Vorteilhaftigkeitsanalyse zweier softwarebasierter Entscheidungsspiele zur Unterstützung in der universitären Lehre

Softwarebasierte Entscheidungspiele und Geschäftssimulationen werden für Unternehmen immer wichtiger. Sie werden unterstützend bei innerbetrieblichen Weiterbildungsmaßnahmen eingesetzt und bilden eine Entscheidungsgrundlage in der Personalrekrutierung. Der drastische Preisverfall der Hardware in der vergangenen Dekade sowie die Durchsetzung des Internets - einhergehend mit einer steigenden Bereitschaft, Computer als Instrumente in der Lehre einzusetzen - führten dazu, dass in den Universitäten und bei rund 37% aller deutschen Firmen Planspiele genutzt werden. Auch die Versicherungswirtschaft und die Versicherungswissenschaft machen sich diese Entwicklung zu Nutze, um Mitarbeitern oder Studenten das Wirtschaften in Versicherungsunternehmen und damit zusammenhängende theoretische Grundlagen modellhaft zu veranschaulichen. Insbesondere die Planspiele TOPSIM von der TERTIA-Edusoft GmbH und INSGAME finden hier Anwendung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden beide Spiele mittels einer Nutzwertanalyse verglichen, um die Eignung beider Werkzeuge für den Einsatz in der universitären Ausbildung zu überprüfen. Sich richtet sich an Institutionen, die erwägen, softwarebasierte Entscheidungsspiele zu Ausbildungs- oder Weiterbildungszwecken einzusetzen, und sie soll mit der Gegenüberstellung der beiden Spiele eine Entscheidungsgrundlage für deren Nutzung geben. Einem interdisziplinären Ansatz folgend werden die Planspiele der Versicherungswirtschaft mit einem Controllinginstrument unter Rückgriff auf Elemente der Informatik und der Linguistik bewertet, um ein pädagogisches Ziel zu erreichen

A Generic Dual Core Architecture with Error Containment

The dual core strategy allows to construct a fail-silent processor from two instances (master/checker) of any arbitrary standard processor. Its main drawbacks are its vulnerability with respect to common mode failures and the existence of residual single points of failure. In this paper we propose a generic frame that systematically eliminates these drawbacks. First, we employ temporal redundancy to cope with common mode failures. Unlike similar approaches we can ensure error containment even if -- as a result of the temporal redundancy -- the comparison by the checker core is delayed. We attain this by introducing a specific delay element for outgoing data. Second, we perform a systematic analysis of potential single points of failure and eliminate these by careful layout, self-checking circuits and similar methods. We finally validate our approach by means of exhaustive fault injection experiments. The results indicate a 100% self-checking coverage for stuck-at faults and complete error containment. Since the proposed framework has been kept generic in the sense that the individual standard processor cores are treated as black boxes, these results are valid independent of the core actually used

Arguments for an additional long-lived intermediate in the photocycle of the full-length aureochrome 1c receptor: A time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering study

Bannister S, Böhm E, Zinn T, Hellweg T, Kottke T. Arguments for an additional long-lived intermediate in the photocycle of the full-length aureochrome 1c receptor: A time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering study. Structural Dynamics. 2019;6(3): 34701.Aureochromes (AUREO) act as blue-light photoreceptors in algae. They consist of a light-, oxygen-, voltage-sensitive (LOV) domain and a DNA-binding basic region/leucine zipper. Illumination of the flavin cofactor in LOV leads to the formation of an adduct, followed by global structural changes. Here, we first applied UV/vis spectroscopy to characterize the photocycle of full-length aureochrome 1c (PtAUREO1c) from the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. With a time constant of 850 s and a quantum yield of 23%, PtAUREO1c reveals a faster recovery time and a much lower sensitivity toward light than PtAUREO1a, pointing to its role as a high light sensor in vivo. UV/vis spectroscopy offers details on the local recovery of the flavin chromophore. However, kinetic information on the global structural recovery of full-length AUREO or any other multidomain LOV protein is missing. This information is essential not least for the photoreceptors' applications as optogenetic devices. Therefore, we established a procedure to apply small-angle X-ray scattering on PtAUREO1c in a time-resolved manner employing an in-house setup. In combination with UV/vis spectroscopy under similar conditions, we revealed a discrepancy between the recovery of the global protein structure and the adduct lifetime. Accordingly, we propose to supplement the photocycle by an intermediate state (I447), which decays with a time constant of about 800 s and prolongs the lifetime of the signaling state

Left ventricular echocardiographic and histologic changes: Impact of chronic unloading by an implantable ventricular assist device

AbstractObjectives. We studied the effects of chronic left ventricular unloading by a ventricular assist device and assessed left ventricular morphologic and histologic changes.Background. The implantable left ventricular assist device has been effective as a “bridge” to cardiac transplantation. Although there are reports documenting its circulatory support, little is known about the effects of chronic left ventricular unloading on the heart itself.Methods. We performed intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography at the insertion and explantation of a HeartMate left ventricular assist device in 19 patients with end-stage heart failure. They were supported by the assist device for 3 to 153 days (mean [±SD] 68±33). Measurements were taken retrospectively to obtain left atrial and ventricular diameters and interventricular septal and posterior wall thicknesses. Histologic examinations were made from the left ventricular myocardial specimens of 15 patients at the times of insertion and explantation for heart transplantation. Insertion and explantation specimens were compared qualitatively (0 to 3 scale) for wavy fibers, contraction band necrosis and fibrosis, with quantitative measurement of minimal myocyte diameter across the nucleus.Results. Left atrial and left ventricular diastolic and systolic diameters decreased immediately after insertion of the left ventricular assist device (from 46 to 35, 63 to 41 and 59 to 36 mm, respectively, all p < 0.001). Left ventricular wall thickness increased from 10 to 14 mm (p < 0.001) for the interventricular septum and from 10 to 13 mm for the posterior wall (p < 0.001). No echocardiographic measurements showed significant subsequent changes at the chronic stage. Myocardial histologic findings demonstrated a reduction in myocyte damage (from 1.9 to 0.5, p < 0.001, for wavy fiber and from 1.3 to 0.2, p < 0.01, for contraction band necrosis) and an increase in fibrosis (from 1.3 to 1.9, p < 0.05), but without significant change in myocyte diameter (from 15.6 to 16.8 μm, p = 0.065).Conclusions.Left ventricular unloading with the implantable assist device induces an immediate increase in wall thickness, consistent with the reduction in chamber size, thereby decreasing wall stress. Chronic unloading allows myocardial healing and fibrosis without evidence for ongoing myocyte damage or atrophy. Left ventricular assist device insertion may have a role in “resting” the ventricle for selected patients with heart failure

Boreal pollen contain ice-nucleating as well as ice-binding ‘antifreeze’ polysaccharides

Dreischmeier K, Budke C, Wiehemeier L, Kottke T, Koop T. Boreal pollen contain ice-nucleating as well as ice-binding ‘antifreeze’ polysaccharides. Scientific Reports. 2017;7(1): 41890.Ice nucleation and growth is an important and widespread environmental process. Accordingly, nature has developed means to either promote or inhibit ice crystal formation, for example ice-nucleating proteins in bacteria or ice-binding antifreeze proteins in polar fish. Recently, it was found that birch pollen release ice-nucleating macromolecules when suspended in water. Here we show that birch pollen washing water exhibits also ice-binding properties such as ice shaping and ice recrystallization inhibition, similar to antifreeze proteins. We present spectroscopic evidence that both the ice-nucleating as well as the ice-binding molecules are polysaccharides bearing carboxylate groups. The spectra suggest that both polysaccharides consist of very similar chemical moieties, but centrifugal filtration indicates differences in molecular size: ice nucleation occurs only in the supernatant of a 100 kDa filter, while ice shaping is strongly enhanced in the filtrate. This finding may suggest that the larger ice-nucleating polysaccharides consist of clusters of the smaller ice-binding polysaccharides, or that the latter are fragments of the ice-nucleating polysaccharides. Finally, similar polysaccharides released from pine and alder pollen also display both ice-nucleating as well as ice-binding ability, suggesting a common mechanism of interaction with ice among several boreal pollen with implications for atmospheric processes and antifreeze protection

Regelmäßige Katalysatorformkörper für technische Synthesen

Regelmäßige Katalysatarformkörper in der Form von sogenannten Monolithkatalysatoren mit geraden, parallelen Kanälen haben bei der Abgasreinigung und der Entstickung von Kraftwerksabgasen die bisher üblichen Katalysatorschüttungen weitgehend verdrängt. Ihr wesentlicher Vorteil ist der niedrige Druckverlust bei großer äußerer Katalysatoroberfläche und - im Vergleich zu Zufallsschüttungen - sehr gute Reproduzierbarkeit in der Formgebung und dem Betriebsverhalten. Diese Vorteile machen regelmäßige Katalysatorfarmkörper auch für chemische Synthesen außerordentlich interessant. Solche Monolithkatalysatoren mit geraden, parallelen Kanälen eignen sich allerdings wegen ihres ungenügenden radialen Misch- und Ausgleichsverhalten nur für adiabaten Betrieb. - In einer eingehenden Analyse werden deswegen Monolithe mit geraden, quadratischen und rechteckigen Kanälen, gewellte Strukturen in gekreuzter Anordnung, Flügelstrukturen für runde Rohre sowie Schüttungen aus Kugeln, Strängen und Zylindern untersucht. Ziel der Arbeiten ist es, die verfahrenstechnischen Parameter verschiedener technischer Katalysatoren zu analysieren, um daraus Maßnahmen für eine gezielte Verbesserung der Formgebung abzuleiten. Die Sichtbarmachung und Bestimmung der örtlichen Stoff- und Wärmeübertragung in der Struktur und an den wärmeübertragenden Wänden liefert in Verbindung mit dem örtlichen Mischverhalten einen direkten Vergleich über die Effektivität der Strukturen. Über die mathematische Modellbildung mit und ohne chemische Reaktion lassen sich sowohl für die adiabate als auch die isotherme Reaktionsführung die wesentlichen Informationen gewinnen, wie sie für eine optimale Auslegung von Katalysatorformkörpern in der chemischen Synthese und in der Umwelttechnik notwendig sind

Modeled Health and Economic Impact of Team-Based Care for Hypertension

IntroductionTeam-based interventions for hypertension care have been widely studied and shown effective in improving hypertension outcomes. Few studies have evaluated long-term effects of these interventions; none have assessed broad-scale implementation. This study estimates the prospective health, economic, and budgetary impact of universal adoption of a team-based care intervention model that targets people with treated but uncontrolled hypertension in the U.S.MethodsAnalysis was conducted in 2014−2015 using a microsimulation model, constructed with various data sources from 1948 to 2014, designed to evaluate prospective cardiovascular disease (CVD)−related interventions in the U.S. population. Ten-year primary outcomes included prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension; incident myocardial infarction, stroke, CVD events, and CVD-related mortality; intervention and net medical costs by payer; productivity; and quality-adjusted life years.ResultsAbout 4.7 million (13%) fewer people with uncontrolled hypertension and 638,000 prevented cardiovascular events would be expected over 10 years. Assuming $525 per enrollee, implementation would cost payers$22.9 billion, but $25.3 billion would be saved in averted medical costs. Estimated net cost savings for Medicare approached$5.8 billion. Net costs were especially sensitive to intervention costs, with break-even thresholds of $300 (private),$450 (Medicaid), and $750 (Medicare).ConclusionsNationwide adoption of team-based care for uncontrolled hypertension could have sizable effects in reducing CVD burden. Based on the study’s assumptions, the policy would be cost saving from the perspective of Medicare and may prove to be cost effective from other payers’ perspectives. Expected net cost savings for Medicare would more than offset expected net costs for all other insurers