Time Series Analysis of Noaa Avhrr Derived Vegetation Cover as a Means to Extract Proportions of Permanent and Seasonal Components at Pixel Level

The scope of this study was to find a simple and robust technique to analyze a 16 years time se-ries (totalling 576 decades) of NOAA-AVHRR derived Green Vegetation Fraction (GVF) for de-scribing the bio-physical properties of the observed vegetation canopy as a function of its compo-sition in terms of a seasonally changing vegetation component and a permanent vegetation com-ponent. The principal idea behind the analysis is to use a simple model of an annual vegetation growth cycle per pixel, which is fitted against the available time sequence of data, and interpret on one side the parameters of the fit and on the other side the residuals of the original versus the fitted data. For simplicity reasons this part is represented by a sinus curve with a fixed wavelength of one year. This model allows splitting of the timely resolved vegetation signal into two compo-nents in vegetation appearance. One represents a "permanent background" throughout the year, which is the off-set between the 0 level representing the absence of vegetation cover and the minimum of the modelled seasonal change. The second represents the difference between the maximum and the minimum vegetation cover modelled every year. This technique has been ap-plied to the entire Mediterranean region covered by a NOAA AVHRR time series. The derived pro-portions of permanent and seasonal vegetation components have been finally interpreted on the European CORINE land cover class ‘Olive grove’, assessing the variation of permanent and sea-sonal vegetation components as function of management intensity, leading to a distinction of dif-ferent olive grove management intensity classes within the limits of the CORINE class. The olive class has been chosen as test case because of its well known linkages between the evergreen component represented by the olive trees and the more or less pronounced presence of annual herbaceous understory.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Selbstständige in der Grundsicherung

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Data-Mining of In-Situ TEM Experiments: Towards Understanding Nanoscale Fracture

The lifetime and performance of any engineering component, from nanoscale sensors to macroscopic structures, are strongly influenced by fracture processes. Fracture itself is a highly localized event; originating at the atomic scale by bond breaking between individual atoms close to the crack tip. These processes, however, interact with defects such as dislocations or grain boundaries and influence phenomena on much larger length scales, ultimately giving rise to macroscopic behavior and engineering-scale fracture properties. This complex interplay is the fundamental reason why identifying the atomistic structural and energetic processes occurring at a crack tip remains a longstanding and still unsolved challenge. We develop a new analysis approach for combining quantitative in-situ observations of nanoscale deformation processes at a crack tip with three-dimensional reconstruction of the dislocation structure and advanced computational analysis to address plasticity and fracture initiation in a ductile metal. Our combinatorial approach reveals details of dislocation nucleation, their interaction process, and the local internal stress state, all of which were previously inaccessible to experiments. This enables us to describe fracture processes based on local crack driving forces on a dislocation level with a high fidelity that paves the way towards a better understanding and control of local failure processes in materials

SC83288 is a clinical development candidate for the treatment of severe malaria

Severe malaria is a life-threatening complication of an infection with the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which requires immediate treatment. Safety and efficacy concerns with currently used drugs accentuate the need for new chemotherapeutic options against severe malaria. Here we describe a medicinal chemistry program starting from amicarbalide that led to two compounds with optimized pharmacological and antiparasitic properties. SC81458 and the clinical development candidate, SC83288, are fast-acting compounds that can cure a P. falciparum infection in a humanized NOD/SCID mouse model system. Detailed preclinical pharmacokinetic and toxicological studies reveal no observable drawbacks. Ultra-deep sequencing of resistant parasites identifies the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) transporting PfATP6 as a putative determinant of resistance to SC81458 and SC83288. Features, such as fast parasite killing, good safety margin, a potentially novel mode of action and a distinct chemotype support the clinical development of SC83288, as an intravenous application for the treatment of severe malaria

Campus Management Systems as Administrative Software Systems

Spitta T, Grechenig T, Brune H, Carolla M, Strobl S. Campus-Management Systeme als Administrative Systeme. Working Papers in Economics & Management. Vol 06-2014. Bielefeld: Bielefeld University, Department of Business Administration and Economics; 2014.Ein von der Politik ausgelöster Bruch in den deutsprachigen Ländern – der sog. Bologna Prozess – löste eine große Nachfrage nach neuen Informationssystemen aus, die die akademischen Prozesse Lehre und Forschung unterstützen konnten. Die Software ist in der notwendigen Qualität am Markt nicht verfügbar. Einige Systeme sind große Pilotprojekte in Universitäten, die die Rolle von Pionieren spielen. Weil die Universitäten – im Gegensatz zu Wirtschaftsunternehmen – wenig Erfahrung mit solchen Projekten und dem Systembetrieb haben, erscheint es hilfreich, die wesentlichen Eigenschaften organisatorischer Informationssysteme grundsätzlich zu betrachten. Nach Lehmanns Definition vor 35 Jahren über Embedded Software haben wir es mit sehr komplexen und großen Systemen zu tun, die in eine Organisation als Umwelt eingebettet sind. Die Komplexität dieser Systeme liegt in der Datenbasis, die von den Benutzern erzeugt und gepflegt wird. Wir diskutieren aus der Sicht dieser originären Daten, welche Funktionen zum Kern eines Campus- Management Systems (CaMS) gehören und welche nicht. Z. B. gehören E-Learning und Bibliothek nicht dazu, benötigen allerdings sichere und effiziente Schnittstellen. Weil CaMS groß und teuer sind, sollten sie evolutionär in die Organisation implementiert werden.Caused by a politically initiated break in German speaking European countries – the so-called Bologna Process – we observe a huge demand for new information systems supporting the academic processes of teaching and research. The software qualitatively demanded is not available on the market. Some systems are large projects of pilot-systems in pioneer universities. Because universities – in contrast to enterprises – have little experience in implementing and operating such systems, it seems to be worth while to examine the essentials of organizational information systems basically. After Lehman's definition of embedded systems 35 years ago, we look at very complex systems, embedded into large organizations. The complexity of such system's software stems from its database, created and maintained by the the organization's users. We argue, from our basic view at original data, which functions are part of the core of a campus management system (CaMS) and which are not. E. g. E-learning or library do not belong to this core, but need secure and efficient interfaces to it. Because CaMS are large and expensive they should be implemented into an organization evolutionary

Altered Coupling of Psychological Relaxation and Regional Volume of Brain Reward Areas in Multiple Sclerosis

Background:Psychological stress can influence the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), but little is known about neurobiological factors potentially counteracting these effects. Objective:To identify gray matter (GM) brain regions related to relaxation after stress exposure in persons with MS (PwMS). Methods:36 PwMS and 21 healthy controls (HCs) reported their feeling of relaxation during a mild stress task. These markers were related to regional GM volumes, heart rate, and depressive symptoms. Results:Relaxation was differentially linked to heart rate in both groups (t= 2.20,p= 0.017), i.e., both markers were only related in HCs. Relaxation was positively linked to depressive symptoms across all participants (t= 1.99,p= 0.045) although this link differed weakly between groups (t= 1.62,p= 0.108). Primarily, the volume in medial temporal gyrus was negatively linked to relaxation in PwMS (t= -5.55, p(family-wise-error(FWE)corrected)= 0.018). A group-specific coupling of relaxation and GM volume was found in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) (t= -4.89, p(FWE)= 0.039). Conclusion:PwMS appear unable to integrate peripheral stress signals into their perception of relaxation. Together with the group-specific coupling of relaxation and VMPFC volume, a key area of the brain reward system for valuation of affectively relevant stimuli, this finding suggests a clinically relevant misinterpretation of stress-related affective stimuli in MS

Slurry-Based Processing of Solid Electrolytes: A Comparative Binder Study

Limited energy density of today\u27s Li-ion battery technologies demands for novel cell technologies, such as the all-solid-state battery (ASSB). In order to achieve high energy densities and enable large-scale processing, thin and flexible solid electrolyte (SE) layers have to be implemented. This study focuses on slurry-based processing of the sulfidic solid electrolyte Li$_{10}$SnP$_{2}$S$_{12}$ (LSPS). Various polymers were investigated concerning their suitability as binders for thin and freestanding SE sheets. We conducted a parameter study in order to optimize e.g. LSPS-to-binder ratio, solids content and porosity. Significant differences were found with regard to the minimum amount of binder required for mechanically stable sheets as well as the homogeneity, density and flexibility of the resulting SE layers. The impacts of binder type and weight fraction on ionic conductivity were examined through lithium diffusion measurements. Impedance analysis was conducted in comparison, proving sufficiently high ionic conductivity for potential application of the SE sheets in ASSB. This work highlights the important role of the polymeric binder in slurry-based processing of SEs and gives an impression how important a well-considered selection of parameters is to achieve good processing properties as well as desirable features for the final SE sheet

Neural Processes of Psychological Stress and Relaxation Predict the Future Evolution of Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an essential complementary parameter in the assessment of disease burden and treatment outcome in multiple sclerosis (MS) and can be affected by neuropsychiatric symptoms, which in turn are sensitive to psychological stress. However, until now, the impact of neurobiological stress and relaxation on HRQoL in MS has not been investigated. We thus evaluated whether the activity of neural networks triggered by mild psychological stress (elicited in an fMRI task comprising mental arithmetic with feedback) or by stress termination (i.e., relaxation) at baseline (T0) predicts HRQoL variations occurring between T0 and a follow-up visit (T1) in 28 patients using a robust regression and permutation testing. The median delay between T0 and T1 was 902 (range: 363-1,169) days. We assessed HRQoL based on the Hamburg Quality of Life Questionnaire in MS (HAQUAMS) and accounted for the impact of established HRQoL predictors and the cognitive performance of the participants. Relaxation-triggered activity of a widespread neural network predicted future variations in overall HRQoL (t = 3.68, p(family-wise error [FWE])-corrected = 0.008). Complementary analyses showed that relaxation-triggered activity of the same network at baseline was associated with variations in the HAQUAMS mood subscale on an alpha(FWE) = 0.1 level (t = 3.37, p(FWE) = 0.087). Finally, stress-induced activity of a prefronto-limbic network predicted future variations in the HAQUAMS lower limb mobility subscale (t = -3.62, p(FWE) = 0.020). Functional neural network measures of psychological stress and relaxation contain prognostic information for future HRQoL evolution in MS independent of clinical predictors

Percutaneous CT fluoroscopy-guided core biopsy of pancreatic lesions: technical and clinical outcome of 104 procedures during a 10-year period

Background: In unclear pancreatic lesions, a tissue sample can confirm or exclude the suspected diagnosis and help to provide an optimal treatment strategy to each patient. To date only one small study reported on the outcome of computed tomography (CT) fluoroscopy-guided biopsies of the pancreas. Purpose: To evaluate technical success and diagnostic rate of all CT fluoroscopy-guided core biopsies of the pancreas performed in a single university center during a 10-year period. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study we included all patients who underwent a CT fluoroscopy-guided biopsy of a pancreatic mass at our comprehensive cancer center between 2005 and 2014. All interventions were performed under local anesthesia on a 16-row or 128-row CT scanner. Technical success and diagnostic rates as well as complications and effective patient radiation dose were analyzed. Results: One hundred and one patients (54 women;mean age, 63.912.6 years) underwent a total of 104 CT fluoroscopy-guided biopsies of the pancreas. Ninety-eight of 104 interventions (94.2%) could be performed with technical success and at least one tissue sample could be obtained. In 88 of these 98 samples, a definitive pathological diagnosis, consistent with clinical success could be achieved (89.8%). Overall 19 minor and three major complications occurred during the intra- or 30-day post-interventional period and all other interventions could be performed without complications;there was no death attributable to the intervention. Conclusion: CT fluoroscopy-guided biopsy of pancreatic lesions is an effective procedure characterized by a low major complication and a high diagnostic rate

Erratum: SC83288 is a clinical development candidate for the treatment of severe malaria

No abstract available