Data Acquisition, Management and Evaluation for Stone Conservation Projects with Digital Mapping

Several years of experience in heritage documentation have given a background to develop methods of digital photogrammetry and mapping. The outcome is the development of a mapping software over a period of 20 years.Main features of the software are image rectification, vector based mapping, quantity survey and data analysis. In Germany, it is mainly used in the field of stone conservation. Small projects can be processed as a single mapping project, whilst complex projects like a cathedral can be organised as a hierarchical project, with several mapping projects for individual object parts. Each mapped element can be connected with additional attributes. This allows visual analysis of mapping activities, quantities and attributes – like in a geographical information system (GIS) for conservators. Tools and procedures for efficient mapping are developed in close cooperation with conservators from different fields. It is shown how large stone objects can be managed efficiently with an example project from the field of natural stone. This applies to the overall data acquisition and data evaluation for condition analysis, conservation planning, accounting documentation and monitoring. Due to the advances in the fields 3D laser scanning and digital photogrammetry within the past 5 years the R&D project „PROQUATO“ (2016 – 2018) was initiated by fokus GmbH Leipzig with the institute for photogrammetry and remote sensing of TU Dresden and Scan 3D GmbH, Berlin. Project results for efficient data processing and functions for 3D mapping will be presented. Current developments deal with the fast processing of point clouds scanned by laser scanner for the use as reference for image rectification, deformation analysis and creation of section lines

Quantitative motor assessment of muscular weakness in myasthenia gravis: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: Muscular weakness in myasthenia gravis (MG) is commonly assessed using Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score (QMG). More objective and quantitative measures may complement the use of clinical scales and might detect subclinical affection of muscles. We hypothesized that muscular weakness in patients with MG can be quantified with the non-invasive Quantitative Motor (Q-Motor) test for Grip Force Assessment (QGFA) and Involuntary Movement Assessment (QIMA) and that pathological findings correlate with disease severity as measured by QMG. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional pilot study investigating patients with confirmed diagnosis of MG. Data was compared to healthy controls (HC). Subjects were asked to lift a device (250 and 500 g) equipped with electromagnetic sensors that measured grip force (GF) and three-dimensional changes in position and orientation. These were used to calculate the position index (PI) and orientation index (OI) as measures for involuntary movements due to muscular weakness. RESULTS: Overall, 40 MG patients and 23 HC were included. PI and OI were significantly higher in MG patients for both weights in the dominant and non-dominant hand. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients with clinically ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG) also showed significantly higher values for PI and OI in both hands and for both weights. Disease severity correlates with QIMA performance in the non-dominant hand. CONCLUSION: Q-Motor tests and particularly QIMA may be useful objective tools for measuring motor impairment in MG and seem to detect subclinical generalized motor signs in patients with OMG. Q-Motor parameters might serve as sensitive endpoints for clinical trials in MG

Verbundvorhaben JGOFS IV -Abschlussbericht - Langzeitstudien bei den Kanarischen Inseln (ESTOC) -Physikalische Ozeanographie und Partikelflufl-

Auswerte- und Synthesephase Forderzeitraum 01.10.1997-31.03.2000 BMBF-Projekt JGOFS IV/ESTOC FKZ: 03F0202A TP

Equilibration and circulation of Red Sea Outflow water in the western Gulf of Aden

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Physical Oceanography 35 (2005): 1963–1985, doi:10.1175/JPO2787.1.Hydrographic, direct velocity, and subsurface float observations from the 2001 Red Sea Outflow Experiment (REDSOX) are analyzed to investigate the gravitational and dynamical adjustment of the Red Sea Outflow Water (RSOW) where it is injected into the open ocean in the western Gulf of Aden. During the winter REDSOX cruise, when outflow transport was large, several intermediate-depth salinity maxima (product waters) were formed from various bathymetrically confined branches of the outflow plume, ranging in depth from 400 to 800 m and in potential density from 27.0 to 27.5 σθ, a result of different mixing intensity along each branch. The outflow product waters were not dense enough to sink to the seafloor during either the summer or winter REDSOX cruises, but analysis of previous hydrographic and mooring data and results from a one-dimensional plume model suggest that they may be so during wintertime surges of strong outflow currents, or about 20% of the time during winter. Once vertically equilibrated in the Gulf of Aden, the shallowest RSOW was strongly influenced by mesoscale eddies that swept it farther into the gulf. The deeper RSOW was initially more confined by the walls of the Tadjura Rift, but eventually it escaped from the rift and was advected mainly southward along the continental slope. There was no evidence of a continuous boundary undercurrent of RSOW similar to the Mediterranean Undercurrent in the Gulf of Cadiz. This is explained by considering 1) the variability in outflow transport and 2) several different criteria for separation of a jet at a sharp corner, which indicate that the outflow currents should separate from the boundary where they are injected into the gulf.This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grants OCE-9818464 (WHOI) and OCE-9819506 (RSMAS)

Developing SOEPsurvey and SOEPservice: The (Near) Future of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP)

Das Sozio-oekonomische Panel (SOEP) ist als multidisziplinäres Haushaltspanel, das Informationen zu allen Personen, die in einem Panel-Haushalt leben, erhebt und damit alle Altersjahrgänge abdeckt, nach 25 Jahren Laufzeit auch zu einer Kohorten- Studie geworden. Der zunehmende Erfolg der Forschungsinfrastruktur-Einrichtung SOEP speist sich in erster Linie daraus, dass die Analysekraft von Längsschnittstudien mit jedem weiteren Erhebungsjahr zunimmt. Hinzu kommen im Falle des SOEP seit Beginn an eine lange Reihe von Innovationen bei der Erhebung, Datenaufbereitung und Nutzer-Service. Deswegen gilt es zu überlegen, wie die wissenschaftliche Power des SOEP weiter gestärkt werden kann. Nicht zuletzt auch, da es für neue, spezialisierte Panel-Studien (wie das Nationale Bildungspanel oder das DFG-geförderte Familienpanel PAIRFAM) eine Referenz und ggf. Verankerung der Hochrechnung darstellt. Zudem kann das SOEP künftig eine größere Rolle als ,,Kontroll-Stichprobe" für Interventions-Studien spielen; etwa im Bereich der Kindheitsentwicklung. Auf diese neuen Rollen muss es vorbereitet sein. Die im SOEP in den letzten Jahren realisierten Erhebungsinnovationen wie z. B. die Inkorporation psychologischer Konzepte, physische Gesundheitsmessungen (Greifkraft), die Messung kognitiver Fähigkeiten und die Erprobung von Verhaltens- Experimenten werden in anderen Panel-Studien aufgegriffen und auf eine größere Stichprobenbasis gestellt. Im UK wird mit ,,Understanding Society" ein Haushaltspanel mit 40.000 Haushalten begonnen; in den Niederlanden wird mit MESS ein Haushaltspanel von über 5.000 Haushalten für innovative Messmethoden zur Verfügung gestellt. Die Erhebungsinhalte des SOEP werden von den Forschungs- und Politikberatungs-Communities unverändert stark nachgefragt. In UK hat ein für ,,Understanding Society" breit angelegter Konsultationsprozess keine grundsätzlich neuen Befragungsinhalte zu Tage gefördert, die das SOEP nicht bereits enthält oder die für das SOEP ohnehin im Gespräch sind. Wichtiger als die ,,Entdeckung" völlig neuer Erhebungsinhalte ist das thematische wie zeitliche ,,Zuschneiden" der Details von Befragungsinhalten auf (zugespitzte) neue (theoretische) Fragestellungen und dabei gleichzeitig bewährte sowie viel genutzte zentrale Befragungsinhalte und deren Befragungsrhythmen beizubehalten. Das ,,Maßschneidern" von Erhebungsinhalten wird in den nächsten Jahren die eigentliche Herausforderung für Infrastruktur- Erhebungen wie die PSID, ,,Understanding Society" und das SOEP sein. Bei den Erhebungsinhalten sollten die ,,Ränder" des Lebenslaufs eine größere Rolle spielen, da diese von Haushalts-Panels besonders gut erfasst werden können. Diese Verbesserungen der Erhebungen beziehen sich einerseits auf die fötale Phase von in das SOEP hineingeborenen Kindern und die (frühe) Kindheit, andererseits auf die letzte Lebensphase und das Sterben. In der Mitte des Lebenslaufs werden verbesserte Fragen zum Einkommen, Sparen und Vermögen sowie auch psychologische Konstrukte eine zentrale Rolle spielen, außerdem gezielte Fragen (event triggered questionnaires) in Verbindung mit zentralen Lebensereignissen wie z. B. Eheschließung, Scheidung, Eintritt in und Austritt aus Arbeitslosigkeit. Es wird die Etablierung einer SOEP-"Innovations-Stichprobe" vorbereitet, um theoriegeleitete Forschungsfragen gezielter unterstützen zu können. Dazu wird es auch notwendig sein, neue Messkonzepte zu erproben (z. B. die Erhebung von Biomarkern, qualitative Erhebungen, aber auch Experimente und gezielte Interventionsstudien). Um die Power von Längsschnittdaten von Anfang an für die Innovations-Stichprobe ausnutzen zu können, ist geplant, zwei kleinere Teilstichproben des SOEP, die seit 1998 bzw. 2006 laufen (Subsamples E und H), in die Innovationsstichprobe zu überführen. Um die statistische Power langlaufender Längsschnittdaten entscheidend zu verbessern, schätzen wir eine Mindestfallzahl von etwa 500 Personen pro Geburtsund Alterskohorte für ausreichend ein. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, muss die Fallzahl des SOEP-Standard-Samples erhöht werden. Als ,,Nebeneffekt" werden dadurch wesentlich bessere Analysen für relativ kleine Gruppen in der Bevölkerung möglich; etwa für allein Erziehende oder bestimme Immigrantengruppen. Außerdem verbessern sich als weiterer ,,Nebeneffekt" auch regionale Analysemöglichkeiten, z. B. für die meisten Bundesländer und in großen Bundesländern bis hin zu Regierungsbezirken (oder ähnlich abgegrenzten regionalen Einheiten). In letzter Zeit wird immer deutlicher, welche große Bedeutung das SOEP als ,,Referenz-Datensatz" für spezialisierte und vom SOEP völlig unabhängige Erhebungen hat (neben Beobachtungsstudien, wie etwa Zwillings-Studien, auch Labor- und Interventions-Studien). Zur Unterstützung dieser Funktion ist eine neue Art von Service, der in Deutschland bislang nicht vorgehalten wird, notwendig (Beratung von Spezial-Erhebungen; ggf. Datenaufbereitung von längsschnittlichen Spezial-Erhebungen), der auch in ein Datenservicezentrum eingebracht werden könnte. After 25 years as a multidisciplinary household panel containing information on all individuals residing in panel households and thus covering all age cohorts, the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) has become a true cohort study as well. The increasing success of the SOEP research infrastructure comes above all from the increasing analytical power that longitudinal studies attain with each successive survey year. In the case of SOEP, a long series of innovations in surveying, data preparation, and user service have also played a major role. For this reason, it is important to consider how the scientific capacity of SOEP can be further enhanced-- not least of all since the SOEP can form a key point of reference (or "anchor") for new, specialized panel studies (such as the National Educational Panel and the family panel PAIRFAM, funded by the German Research Foundation). Furthermore SOEP can become a kind of "control sample" for intervention studies, for example, in the field of child development. The SOEP survey and its governance structures must be prepared for these new tasks. The numerous innovations introduced into SOEP in recent years--questions dealing with psychological concepts, physical health measures (grip strength), measures of cognitive capabilities, and behavioral experiments--have been incorporated into other panel studies as well, and thus provided with a larger sample base. In the UK, the "Understanding Society" household panel study was launched with 40,000 households; in the Netherlands, the MESS household panel study of over 5,000 households offered a new basis for testing innovative measurement methods. The results of the SOEP survey are in continuing high demand in the research and policy advisory community. From our point of view, the large-scale consultation process conducted to define the content of the UK survey "Understanding Society" failed to identify any fundamentally new survey content that the SOEP either did not already contain or that was not already being discussed for the SOEP. More important than "discovering" entirely new survey areas is "tailoring" the details of existing survey content to address new, more specific (theoretical) questions, and thus maintaining proven and widely used elements of survey content. The "tailoring" of survey content will be the real challenge facing infrastructure surveys like PSID, "Understanding Society," and the SOEP in the coming years. In the future, the "margins" of the life course should play a stronger role in survey content, since household panels are able to provide outstanding data of these life phases. The SOEP, and other household panel surveys, can be improved, on the one hand, by including the fetal phase of life and early childhood for children born into the panel, and on the other, by including late life and death. In the middle of the life course, improved questions on income, savings, and wealth as well as psychological constructs will play a central role, as will specific questions (in "eventtriggered" questionnaires) on central life occurrences such as marriage, divorce, and entry into and exit from unemployment. Current plans for SOEP foresee the addition of an "Innovation Sample" that will make it possible to better address theory-based research questions required for testing new measurement concepts (e.g., the surveying of biomarkers, qualitative surveys, but also experiments and targeted intervention studies). In order to exploit the power of longitudinal data from the outset, we plan to incorporate two smaller SOEP subsamples that have been running since 1998 and 2006 (Subsamples E and H, respectively) into the Innovation Sample. In order to decisively improve the statistical power of long-term longitudinal data, we believe that a minimum case number of about 500 persons per birth and age cohort is required. In order to reach this goal, the case number in the SOEP standard samples needs to be increased. A positive side-effect of this enlargement would be a significantly improved potential for analyses of relatively small groups within the population: for example, lone parents or specific immigrant groups. Another positive side-effect would be an improved potential for regional analyses: for example, for the majority of federal states. In recent times, the importance of SOEP as a "reference dataset" for specialized surveys which are independent from SOEP (observational studies such as twin studies, and laboratory and intervention studies) has become strikingly evident. To enhance this important function, new types of service are needed (advice on special surveys, possibly also data preparation for special surveys), which could become part of a Data Service Center.Household Panels, German Socio-Economic Panel Study, SOEP

Exploring the Role of Mental Toughness in Bone Mineral Content: A Preliminary Study

Bone mineral content (BMC), a measure of the mineral content within a person’s bones, is an important parameter in the assessment of bone health. Changes in BMC can be indicative of bone-related conditions. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is one of the most widely used and accurate methods for measuring BMC. Sex, age, race, and BMI are known to influence BMC. Physical activity is positively related to BMC levels. Mental toughness (MT) is conceptualized as a state-like psychological resource conducive to goal-oriented pursuits and is positively linked to physical activity outcomes. The relationship between MT and BMC has not been explored. PURPOSE: To investigate the isolated effect of MT on BMC after eliminating the confounding effects of sex, age, race, and BMI. METHODS: A total of 95 individuals participated in the study across two study sites. The sample (Mage = 34.57, SD = 15.87) was predominantly White (64%), normal weight/overweight (MBMI = 25.96, SD = 4.88) males (54%). DXA scans were performed on calibrated scanners using standard procedures. MT was assessed via the Mental Toughness Index (MTI). To reduce measurement error, the MTI was administered twice, separated by a two-week interval. A linear regression model was used to analyze the relationship between BMC and the average of the two MTI scores, while controlling for sex, age, race, and BMI in MATLAB (R2023a). A Cohen’s d for MT and BMC was additionally conducted. RESULTS: The linear regression model was BMC ~ 1 + Sex + Age + Race + BMI + MT. The overall regression was statistically significant (R2 = 0.183, F(94, 88) = 2.78, p = .012). MT was found to significantly predict BMC (β = 0.093, p = .008, d = 2.7). CONCLUSION: The findings underscore the statistical significance of MT as a predictor of BMC, even when accounting for the influence of sex, age, race, and BMI. The effect size points to the practical significance of this relationship, suggesting that individuals with higher MT levels may exhibit greater BMC. Future investigations should consider incorporating demographic covariates to gain deeper insights into these relationships and conduct interventional studies to identify potential underlying mechanisms (e.g., how trainable MT could be linked, to some degree, with an increase in BMC)

The Effect of Body Composition Methodology on Resulting Energy Availability Assessments

Energy availability (EA) is defined as the total daily energy available to an individual after accounting for that expended during exercise and standardized to fat-free mass (FFM). Generally, EA values less than 30 kcal/kg FFM/day are considered “low” and have been associated with deleterious effects on reproductive and hormonal health in females. However, it is unclear whether the method used to estimate FFM influences the resulting EA values to a degree that may affect interpretation and clinical decision-making. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of FFM values derived from various methods of body composition assessment on the resulting range and interpretation of EA values. METHODS: Four EA estimates were generated in 38 healthy females (mean ± SD age: 25.6 ± 6.2 years; height: 163.6 ± 7.4 cm; weight: 64.7 ± 13.8 kg) using different combinations within a reasonable range of lower and higher (25 and 35 kcal/kg bodyweight, respectively) energy intake values and lower and higher (3.5 and 7 kcal/kg bodyweight, respectively) exercise energy expenditure values. Resulting estimates were then standardized to FFM values from air displacement plethysmography (ADP), bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS), and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) from both a research-grade (multi-frequency) and consumer-grade (dual-frequency) device. Resulting EA values were then compared to those using FFM from dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Each estimate was assigned to one of three EA “zones”: “low” (less than 30 kcal/kg FFM), “reduced” (30-44.9 kcal/kg FFM), or “adequate” (≥45 kcal/kg FFM). Individual EA estimates that were in different zones when compared between two devices were considered discordant. RESULTS: When compared to DXA-derived estimates, EA values were discordant in up to 13-16% of individuals depending on body composition method used. Discordant values were generally more common in the plots assuming higher (35 kcal/kg bodyweight) energy intake values and were most likely to be considered “adequate” using DXA-derived FFM versus “reduced” using alternate methods. CONCLUSION: EA estimates are generally robust to the method of body composition assessment used. However, divergent interpretations may occur in a small minority of individuals in which alternate methods may provide lower EA values than DXA

A Between-sex Comparison of the Validity of Body Fat Percentage Estimates From Four Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzers

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) devices administer electrical currents through surface electrodes in contact with the hands and/or feet. The measured reactance and resistance of various bodily tissues to these currents are then used to estimate body fat percentage (BFP) and other body composition values of interest based on algorithms derived from validation data. Owing to different patterns of fat distribution between sexes, it is unclear whether the configuration of electrodes (i.e., hand-to-hand, foot-to-foot, or hand-to-foot) may affect the validity of these devices in males versus females. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of BFP values across four BIA devices – one consumer-grade foot-to-foot device (RENPHO Smart Bathroom Scale), one consumer-grade hand-to-hand device (Omron HBF-306), one consumer-grade octapolar device (InBody H20N), and one research-grade octapolar device (Seca mBCA 515/514) – against a criterion four-compartment model (4C), and to compare these values between males and females. METHODS: Seventy-four healthy participants (35 males and 39 females) were included in this analysis. Participants abstained from all food, fluid, caffeine, and alcohol for at least 8 hours prior to each visit. Total error (TE) was calculated as the root mean square error between the estimate of each BIA device and that of the 4C model. Standard error of the estimate (SEE) was defined as the residual standard error value from ordinary least squares regression. Constant error (CE) was calculated as the average difference between the estimate of each BIA device and that of the 4C model. RESULTS: Participants had a mean ±SD age of 27.2 ±7.3 years, height of 168.1 ±8.9 cm, weight of 72.2 ±16.7 kg, and 4C BFP of 24.9 ±9.2%. In the entire sample, ranges for validity metrics of interest were as follows: TE: 3.2% (Seca) to 7.2% (RENPHO); SEE: 3.3% (Seca) to 5.7% (RENPHO); CE: -0.02 ±3.4% (InBody) to -3.46 ±4.1% (Omron). Across all devices, both TE and SEE were lower in females, with the largest between-sex differences observed for the InBody and RENPHO. Both octapolar devices (InBody and Seca) exhibited low group-level error in males and females (all CE within ±0.32%). Meanwhile, the RENPHO and Omron devices generally underestimated BFP with a greater degree of underestimation in females (CE of -2.6% and -3.7%, respectively) than males (CE of -0.1% and -3.2%, respectively), particularly for the RENPHO. CONCLUSION: Among the four BIA devices investigated, octapolar devices tended to have higher validity overall. All devices demonstrated lower TE and SEE in females, with the greatest between-sex differences observed in the InBody and RENPHO models. Users should be aware that commercially available hand-to-hand or foot-to-foot BIA devices such as the Omron and RENPHO models used in this study may systematically underestimate BFP compared to a criterion 4C model. In contrast, hand-to-foot octapolar analyzers exhibit strong group-level validity in both sexes

Comparison of Laboratory-Grade and Consumer-Grade Hand-to-Foot Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzers for Body Composition Estimation

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a simple and effective technique to estimate body composition, including body fat percentage (BFP). While these analyzers are a popular method of describing a person’s body composition, laboratory-grade devices are expensive and inaccessible to most people. As a result, they may be an unrealistic method for consumers to use. However, consumer-grade devices are increasingly available. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare laboratory-grade and consumer-grade bioelectrical impedance analyzers. METHODS: Seventy-five adults (40 F, 35 M) were evaluated using a laboratory-grade, hand-to-foot, multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIALAB; Seca mBCA 515) and a consumer-grade, hand-to-foot, single frequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIACON; Omron HBF-516). Both devices administer undetectable electrical pulses through one extremity that are measured at another extremity, where the voltage drop (impedance) is determined. This information is used to estimate body fluids and composition. RESULTS: A strong, statistically significant correlation between devices was observed for BFP (r: 0.93, R2: 0.87, pCON overestimated BFP by 3.5 ± 3.4% (mean ± SD) relative to BIALAB (BIACON: 28.3 ± 9.6%; BIALAB: 24.8 ± 9.3%; pCONCLUSION: These results collectively suggest that while the laboratory-grade and consumer-grade analyzers in our study exhibit strong correlations when assessing a group of individuals, the consumer-grade device overestimates BFP. Additionally, the SEE indicates that 3.4% error can be expected with the consumer-grade device. Overall, the Omron HBF-516 consumer-grade device may be an adequate and affordable option to estimate body composition in some contexts, but results should be interpreted cautiously when used in individuals