu 1 z prawidłową funkcją nerek, stanowiących grupę kontrolną (grupa DC). WYNIKI. Szczytowe stężenie wolnej insuliny w osoczu w przypadku lispro (359 [NP] vs. 254 pmol/l [DC]) było wyższe, a czas do osiągnięcia maksymalnego stężenia insuliny (85 [NP] vs. 99 min [DC]) był krótszy niż w przypadku ludzkiej insuliny krótkodziałającej (213 [NP] vs. 144 pmol/l [DC]; 118 [NP] vs. 153 min [DC]) w obu grupach chorych. Podsumowując, stężenia ludzkiej insuliny krótkodziałającej i lispro były wyższe u chorych z jawną nefropatią niż w grupie kontrolnej. Czas do uzyskania maksymalnego efektu metabolicznego był krótszy w przypadku insuliny lispro niż w przypadku insuliny ludzkiej w obu grupach chorych (102 vs. 191 min [NP]; 105 vs. 172 min [DC]). Całkowity efekt metaboliczny insuliny krótkodziałającej w przeciwieństwie do insuliny lispro był mniejszy u chorych z nefropatią cukrzycową niż z grupie kontrolnej (odpowiednio 967 vs. 1510 mg/kg). WNIOSKI. Chociaż stwierdzono wyższe stężenia insuliny u chorych z nefropatią cukrzycową, odpowiedź metaboliczna na ludzką insulinę krótkodziałającą pozostaje zmniejszona. Insulina lispro zachowuje swoją charakterystyczną farkmakokinetykę i farmakodynamikę u chorych z jawną nefropatią cukrzycową.INTRODUCTION. To quantify pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of regular insulin and insulin lispro in type 1 diabetic patients with and without overt diabetic nephropathy. MATERIAL AND METHODS. In this double-blind, two- -way cross-over, euglycemic (5 mmol/l) glucose clamp study, we investigated the metabolic response to subcutaneous injections of regular insulin and insulin lispro (0.2 U/kg) in 12 type 1 diabetic patients with overt diabetic nephropathy (proteinuria > 500 mg/24 h and/or serum creatinine > 1.5 mg/dl; NP group) and in a control group of 12 type 1 diabetic patients with normal renal function (DC group). RESULTS. Peak plasma free insulin levels with insulin lispro (359 [NP] vs. 254 pmol/l [DC]) were higher and time to maximal insulin concentrations (85 [NP] vs. 99 min [DC]) shorter than with regular insulin (213 [NP] vs. 144 pmol/l [DC]; 118 [NP] vs. 153 min [DC]) in both patient groups. Overall insulin levels for regular insulin and for insulin lispro were higher in patients with overt diabetic nephropathy compared with control patients. Time to maximal metabolic effect was shorter with insulin lispro than with regular insulin in both patient groups (102 vs. 191 min [NP]; 105 vs. 172 min [DC]). The overall metabolic effect of regular insulin but not of insulin lispro was lower in patients with diabetic nephropathy than in diabetic control patients (967 vs. 1,510 mg/kg, respectively). CONCLUSIONS. Although insulin levels are higher in patients with overt diabetic nephropathy, the metabolic response to regular insulin is reduced. Insulin lispro maintains its characteristic pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties in patients with overt diabetic nephropathy

Density-matrix formalism with three-body ground-state correlations

A density-matrix formalism which includes the effects of three-body ground- state correlations is applied to the standard Lipkin model. The reason to consider the complicated three-body correlations is that the truncation scheme of reduced density matrices up to the two-body level does not give satisfactory results to the standard Lipkin model. It is shown that inclusion of the three-body correlations drastically improves the properties of the ground states and excited states. It is pointed out that lack of mean-field effects in the standard Lipkin model enhances the relative importance of the three-body ground-state correlations. Formal aspects of the density-matrix formalism such as a relation to the variational principle and the stability condition of the ground state are also discussed. It is pointed out that the three-body ground-state correlations are necessary to satisfy the stability condition

Universal Behavior of Charged Particle Production in Heavy Ion Collisions

The PHOBOS experiment at RHIC has measured the multiplicity of primary charged particles as a function of centrality and pseudorapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 19.6, 130 and 200 GeV. Two kinds of universal behavior are observed in charged particle production in heavy ion collisions. The first is that forward particle production, over a range of energies, follows a universal limiting curve with a non-trivial centrality dependence. The second arises from comparisons with pp/pbar-p and e+e- data. N_tot/(N_part/2) in nuclear collisions at high energy scales with sqrt(s) in a similar way as N_tot in e+e- collisions and has a very weak centrality dependence. This feature may be related to a reduction in the leading particle effect due to the multiple collisions suffered per participant in heavy ion collisions.Comment: 4 Pages, 5 Figures, contributed to the Proceedings of Quark Matter 2002, Nantes, France, 18-24 July 200

Perspectives on adaptive dynamical systems

Adaptivity is a dynamical feature that is omnipresent in nature, socio-economics, and technology. For example, adaptive couplings appear in various real-world systems, such as the power grid, social, and neural networks, and they form the backbone of closed-loop control strategies and machine learning algorithms. In this article, we provide an interdisciplinary perspective on adaptive systems. We reflect on the notion and terminology of adaptivity in different disciplines and discuss which role adaptivity plays for various fields. We highlight common open challenges and give perspectives on future research directions, looking to inspire interdisciplinary approaches