Preparing attosecond coherences by strong-field ionization

Strong-field ionization (SFI) has been shown to prepare wave packets with few-femtosecond periods. Here, we explore whether this technique can be extended to the attosecond time scale. We introduce an intuitive model, which is based on the Fourier transform of the subcycle SFI rate, for predicting the bandwidth of ionic states that can be coherently prepared by SFI. The coherent bandwidth decreases considerably with increasing central wavelength of the ionizing pulse but it is much less sensitive to its intensity. Many-body calculations based on time-dependent configuration-interaction singles support these results. The influence of channel interactions and laser-induced dynamics within the ion is discussed. Our results further predict that multicycle femtosecond pulses can coherently prepare subfemtosecond wave packets with higher selectivity and versatility compared to single-cycle pulses with an additional sensitivity to the mutual parity of the prepared states. © 2016 American Physical Society.Alexander von Humboldt FoundationNSF/ITAMPHelmholtz associationDFGERC/307270-ATTOSCOP

Transportlogistik mit GIS im Bauwesen : Mathematische Modelle der Bauinformatik

Die Lage oder der Standort eines Bauwerkes ist zweifellos charakteristisch mit diesem verbunden. Die räumliche Einordnung eines exponierten architektonischen Werkes, die Erschließung eines Gebäudes im innerstädtischen Umfeld oder die Verwaltung eines Bestands ist im Bauwesen oder der Architektur immer visuell. Die Interaktion mit Zeichnungen, die Orientierung anhand eines Lageplans oder die Dokumentation mit Fotos sind nur einige Beispiele. Die wirtschaftliche Optimierung unter Nutzung solcher Daten und deren nachfolgende Visualisierung soll hier mittels geeigneter Systeme gezeigt werden. Aber auch die Bewertung durch und Interaktion mit dem Benutzer unterstützt werden. So soll dieser Artikel beispielhaft den Transport und Verkehr fokussieren. Mathematik Graphen und Netze formen dabei Modelle zur Optimierung der zugrundeliegenden Logistikprozesse: Die Baustoffbedarfsplanung mit Bestellwesen, (Ab-)Transport und Lieferung von Material, Tourenzusammenstellung oder Standortauswahl. Informatik Weiterhin wird deren softwaretechnische Umsetzung und Einordung in begleitende Projekte der >Mathematischen Optimierung< vorgestellt

Unmet care needs in the oldest old with social loss experiences: results of a representative survey

Background: Loss experiences such as the loss of a spouse, a close relative or significant others become more likely in old age and may be strongly related to specific unmet health care needs. These unmet needs may often remain undetected and undertreated followed by a negative impact on well-being and social role functioning. The present study aims at exploring the relationship between loss experiences and specific unmet care needs in old age. Methods: As part of the study „Need assessment in the oldest old: application, psychometric examination and establishment of the German version of the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly (CANE)”, the adapted German version of the CANE was used in a population-representative telephone survey in a sample of 988 individuals aged 75+ years. Loss experiences within the last 12 months were assessed within the structured telephone survey. Descriptive and interferential statistical analyses were run in order to examine the association between loss experiences and occurring unmet care needs. Results: Overall, 29.7% of the oldest old reported at least one social loss with other relatives losses being the most frequent (12.5%), followed by non-family losses (10.7%). A significant relationship between loss experiences and a higher number of unmet care needs was observed, especially for close family losses. Other risk factors for unmet care needs were age, marital status, depression, social support and morbidity. Conclusions: This study provides, for the first time in Germany, data on the association between loss experiences and unmet needs. These findings may substantially contribute to the development of loss-specific interventions, effective treatment and health care planning for the bereaved elderly

Reduced Precision Strategies for Deep Learning: A High Energy Physics Generative Adversarial Network Use Case

Deep learning is finding its way into high energy physics by replacing traditional Monte Carlo simulations. However, deep learning still requires an excessive amount of computational resources. A promising approach to make deep learning more efficient is to quantize the parameters of the neural networks to reduced precision. Reduced precision computing is extensively used in modern deep learning and results to lower execution inference time, smaller memory footprint and less memory bandwidth. In this paper we analyse the effects of low precision inference on a complex deep generative adversarial network model. The use case which we are addressing is calorimeter detector simulations of subatomic particle interactions in accelerator based high energy physics. We employ the novel Intel low precision optimization tool (iLoT) for quantization and compare the results to the quantized model from TensorFlow Lite. In the performance benchmark we gain a speed-up of 1.73x on Intel hardware for the quantized iLoT model compared to the initial, not quantized, model. With different physics-inspired self-developed metrics, we validate that the quantized iLoT model shows a lower loss of physical accuracy in comparison to the TensorFlow Lite model.Comment: Submitted at ICPRAM 2021; from CERN openlab - Intel collaboratio

Internet-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy Only for the Young? A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial of Depression Treatment

Background: Late-life depression is a major public health concern, driving the development of complementary treatment options. This study investigates the effectiveness and acceptability of internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) in older individuals (60+ years) compared to younger age groups. Materials and Methods: Secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized controlled trial with 647 (18–82 years; mean 43.9) mild to moderately severe depressed primary care patients receiving either iCBT + treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. Severity of depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) at baseline, 6 weeks and 6 months. Intention-to-treat analysis in three age groups (18–39 years, n = 264; 40–59 years, n = 300; 60+ years, n = 83) was performed, using mixed-effects regression models to quantify treatment effect. Results: No age differences in the effectiveness of iCBT were found. Patients in the intervention group consistently showed a greater reduction in depression severity than controls in all three age groups and at both follow-ups. Effect sizes ranged from d = 0.30 (40–59 years, 6 weeks) to d = 1.91 (60+ years, 6 months). Uptake of the intervention was banded around 70% with no differences between age groups (c² = 0.18, p = .915). The mean number of completed modules increased with age (c² = 18.99, p = .040). Discussion: iCBT is equally effective in both younger and older individuals, thus providing a valuable complementary element of routine late-life depression care. Clinical Trial Registration: DRKS-ID: DRKS00005075 https://www.drks.de/drks_web/ navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS0000507

Sequential anti-cytomegalovirus response monitoring may allow prediction of cytomegalovirus reactivation after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Background: Reconstitution of cytomegalovirus-specific CD3+CD8+ T cells (CMV-CTLs) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is necessary to bring cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation under control. However, the parameters determining protective CMV-CTL reconstitution remain unclear to date. Design and Methods: In a prospective tri-center study, CMV-CTL reconstitution was analyzed in the peripheral blood from 278 patients during the year following HSCT using 7 commercially available tetrameric HLA-CMV epitope complexes. All patients included could be monitored with at least CMV-specific tetramer. Results: CMV-CTL reconstitution was detected in 198 patients (71%) after allogeneic HSCT. Most importantly, reconstitution with 1 CMV-CTL per µl blood between day +50 and day +75 post-HSCT discriminated between patients with and without CMV reactivation in the R+/D+ patient group, independent of the CMV-epitope recognized. In addition, CMV-CTLs expanded more daramtaically in patients experiencing only one CMV-reactivation than those without or those with multiple CMV reactivations. Monitoring using at least 2 tetramers was possible in 63% (n = 176) of the patients. The combinations of particular HLA molecules influenced the numbers of CMV-CTLs detected. The highest CMV-CTL count obtained for an individual tetramer also changed over time in 11% of these patients (n = 19) resulting in higher levels of HLA-B*0801 (IE-1) recognizing CMV-CTLs in 14 patients. Conclusions: Our results indicate that 1 CMV-CTL per µl blood between day +50 to +75 marks the beginning of an immune response against CMV in the R+/D+ group. Detection of CMV-CTL expansion thereafter indicates successful resolution of the CMV reactivation. Thus, sequential monitoring of CMV-CTL reconstitution can be used to predict patients at risk for recurrent CMV reactivation