Fast approximation methods for credit portfolio risk calculations

Credit risk is one of the main risks financial institutions are exposed to. Within the last two decades, simulation-based credit portfolio models became extremely popular and replaced closed-form analytical ones as computers became more powerful. However, especially for non-homogenous and non-granular portfolios, a full simulation of a credit portfolio model is still time consuming, which can be disadvantageous within some use cases like credit pricing or within stress testing situations where results must be available very quickly. For this purpose, we investigate if methods based on artificial intelligence (AI) can be helpful to approximate a credit portfolio model. We compare the performance of AI-based methods within three different use cases with suitable non AI-based regression methods. As a result, we see that AI-based methods can generally capture portfolio characteristics and speed-up calculations but - depending on the specific use case and the availability of training data - they are not necessarily always the best choice. Particularly, considering the time and costs for collecting data and training of the complex algorithms, non-AI-based methods can be as good as or even better than AI-based ones, while requiring less computational effort

Die Reaktivierung von Schienenstrecken als Strategie der integrierten Raumentwicklung: Chancen nutzen und Hemmnisse überwinden

Der Ausbau von Schienennetzen für den Personen- und Güterverkehr durch die Reaktivierung stillgelegter Strecken ist ein Gebot der Stunde! Schienenstrecken ermöglichen nachhaltige Mobilität, gesellschaftliche Teilhabe und die Schaffung gleichwertiger Lebensverhältnisse. Hierzu bedarf es einer grundsätzlich neuen und integrierten Ausrichtung der Raum- und Verkehrsplanung. Neben der dringend gebotenen Trassensicherung durch die Raumordnung müssen stillgelegte Schienenstrecken bezüglich ihrer Potenziale für die Orts- und Regionalentwicklung erkannt und reaktiviert werden. Stationen an Schienenstrecken können insbesondere in ländlichen Räumen wesentliche Entwicklungsimpulse erzeugen und als Mobilitätsdrehscheiben fungieren. Dabei gilt es, bisherige Hindernisse zu überwinden, indem beispielsweise neue volkswirtschaftliche Bewertungsmaßstäbe angesetzt und neue Finanzierungsmodelle eingeführt werden.The expansion of rail networks for passenger and cargo services by reactivating disused rail lines is an urgent need of the hour! Rail lines enable sustainable mobility, social participation and the creation of equal living conditions. This requires a fundamentally new and integrated approach to spatial and transport planning. In addition to the urgent need to secure routes by means of spatial planning, disused railway lines must be recognized with regard to their potential for local and regional development and be reactivated. Stations on railway lines can generate significant development impulses, particularly in rural areas, and act as mobility hubs. Previous obstacles must be overcome, for example by applying new economic evaluation standards and introducing new financing models

Teledermatology: Comparison of Store-and-Forward Versus Live Interactive Video Conferencing

A decreasing number of dermatologists and an increasing number of patients in Western countries have led to a relative lack of clinicians providing expert dermatologic care. This, in turn, has prolonged wait times for patients to be examined, putting them at risk. Store-and-forward teledermatology improves patient access to dermatologists through asynchronous consultations, reducing wait times to obtain a consultation. However, live video conferencing as a synchronous service is also frequently used by practitioners because it allows immediate interaction between patient and physician. This raises the question of which of the two approaches is superior in terms of quality of care and convenience. There are pros and cons for each in terms of technical requirements and features. This viewpoint compares the two techniques based on a literature review and a clinical perspective to help dermatologists assess the value of teledermatology and determine which techniques would be valuable in their practice

A skin cancer prevention facial-aging mobile app for secondary schools in Brazil : appearance-focused interventional study.

Background: The incidence of melanoma is increasing faster than any other major cancer both in Brazil and worldwide. Southeast Brazil has especially high incidences of melanoma, and early detection is low. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a primary risk factor for developing melanoma. Increasing attractiveness is a major motivation among adolescents for tanning. A medical student-delivered intervention that takes advantage of the broad availability of mobile phones and adolescents? interest in their appearance indicated effectiveness in a recent study from Germany. However, the effect in a high-UV index country with a high melanoma prevalence and the capability of medical students to implement such an intervention remain unknown. Objective: In this pilot study, our objective was to investigate the preliminary success and implementability of a photoaging intervention to prevent skin cancer in Brazilian adolescents. Methods: We implemented a free photoaging mobile phone app (Sunface) in 15 secondary school classes in southeast Brazil. Medical students ?mirrored? the pupils? altered 3-dimensional (3D) selfies reacting to touch on tablets via a projector in front of their whole grade accompanied by a brief discussion of means of UV protection. An anonymous questionnaire capturing sociodemographic data and risk factors for melanoma measured the perceptions of the intervention on 5-point Likert scales among 356 pupils of both sexes (13-19 years old; median age 16 years) in grades 8 to 12 of 2 secondary schools in Brazil. Results: We measured more than 90% agreement in both items that measured motivation to reduce UV exposure and only 5.6% disagreement: 322 (90.5%) agreed or strongly agreed that their 3D selfie motivated them to avoid using a tanning bed, and 321 (90.2%) that it motivated them to improve their sun protection; 20 pupils (5.6%) disagreed with both items. The perceived effect on motivation was higher in female pupils in both tanning bed avoidance (n=198, 92.6% agreement in females vs n=123, 87.2% agreement in males) and increased use of sun protection (n=197, 92.1% agreement in females vs n=123, 87.2% agreement in males) and independent of age or skin type. All medical students involved filled in a process evaluation revealing that they all perceived the intervention as effective and unproblematic, and that all pupils tried the app in their presence. Conclusions: The photoaging intervention was effective in changing behavioral predictors for UV protection in Brazilian adolescents. The predictors measured indicated an even higher prospective effectiveness in southeast Brazil than in Germany (>90% agreement in Brazil vs >60% agreement in Germany to both items that measured motivation to reduce UV exposure) in accordance with the theory of planned behavior. Medical students are capable of complete implementation. A randomized controlled trial measuring prospective effects in Brazil is planned as a result of this study

X-RISE - A Multifunctional X-ray Radiography Device for Parabolic Flights and Laboratory Use

A multifunctional X-ray radiography device for parabolic flights and lab-based research is presented. Based on the technology Demonstrator X-ray radiography facility DIXI for the Materials Science Laboratory aboard the International Space Station, the full 90◦ tiltability of the facility enables to change the gravity vector with respect to the sample orientation, providing the tunability of the impact of the gravitational force on the investigated processes. The acronym X-RISE - X-Ray Investigations in Space Environment - unifies our research activities by utilizing a X-ray micro-radiography facility for different experiment classes with the need for microgravity environment namely solidification research, diffusion experiments, and the dynamics of granular matter upon compaction. A commercial actively pumped microfocus transmission X-ray source by Viscom AG delivers up to 20W X-ray power at 100 kV acceleration voltage. It is combined with different experiment cartridges and detector modules. The facility is classified as a fully-protected radiography equipment according to German and French radiation safety laws. Besides its use aboard parabolic flights it is also a powerful terrestrial research facility. The technological possibilities of X-RISE for material science research are presented within this paper. Moreover examples of recent parabolic flight experiments focusing on different science areas are presented to highlight the capabilities of this facility

The PDZ domain of TIP-2/GIPC interacts with the C-terminus of the integrin alpha5 and alpha6 subunits

Different cDNA libraries were screened by the yeast two-hybrid system using as a bait the cytoplasmic sequence of integrin alpha6A or alpha6B subunits. Surprisingly, the same PDZ domain-containing protein, TIP-2/GIPC, was isolated with either of the variants, although their sequences are different. Direct interaction assays with the cytoplasmic domain of the integrin alpha1--7 subunits revealed that in addition to alpha6A and alpha6B, TIP-2/GIPC reacted also with alpha5, but not other alpha integrin subunits. The specificity of the interaction was confirmed by in vitro protein binding assays with purified peptides corresponding to integrin cytoplasmic domains. Further analysis with either truncation fragments of TIP-2/GIPC or mutated integrin cytoplasmic domains indicated that the interaction occurs between the PDZ domain of TIP-2/GIPC and a consensus PDZ domain-binding sequence, SDA, present at the C-terminus of the integrin alpha5 and alpha6A subunits. The integrin alpha6B subunit terminates with a different sequence, SYS, which may represent a new PDZ domain-binding moti