Decision-theoretic bidding in online-auctions

With the increasing role of electronic commerce in business applications, much attention is paid to online-auctions. As auctions become more and more popular in electronic commerce, agents face the problem of participating in multiple independent auctions simultaneously or in sequence. Decision making of agents becomes difficult when they have to buy bundles of goods. In this case the agents have to cope with substitutable or complementary effects between the single goods. In this paper we analyse existing approaches of tackling the problem of decision making in multiple, heterogeneous auctions and develop a flexible Dynamic Programming-based decision-making framework for agents, participating in multiple auctions. This work extends existing Dynamic Programming-approaches in this field

Effect of dietary alpine butter rich in conjugated linoleic acid on milk fat composition of lactating sows

Multiparous sows (n 17) were included in a controlled cross-over-study in order to investigate the influence of a natural source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) (alpine butter) on the milk fatty acid composition of lactating sows (as an animal model for lactating women) and on the growth performance of their progeny. The usual fat source of a standard lactation diet was replaced by either CLA-rich alpine butter or margarine (control diet). Compared with the margarine diet, feeding the alpine butter-supplemented diet increased (P0·05) affected. Growth performance of the progeny was similar for both dietary treatments. In summary, the findings show that adding alpine butter to the diet does not provoke a milk fat depression and does not alter the composition of total SFA, MUFA and PUFA in sow milk but increases its CLA concentratio

Ultrafast Photo-Induced Charge Transfer Unveiled by Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy

The interaction of exciton and charge transfer (CT) states plays a central role in photo-induced CT processes in chemistry, biology and physics. In this work, we use a combination of two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2D-ES), pump-probe measurements and quantum chemistry to investigate the ultrafast CT dynamics in a lutetium bisphthalocyanine dimer in different oxidation states. It is found that in the anionic form, the combination of strong CT-exciton interaction and electronic asymmetry induced by a counter-ion enables CT between the two macrocycles of the complex on a 30 fs timescale. Following optical excitation, a chain of electron and hole transfer steps gives rise to characteristic cross-peak dynamics in the electronic 2D spectra, and we monitor how the excited state charge density ultimately localizes on the macrocycle closest to the counter-ion within 100 fs. A comparison with the dynamics in the radical species further elucidates how CT states modulate the electronic structure and tune fs-reaction dynamics. Our experiments demonstrate the unique capability of 2D-ES in combination with other methods to decipher ultrafast CT dynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, and Supporting informatio

精神看護実習における構造判別図作成に対する学生の評価

本研究では，精神看護実習で用いた「構造判別図自己評価表」および「実習自己評価表」について，統計的に記述し，実習指導における示唆を得ることを目的とした．記述統計量を検討した結果，学生は構造判別図を用いることにより，対象者の【過去】【現在】の状態理解と対象者の問題・強みの【把握】が進み，根拠を捉えた【思考】能力を実感し，看護現象診断の候補の【立案】へつなげていることが考えられた．また実習の自己評価【自評】と中程度の相関が認められた2 項目（【未来】【投影】）において，学生の自己評価が低かったことから，【未来】の情報の展開を強化すること，対象者に対する自分自身のありようをうまく【投影】できるように，指導者を交えて探求し，自己理解を促すことという精神看護実習指導上の課題が示唆された

Total Psoas Muscle Area as a Marker for Sarcopenia Is Related to Outcome in Children With Neuroblastoma

Background: Sarcopenia describes a generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, or function. Determined by measuring the total psoas muscle area (tPMA) on cross-sectional imaging, sarcopenia is an independent marker for poor post-surgical outcomes in adults and children. Children with cancer are at high risk for sarcopenia due to immobility, chemotherapy, and cachexia. We hypothesize that sarcopenic children with neuroblastoma are at higher risk for poor post-operative outcomes. Patients and Methods: Retrospective analysis of children with neuroblastoma ages 1–15 years who were treated at our hospital from 2008 to 2016 with follow-up through March 2021. Psoas muscle area (PMA) was measured from cross-sectional images, using computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at lumbar disc levels L3-4 and L4-5. tPMA is the sum of the left and right PMA. Z-scores were calculated using age- and gender-specific reference values. Sarcopenia was defined as a tPMA z-score below −2. A correlation of tPMA z-scores and sarcopenia with clinical variables and outcome was performed. Results: One hundred and sixty-four children with workup for neuroblastoma were identified, and 101 children fulfilled inclusion criteria for further analysis, with a mean age of 3.92 years (SD 2.71 years). Mean tPMA z-score at L4-5 was −2.37 (SD 1.02). Correlation of tPMA z-score at L4-5 with weight-for-age z-score was moderate (r = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.38, 0.66). No association between sarcopenia and short-term outcome was observed. Sarcopenia had a sensitivity of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.62–0.93) and a specificity of 0.48 (95% CI 0.36–0.61) in predicting 5-year survival. In a multiple regression analysis, pre-operative sarcopenia, pre-operative chemotherapy in the NB2004 high-risk group, unfavorable tumor histology, and age at diagnosis were associated with 5-year survival after surgery, with hazard ratios of 4.18 (95% CI 1.01–17.26), 2.46 (95% CI 1.02–5.92), 2.39 (95% CI 1.03–5.54), and 1.01 (95% CI 1.00–1.03), respectively. Conclusion: In this study, the majority of children had low tPMA z-scores and sarcopenia was a risk factor for decreased 5-year survival in children with neuroblastoma. Therefore, we suggest measuring the tPMA from pre-surgical cross-sectional imaging as a biomarker for additional risk stratification in children with neuroblastoma

CANEUS2006-11042 HIGH TEMPERATURE (800°C) MEMS PRESSURE SENSOR DEVELOPMENT INCLUDING REUSABLE PACKAGING FOR ROCKET ENGINE APPLICATIONS

ABSTRACT For aircraft and rocket engines there is a strong need to measure the pressure in the propulsion system at high temperature (HT) with a high local resolution. Miniaturized sensor elements commercially available show decisive disadvantages. With piezoelectric-based sensors working clearly above 500°C static pressures can not be measured. Optical sensors are very expensive and require complex electronics. SiC sensor prototypes are operated up to 650°C, but require high technological efforts. The present approach is based on resistors placed on top of a 2 mm diameter sapphire membrane (8 mm chip diameter). The strain gauges are made either of antimony doped tin oxide (SnO2:Sb) or platinum (Pt). This material combination allows for matching the thermal coefficients of expansion (TCE) of the materials involved. The morphology of the SnO 2 :Sb layer can be optimized to reduce surface roughness on the nanometer scale and hence, gas sensitivity. Antimony doping increases conductivity, but decreases the gauge factor. With this nanotechnological knowledge it is possible to adjust the material properties to the needs of our aerospace applications. Tin oxide was shown to be very stable at HT. We also measured a 2.5% change in electrica

Strategien und Technologien einer pluralistischen Fern- und Nahwärmeversorgung in einem liberalisierten Energiemarkt unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung und erneuerbarer Energien : Kurzfassung der Studie

Die Zusammenfassung dient zwei Zielen: Zunächst werden die wesentlichen Ergebnisse der Langfassung der o.g. Studie referiert; auf dieser Basis werden dann mögliche Maßnahmen und Strategien diskutiert, die kurzfristig (2000-2001) ergriffen werden könnten. Als Akteure kommen hierbei nicht nur die Bundesregierung, die wichtige Rahmenbedingungen zum Marktgeschehen wird setzen müssen, in den Fokus, sondern auch die Betreiber von Heizkraftwerken und KWK-Anlagen und deren Verbände, aber auch andere Akteure wie z. B. Contracting-Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen. Da die Übergangsphase der Liberalisierung der europäischen Stromwirtschaft in den Jahren 2000-2005 eine besondere Herausforderung für die KWK-Entwicklung darstellt, wird auch ein kurzfristig wirksames Maßnahmenbündel zur Diskussion gestellt. Dem Leser sei zum Verständnis in Erinnerung gerufen, dass diese vorgelegte Analyse im Rahmen einer Vorstudie durchgeführt wurde und langfristig abgesicherte Aussagen auch Analysen mit einschließen müssten, die bis 2010 und 2020 reichen. Weiterführende Arbeiten sollen in einer geplanten Hauptstudie erfolgen