Unsupervised relational inference using masked reconstruction

Problem setting: Stochastic dynamical systems in which local interactions give rise to complex emerging phenomena are ubiquitous in nature and society. This work explores the problem of inferring the unknown interaction structure (represented as a graph) of such a system from measurements of its constituent agents or individual components (represented as nodes). We consider a setting where the underlying dynamical model is unknown and where diferent measurements (i.e., snapshots) may be independent (e.g., may stem from diferent experiments). Method: Our method is based on the observation that the temporal stochastic evolution manifests itself in local patterns. We show that we can exploit these patterns to infer the underlying graph by formulating a masked reconstruction task. Therefore, we propose GINA (Graph Inference Network Architecture), a machine learning approach to simultaneously learn the latent interaction graph and, conditioned on the interaction graph, the prediction of the (masked) state of a node based only on adjacent vertices. Our method is based on the hypothesis that the ground truth interaction graph—among all other potential graphs—allows us to predict the state of a node, given the states of its neighbors, with the highest accuracy. Results: We test this hypothesis and demonstrate GINA’s efectiveness on a wide range of interaction graphs and dynamical processes. We fnd that our paradigm allows to reconstruct the ground truth interaction graph in many cases and that GINA outperforms statistical and machine learning baseline on independent snapshots as well as on time series data

(Jugend-)Strafrecht und Prävention - ein Widerspruch?

Erschienen in der Zeitschrift „Sicherheit & Recht“, 2/2022, 66 ff.Strafrecht und Prävention sind Begriffe, die man heute nicht mehr oft zusammen hört. Strafrecht wird vielmehr mit Repression in Verbindung gebracht. Stark vereinfacht und durchaus antagonistisch wird von den „bösen“ Strafverfolgungsbehörden, welche die Menschen sanktionieren, gesprochen, im Gegensatz zu den „guten“ Präventionsakteuren, welche die Menschen vom Delinquieren abhalten sollen. So simpel ist die Sache natürlich nicht, weshalb sich ein Blick auf das Verhältnis von Strafrecht und Prävention durchaus lohnt, mit Blick auf das Thema der Tagung – Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene im urbanen Umfeld als Fokus der Kriminalprävention – besonders auch für das Verhältnis von Jugendstrafrecht und Prävention

Cellular kinetics of perivascular MSC precursors

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and MSC-like multipotent stem/progenitor cells have been widely investigated for regenerative medicine and deemed promising in clinical applications. In order to further improve MSC-based stem cell therapeutics, it is important to understand the cellular kinetics and functional roles of MSCs in the dynamic regenerative processes. However, due to the heterogeneous nature of typical MSC cultures, their native identity and anatomical localization in the body have remained unclear, making it difficult to decipher the existence of distinct cell subsets within the MSC entity. Recent studies have shown that several blood-vessel-derived precursor cell populations, purified by flow cytometry from multiple human organs, give rise to bona fide MSCs, suggesting that the vasculature serves as a systemic reservoir of MSC-like stem/progenitor cells. Using individually purified MSC-like precursor cell subsets, we and other researchers have been able to investigate the differential phenotypes and regenerative capacities of these contributing cellular constituents in the MSC pool. In this review, we will discuss the identification and characterization of perivascular MSC precursors, including pericytes and adventitial cells, and focus on their cellular kinetics: cell adhesion, migration, engraftment, homing, and intercellular cross-talk during tissue repair and regeneration. © 2013 William C. W. Chen et al

Time-Dependent Flexibility Potential of Heat Pump Systems for Smart Energy System Operation

The integration of multiple energy sectors, such as electricity, heating, and mobility, into an overall smart energy system is a key part of the journey towards a fossil-free energy system. Exploiting the operational flexibility of these sectors will lead to the efficient operation of the integrated smart energy system. The use of heat pumps for the heating supply based on renewable energy resources is reasonable in many cases. Combining heat pumps with thermal storages, these systems can offer flexibility to an energy system based on fluctuating power generation. Flexibility can be defined as the capability to adapt an initial schedule in order to support the energy system in terms of the provision of power reserve. In this paper, an approach to determine the time-dependent flexibility potential of a heat pump system is presented. The optimization-based approach considers all the constraints resulting from the system topology, including the required heating demand of the connected building. As a result, constraints for the integration of the available flexibility in a modified Optimal Power Flow (OPF) calculation are given. These lead to the ensured feasibility of the flexibility provision without considering the system boundaries of the heat pump site within the OPF

Kinder und Jugendliche im Umfeld von Gewalt – Aufgaben und Möglichkeit der Jugendstrafrechtspflege

Der Beitrag analysiert die Aufgaben und Möglichkeiten der Jugendstrafrechtspflege. Ausgehend von statistischen Ausführungen zur Jugendkriminalität im Allgemeinen und zur Jugendgewalt im Besonderen skizzieren die Autoren die Kernelemente des Jugendstrafrechts und -strafverfahrens, um diese hernach auf die Gewaltdelinquenz und das Bedrohungsmanagement bei jugendlichen Tätern, Opfern und Gefährdern anzuwenden. Nachfolgend werden die umfangreichen Möglichkeiten der Jugendstrafrechtspflege im Umgang mit Kindern und Jugendlichen im Umfeld von Gewalt aufgezeigt, und zwar mit Fokus auf den Kanton Zürich. Zwei Praxisbeispiele veranschaulichen den stark spezialpräventiven und interdisziplinären Charakter des Jugendstrafrechts sowie das Zusammenwirken der Jugendanwaltschaften mit den Jugenddiensten der Polizeikorps, der Jugendforensik und den Zivilbehörden zur Bewältigung dieses Phänomens

Cellular kinetics of perivascular MSC precursors

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and MSC-like multipotent stem/progenitor cells have been widely investigated for regenerative medicine and deemed promising in clinical applications. In order to further improve MSC-based stem cell therapeutics, it is important to understand the cellular kinetics and functional roles of MSCs in the dynamic regenerative processes. However, due to the heterogeneous nature of typical MSC cultures, their native identity and anatomical localization in the body have remained unclear, making it difficult to decipher the existence of distinct cell subsets within the MSC entity. Recent studies have shown that several blood-vessel-derived precursor cell populations, purified by flow cytometry from multiple human organs, give rise to bona fide MSCs, suggesting that the vasculature serves as a systemic reservoir of MSC-like stem/progenitor cells. Using individually purified MSC-like precursor cell subsets, we and other researchers have been able to investigate the differential phenotypes and regenerative capacities of these contributing cellular constituents in the MSC pool. In this review, we will discuss the identification and characterization of perivascular MSC precursors, including pericytes and adventitial cells, and focus on their cellular kinetics: cell adhesion, migration, engraftment, homing, and intercellular cross-talk during tissue repair and regeneration. © 2013 William C. W. Chen et al