Der Einfluss schwer quantifizierbarer Entscheidungsfaktoren auf die Investitionstätigkeit im Umweltbereich

Im Umweltschutzbereich werden derzeit weltweit immer mehr Investitionen getätigt. In diesem Zusammenhang werden in der Öffentlichkeit und in der Gesetzgebung Transparenz und Objektivität in der Entscheidungsfindung verlangt. Einflüsse bei den Entscheidungsprozessen hängen von intern und extern ausgelösten Faktoren ab, die die Qualität der Entscheidung beeinflussen. Diese Faktoren können technischer, ökonomischer, sozialer oder schwer quantifizierbarer Art sein (im Sinne z.B. emotionaler Art oder im Sinne macht-/politischer Intervention im Eigen- oder Allgemeininteresse). Auch wenn Entscheidungen generell rational getroffen werden sollen, erfolgt das nicht ohne Beteiligung von Menschen und deren Interessen, die in die Entscheidung einfließen, sodass qualitative Einflüsse, wie berufliche Erfahrung, politische Interessen, Umweltschutzaspekte, Unsicherheit, Risiko, Intuition, Beziehungen, Kommunikation, Rechtfertigungsdruck und technische Verlässlichkeit mehr Einfluss auf eine Entscheidung im Umweltschutzbereich zeigen, als rechentechnisch generierte quantitative Verfahren, die vor allem in der Bewertung von verschiedenen Investitionsmöglichkeiten eingesetzt werden und oft mehr als rechtfertigend als grundsätzlich entscheidungsbeeinflussend wirken. Ein derart gestalteter Entscheidungsprozess verwendet diese Verfahren und sammelt zusätzliche Information zur Verringerung des Investitionsrisikos durch zukünftige Ertragsteigerung und Kostenoptimierung. Er wird durch das Sammeln zusätzlicher Information verlängert und verteuert. Der Zeitpunkt der Entscheidung "Cut Off Point" sollte aber so gewählt werden, dass weitere Kosten zur Informationsbeschaffung oder die Opportunitätskosten einer Verspätung der Entscheidung die möglichen Kosteneinsparungen oder zukünftigen Erträge übertreffen. (author's abstract

Hg speciation in petroleum hydrocarbons with emphasis on the reactivity of Hg particles

Acknowledgment Mohammed M. Lawan, David J. Bellis, Andrea Raab, and Dagmar S. Urgast are thanked for all of their advice on ICP-MS, which has helped to achieve this work. Graeme Nicol is thanked for his help with ultracentrifuge. John Alvarez, Dennis O’Rear, and Sheila Yeh (Chevron, ETC, U.S.) are acknowledged for their valuable comments and fruitful discussion. Z.G. thanks Chevron, U.S., and the College of Physical Sciences at University of Aberdeen for the provided studentship.Peer reviewedPostprin

Food-Level Analysis to Identify Dietary Choices With the Highest Nutritional Quality and Lowest Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Price

FUNDING This research was funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) and responsive opportunity funding from the Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Veterinary Doctors and Students, the Netherlands

The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the Netherlands, at 1.0%, is among the lowest in Europe. In 2004, a relationship between pig farming and a high risk for MRSA carriage was found. To investigate if those in professional contact with livestock are at higher risk for MRSA carriage, we screened 80 veterinary students and 99 veterinarians and questioned them about animal contacts and known MRSA risk factors. Of these, 27 students who did not have livestock contact were excluded from further analysis. We found 7 carriers of MRSA, a prevalence of 4.6%, which is similar to that found in patients who had previously been treated at foreign hospitals. A correlation of MRSA carriage with a specific animal group could not be established. To preserve the low prevalence of MRSA in the Netherlands, persons involved in the care of livestock should be isolated and screened on admission to the hospital

Nutritional Quality, Environmental Impact and Cost of Ultra-Processed Foods : A UK Food-Based Analysis

This research was funded by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) and responsive opportunity funding from the Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Double-Tuned Birdcage Radio Frequency Coil for 7 T MRI: Optimization, Construction and Workbench Validation

The aim of the present study is the optimization, construction, and workbench validation of a double-tuned 1H- 23Na volume radio frequency (RF) coil suitable for human head imaging at 7 T, based on the birdcage geometry. The birdcage-like design which is considered is the four-ring model, in which two standard birdcage-like structures with the same diameters are nested along the longitudinal axis. Simulations based on Maxwell’s equations are performed to evaluate the RF magnetic field homogeneity and the RF coil efficiency varying the coil geometrical parameters. The RF magnetic field homogeneity is evaluated both on the transverse (z = 0) and longitudinal (y = 0) planes without performing the impedance matching procedure, so that the RF coil symmetry is not perturbed by the matching network. The RF coil efficiency is instead dependent on the effective coil input RF power, and it is evaluated after matching the coil, so that the reflected power is minimized, assuming that the stimulation power is totally delivered to the RF coil. Considering the simulation results and the target application, the useful RF coil geometrical parameters are fixed. The four-ring model, which showed the best performances, has been built and tested on a workbench, using a cylindrical phantom filled with a 0.05 M saline solution as load. This provides the first example of a four-ring realization intended 1H- 23Na for human head imaging at 7 T

Classification of Inflammatory Bowel Disease from Formalin‐Fixed, Paraffin‐Embedded Tissue Biopsies via Imaging Mass Spectrometry

Purpose: Discrimination between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) by histologic features alone can be challenging and often leads to inaccurate initial diagnoses in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. This is mostly due to an overlap of clinical and histologic features. However, exact diagnosis is not only important for patient treatment but it also has a socioeconomic impact. It is therefore important to develop and improve diagnostic tools complementing traditional histomorphological approaches. Experimental Design: In this retrospective proof-of-concept study, the utilization of MALDI imaging is explored in combination with multi-variate data analysis methods to classify formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) colon biopsies from UC (87 biopsies, 14 patients), CD (71 biopsies, 14 patients), and normal colonic (21 biopsies, 14 patients) tissues. Results: The proposed method results in an overall balanced accuracy of 85.7% on patient and of 80.4% on sample level, thus demonstrating that the assessment of IBD from FFPE tissue specimens via MALDI imaging is feasible. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: The results emphasize the high potential of this method to distinguish IBD subtypes in FFPE tissue sections, which is a prerequisite for further investigations in retrospective multicenter studies, as well as for a future implementation into clinical routine