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Die Polyarthrose der Hand und der Finger ist keine exklusive Erkrankung des fortgeschrittenen Lebensalters. Verletzungen und Unfalle fuhren zu sekundaren Veranderungen an der Handwurzel und den Fingergelenken. Die Therapie umfasst konservative, interventionelle und operative Ansatze. Das primare Ziel der konservativen Therapie ist der Erhalt der Beweglichkeit und der funktionellen Kapazitat. Neben dem motorisch-funktionellen Training umfasst die Ergotherapie neben Gelenkschutz und Selbsthilfetraining die gezielte Unterstutzung der individualisierten Therapie durch erforderliche Orthesen. Bei persistierenden Einschrankungen und Schmerzen, die durch konservative und interventionelle Masnahmen nicht ausreichend therapierbar sind, kann eine operative Versorgung in Erwagung gezogen werden. Diese kann dann zu einer Verbesserung der Gesamtsituation der Hand beitragen, soweit alle anderen Therapieoptionen ausgeschopft sind und der Leidensdruck des Patienten das Ausmas des Eingriffes rechtfertigt. Polyarthrosis of the hand and fingers is not an exclusive disease of advanced age. Injuries and accidents lead to secondary changes in the wrist, and finger joints. The therapy includes conservative, interventional and surgical options. The primary goal of conservative therapy is to maintain mobility and function of the hand. In addition to motor-functional training, occupational therapy includes joint protection and self-help training, as well as targeted support of the individualized therapy with splints and braces. In cases of persistent limitations and pain that cannot be sufficiently treated by conservative and interventional therapies, surgical treatment can be considered. This can then help to improve the overall situation of the hand, provided that all other therapy options have been exhausted and the patient’s level of suffering justifies the extent of the intervention.

Science gateways are generally accessed via web browsers from workstation or laptop computers. However, activities such as fieldwork and data collection have prompted an increasing call for new methods of access using a wide range of mobile and specialized devices. Our work to extend the HUBzero gateway framework with new access routes is described. Specifically, an emphasis is placed on enabling the flow of geospatial data and metadata between geo-enhanced HUBzero hubs and devices in the field.

BACKGROUND Several professional bodies have developed influential documents which have tried to describe the essential competences of a good doctor. Such an initiative has not been previously conducted in German-speaking countries. Differences between the published statements point towards the significance of differences in the respective sociocultural setting. METHODS The first step was to take advantage of a series of standardized written interviews [including the item "What makes a doctor a good doctor?"], conducted with leading German physicians and published serially in the Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift. Responses were qualitatively analysed by three assessors in accordance with Grounded Theory. Text fragmentation and assignment of categories was built successively: it was based on the actual material and repeatedly revised. RESULTS 261 statements were extracted from a total of 83 interviews. It was possible to assign 249 of them to one of the following nine categories: "knowledge", "empathy" and "patient orientation" and, less frequently "practical competence", "genuineness", "helper", "awareness of limits", "life-long learning" and "cooperation". Results were similar for older and younger physicians, or when comparing representatives of clinical and theoretical disciplines. CONCLUSIONS It will be worthwhile to survey and evaluate the opinion of additional members of the medical profession and of patients and others with a stake in the health system--comparing and delineating results from different countries--so that a more comprehensive picture can be drawn of "the good doctor".

A soil map is one of the key data layers for developing a robust global model and evaluating land quality and use. A current soil map produced by conventional soil survey is the major source of soil information. However, such a map may not provide the desired accuracy in terms of scale and cartographic quality as a digital format for geographic information system (GIS) modeling applications. This study was designed to introduce and test the procedures for improving the objectivity and accuracy in the delineation of soil patterns with the use of hyperspectral imagery. These hyperspectral data were analyzed through different models including the linear mixture model, block-kriging interpolation, and fuzzy-c-means (FCM) algorithms. Hyperspectral remote sensing data, having very good spectral and spatial resolution, were used for quantifying soil patterns and conditions. A linear spectral mixing model was effectively used not only for reducing dimensionality but also for removing vegetation effects for studying soil patterns from a single soil map layer derived from hyperspectral remote sensing data. Block kriging interpolation based on a semivariogram fitted with the isotropic exponential model represented soil patterns very well beyond the limitation of the size of pixel. Fuzzyc-means clustering analysis showed clear membership patterns and segmented soil patterns effectively, although this is not a soil map in the conventional sense.

Reflectance spectra of salt-affected surface soil samples have been measured at 10 nm spectral resolution between 495 nm and 2395 nm. The samples were collected in California (41) and in Hungary (49) to compare the effect of different salinization and alkalization processes on reflectance properties. The data set consisted of 272 spectra having 2–12 cases (repetitions) for each sample. Sixteen classes were defined based on chemical soil properties, accounting for changes in pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), of which 12 were represented in the sample. The reflectance data set was statistically analyzed using a modified stepwise principal component analysis (MSPCA) approach to select 1, 2, 3, … bands for classification of salinity status. Recognition of the above-described classification was tested by discriminant function analysis (DFA). Its results can be applied in further studies for weighing spectral bands according to their sensitivity to the chosen classification as well as in defining broad, but still potentially sufficient bands. Recognition accuracy of salinity status was 91%, 90%, and 88% with 10 nm, 20 nm, and 40 nm bands, respectively, for the entire data set. Comparison with PCA using all bands showed only slight differences. The California soil samples had more distinct spectral characteristics than the Hungarian ones. Key spectral ranges were identified in the visible (550–770 nm), near-infrared (900–1030 nm, 1270–1520 nm), and middle infrared (1940–2150 nm, 2150–2310 nm, 2330–2400 nm) portion of the spectrum at 20 nm, 40 nm, and 80 nm spectral resolution. Two of these (1270–1520 nm and 1940–2150 nm) cannot be used with satellite data due to water vapor absorption in the atmosphere. In addition, six broad bands in these ranges were identified, leading to considerably higher overall accuracy than currently available Landsat MSS, TM, and SPOT XS, in terms of spectral recognition of salinity status.

A frequency-modulatad continuous-wave C-band (4.8 GHz) scatterometer was mounted on an aerial lift truck, and backscatter coefficients of corn (Zea mays L.) were acquired as functions of polarizations, view angles, and row directions. As phytomass and green-leaf area index increased, the backscatter also increased. Near anthesis, when the canopies were fully developed, the major scattering elements were located in the upper 1 m of the 2.8 m tall canopy and little backscatter was measured below that level for view angles of 30 deg or greater. C-band backscatter data could provide information to monitor tillage operations at small view zenith angles and vegetation at large view zenith angles.

Several professional bodies have developed influential documents which have tried to describe the essential competences of a good doctor. Such an initiative has not been previously conducted in German-speaking countries. Differences between the published statements point towards the significance of differences in the respective sociocultural setting.The first step was to take advantage of a series of standardized written interviews [including the item "What makes a doctor a good doctor?"], conducted with leading German physicians and published serially in the Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift. Responses were qualitatively analysed by three assessors in accordance with Grounded Theory. Text fragmentation and assignment of categories was built successively: it was based on the actual material and repeatedly revised.261 statements were extracted from a total of 83 interviews. It was possible to assign 249 of them to one of the following nine categories: "knowledge", "empathy" and "patient orientation" and, less frequently "practical competence", "genuineness", "helper", "awareness of limits", "life-long learning" and "cooperation". Results were similar for older and younger physicians, or when comparing representatives of clinical and theoretical disciplines.It will be worthwhile to survey and evaluate the opinion of additional members of the medical profession and of patients and others with a stake in the health system--comparing and delineating results from different countries--so that a more comprehensive picture can be drawn of "the good doctor".

Specialized software systems have played a crucial role throughout the twenty-five year course of the development of the new technology of imaging spectroscopy, or hyperspectral remote sensing. By their very nature, hyperspectral data place unique and demanding requirements on the computer software used to visualize, analyze, process and interpret them. Often described as a marriage of the two technologies of reflectance spectroscopy and airborne/spaceborne remote sensing, imaging spectroscopy, in fact, produces data sets with unique qualities, unlike previous remote sensing or spectrometer data. Because of these unique spatial and spectral properties hyperspectral data are not readily processed or exploited with legacy software systems inherited from either of the two parent fields of study. This paper provides brief reviews of seven important software systems developed specifically for imaging spectroscopy.

Detailed biomass and structure measurements as well as photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) balance and bidirectional and polarized reflectances in various wavebands from 450 nm to 1750 nm have been conducted over a sunflower canopy in France. Preliminary results show that the vegetation indices (NDVI or TSAVI) computed from the red and near-infrared reflectances exhibit strong directional and temporal (variation with the sun zenith angle) features. The relationship between the vegetation indices and the PAR fraction absorbed or intercepted by the canopy is likely to vary greatly with these factors.

Skylab multispectral scanner data, digitized Skylab color infrared (IR) photography, digitized Skylab black and white multiband photography, and Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) multi-spectral scanner data collected within a 24-h time period over an area in south-central Indiana near Bloomington on June 9 and 10, 1973, were compared in a machine-aided land use analysis of the area. The overall classification performance results, obtained with nine land use classes, were 87-percent correct classification using the "best" 4 channels of the Skylab multispectral scanner, 80 percent for the channels on the Skylab multispectral scanner which are spectrally comparable to the ERTS multispectral scanner, 88 percent for the ERTS multispectral scanner, 83 percent for the digitized color IR photography, and 76 percent for the digitized black and white multiband photography. The results indicate that the Skylab multispectral scanner may yield even higher classification accuracies when a noise filtered multispectral scanner data set becomes available in the near future.

Careful measurements of the spectral properties of individual leaves are required to understand interactions of radiation with vegetation and to use effectively the data from future sensors with increasingly finer spectral resolution. Instruments capable of measuring the optical properties of leaves typically have integrating spheres with sample parts at least 10 mm in diameter. However, the leaves of many grasses and conifers are too small to cover completely the sample port. We describe a technique that enables the measurements of reflectance and transmittance of narrow leaves or needles with spectroradiometers equipped with a light source and integrating sphere. Measurement procedures and formulae for optical property calculations are presented. A test of the techniques resulted in absolute reflectance differences of 3 % or less when comparing optical properties measured for whole leaves and narrow strips cut from the leaves. Thus, these techniques can accurately estimate the spectral properties of small leaves.

A study conducted in order to determine the rate of changes in spectral properties of detached leaves and to evaluate the effectiveness of low temperature and cytokinins for delaying the changes, is examined. For five minutes, leaves from red birch are immersed in water or 0.001 M BAP, and then stored in plastic bags in the dark at either 5 or 25 C. Using a spectroradiometer and an integrating sphere, total directional-hemispherical reflectance and transmittance of the adaxial surface of the leaves are measured over the 400-1100 nm wavelength region. The results indicate that for leaves stored at 5 C for one week, the changes in the spectral properties are less than 5 percent of the initial values, whereas storage at 25 C promotes rapid senescence and large changes in the spectral properties. It is shown that low temperature is more effective than BAP in delaying senescence.

The selection of the correct combination of parametric values (instantaneous field of view, number and location of spectral bands, signal-to-noise ratio, etc.) of a multispectral scanner is a complex problem due to the strong interrelationship these parameters have with one another. In this paper the results of an empirical study of this problem are presented. The study was done with the proposed scanner, known as the thematic mapper, in mind. Since an adequate theoretical procedure for this problem has apparently not yet been devised, an empirical simulation approach was used with candidate parameter values selected by heuristic means. The results obtained using a conventional maximum likelihood pixel classifier suggest that although the classification accuracy declines slightly as the instantaneous field of view (IFOV) is decreased this is more than made up by an improved mensuration accuracy. Further, the use of a classifier involving both spatial and spectral features shows a very substantial tendency to resist degradation as the signal-to-noise ratio is decreased. Finally, further evidence is provided of the importance of having at least one spectral band in each of the major available portions of the optical spectrum.

Spectral responses of two glaciated soils, Chalmers silty clay loam and Fincastle silt loam, formed under prairie grass and forest vegetation, respectively, were measured both in the laboratory under controlled moisture equilibria, and in the field under various moisture and crop residue conditions. An Exotech Model 20C spectroradiometer was used to obtain spectral data in the laboratory under artificial illumination. Reflectance measurements ranged from 0.52-to 2.32-µm in 0.01 µm increments. Asbestos tension tables were used to maintain a 0.10-bar moisture equilibrium following saturation of crushed, sieved soil samples. The same spectroradiometer was used outdoors under solar illumination to obtain spectral response from dry and moistened field plots with and without corn residue cover, representing the two different soils. Results indicate that laboratory-measured spectra of moist soil are directly proportional to the spectral response of that same field-measured moist bare soil over the 0.52- to 1.75-µm wavelength range. The magnitudes of difference in spectral response between identically treated Chalmers and Fincastle soils are greatest in the 0.64-to 0.8-µm transition region between the visible and near infrared, regardless of field condition or laboratory preparation studied.

A crops and soils data base has been developed at Purdue University's Laboratory for Applications of Remote Sensing using spectral and agronomic measurements made by several government and university researchers. The data are being used to (1) quantitatively determine the relationships of spectral and agronomic characteristics of crops and soils, (2) define future sensor systems, and (3) develop advanced data analysis techniques. Researchers follow defined data acquisition and preprocessing techniques to provide fully annotated and calibrated sets of spectral, agronomic, and meteorological data. These procedures enable the researcher to combine his data with that acquired by other researchers for remote sensing research. The key elements or requirements for developing a field research data base of spectral data that can be transported across sites and years are appropriate experiment design, accurate spectral data calibration, defined field procedures, and through experiment documentation.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the reflectance properties of soils. In delineating differences among soils and in describing the characteristics of a soil profile, color is one of the most useful attributes for documenting these differences. Soil visible reflectance, or color, is a differentiating characteristic for many classes in all modern soil classification systems and is an essential part of the definitions for both surface and subsurface diagnostic horizons. The chapter includes instrumentation for reflectance measurements. Instruments that are used to measure the reflectance of soil are divided into two broad classes—namely, spectroradiometers and multiband radiometers. Multiband radiometers contain several optical filters to define the spectral bandpasses. These spectral bandpasses are selected to sample discrete portions of the optical spectrum, e.g., the Landsat multispectral scanner or the thematic mapper bands. The character of reflected light from a soil surface depends on the nature of the surface and the intensity and spectral quality of the radiation incident upon the surface. The soil surface may be irradiated by direct sunlight, scattered skylight, and thermal radiation from the surroundings.

A means by which measurements of the optical properties of crops and soils can be knowledgeably compared from site to site and instrument to instrument is presented in detail. The definition of bidirectional reflectance factor is reviewed and discussed. Procedures for field implementation are illustrated and discussed. Spectral and goniometric properties of laboratory and field reference surfaces and typical environmental subjects serve as a basis for analysis of uncertainties introduced by differing illumination conditions. Results of a comparison of the performance of three spectrometer systems are presented and discussed. It is concluded that intelligent use of the bidirectional reflectance factor technique is an accurate and practical means to obtain the spectral, optical properties of crops and soils needed for advancements in agricultural remote sensing.

The feasibility is determined of using small computer systems (including programmable desktop calculators and minicomputers) for interactive electronic circuit simulation. Several aspects of the simulator architecture are considered: the computer language, the data word format, the computing speed, and the computer memory configuration. Interactive circuit simulation on programmable desktop calculators is investigated using simulator program BIAS-D (BASIC), written in BASIC for HP9830A desktop calculator. Analysis techniques are presented which conserve memory and advantage of the idiosyncrasies of these small computers. Interactive-mode circuit simulation and batch-mode simulation on minicomputers are compared relative to the simulator architecture and required simulation speed. The more significant speed- and memory-dependent algorithms, used in circuit simulators are compared in detail. Also compared are the execution speeds of several different minicomputer systems, including the HP2100, the PDP 11/45, and the PRIME 400. The speed and memory requirements of these minicomputers executing BIAS-D are compared to an IBM 370/168 also executing BIAS-D. A new method for computing small-signal frequency response is introduced. Because complex arithmetic is not required, this technique is particularly suited to minicomputer simulators and requires minimal additional memory when implemented in a circuit simulator with a transient analysis capability. The frequency response of both linear and nonlinear circuits can be modeled, as can that of high-Q circuits. Magnitude and phase errors of less than 1 percent and 0.5 degrees, respectively, are easily attainable.

The history of the development of remote sensing is briefly discussed, taking into account the study of the optical spectral properties of plants in the early 1950s, the concept of 'spectral signature', the multispectral scanner, and the Thematic Mapper scanner. The present state of development of remote sensing is examined. It is found that the requirements for field measurements for remote sensing field research are the same as the requirements envisioned in the 1960s. However, improved models for predicting scene reflectance and considerable field experience have clarified the aims and procedures. Information related to the status of optical measurements for crops and soils research is presented.

Eight channel Skylab multispectral scanner data obtained in January, 1974, was used in a level two land-use analysis of Allen County, Indiana. The data set which includes one visible channel, four near infrared channels, two middle infrared channels, and one far infrared channel was from the X-5 detector array of the S-192 experiment in the Earth Resources Experiment Package on board the Skylab space station. The results indicate that a good quality far infrared (thermal) channel is very valuable for land use mapping during the winter months.

The design, implementation, and results of multisite multiyear experiments to measure and model the multispectral reflectance of agricultural crops in relation to their biophysical characteristics are described. The experimental approach involved multitemporal reflectance measurements together with detailed measurements of the agronomic characteristics of crop canopies. One result of the field measurements and analyses was a quantitative description of the complex relationships among crop canopy, soil, atmosphere, and illumination and sensor geometries. Leaf area index was identified as a key biophysical parameter linking crop physiology and multispectral remote sensing. Quantitative understanding and models of this relationship led to the development of spectral-temporal profile models for crop species identification and development stage estimation. A second key development has been the development of conceptual approaches and models for spectral estimation of leaf area index and light interception of crop canopies as inputs to crop growth and yield models. Other results include quantification of the effects of soil background, cultural practices, moisture stress, and nutrient deficiencies on crop reflectance, and the effects of sun angle and sensor view angle on measured canopy reflectance. The field measurements of canopy reflectance and geometry also provided data bases to test and validate canopy radiation models. In summary, the AgRISTARS field research on agricultural crops has provided a critical link between satellite and leaf spectral data.

Using polarization measurements, the reflectance factor R(theta(i),phi(i),theta(r),phi(r)) of two wheat canopies is divided into components due to specularly and diffusely reflected light. The data show that two key angles may be predicted, the angle of the polarizer for minimum flux and the angle of incidence of sunlight specularly reflected by a leaf to a sensor. The results show that specular reflection is a key aspect to radiation transfer by two canopies. Results suggest that the advent of heading in wheat may be remotely sensed from polarization measurements of the canopy reflectance.