A 3D solution for a web-based building information system

This paper presents an information system for the documentation of research results in building archaeology as applied to the example of “Domus Severiana” palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome. In connection with the development of CISAR – a modular open-source web-based information system for archaeological field work and building archaeology – a special solution with the focus on 3D building documentation was created. There are many commercial and non-commercial software products for 2D web-based information systems, whereas few solutions for 3D GIS are available. Therefore, an independent product was developed based mainly on open source components. The use of open source technology allows for the optimal adaptation to user requirements and a standardised data exchange. The information system is an effective working tool that facilitates the documentation of building characteristics and related data analysis; users do not need to have special knowledge of computer science or graphics

Rom, Italien: Die Ziegelstempel der Kaiserpaläste auf dem Palatin

Detailed architectural and archaeological analysis of four major sections of the Imperial residences on the Palatine Hill in Rome – the domus Severiana, the Stadium, the domus Augustana and the domus Flavia – has made it possible, together with the brick stamps identified in previous studies and mentioned by the bibliography, to identify 940 brick stamps. This collection lends new insight into the different phases of construction from pre-Flavian to Maxentian time and therefore enables a better understanding of the Imperial palace’s development. Furthermore, careful examination allows us to reflect on the supply mechanisms as well as repartition of the production centres from whence the bricks used on the Palatine Hill originated

Rom, Italien: Die Ziegelstempel der Kaiserpaläste auf dem Palatin

Detailed architectural and archaeological analysis of four major sections of the Imperial residences on the Palatine Hill in Rome – the domus Severiana, the Stadium, the domus Augustana and the domus Flavia – has made it possible, together with the brick stamps identified in previous studies and mentioned by the bibliography, to identify 940 brick stamps. This collection lends new insight into the different phases of construction from pre-Flavian to Maxentian time and therefore enables a better understanding of the Imperial palace’s development. Furthermore, careful examination allows us to reflect on the supply mechanisms as well as repartition of the production centres from whence the bricks used on the Palatine Hill originated

Peking, Volksrepublik China. Der sog. Crystal Palace in der Verbotenen Stadt. Bericht über die Summer School 2016

According to the Letter of Intent on Cooperation between the Palace Museum and the German Archaeological Institute from 2015 both institutes intend to cooperate on projects focusing on ancient palace architectures. As the first project of cooperation, the so-called Crystal Palace (Lingzhao Xuan) in the courtyard of the former Palace of Prolonging Happiness (Yanxi Gong) was selected, because it represents a unique example of the influence of western construction methods and architectural elements on Chinese palace architecture. The building, begun in 1909, is most unusual for the architecture of the Forbidden City because of its choice of materials. We are dealing with a stone-iron construction with cast iron and steel supports for floor and ceiling construction, pavilion-like super structures with iron and steel profiles, even steel door casings and window frames. The Summer School comprised mainly the mediation of theoretical principles of building archaeology and early iron construction including its cleaning and structural improvement on the one hand and practical work on the object itself on the other hand. A first round of discussions was added to heritage values and possible forms of presentation of the ‘Crystal Palace’, which initially was planned to be an aquarium.Looking for architectural examples in Europe it seems plausible that some inspiration from western aquaria helped the vision of the last emperors of China of a modern fish pool with clear water to gain shape. Concerning the question if the iron elements just like the decorated tiles also came from Germany it is suggested that these were enveloped in the context of the contemporary building project of the Tianjin-Pukow Railway for which the major share of orders had gone to German firms.

Berechnung von gas- und partikelförmigen Emissionen aus der deutschen Landwirtschaft 1990-2014: Report zu Methoden und Daten (RMD) Berichterstattung 2016

The report at hand (including a comprehensive annex of data) serves as additional document to the National Inventory Report (NIR) on the German green house gas emissions and the Informative Inventory Report (IIR) on the German emissions of air pollutants (especially ammonia). The report documents the calculation methods used in the German agricultural inventory model GAS-EM as well as input data, emission results and uncertainties of the emission reporting submission 2016 for the years 1990 - 2014. In this context the sector Agriculture comprises the emissions from animal husbandry, the use of agricultural soils and anaerobic digestion of energy crops. As required by the guidelines, emissions from activities preceding agriculture, from the use of energy and from land use change are reported elsewhere in the national inventories. The calculation methods are based in principle on international guidelines for emission reporting and have been continuingly improved during the past years. In particular, these improvements concern the calculation of energy requirements, feeding and the N balance of the most important animal categories. In addition, technical measures such as air scrubbing (mitigation of ammonia emissions) and digestion of animal manures mitigation of emissions of methane and loughing gas) have been taken into account [...].Der vorliegende Berichtsband einschließlich des umfangreichen Datenanhangs dient als Begleitdokument zum National Inventory Report (NIR) über die deutschen Treibhausgas-Emissionen und zum Informative Inventory Report (IIR), über die deutschen Schadstoffemissionen (insbesondere Ammoniak). Er dokumentiert die im deutschen landwirtschaftlichem Inventarmodell GASEM integrierten Berechnungsverfahren sowie die Eingangsdaten, Emissionsergebnisse und Unsicherheiten der Berichterstattung 2016 für die Jahre 1990 bis 2014. Der Bereich Landwirtschaft umfasst dabei die Emissionen aus der Tierhaltung und der Nutzung landwirtschaftlicher Böden sowie aus der Vergärung von Energiepflanzen. Emissionen aus dem Vorleistungsbereich, aus der Nutzung von Energie sowie Landnutzungsänderungen werden den Regelwerken entsprechend an anderer Stelle in den nationalen Inventaren berichtet. Die Berechnungsverfahren beruhen in erster Linie auf internationalen Regelwerken zur Emissionsberichterstattung und wurden in den vergangenen Jahren beständig weiterentwickelt. Letzteres betrifft im Wesentlichen die Berechnung des Energiebedarfs, der Fütterung und der tierischen N-Bilanz bei den wichtigen Tierkategorien. Zusätzlich wurden technische Maßnahmen wie Abluftreinigung (Minderung von Ammoniakemissionen) und die Vergärung von Wirtschaftsdünger (Minderung von Methan- und Lachgasemissionen) berücksichtigt [...]

Berechnung von gas- und partikelförmigen Emissionen aus der deutschen Landwirtschaft 1990-2015: Report zu Methoden und Daten (RMD) Berichterstattung 2017

The report at hand (including a comprehensive annex of data) serves as additional document to the National Inventory Report (NIR) on the German green house gas emissions and the Informative Inventory Report (IIR) on the German emissions of air pollutants (especially ammonia). The report documents the calculation methods used in the German agricultural inventory model GAS-EM as well as input data, emission results and uncertainties of the emission reporting submission 2017 for the years 1990 - 2015. In this context the sector Agriculture comprises the emissions from animal husbandry, the use of agricultural soils and anaerobic digestion of energy crops. As required by the guidelines, emissions from activities preceding agriculture, from the use of energy and from land use change are reported elsewhere in the national inventories. The calculation methods are based in principle on the international guidelines for emission reporting and have been continuingly improved during the past years by the Thünen Institute working group on agricultural emission inventories, partly in cooperation with KTBL. In particular, these improvements concern the calculation of energy requirements, feeding and the N balance of the most important animal categories. In addition, technical measures such as air scrubbing (mitigation of ammonia emissions) and digestion of animal manures (mitigation of emissions of methane and loughing gas) have been taken into account. For the calculation of emissions from anaerobic digestion of animal manures and energy crops (including spreading of the digestate), the aforementioned working group developed, in cooperation with KTBL, a national methodology. [...]Der vorliegende Berichtsband einschließlich des umfangreichen Datenanhangs dient als Begleitdokument zum National Inventory Report (NIR) über die deutschen Treibhausgas-Emissionen sowie zum Informative Inventory Report (IIR) über die deutschen Schadstoffemissionen (insbesondere Ammoniak). Er dokumentiert die im deutschen landwirtschaftlichem Inventarmodell GAS-EM integrierten Berechnungsverfahren sowie die Eingangsdaten, Emissionsergebnisse und Unsicherheiten der Berichterstattung 2017 für die Jahre 1990 bis 2015. Der Bereich Landwirtschaft umfasst dabei die Emissionen aus der Tierhaltung und der Nutzung landwirtschaftlicher Böden sowie aus der Vergärung von Energiepflanzen. Emissionen aus dem Vorleistungsbereich, aus der Nutzung von Energie sowie Landnutzungsänderungen werden den Regelwerken entsprechend an anderer Stelle in den nationalen Inventaren berichtet.Die Berechnungsverfahren beruhen in erster Linie auf den internationalen Regelwerken zur Emissionsberichterstattung und wurden durch die Arbeitsgruppe 'Landwirtschaftliche Emissionsinventare' des Thünen-Instituts in den vergangenen Jahren beständig weiterentwickelt (teilweise in Zusammenarbeit mit dem KTBL). Dies betrifft im Wesentlichen die Berechnung des Energiebedarfs, der Fütterung und der tierischen N-Bilanz bei den wichtigen Tierkategorien. Zusätzlich wurden technische Maßnahmen wie Abluftreinigung (Minderung von Ammoniakemissionen) und die Vergärung von Wirtschaftsdünger (Minderung von Methan- und Lachgasemissionen) berücksichtigt. Für die Berechnung von Emissionen aus der Vergärung von Wirtschaftsdünger und Energiepflanzen (einschließlich Gärrestausbringung) entwickelte die vorgenannte Arbeitsgruppe in Zusam-menarbeit mit dem KTBL eine deutsche Methodik. [...

A Comparative Analysis of Case Studies from the Old World

The present contribution deals with the concepts of marginal habitats in selected regions of the ancient world, ranging from modern Spain to the Jordanian desert and from Turkey to the Ethiopian highlands. Central to this research is the hypothesis that the occupation of areas beyond the ‘normal’ settlement patterns corresponds to colonization processes which reflect specific social strategies and may have stimulated the development of new technological skills. A review of ‘marginality’ research in various disciplines indicates that there is no comprehensive definition of the concept, which can be approached from a multitude of perspectives and with manifold objectives. A survey of the eight case studies and two more in-depth discussions of the sites of Musawwarat (Sudan) and Ayamonte (Spain) highlight the potentials as well as the limits of the archaeological investigation into past marginalities. Patterns of spatial marginalization are the easiest to detect. The studies also show that we must not limit our analysis to the adverse factors connected to different kinds of marginalities. Instead, our analyses suggest that spatially marginal areas were deliberately chosen for settlement – an integration with core-periphery approaches may help us to understand these scenarios, which have received little attention in ‘marginality’ research in archaeology or elsewhere so far

The History of Science and Current Perspectives in Dialogue

Research on urban space has a long tradition in classical studies. Current research of ancient urban spaces continues on in this tradition. It is essential to determine the position of research history in order to define the prospects of current urban studies in a more dif- ferentiated way: only those who are conversant with the history-of-science determination of their respective fields are able, intuitively and critically, to put innovative approaches and methods to the test. Based on the projects of the research group C-6, the various threads of history-of-science developments will be outlined and the current approaches defined in the context of constant re- orientation and new orientation of classical urban studie

Reproducibility of postural control measurement during unstable sitting in low back pain patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Postural control tests like standing and sitting stabilometry are widely used to evaluate neuromuscular control related to trunk balance in low back pain patients. Chronic low back pain patients have lesser postural control compared to healthy subjects. Few studies have assessed the reproducibility of the centre of pressure deviations and to our knowledge no studies have investigated the reproducibility of three-dimensional kinematics of postural control tests in a low back pain population. Therefore the aim of this study was to assess the test-retest reproducibility of a seated postural control test in low back pain patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Postural control in low back pain patients was registered by a three dimensional motion analysis system combined with a force plate. Sixteen chronic low back pain patients having complaints for at least six months, were included based on specific clinical criteria. Every subject performed 4 postural control tests. Every test was repeated 4 times and lasted 40 seconds. The force plate registered the deviations of the centre of pressure. A Vicon-612-datastation, equipped with 7 infra-red M1 camera's, was used to track 13 markers attached to the torso and pelvis in order to estimate their angular displacement in the 3 cardinal planes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) calculated for the force plate variables did not exceed 0.73 (ranging between 0.11 and 0.73). As for the torso, ICC's of the mean flexion-extension and rotation angles ranged from 0.65 to 0.93 and of the mean lateral flexion angle from 0.50 to 0.67. For the pelvis the ICC of the mean flexion-extension angle varied between 0.66 and 0.83, the mean lateral flexion angle between 0.16 and 0.81 and the mean rotation angle between 0.40 and 0.62.</p> <p>Consecutive data suggest that the low test-retest reproducibility is probably due to a learning effect.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The test-retest reproducibility of these postural control tests in an unstable sitting position can globally be considered as rather moderate. In order to improve the test-retest reproducibility, a learning period may be advisable at the beginning of the test.</p

Clinical Post-SARS-CoV-2 Infection Scenarios in Vaccinated and Non-Vaccinated Cancer Patients in Three German Cancer Centers: A Retrospective Analysis.

COVID-19 vaccines have become an integral element in the protection of cancer patients against SARS-CoV-2. To date, there are no direct comparisons of the course of COVID-19 infection in cancer patients between the pre- and post-vaccine era. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 infections and their impact on cancer in COVID-19 vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients from three German cancer centers. Overall, 133 patients with SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled in pre- and post-vaccine eras: 84 non-vaccinated and 49 vaccinated, respectively. A mild course of COVID-19 was documented more frequently in vaccinated patients (49% vs. 29%), while the frequency of severe and critical courses occurred in approximately one-half of the non-vaccinated patients (22% vs. 42%, p = 0.023). Particularly, patients with hematologic neoplasms benefited from vaccination in this context (p = 0.031). Admissions to intermediate- and intensive-care units and the necessity of non-invasive and invasive respiratory support were reduced by 71% and 50% among vaccinated patients, respectively. The median length of admission was 11 days for non-vaccinated and 5 days for vaccinated patients (p = 0.002). COVID-19 mortality was reduced by 83% in vaccinated patients (p = 0.046). Finally, the median time from SARS-CoV-2 infection to restarting cancer therapy was 12 and 26 days among vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups, respectively (p = 0.002). Although this study does not have enough power to perform multivariate analyses to account for confounders, it provides data on COVID-19 in non-vaccinated and vaccinated cancer patients and illustrates the potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccines for these patients