Sustainability and capital conservation in corporate and individual finance

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Development steps of 2-color laser-induced fluorescence with MDR-enhanced energy transfer for instantaneous planar temperature measurement of micro-droplets and sprays

[EN] A new method for instantaneous measurement of temperature, size and velocity of micro-droplets has been developed. The method is based on the well-known 2-color laser-induced fluorescence (2cLIF) technique, but uses a pulsed laser for 2-dimensional imaging without motion blur and an adjusted dye mixture for suppression of LIFMDRs by utilizing the MDR-enhanced energy transfer effect. This work presents the development steps that are necessary to verify feasibility of pulsed 2D-2cLIF-EET for micro droplet and hollow-cone spray applications.This work was performed as part of the Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass”, which is funded by the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments to promote science and research at German universities.Palmer, J.; Reddemann, M.; Kirsch, V.; Kneer, R. (2017). Development steps of 2-color laser-induced fluorescence with MDR-enhanced energy transfer for instantaneous planar temperature measurement of micro-droplets and sprays. En Ilass Europe. 28th european conference on Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 661-668. https://doi.org/10.4995/ILASS2017.2017.4591OCS66166

Viability of coaxial atomization for disintegration of cell solutions in cell spray applications

[EN] Treating Leukemia with intravenous stem cell transplantation represents a well-established therapy technique. For applications, that require high local cell concentrations, transplantation by conventional intravenous injection is less potent, due to cell distribution with blood circulation. Instead, spraying them directly onto the injured or diseased area shows promising results in various applications, e.g. superficial treatment of topographically challenging wounds, in situ seeding of cells on implants, deposition of cells in tubular organs for stem cell therapy. The present work aims for a basic knowledge about viability boundaries for coaxial cell-spray atomization and the reciprocal influence between cells in solution and primary breakup mechanics. A generic modular nozzle is developed, to ensures reproducible boundary conditions. Investigations are conducted regarding primary breakup and relations between resulting droplet size distribution and cell survival. Measurements are performed, utilizing microscopic high-speed visualization with suitable image post processing. Cell viability is analyzed using phase contrast microscopy prior and after atomization. A relation between Rayleigh-Taylor instability wavelength and droplet size distributions by means of Sauter mean diameter (SMD) and cell survival rate (CSR) is suggested. A power law is presented, exclusively dependent on dimensionless measures (λ⊥ ∼ Re−1/2We−1/3 ) which is found to be proportional to SMD and CSR.We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Excellence Initiative of the German federal state governments (Exploratory Research Space, RWTH Aachen University).Bieber, M.; Menzel, S.; Thiebes, A.; Cornelissen, C.; Jockenhoevel, S.; Kneer, R.; Reddemann, M. (2017). Viability of coaxial atomization for disintegration of cell solutions in cell spray applications. En Ilass Europe. 28th european conference on Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 521-528. https://doi.org/10.4995/ILASS2017.2017.4609OCS52152

Информационная система учета и анализа деятельности автомойки «VIP»

Объектом исследования является процесс учета и анализа деятельности автомойки "VIP". Цель работы – исследование, проектирование и разработка информационной системы учета и анализа деятельности автомойки "VIP". Процесс исследования состоял в анализе деятельности организации, обзоре аналогов разрабатываемой информационной системы с целью выбора платформы для разработки ИС. В результате была разработана информационная система учета и анализа деятельности автомойки, выполняющая следующие функции: учет информации о клиентах и автомобилях, учет информации об оказываемых услугах, учет графика работ, анализ деятельности автомойки. Среда разработки: технологическая платформа "1С: Предприятие 8". Степень внедрения: не внедрено. Область применения: информационная система применяется на малых предприяThe object of the study is the process of accounting and analysis of the activities of the car wash "VIP". The purpose of the work is to research, design and develop an information system for accounting and analyzing the activities of the VIP car wash. The research process consisted of an analysis of the organization's activities, a review of the analogues of the information system being developed in order to select a platform for the development of IP. As a result, an information system for accounting and analyzing car wash activities was developed, which performs the following functions: accounting for information about customers and cars, accounting for information about services provided, accounting for work schedules, and analyzing car wash activities. Development environment: techno

Zooming into primary breakup mechanisms of high-pressure automotive sprays

[EN] In-cylinder mixture formation and combustion are highly influenced by primary breakup of injected fuel. Experimentalinvestigation of this phenomenon directly at the outlet of a diesel injector requires a specialized transmitted light microscopy technique combined with a constant-pressure flow microscopy vessel. The method allows verification of the existence of an intact jet core for various states of injection and different fuels. The jet core is dominated by axisymmetric surface waves during the initial injection phase. By quantification of the wavelengths and comparison with existing breakup theories, boundary layer instabilities are identified as origin of surface waves. Boundary layer wavelengths are found to be larger for a higher fuel viscosity. An occasionally appearing non-cylindrical helical jet shape is visible during the injector’s opening and closing phase. The helical jet shape is directly resulting from the nozzle outlet flow. Inner nozzle effects are found to be responsible for generation of the helical structure. A fuel dependence of the helical structure formation and its breakup could not be proved. Results also prove that fuel is exiting the nozzle even after the injector needle is closed, while air is simultaneously moving into the nozzle orifice.This work was performed as part of the Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass”, which was funded by the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments to promote science and research at German universities.Kirsch, V.; Reddemann, M.; Palmer, J.; Kneer, R. (2017). Zooming into primary breakup mechanisms of high-pressure automotive sprays. En Ilass Europe. 28th european conference on Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 224-231. https://doi.org/10.4995/ILASS2017.2017.4603OCS22423

Evaluation of the inflammation-based modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving first-line chemotherapy: a post hoc analysis of the randomized phase III XELAVIRI trial (AIO KRK0110)

Background: The inflammation-based modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) combines serum levels of C-reactive protein and albumin and was shown to predict survival in advanced cancer. We aimed to elucidate the prognostic impact of mGPS on survival as well as its predictive value when combined with gender in unselected metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients receiving first-line chemotherapy in the randomized phase III XELAVIRI trial. Patients and methods: In XELAVIRI, mCRC patients were treated with either fluoropyrimidine/bevacizumab followed by additional irinotecan at first progression (sequential treatment arm; Arm A) or upfront combination of fluoropyrimidine/bevacizumab/irinotecan (intensive treatment arm; Arm B). In the present post hoc analysis, survival was evaluated with respect to the assorted mGPS categories 0, 1 or 2. Interaction between mGPS and gender was analyzed. Results: Out of 421 mCRC patients treated in XELAVIRI, 362 [119 women (32.9%) and 243 men (67.1%)] were assessable. For the entire study population a significant association between mGPS and overall survival (OS) was observed [mGPS ¼ 0: median 28.9 months, 95% confidence interval (CI) 25.9-33.6 months; mGPS ¼ 1: median 21.4 months, 95% CI 17.6-26.1 months; mGPS ¼ 2: median 16.8 months, 95% CI 14.3-21.2 months; P < 0.00001]. Similar results were found when comparing progression-free survival between groups. The effect of mGPS on survival did not depend on the applied treatment regimen (P ¼ 0.21). In female patients, a trend towards longer OS was observed in Arm A versus Arm B, with this effect being clearly more pronounced in the mGPS cohort 0 (41.6 versus 25.5 months; P ¼ 0.056). By contrast, median OS was longer in male patients with an mGPS of 1-2 treated in Arm B versus Arm A (20.8 versus 17.4 months; P ¼ 0.022). Conclusion: We demonstrate the role of mGPS as an independent predictor of OS regardless of the treatment regimen in mCRC patients receiving first-line treatment. mGPS may help identify gender-specific subgroups that benefit more or less from upfront intensive therapy

Therapeutic targets and microenvironment in sequential biopsies of classical Hodgkin lymphoma at diagnosis and relapse

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma is dominated by the non-neoplastic microenvironment, while the neoplastic Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg cells compose only a minority of cells in the lymphoma tissue. Both the Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg cells due to their expression of CD30 and PD-L1 and the microenvironment with abundant T cells and expression of PD1 are specifically targeted by new treatment concepts. We aimed to understand the dynamics of therapeutic targets in patients treated with conventional chemotherapy. We analyzed sequential biopsy specimens obtained at diagnosis and at relapse from the same patient for morphology, immunophenotype, and microenvironmental components. The morphological subtype changed between primary and relapse biopsy in 20% of cases. The immunophenotype was stable with respect to CD30, CD3, and LMP1 but variable with respect to CD15 and CD20 expression. Gene expression revealed 8 upregulated and 20 downregulated genes at relapse (p <= 0.05) with a consistent logarithmic fold change direction in at least 75% of all cases. For PD1, we found discrepant results between gene expression analysis (decrease at relapse) and number of PD1-positive cells assessed by immunohistochemistry (unchanged at relapse). PD-L1 in the neoplastic cells appeared unchanged between primary diagnosis and relapse. The expression of the therapeutic targets CD30, PD1, and PD-L1 can reliably be assessed in tumor specimen at first diagnosis and is unchanged under conventional chemotherapy

Effectiveness of training general practitioners to improve the implementation of brief stop-smoking advice in German primary care: study protocol of a pragmatic, 2-arm cluster randomised controlled trial (the ABCII trial)

Background: The German clinical guideline on tobacco addiction recommends that general practitioners (GPs) provide brief stop-smoking advice to their patients according to the “5A” or the much briefer “ABC” method, but its implementation is insufficient. A lack of training is one barrier for GPs to provide such advice. Moreover, the respective effectiveness of a 5A or ABC training regarding subsequent delivery of stop-smoking advice has not been investigated. We developed a training for GPs according to both methods, and conducted a pilot study with process evaluation to optimize the trainings according to the needs of GPs. This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of both trainings. Methods: A pragmatic 2-arm cluster randomised controlled trial with a pre-post data collection will be conducted in 48 GP practices in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). GPs will be randomised to receive a 3.5-h-training in delivering either 5A or ABC, including peer coaching and intensive role plays with professional actors. The patient-reported primary outcome (receipt of GP advice to quit: yes/no) and secondary outcomes (recommendation rates of smoking cessation treatments, group comparison (5A versus ABC): receipt of GP advice to quit) will be collected in smoking patients routinely consulting their GP within 4 weeks prior, and 4 weeks following the training. Additional secondary outcomes will be collected at 4, 12 and 26 weeks following the consultation: use of cessation treatments during the last quit attempt (if so) since the GP consultation, and point-prevalence abstinence rates. The primary data analysis will be conducted using a mixed-effects logistic regression model with random effects for the cluster variable. Discussion: If the training increases the rates of delivery of stop-smoking advice, it would offer a low-threshold strategy for the guideline implementation in German primary care. Should one method prove superior, a more specific guideline recommendation can be propose