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Additional file 2: Supplemental Material.

For future launch vehicles in aerospace technology, lightweight fuel vessels for liquid oxygen and hydrogen are required. Similar demands derive from the increasing development of the hydrogen technology in terrestrial applications. Lightweight demands require the use of vessels with load carrying fiber composite overwrap. Other cryogenic applications of fiber reinforced plastics are found in magnet technology where superconductivity requires the operation in the cryogenic regime. For these reasons, a strong demand for validated procedures for the assessment of fiber reinforced plastic structures under cryogenic environments has developed during the past years. The present study is concerned with a literature survey on the state of the art in the assessment of FRP materials under cryogenic temperatures. Aspects include the strength and toughness, failure mechanisms as well as characterization procedures used for determination of material data.

Hintergrund und Stand (inter)nationaler Forschung: Sektorierung, Fragmentierung und Arztzentrierung des deutschen Gesundheitswesens stehen oft dem Ziel einer integrierten geriatrischen Versorgung zu Hause entgegen. Ein Care- und Casemanagement (CCM) an der Schnittstelle zwischen Leistungserbringern [zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL], 19. Deutscher Kongress für Versorgungsforschung (DKVF)

In the present study, an algorithm to generate anisotropic polygonal cellular structures based on ellipsoid packing is presented. The aim of this process is to obtain structures with different-sized cells which have significantly non-spherical aspect ratios and different orientations in space. The developed method is an extension of the classical Voronoï process in Laguerre geometry which is well-suited to define cell structures with an optimum surface to volume ratio. Different examples show that with this new space division process a number of cellular structures with extremely different characteristics of their cell shape, size and orientation in space can be computed. The generation of such different cellular structures is a useful tool in the multiscale analysis of anisotropic microstructured media with uncertain microstructures exhibiting microstructural anisotropies such as process-related anisotropic structural foams or anisotropic metallic grain agglomerates.

Background Heterogeneity in the phenotypic presentation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is apparent in the profile and the severity of sensory features. Here, we applied factor mixture modelling (FMM) to test a multidimensional factor model of sensory processing in ASD. We aimed to identify homogeneous sensory subgroups in ASD that differ intrinsically in their severity along continuous factor scores. We also investigated sensory subgroups in relation to clinical variables: sex, age, IQ, social-communication symptoms, restricted and repetitive behaviours, adaptive functioning and symptoms of anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Methods Three hundred thirty-two children and adults with ASD between the ages of 6 and 30 years with IQs varying between 40 and 148 were included. First, three different confirmatory factor models were fit to the 38 items of the Short Sensory Profile (SSP). Then, latent class models (with two-to-six subgroups) were evaluated. The best performing factor model, the 7-factor structure, was subsequently used in two FMMs that varied in the number of subgroups: a two-subgroup, seven-factor model and a three-subgroup and seven-factor model. Results The ‘three-subgroup/seven-factor’ FMM was superior to all other models based on different fit criteria. Identified subgroups differed in sensory severity from severe, moderate to low. Accounting for the potential confounding effects of age and IQ, participants in these sensory subgroups had different levels of social-communicative symptoms, restricted and repetitive behaviours, adaptive functioning skills and symptoms of inattention and anxiety. Limitations Results were derived using a single parent-report measure of sensory features, the SSP, which limits the generalisability of findings. Conclusion Sensory features can be best described by three homogeneous sensory subgroups that differ in sensory severity gradients along seven continuous factor scores. Identified sensory subgroups were further differentiated by the severity of core and co-occurring symptoms, and level of adaptive functioning, providing novel evidence on the associated clinical correlates of sensory subgroups. These sensory subgroups provide a platform to further interrogate the neurobiological and genetic correlates of altered sensory processing in ASD.

Background: Gastrointestinal infections are caused by a broad spectrum of pathogens. Conventional diagnostic procedures are resource and time consuming due to single pathogen testing, often in different laboratories. Method: We analyzed 312 consecutive stool samples from pediatric patients (n=127) with gastroenteritis or from adult travelers returning from the tropics with suspected parasite infestation (n=185) using commercial multiplex nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) (xTAG gastrointestinal pathogen panel, Luminex) covering 15 diarrhea-causing pathogens. The results of the positive samples and a representative number of negative samples were compared to standard methods, including NAT, direct antigen detection (DAD), bacterial culture and microscopy. Results: Of the 185 samples from adult travelers, 21 (11%) were multiplexNAT-positive, with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (4%) being the predominant pathogen. Microscopic examination revealed Blastocystis hominis in 23% not covered by the panel. MultiplexNAT scored positive in 66 pediatric samples (52%), with rotavirus (27%) being the most prevalent. All adenovirus-, rotavirus-, Clostridium difficile- and Cryptosporidium-positive samples were confirmed in external laboratories, but only 40% of norovirus- and 29% of Giardia-positive samples. Analysis of frozen specimens by bacterial culture showed the highest discrepancies with the multiplexNAT. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates broad detection of relevant gastroenteritis pathogens by multiplexNAT with a short turnaround time. This is important for diagnosis, infection control and empiric management of gastroenteritis patients, but may be selectively complemented by bacterial culture and resistance testing.