TRACKING OF STRENGTH TRAINING: VALIDATION OF A MOTION-RECOGNITION ALGORITHM & A PILOT TOWARDS 1RM, MUSCLE LOADING AND FATIGUE INDEX USING A SMARTWATCH APP

Ubiquitous wrist-worn devices have become a noteworthy research topic in motion recognition of strength training exercises. This study was designed to develop a watchOS and iOS application and assess its exercise recognition and repetition counting accuracy. Furthermore, as a pilot, a method to estimate the 1 repetition maximum and muscle stress and fatigue is explored. To test the exercise recognition and repetition counting accuracy, a workout consisting of nine sets with five randomly ordered resistance training exercises and repetition amounts was conducted when wearing an Apple Watch. Overall mean %error in exercise recognition was 3.5% and 0.92% in repetition counting. In the future, this app can also be used for estimation of 1 repetition maximum, muscle stress and fatigue

Methodological Aspects of a Quantitative and Qualitative Survey of Asylum Seekers in Germany - A Field Report

This field report presents and discusses methodological issues and challenges encountered in a mixed-methods research project on asylum seekers in Bavaria, Germany. It documents the research design of, and field experiences in, a quantitative survey based on a quota sampling procedure and a qualitative study, both of which were conducted in collective accommodation for asylum seekers at selected locations in that federal state. Standardized PAPI multiple-topic questionnaires were completed by asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Iraq (N = 779); most of the questionnaires were self-administered. In addition, 12 qualitative face-to-face biographical interviews were conducted in order to gain an indepth understanding of attitudes and experiences of asylum seekers. This report focuses on the following aspects: the use of gatekeepers to facilitate participant recruitment; sampling procedures; the involvement of interpreters in the data collection process; response bias and response behaviors among asylum seekers; and the experiences gained from data collection in collective accommodation for asylum seekers

Metaanalyse zur genetischen Prädisposition bei Parodontitis unter Verwendung von Polymorphismen

Die Volkskrankheit Parodontitis beschreibt die entzündliche Degeneration des Zahnhalteappa-rates, die auf lange Sicht zur Lockerung einzelner Zähne und sogar zum Verlust der gleichen führen kann. Nach neuesten Zahlen ist in Deutschland jeder zweite jüngere Erwachsene und sogar zwei von drei jüngeren Senioren von dieser Krankheit betroffen.1 Da es sich um eine entzündliche Erkrankung handelt, spielen Entzündungsmediatoren, sog. Zy-tokine, eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Pathogenese der Parodontitis.2 Einige Polymorphismen auf den Genabschnitten einzelner Zytokine wurden in zahlreichen Studien bezüglich ihres Ein-flusses auf das Erkrankungsrisiko für Parodontitis untersucht. Zu den Interleukinen 1 alpha (1α), 1 beta (1β), 4, 6, 8, 10 und 17 sowie zu dem Tumornekrosefaktor alpha (TNF-α) konnten viele Studien mit zum Teil widersprüchlichen Resultaten identifiziert werden. Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation wurde eine Metaanalyse aller bis zum 30.12.2016 auf PubMed publizierten Arbeiten zum IL-1α +4845G/T, IL-1α -889C/T, IL-1β +3954C/T, IL-1β -511C/T, IL-4 -590C/T, IL-6 -174G/C, IL-6 -572G/C, IL-8 +781C/T, IL-8 +396T/G, IL-8 -251A/T, IL-10 -592C/A, IL-10 -819C/T, IL-10 -1082A/G, IL-17 -197G/A, TNF-α -238G/A und TNF-α -308G/A Polymorphismus durchgeführt. Zu allen 16 Polymorphismen wurde jeweils zum do-minanten und rezessiven Modell die Odds Ratio (OR) und das 95%-Konfidenzintervall (95%-CI) berechnet. Die Ergebnisse der Analyse des IL-1β +3954C/T Polymorphismus deuten darauf hin, dass Per-sonen mit dem Genotyp TT sowie Träger des T-Allels ein erhöhtes Risiko besitzen, an Paro-dontitis zu erkranken. Weiterhin lassen die Resultate der Analyse des IL-10 -592C/A Polymor-phismus vermuten, dass wiederum Personen mit dem Genotyp AA sowie Träger des A-Allels häufiger an Parodontitis leiden. Zu den Polymorphismen IL-1α -889C/T, IL-6 -174G/C, IL-8 +781C/T, IL-8 +396T/G und TNF-α -238G/A wurden zum Teil signifikante Werte berechnet, jedoch konnten diese nur in Sensitivitätsanalysen generiert werden oder der Literaturbestand war nicht ausreichend, um ein aussagekräftiges Ergebnis zu erzielen. Bei den restlichen neun Polymorphismen konnte kein statistisch signifikanter Einfluss auf das Parodontitisrisiko nach-gewiesen werden.The periodontal disease describes the inflammatory degeneration of the tooth retaining appa-ratus, which can lead to a long-term relaxation of individual teeth and even to the loss of the same. According to the latest figures, in Germany every second younger adult and even two out of three younger seniors are affected by this disease.1 Since it is an inflammatory disease, inflammatory mediators, so-called cytokines, play a deci-sive role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.2 Some polymorphisms on the gene sections of individual cytokines have been investigated in numerous studies regarding their influence on the disease risk for periodontal disease. The interleukins 1 alpha (1α), 1 beta (1β), 4, 6, 8, 10 and 17 as well as the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) could be identified in many studies with partly contradictory results. In this thesis, there is shown a meta-analysis of all publications on PubMed until 30.12.2016 about the IL-1α +4845G/T, IL-1α -889C/T, IL-1β +3954C/T, IL-1β -511C/T, IL-4 -590C/T, IL-6 -174G/C, IL-6 -572G/C, IL-8 +781C/T, IL-8 +396T/G, IL-8 -251A/T, IL-10 -592C/A, IL-10 -819C/T, IL-10 -1082A/G, IL-17 -197G/A, TNF-α -238G/A and TNF-α -308G/A polymor-phisms. For all 16 polymorphisms, the Odds Ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (95%-CI) were calculated for the dominant and recessive model. The results of the analysis of the IL-1β + 3954C/T polymorphism indicate that persons with the genotype TT as well as carriers of the T allele are at increased risk of developing periodontal disease. Furthermore, the results of the analysis of the IL-10 -592C/A polymorphism suggest that persons with the genotype AA as well as carriers of the A allele suffer more frequently from periodontitis. Some significant values were calculated for the polymorphisms IL-1α -889C/T, IL-6 -174G/C, IL-8 +781C/T, IL-8 +396T/G and TNF-α -238G/A are generated only in sensitivity analyzes or the literature stock was not sufficient to achieve a meaningful result. In the remaining nine polymorphisms, no statistically significant influence on the risk of peri-odontal disease could be demonstrated

Nudging Flexibility – Increasing Electric Vehicle User’s Charging Flexibility with Digital Nudges

Smart charging systems can prevent problems with the integration of battery electric vehicles (BEV) and allow the user to optimize the charging process according to his preferences. To do this, however, the user must enter his flexibility into the smart charging system. We propose that this flexibility can be increased by the means of choice architecture and digital nudging. Setting defaults and presenta-tion of normative defaults can successfully encourage end users to conserve electric energy. We pro-pose an online experiment to investigate the transferability of these nudges to the provision of charg-ing flexibility

A simple algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons

We study the characteristics of straight skeletons of monotone polygonal chains and use them to devise an algorithm for computing positively weighted straight skeletons of monotone polygons. Our algorithm runs in O(nlogn) time and O(n) space, where n denotes the number of vertices of the polygon

Reprint of: Weighted straight skeletons in the plane

We investigate weighted straight skeletons from a geometric, graph-theoretical, and combinatorial point of view. We start with a thorough definition and shed light on some ambiguity issues in the procedural definition. We investigate the geometry, combinatorics, and topology of faces and the roof model, and we discuss in which cases a weighted straight skeleton is connected. Finally, we show that the weighted straight skeleton of even a simple polygon may be non-planar and may contain cycles, and we discuss under which restrictions on the weights and/or the input polygon the weighted straight skeleton still behaves similar to its unweighted counterpart. In particular, we obtain a non-procedural description and a linear-time construction algorithm for the straight skeleton of strictly convex polygons with arbitrary weights

Self-assembly of gold nanoparticles at the oil-vapor interface: from mono- to multilayers

Alkylthiol-coated gold nanoparticles spontaneously segregate from dispersion in toluene to the toluene-vapor interface. We show that surface tension drops during segregation with a rate that depends on particle concentration. Mono- and multilayers of particles form depending on particle concentration, time, and temperature. X-ray reflectometry indicates fast monolayer formation and slow multilayer formation. A model that combines diffusion-limited segregation driven by surface energy and heterogeneous agglomeration driven by dispersive van der Waals particle interactions is proposed to describe film formation

Prevalence and characteristics of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci from livestock, chicken carcasses, bulk tank milk, minced meat, and contact persons

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CNS) are of increasing importance to animal and public health. In veterinary medicine and along the meat and milk production line, only limited data were so far available on MR-CNS characteristics. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of MR-CNS, to identify the detected staphylococci to species level, and to assess the antibiotic resistance profiles of isolated MR-CNS strains. RESULTS: After two-step enrichment and growth on chromogenic agar, MR-CNS were detected in 48.2% of samples from livestock and chicken carcasses, 46.4% of samples from bulk tank milk and minced meat, and 49.3% of human samples. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), 414 selected MR-CNS strains belonged to seven different species (S. sciuri, 32.6%; S. fleurettii, 25.1%; S. haemolyticus, 17.4%; S. epidermidis, 14.5%, S. lentus, 9.2%; S. warneri, 0.7%; S. cohnii, 0.5%). S. sciuri and S. fleurettii thereby predominated in livestock, BTM and minced meat samples, whereas S. epidermidis and S. haemolyticus predominated in human samples. In addition to beta-lactam resistance, 33-49% of all 414 strains were resistant to certain non-beta-lactam antibiotics (ciproflaxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline). CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of MR-CNS was found in livestock production. This is of concern in view of potential spread of mecA to S. aureus (MRSA). Multiresistant CNS strains might become an emerging problem for veterinary medicine. For species identification of MR-CNS isolated from different origins, MALDI-TOF MS proved to be a fast and reliable tool and is suitable for screening of large sample amounts